Storing "At Last" for the winter

Another look at Baie Fine

August 27-September 11, 2015

A final update on the status of "At Last" for the season

After leaving Mackinac Island, we traveled to Petoskey, MI where we fueled up, pumped out, and spent the night.  This was the first time we had to put fuel in our tanks since Lake Champlain and we were still 1/2 full.  Our ride to Petoskey was perfect, great water, no wind, and the water was so clear that even when our depth sounder indicated 32 ft., we could see the bottom.  It was amazing!

On the 28th, we headed to Charlevoix.  As we headed out, we were surprised to encounter a very sloppy ride, but Captain Dave skillfully motored us into Charlevoix.  After much research and many phone calls, we had decided to leave "At Last" for the winter at the Boyne Boatyard which is located at the end of Lake Charlevoix in Boyne City.  It was a beautiful ride on the lake.  Stacy, the office manager, met us at the dock and drove us to the facility where "At Last" is being stored for the winter.  Yes, she is going to be hauled and transported to the heated facility.  We were very impressed with Boyne Boatyard.  We met Charlie, the manager, and Brad, the mechanic who made us feel very comfortable about leaving our trawler here for the winter.  Charlie even lent us one of the yard's trucks to use until we picked up our rental car.  Boyne City is a very nice little town with many shops and restaurants.  We arrived on a Friday and "Strolling the Streets" was in full force with music, street vendors and open shops.

Strolling the Streets in Boyne City, MI

We spent several days cleaning and getting "At Last" ready for her winter storage.  We decided to rent a car from the airport in Traverse City, MI and take a side trip to Connecticut and Rhode Island on our way back to Florida to visit friends and family.  We left "At Last" in Boyne City on September 3rd in the capable hands of Charlie and Boyne Boatyard.  We traveled about 2700 miles by car and arrived in Okeechobee, FL on Friday, September 11th.  We spent the day removing hurricane shutters and getting the house ready to be "lived in" again. It was sad to see the new dock in the back yard without "At Last" to occupy her, but she will be there again next winter.

So as the first leg of our Great Loop Adventure ends, we are so grateful for having had the opportunity to experience this journey.  It has been amazing.  Since April 17, 2015, we have traveled over 2800 miles, seen incredible vistas, met wonderful people, forged many new friendships, exchanged hundreds of boat cards and have had the best time of our lives.  We are looking forward to continuing our trip next spring.  Our plan is to spend some more time in the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior area and then head down through Chicago and into the river system sometime in August.  We look forward to meeting a whole new group of Loopers as well as hope to make contact with some friends we have met this year.  We thank everyone who contributed to making this journey the trip of a lifetime for us.  Have a wonderful holiday season and a great winter.  Safe travels to all!

Just as an added note:  As you can all imagine, Dave was having "withdrawal" from no longer living aboard "At Last" and on September 14, 2015, just 3 days after arriving home in Florida, he flew to Maryland to transport our 29' sailboat, "Sojourn", to Okeechobee.  He is solo on this trip and as of the writing of this post, he is still about 3 days away from getting here.  It has been a long 5 week journey for him, but you know Dave, he is having the time of his life.  I can't wait for him to get home and when he does, we will have a boat to put at our dock.

Sojourn