Saugatuck Michigan

October 2, 2016

We slept really well at Harbour Towne; leaving the docks at 10:30 to head south. It was a beautiful sunny morning. We are on a section of Lake Michigan that has options for long jumps or short hops down the coast. We could go as far as South Haven but as we look at the charts we realize we are going to pass Holland today. We have a connection there. Nikki and Keith Henry live there. Nikki is the daughter of my dear friend from high school, Cheryl Dias.

View leaving Muskegon Channel on our way to Saugatuck

Cheryl and I have kept in pretty close contact. We talk and text often, sharing a lot of laughs, sometimes through our tears. Holland marinas are about six miles up river. That doesn’t sound like much but it would take us about an hour each way. We have to weigh mileage and timing when making decisions about where to stop on this journey. Our next milestone is to get to St. Joseph to have the mast un-stepped asap so we choose to go to Saugatuck which just North of South Haven. Cheryl has already given me Nikki’s contact info and we have set up a visit.

My Friend Cheryl Dias

It is a very calm day. The temperature dropped for a while but it was still what we'd refer to as good weather. At times, there was a lot of debris in the water including grass and sticks, and other river junk. We entered the Saugatuck channel to find it a gorgeous scenic place. There are homes all along the river bank and boats of all sizes. It’s about a mile up to the Saugatuck Yacht Services. SYS is associated with Tower Marine which is on the south side of the river. We tied up on the end of a "T" dock, secured Mystic and went ashore to explore. Saugatuck is a darling little town. There were so many opportunities for great photos but the camera is still not working correctly. At times it won’t take a picture at all but I’m coaxing it and playing with it so I can keep documenting our journey. I’ve been using the cell phone camera as backup.

Peterson Mill

Beach Chairs everywhere we go

Yacht shed

Be Happy!

Some Days...

FatCats

Flower Market

Those Darn Cats!

Bench ~ Saugatuck, MI

Halloween in Saugatuck

Public Bathroom, Saugatuck

Nikki and Keith arrived around 6:30 with their boys, 3 year old Colton and 6 week old Quintin. Nikki reminds me so much of her mom! I hadn’t seen her in years. We had a wonderful visit. I got to hold baby Quintin and give Colton a tour of Mystic. He enjoyed a snack of “spicy” ginger cookies and apple juice. He made me laugh just like his grandma does! This was definitely a favorite stop for us. Seeing those smiling faces from home was special!

Nikki & her boys

Colton eating "spicy" Ginger snaps

Nikki & Quintin

Nikki & the boys aboard Mystic

Nikki, Beth & Quintin Aboard Mystic

Happy Baby Quintin

It is very quiet on the Kalamazoo River. We got up early and went for a walk into town. There is a pedestrian chain ferry nearby. It has been in use since 1838. Originally built to carry horses across the river, it is now used to cart bikes and people, providing access to Oval Beach and Mount Baldhead in Douglas. Someone has to crank the chain to propel the ferry across and back. Often a tourist is recruited to help with this task. Saugatuck looks like it’s a busy place in the summer but is currently in the process of closing down for the season. Boats are getting hauled out and shops have shortened hours. We found a little place called the Annex for a cup of coffee and a muffin then headed back to the boat to prepare for our next leg south.

Saugatuck Chain Ferry Info

Saugatuck Chain Ferry

Chain Ferry Photo borrowed from the Web

Saugatuck reminded us of New England. We would love to come back and explore this town. It will be one of our favorite memories of Michigan! Thank you Nikki and Keith for making our stay so wonderful!