Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What a great day, I could retire to a place like this. Up about 8:00, made coffee answered email. Carol took a shower, this marina has great shower rooms that are individual full bathrooms with a toilet, sink, and shower, and they provide bath mats, Skipper Buds Harbor Club Marina, Sturgeon Bay, WI. (Not a paid for advertisement) About 10:30 we were ready to head for Nicolet Bay, my favorite anchorage. Moving out of the channel past the ship yards the ship being repaired had departed. We noted other projects in the shipyard.

Nice day to be traveling, south winds directly behind us up the Door past Egg Harbor and Fish Creek to the Peninsula point Lighthouse. Around the point and into Nicolet Bay. Lots of boats, paddle boards, small sailboats and kayaks in the harbor.

We decided to learn a few new things about our boat and how we will use it on our trip. We have not launched the dinghy away from the boat. I have run the engine a few times but the dinghy has not been apart from the boat.

Dinghy Launching

So now that I added the bike rack that is connected to the dinghy, the process is a bit more involved. Dismount the bike and store in a vertical position on the starboard side of the swim platform, dismount the dinghy arm for lowering, lower the dinghy, carry the motor from the sundeck down the ladder to the dinghy, clamp the motor in place, lock the motor to the dinghy, add fuel and start the dinghy. Move the gear box, containing life preservers, anchor, signal device, etc., from the sundeck to the dinghy. Climb aboard and motor in style to the shore. Everything was quite manageable.

Nicolet Bay Beach

We had an ice cream cone from the concession stand and enjoyed seeing all the families enjoying this fine Wisconsin summer day. We admired “Reunion” looking so fine at anchor. We walked through part of the Peninsula Park campground and exchanged stories about other adventures here. I remembered on one trip going over to visit Dave Banks and family only to learn the night before in a storm a tree had fallen and hit their tent, just on one corner and gratefully no one was hurt, but a real scare. Lots of memories here, we named the little boat here in 1994, “a Classic”. Carol joined Kim an I on that trip for a bit and Kim and Carol bonded over a little blue teapot.

All in all a Great Day!