Mike and Brenda on "Velsignet"

“Milwaukee Coast Guard.   Milwaukee Coast Guard.   This is pleasure boat ‘Velsignet’,” Mike called on the VHF Radio, Channel 16.   In short order, a voice identified itself as the Coast Guard and referred Mike to channel 22.   “Copy that.   Velsignet to 22,” Mike responded.   Once on channel 22, Mike was able to relay the coordinates to a 20-foot beam located about 2 miles off shore that we had spotted and avoided hitting in the water.   Within a half hour, the US Coast Guard issued a “ Sécurité ” navigational warning to mariners regarding the floating beam. Despite west/southwest winds increasing as the day wore on, yesterday Velsignet gave us a comfortable ride to (due to west shore protection) and arrived   in Hammond Marina (past Chicago to the east) mid-afternoon.   The docking process in this marina was a stressful one as the marina assigned us to a slip that was already occupied.   (4 eyes on dock slips in an unfamiliar ar...

Our sunrise this Monday morning.  We didn't truly appreciate the size of this Great Lake until actually moving on it.  Lake Michigan is the world's fifth largest lake overall (the world's largest fresh-water lake by surface area) and at its deepest, it measures more than 900 feet (our depth finder stopped reading at 723 feet deep...it reverted to our draft depth of 3.9'!).   Linda & Winn of MV "Time Takes Two" On Saturday afternoon, in the midst of a fierce game of “Kings Cribbage,” we heard a knock on our boat and received an “after-dinner glass of wine” invitation from our next dock Looper-boat neighbors. It was after 10:30 pm before we left Winn and Linda—a  delightful, newly-retired couple from Boston (in the midst of closing on a condo in what will be their new home in South Carolina) who are new on the Loop in their new-to-them boat, “Time Takes Two.” We looked forward to joining Winn and Linda for Sunday lunch and afternoon football (“...

How quickly one’s plans can change just by looking out the window! Mild winds were in the forecast for today.  We have a weather window (the first in several days) to move farther down Lake Michigan towards Chicago (Tomorrow the winds are predicted to pick up again until next Tuesday).   With water and fuel tanks filled, bikes loaded, dinghy secured, engines checked and adequate provisioning, departure from Quarterdeck Marina in Sturgeon Bay was scheduled for the 6:30 am sunrise.    At a whopping 7-10 mph speed, Velsignet would need at least 11 good hours to make the 107-mile cruise to our intended destination:   Port Washington, WI.   While a lot of things went as planned (alarm went off at 6 am; winds were light at 4 mph), the dense FOG delayed our departure time by 4 hours and now necessitated adjusting our destination.   Will it be Manitowoc? or perhaps Sheboygan?   Experiencing complications following an emergency appende...

Our daughter, Jordan, was on the phone with her mother, Brenda.  The hospital requested she and her husband, Jared, return to the hospital.  Their son Killian was on a ventilator and would be transported to Saint Paul's Children's ICU.  Killian's appendectomy--while surgery had taken longer than expected because of perforation--had gone well, but while taking out the respirator tube in recovery, a rare thing took place:  Killian developed a pulmonary edema (his lungs filled with fluid).  He needed more care than Stillwater's Lakeview Hospital could give him. Sedation.  Ventilator.  Transport.  ICU.  Hearing these words connected to our sweet 13-year-old grandson brought tears to Brenda's eyes while Mike researched ways to travel the 314 miles from Sturgeon Bay, WI to Saint Paul, MN. As many who are on the Loop discover, life happens and priorities change.  We must stop what we're doing to respond and participate in the lives...

You could hear a pin drop through the silent concentration.  The guys (Rob and Mike) were leading the girls (Lynda and Brenda) in the series of our nightly games of Bridge, and Rob's proclamation ("We're gonna whip yo' asses!") was being taken seriously.   Rob and  Lynda Jacobson arrived in Sturgeon Bay at the Quarterdeck Marina last Saturday to explore Door County with us.   Wisconsin's Door County is unique in that it has five state parks and 250 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan, along with quaint towns and villages featuring boutique and art shops and many choices for eating, drinking and sleeping. The countryside displays apple and cherry orchards, dairy farms and golf courses.  As we hiked a state park, casually shopped, and enjoyed locally-focused food, we warmly reflected on Rob and Lynda's 50-years of marriage and our 45 years of friendship, the family-friendly Crookston community where we raised our children, and our anticipat...

As we traveled back to Charlevoix from Traverse City along a picturesque highway of dairy and fruit farms (Penny and Dave, MV “Southern Cross,” had rented a car for the day and invited us to join them in completing shopping errands), Mike says to driver Dave, “I think I need to pick up a homemade cherry pie from one of these fruit markets.”   Penny   shares, “I love Cherry Pie!   It’s my favorite.”   Dave adds, “Cherry pie and ice cream!”   Bubble-bursting Brenda says, “They sell FRUIT at the markets; I doubt there’ll be any homemade cherry pies.   Is it even cherry season?”   Mike points to a roadside fruit market.   Dave turns into the lot and stops the car.   Finkenbinder gets out, walks to the stand and within a few minutes is carrying ( the BEST ) homemade cherry pie! Homemade Michigan-cherry pie and ice cream were not the only things we shared with fellow Loopers in the Charlevoix marina.   We shared appetizers and conversa...

After 100 miles of cruising on big water, we arrived in Charlevoix, MI last Saturday just in time for the 5:30 bridge to lift and let us into Round Lake's Charlevoix City Marina.  The marina is located next to the charming downtown area, close to nice clothing shops, cafes, restaurants and taverns, a movie theater, grocery store, and residential area.  It's a busy and convenient place to stay for the next few days until the gale winds on Lake Michigan (fondly referred to by Loopers as "The Washing Machine") settle down. If weather permits, we are hoping for a Thursday morning take-off across Lake Michigan for Sturgeon Bay, WI (112 miles--another new record).  We've plans to celebrate the 50-years of marriage and explore Door County with life-long Crookston/Bemidji friends, Rob & Lynda. We passed by Mackinac Island on our way to Charlevoix.  This is the ferry boat we rode from Mackinaw City to the island.  Continuing on, we passed under the Mac...