Great Weekend on Lake Michigan

tgentry · Post by **tgentry** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:18 am

First, if anyone in the area is looking for excellent FREE launch facilities I highly recommend North Point Marina, Winthrop Harbor, IL. Launching and overnight parking is free, and transient slips are only $30/night if you want to hang around a while. Self-serve pumpout is also free in the marina. The ramps are plenty deep enough for our C26 (SK) and we didn't even have to pull the rudder up all weekend.

This was our first time on big water and we all (wife, daughter and me) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had perfect weather, winds were a bit light but that was fine for us at this point. During most of our sailing we were pretty flat even with full main and 150 genny. Our 16 year old daughter spent of most her time out on the foredeck enjoying the wind and waves.

At one point while close hauled we had enough wind to get heeled over pretty good and nobody freaked out. My 16 year old daughter just asked if that was normal, I told her yes it just means Copacetic is happy and she said "OK" and went back to making a sandwich.

We got a slip and slept on the boat for the first time. No problems there, Cathy even did some cooking in the cockpit with a camp stove. We all liked watching the activity in the marina were slightly surprised at the social aspects of "marina life". A neighbor even brought us home made lemon squares. Yum.

Cathy is convinced that next spring we'll get a slip and keep Copacetic in the water. Since we probably won't be getting the boat out anymore due to the motor problem (see other post) she wants to check out a couple marinas. It was a fabulous weekend on the water!

CaptainScott · Post by **CaptainScott** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:38 am

Sounds like a wonderful time!!

Yes indeed, cruising is a very social activity when anywhere near other boats! we to have had total strangers come up to us and start chatting! Very cool!

Scott