Time To Move

 It was good to wake up this morning with activity on the docks. Seems the last 4 days all boaters have hunkered down in their boats coming out for showers, quick walks, and lunch or dinner at Portage/PIYC.  This morning there are wheel carts of gear, food and other supplies being loaded and boats rapidly departing from the marina.
By 8:45 we are out to the red can buoy where there were 8' waves less than 48 hours ago.  We turn to starboard and head towards our destination of Harrisville, MI. Most of the other boats heading out today  will make the right turn as well. Heading North this time of year is unusual as the season is already winding  down for the fair weather sailors. We heard stories of ice in the marina's slips through May and even some into June this year. Cold and windy weather forecasts we are seeing for Mid- September indicate an  early pull out date for many of the vessels as well. Sure hope they are wrong!

Ron had allowed for a 6 hour trip today but after getting out into the following seas I think we'll clip some time off of that prediction. This is an example of where Ron's previous sailing skills come in handy on a power boat. Skippers need good focusing skills to anticipate the waves and take advantage of the energy they hold to push the boat past it's normal speed.  Calling out our boat speed, I hear many 9's and 10's and I see a huge smile hidden behind his eyes.

By 9:30 we pass Voyager, a sailing vessel that left ahead of us but I doubt we'll catch the other boats who can run much faster than we do. Chatter on the marine radio suggests that most are heading to Tawas and beyond, however, as we are not in a rush to get home, we'll stop to enjoy what we missed in Harrisville on the way up.
Remembering fishing nets at this point on the lake, we start a sharp lookout for them. Flags were spotted  just as we passed Thunder Bay heading toward Sturgeon Point. After spotting another flag closer to shore we find ourselves clear of the hazard. The flags are hard to see today in the 2' seas rising from a fresh  North/NorthWest wind offshore.
The shoreline provided me with two opportunities to add more lighthouse pictures to the collection. The first we passed was Middle Island Light.

 Later we put Thunder Bay Lighthouse on our rear starboard quarter.

Rain is in the forecast again tomorrow, so, after docking we unloaded the bikes for a short uphill run for fresh produce at the local IGA. Big salads to go with our charbroiled steak is on the menu.....sure hope we can  shed a few of these extra pounds we've added before our next doctor's visit! Oh well....you only live once!