Yesterday we took full advantage of the only good weather window for days by “putting LT on her engine” and leaving Muskegon at 3 AM for a 13.45-hour crossing to Hammond, IN (photo).
Leland Tug, 3 AM, Muskegon, MI
Leland Tug, 3 AM, Muskegon, MI
Thankfully, the day was uneventful. Rob’s night vision camera worked well and proved quite helpful with getting us safely out of the marina (photo).
Leaving Harbour Towne marina, view from Rob’s night vision camera
Leaving Harbour Towne marina, view from Rob’s night vision camera
Traveling in quiet darkness for the first 4 hours was peaceful. It felt good to get a jump-start on the day. Around 7 AM a freighter moving slightly faster than us appeared on the radar. Watching its passing occupied our time for several hours.
Passing Chicago (photo), we briefly lamented not going through the scenic downtown Chicago River on our loop. Few, if any, Looper boats can take this route this season - a bridge along it has maintenance issues that keep it from opening. Boats must be under 12’ to pass.
Chicago skyline
Chicago skyline
As we approached Hammond we saw about 7 other Loopers coming into the harbor. Looper flotillas started going through the recently-opened locks on October 6. By now flotillas are locking through fairly smoothly, and best practices are being passed on to those of us coming next.
Maximum wind speed during our crossing was 9 mph. The PredictWind app predicted waves from approx. 1.2’ to 1.9’ with one area reaching 2.1’. However, I contend waves in the middle of Lake Michigan were closer to 5’ at least, but “nothing that doesn’t make you a better captain,” according to Rob. The at-times large motion was bearable as it was primarily bow-stern, not beamy or side-to-side. The waves laid down toward the end of the crossing, leaving us with an overall positive recollection of the day.
Thank you to those who prayed for our journey. Knowing you were praying quieted my thoughts of ‘When the gales of November came early….’ The Great Lakes can be unpredictable!
Enjoying Dad’s CNS
Enjoying Dad’s CNS
Also, many thanks to my folks for being our support team, driving us to Muskegon and leaving us with delicious homemade chicken noodle soup on a cold fall day (photo)!
LT at Hammond marina
LT at Hammond marina
And, I want to reiterate the BIG thank-you to Rob’s Mom for taking care of Mackers. The ~2’ elevation difference between the Hammond marina dock and LT (photo) is affirmation of the difficult decision to leave her behind.
On to Joliet, IL (Oct 22)!
Fair winds,
Amy