Sept. 13, 2016: Days 357 and 358 - CLODs

Miles cruised 52, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $65, daily high temperature 72°f

With our home port of Waukegan only 70 miles away, we could be crossing our wake tomorrow but there is no reason to rush home. We will become CLODs (cruisers living on dirt) soon enough. We will wait and be gold Loopers in four days. The AGLCA Looper class of 2016 continues to rotate counter clockwise around the US. Some cross their wakes and others start this journey.

We stayed in Manitowoc for two days. There is a nice walkway out to the lighthouse on the break wall. Here is a photo of the Manitowoc lighthouse with the SS Badger in the background.

SS Badger is a passenger and vehicle ferry that has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953. Currently, the ship shuttles between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, connecting U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) between those two cities. It is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes, and was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 20, 2016.

Dale and Andy went to an old fashion ice cream parlor called Beernsten’s Confectionary.

John and Priscilla had dinner at the Harborside Restaurant. At a nearby table there were three ancient submariners having dinner and reliving their glory days in the Navy. They talked about life on a submarine and how much conditions have changed on the nuclear subs. In Maintowoc there is a maritime museum with the WWII submarine SS Cobia on display. During WWII 28 submarines were built in Manitowoc. Four were sunk. On Tuesday morning I was walking past the museum and saw one of the submariners come out carrying his sleeping bag and a small hand bag. We knew that the museum arranged for Boy Scout troops to spend the night onboard the Cobia. Apparently ancient submariners also get to have sleepovers too.

USS Cobia SS 245

We are moving forward with our plans to sell CL. She was purchased to do the Loop and the Loop will soon be over. We will list her with Chris Weber of Weber Yachts who is the boat broker that helped us buy her. A full buff and wax of the hull and topside and detailing will be conducted when we return. In addition we will have Mark Kish from Larsen Marine fix the generator. There are a few other things we will have done such as gel coat scratches that cannot be buffered out that we will have expertly repaired and an oil and filter change. CL will be in perfect condition for her next owner.

On Tuesday morning we cast off at 11:00 am and cruised 52 miles south to Port Washington, Wisconsin. The wind had lightened and shifted to the west so the seas laid down and we has flat fast ride. We tied up at the Port Washington Municipal Marina at 1:30 pm.

Bonus photo

Carl ((Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

The planning stage of a cruise is often just as enjoyable as the voyage itself, letting one’s imagination loose on all kinds of possibilities. Yet translating dreams into reality means a lot of practical questions have to be answered.”
–Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Handbook

Jimmy Cornell is a Romanian-born British yachtsman, bestselling author and the founder of the World Cruising Club.