19-Jun-2021 Saturday Betsie Lake, Frankfort MI to Port Washington Marina, Port Washington WI (90 nautical miles 103.6 statute miles)

43°23’15.1″N 87°52’03.0″W
43.387515, -87.867488
Elevation: 579 feet     Elevation change: 0 feet
States (2): Michigan, Wisconsin

Along the Way

Following seas were predicted for today’s float plan. Leaving Frankfort before first light 5:30am.

• 

• 

Autopilot was set to 229 degrees, RPMs to 1500 and we were off. Voila. We will be there in Sheboygan in~10 hours. Looking back at Frankfort. You can barely make out the lighthouse.

• 

Garden style rain showers were predicted for about 10:30am.

• 

• 

It did rain.

• 

What we hadn’t expected was lightening. Dale pulled out one of our USPS (Power Squadron) manuals to see if it had any advice for what to do if your vessel gets struck by lightening. It didn’t offer up much but said lightening wasn’t as bad as either capsizing or sinking. OK.

• 

• 

The time zone changed from EST to CST.  Sunset is one hour later tonight. Decisions. Decisions. Do we stop as planned at Sheboygan at 4PM or West Bend at 6PM?

With the weather in our favor we turned 14 degrees to the south, zipped open the isinglass and cruised, with a new heading of 215 degrees, West Bend.

• 

Various time during the day the waves were so jumbled it was hard to say what direction they were coming from. That’s one of the reasons that makes Lake Michigan so dangerous.

The nasty old flies were back, but not in the masses we had earlier.

• 

Someone had suggested using peppermint spray to keep them away. It helped but didn’t solve the problem. They started landing on me.

• 

The jury’s not out for me on the peppermint spray. As long as the peppermint aroma lingered the flies stayed away. I had used diluted diffuser oil. Perhaps if I had used a stronger scented peppermint oil, like a cooking peppermint oil, it might have worked better. Either way it worked well enough to keep the spray bottle at hand.

With Milwaukee in view we pulled into Port Washington. We initially anchored inside the breakwater. Unfortunately the swells were coming straight in so we decide to head into the marina. Dale will sleep better.

• 

• 

The harbor wall wasn’t protective enough so a wall was added above the wall.

Charter fishing is big business in Port Washington. The marina is filled with fishing a boats. At least a dozen of them are charter fishing boats

• 

• 

Good Night

Tonight we are on Wisconsin.

• 

Floccinaucinihilipilification

“On, Wisconsin!” can be traced back to the American Civil War where Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur Jr. exclaimed these words in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge to help rally his regiment. This exclamation worked so well that he was rewarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts.

“On, Wisconsin!” was written W. T. Purdy and designated as the state song in 1959. The state song lyrics are different from the “On, Wisconsin!” the University of Wisconsin fight song lyrics.

State Song Lyrics:

On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Grand old badger state!
We, thy loyal sons and daughters,
Hail thee, good and great.

On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Champion of the right,
‘Forward’ – our motto –
God will give thee might!

BTW Wisconsin also has a state ballad ‘Oh Wisconsin, Land of My Dreams’ and a state waltz ‘Waltz of Wisconsin’.

More Floccinaucinihilipilification

The Sea Lamprey is the most dangerous fish in Lake Michigan. It is also the most dangerous fish in the entire Great Lakes area. Sea lamprey attach to a host fish, rasp and puncture its skin, and drain its body fluids, often killing the host fish. Their preferred hosts are salmon and lake trout, however they also feed on other fish species, including lake whitefish, walleye, northern pike, burbot, and lake sturgeon. Many of these fish species are important sportfish, highly prized and sought after by local and visiting anglers.

Drolleries and Yuks

Two goldfish are in a tank. One says to the other, “Do you know how to drive this thing?”