Sheboygan and the Last Leg Home

We had been hearing/reading about a big front moving into the north end of the lake on Saturday night...and decided we wanted to get back to Manitowoc before it  settled in.  We would have been caught for 3-4 days if we did not make it.  So, we dropped Waukegan from our plan for the way home and headed directly across the lake to Racine on Thursday.  It was a direct shot out in open water...64 miles into the wind all day, taking 8 1/2 hours.  We stayed at Reefpoint Marina in Racine.

The next morning we left fairly early to head for Port Washington.  For about 2-3 hours we experienced high wave action and gusts up to 33 mph.  It was, shall I say, exciting?!?  Andy thought it best, at one point, to head toward Milwaukee and get on the leeward shore to be a bit more protected from the wind and waves.  To our delight, the wind subsided, the waves laid flat, and we were on our way to Port Washington in good time.  When we got there it was early and we decided  to make a run for Sheboygan ~ a total of 74 miles for the day.  We got there as the sun was setting and were grateful for only a 26 mile sail left for Saturday.  We were pretty weary when we arrived at the Harbor Centre Marina and chose to have dinner close by at the Yacht Club...windblown and a little ratty looking after 11 hours on the water.

Saturday morning we woke up and found ourselves completely socked in with dense fog.  I took a long walk along the river and down Main Street, discovering the big open farmer's market in a park in the middle of town.  Lots of local color there.
By about 11:30 the fog had lifted but not completely.  We decided to head out and see what it was like.  It was a little scary for about 45 minutes....at one point a fishing boat appeared, speeding toward us out of the fog.  A few minutes later we were right on top of a 5-6 foot buoy marker that was just suddenly there!  Finally, we sailed out of the fog and had a clear 4 hour sail to Manitowoc. 
It was a great trip, but we were glad to be "home" before the storm.

We saw the mighty and powerful hand of God in the winds and the waves along the way.  It always reminds us of how small and insignificant we are. 
We are grateful for his guidance and protection along the journey.