South Haven, Michigan

Spending two months in a 1940's-era fish camp and working on our boat while it was still in the storage shed was a great way for us to begin the process of winding down. I retired in June of 1998, thinking that I needed the extra time to have garage sales, ready the house for selling and helping Michael with his responsibilites as Commander for District 24, United States Power Squadron. That alone took up 16 weekends that winter that would not be used for getting ready to leave. Our home in Columbus, IN, sold immediately so we found ourselves moving to Indianapolis, nearer to Michael's work, for six months before we ever made the final move to South Haven, Michigan.

South Haven, MI, had been our home port for eight years. We lived some four hours away in south central Indiana. We had learned to sail on nearby reservoir Lake Monroe; but once we caught the cruising bug, we looked for a home port that would give us greater sailing/cruising experience than we would find on our inland lake. (Lake Michigan is an inland lake as well, but her deep waters, length and width, and inviting ports became our instructor for the cruising life we hoped to live.)

During the first part of the 20th century, South Haven was a summer destination for thousands of Chicago residents looking for a cooler climate during those long, warm summer days and nights. A steamer made regular trips across the lake to South Haven. With the advent of air conditioning, the resort area declined and the orchard business remained as the major industry. Reminders still exist of that era such as the Super Haven Campground, Sleepy Hollow Resort and numerous Victorian homes along the shoreline. Today it is again a hot tourist destination with its mild summer climate and perfect sandy beaches. Boaters find numerous places to dock along the length of the Black River. We found a slip at All Seasons Marina, across the river from the local yacht club and the ever popular sternwheeler-restaurant The Idler. Whether it was a quiet weekend or one which hosted the Blueberry Festival or Blues Fest, South Haven captured our hearts and became our door to the cruising dream.

Beginning the cruise

Log entry: June 6, 1999 South Haven Michigan



After a year's worth of saying our good-byes, Beowulf finally untied the lines and attempted to get away from the dock on June 6, as planned. Strong winds hammered the boat against the dock, forcing the fenders against the pilings, making for a rather inglorious exit-backwards. We didn't know exactly what to do with the dinghy so it wrapped around a stern piling, anchoring us sideways in the slip. It is always helpful to have ten to twenty people on the dock to witness the debacle as well!



I am so glad I had forgotten about that scene. Among the crew standing on the dock were family members, friends and a few stray tourists who just wandered by and wanted to know what everyone was looking at. We had just spent two months preparing our 1982 Cape Dory 36, hull#77, for living aboard...watermaker, radar and arch, SSB radio, additional lining for the ice box, new bronze thru-hulls, bottom paint, new waterheater, installation of addditional GPS's, cedar lining for the hanging lockers, pumps and fittings and spares and more spares. If we could think of it, we got it.



Our good-bye party the night before was shared with fellow cruisers Jack and Kitty Engels on Kittiwake. They were smart enough to leave two weeks later when the crowd was gone! Thanks to my sister Judy and brother-in-law Stan and our South Haven friends, especially Dan and Jane Chappell of Chaps, we enjoyed one great send-off party.



Superhaven Campground and Fish Camp was our home for two months: one bed, a TV, a microwave and a coffeemaker. This was really a great introduction to living aboard in a tiny space. Superhaven was one of those delightful places along the Michigan shore where a guy could bring his boat up to Lake Michigan, hang out all day on the water and come back to Superhaven in the evening, clean his fish and cook them over an open fire. It was not a fancy resort, but it felt like home to us.

The cruising dream

Just do it! Follow Your Dreams... Driving home from work or waking up at 3 am in the morning, the catch phrases rang through my ears. Did I have what it would take? Could I sell it all, stuff myself and my husband in a 36' sailboat and untie the lines to what most would consider a very secure, predictable life in the Midwest? Ten years later and well over 20,000 miles under our keel, I guess the real answer to the question is "yes." The initial apprehension and fears might have taken longer to disappear than I would have liked, but somehow I've forgotten (well, not quite forgotten) most of the sleepless nights and knotted stomach that would not go away. Now I dream of the crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay, the sight of sailing past the Statue of Liberty, the depth of the blue water in the Gulf Stream, the pink sands of Harbour Island in Eleuthera and th Bayou Castine in Mandeville, Louisana. And, I could just go on and on. I just think I will.