Across the Lake

After leaving Leland we headed south along Lake Michigan's eastern shore.  We had another gorgeous day on the Lake ( throwing into question all the stern warnings we had read about pop-up storms, unsettled waters, high waves and general discomfort). Along the way we were able to get another look at the Sleeping Bear Dunes and try to pick out the stops we had made on land.

The photo above shows one of the one dozen 1,000 foot Great Lakes freighters.

The largest vessels on the lake are the 1000-footers (300 m). These vessels are between 1000 and 1013.5 feet (305 and 309 m) long, 105 feet (32 m) wide and of 56 feet (17 m) hull depth. They can carry as much as 78,850 long tons of bulk cargo although their loading is dependent on lake water levels especially in the channels and ports. A dozen of these giant ships were built, all constructed between 1976 and 1981, and all remain in service today. The most powerful of these, the Edwin H. Gott,^[6] carries two Enterprise DMRV-16-4 diesel engines driving twin propellers and is rated at 19,500 brake horsepower, making the Gott the most powerful lake boat on the seaway (14.5 MW). This allows a top speed of 16.7 mph (27 km/h). The MV Paul R. Tregurtha is the largest boat on the lakes, at 1013'6" and 68,000 gross ton capacity. The Stewart J. Cort, which is not only the first 1000-footer to be put into service on the Lakes, but also the only one built in the traditional wheelhouse-forward Great Lakes style (although all accommodations are forward, and the stern deckhouse is occupied by self unloading equipment and the engines), is another notable vessel. The Cort started life in Mississippi, and was sailed as a much smaller vessel consisting of only the bow and stern sections (appropriately nicknamed "Stubby"), to Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was cut in half and an additional 800+ feet of hull were added. Another interesting 1000-footer is the Presque Isle, an integrated tug and barge combination. The Presque Isle is the largest tug / barge composite in the world.

All of the 1000-footers are US vessels. 

After a relaxing afternoon and evening in Frankfort Jenny and I did some swinging in the waterside park before heading to bed early in preparation for a sunrise start the next day. Jenny and Dave were up and dressed before we even opened our eyes, and well before the sun peeked over the horizon.  Morning dawned a bit later there on the western most point of the Eastern Time Zone, and it was just getting to be light as we slipped past the breakwall onto the glassy, hazy lake.

Not your typical day on Lake Michigan,but we were happy to have it!

Before long the sun was up, the haze disappeared and we enjoyed a calm, clear trip from Frankfort to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Knowing that a weather pattern the week before has brought 12' waves to the lake made us appreciate the day all the more.

Once tied up at the Manitowoc Marina we learned that it was Walleye night at the nearby Manitowoc Yacht Club, so we made plans to head over for dinner. Up until 3 months ago I had never heard of Walleye. I got a good look at one in the awards cooler at the Brown Trout Festival over on Lake Huron -- not a great looking fish, but it sure is tasty -- and on most menus along the Michigan coast.  The Yacht Club members were most welcoming and the walleye did not disappoint. We even had a table side Burgee exchange ceremony. Upon hearing that Dave and Jenny are members of the fabled St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco two officers of the Manitowoc Yacht Club stopped by to present them with a club burgee, in hopes that Dave and Jenny would send them one in exchange. This is a long standing tradition and many yacht clubs line the walls of their clubhouse with burgees from other clubs

According to Wikipedia:

A BURGEE (\ˌbər-ˈjē, ˈbər-ˌ\) is a distinguishing flag, regardless of its shape, of a recreational boating organization.

perhaps from French dialect bourgeais shipowner

First Known Use: 1750

Etiquette

Yacht clubs and their members may fly their club's burgee while under way and at anchor, day or night, but not while racing. Sailing vessels may fly the burgee from the main masthead or from a lanyard under the starboard spreader on the mast.^[1] Power boats fly the burgee off a short staff on the bow.

Flag officers

The officers of a yacht club may fly various burgees appropriate to their rank: for example, the commodore may fly a swallow-tailed version of the club burgee (and the vice- and rear-commodores the same, but distinguished by the addition of one or two balls respectively at the canton). A past-commodore may also be given a distinctively-shaped flag.^[2]

Exchange

Traditionally, the first time a member of one yacht club visits another, there is an exchange of burgees. Exchanged burgees are then often displayed on the club's premises, e.g., in the office or bar. On "Opening Day", sailors fly their burgees together.

Here is the the Burgee of our home club the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia.

The following day we toured the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and stopped by the Manitowoc Saturday Farmer's Market for a breakfast of spring rolls, pulled pork and Amish doughnuts. Not traditional, but delicious.  While at the Maritime Museum we toured the USS Cobia -- the nation's most completely restored WW II submarine.  I cannot imagine what it must be like to live in such tight quarters from weeks ( months?) on end with full knowledge that you can't just step outside for a breath of fresh air. Not a career path for a claustrophobic like me.

Later that day we said good bye to Dave and Jenny and began to put FREEDOM away for our shore leave.  After nearly three weeks of life on land, including a stop in Buffalo for my mother's 90th birthday, we expect to be back to Loopin' by September 5th.