We're Home - YAY!

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with the Hartmans.  It was a sort of a psychological soft landing for the end of our trip.  Brian and Jan rented a cottage on Spring Lake, just up the river from the Grand Haven marina where we kept the boat.  We had a hole in our harbor reservations so we stayed on the hook in Spring Lake Saturday night and went back to the marina on Sunday after a short cruise on Lake Michigan.  It was a fun filled weekend - lots of eating, making merry, dinghy riding and enjoying the Grand Haven sites.  We all shoved off on Monday.

The ride down to South Haven was a bit bumpy at first but by the time we arrived the lake was lown, with 1-2 foot rollers.  This bode well for an early shove off and final cruise to Michigan City on Tuesday.  At about 16 miles out, we gained sight of the Michigan City power plant - a welcomed view after 334 days away.  We announced our near arrival with multiple text messages to family and friends.  Since it was Tuesday after the holiday we expected that we would just slip into the docks unnoticed by any, but alas we were greeted with a welcoming committee - Earle, Don, and Gene - blasting a horn as we entered the marina.  What a pleasant surprise!

Sometime in the next couple of weeks we plan to have an "end of voyage" ceremony on the bow of Miss Hattie, changing the white Great Loop burgee for the gold, an indicator of having finished your 'first' loop.  (Lenore likes to quote May West for anyone who asks if we'll do it again:  "They say you only go around once, but honey, if you do it right, once is enough").  Look for one last post to follow with pics from the closing ceremony

Here are a few stats from the trip:
334 days away from our home port
    180 days in marinas
             *including: 30 days in Clearwater beach;  30 days in St. Petersburg;  20 days in Fort Myers
    120 days on the hook
      34 days on-the-hard or in a boatyard for service (includes a 2 wk trip by car over Thanksgiving)
17 states, 2 countries (haven't counted the towns/cities)
104 locks
5,556 miles
2,900 gallons of fuel
$19,932 total cost (marinas, fuel, laundry, pumpouts, car rental)
$12,832 net cost (2016 MCPA dock fees and 2015/16 winter storage fees not incurred)

Ludington Light

Jan, you look mahvelous dahling

first sighting of Michigan City

Happy to see you MC Light

Our favorite Light

5500 miles behind us

Welcome Home Miss Hattie, photo by welcoming committee

We did it!