Day 356: Monday, August 26, 2013

Port to Port: St James, Beaver Island

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Marina

First Things First: First wild turkeys.

Mile to Mile: What a difference a day makes. The wind just stopped early in the morning and the water was calm when we got up at sunrise. We could have left for Charlevoix but no one brought up the idea so we stayed another day on Beaver Island. Somehow or another, we stayed busy all day.

We started with a leisurely breakfast at Dalwinnies (again) with Ozel and Mary Ann from Freya and Bob and Debbie on In My Element. We were in no rush to leave and then Kent wandered in and joined us so we stayed even longer.

After our long and leisurely breakfast, it was time for boat projects. I needed to replace a large bolt on the motor mount that had corroded away so off to the hardware we went (one on about 5 trips there today). Even though this island only has 400-500 permanent residents (the population jumps to 3500 in the summer) it has a wonderful grocery store and hardware store. Replacing a single bolt can be a time consuming project – the first bolt I bought was too small in diameter so I exchanged it (trip number two) and then I needed a bushing (trip number 3) and I found the other bushing was cracked and needed to go back again (trip number 4).  Luckily Kent loaned me his bicycle that made the trips easy and fast. I finally replaced the bolt and moved on to replace a drain hose for the scuppers (cockpit drains) that has been leaking. This project went much faster than expected and I didn’t need to make another emergency run to the hardware store. For my last project I needed a couple of bigger diameter stainless steel screws so back to the hardware store I pedaled (trip number 5).

By the time all our projects were done, it was time for Happy Hour. We made white chocolate dipped strawberries and nachos that went perfectly with the crackers and cheese with smoked fish, quesadillas, peanuts and summer sausage and cheese and brownie bites. What a feast to share with our friends on In My Element, Freya, Carina and Freedom Bird (Tom and Susan).

I still hadn’t taken many pictures for today or explored the north side of the island, so I borrowed Kent’s bike again and went on a scenic tour to see the lighthouse, the beach and the other side of the island. I can see why so many people like to spend their summers out here in quiet solitude.

The weather looks really good for our crossing over to Charlevoix tomorrow. Hopefully we have a nice stable stretch of weather so we can hop down the east coast of Lake Michigan toward Chicago. Time will tell.