A lovely day in Manistee!! We mingled with other loopers...and re-connected with a boat we'd seen in Grand Haven. One of the loopers was actually a couple we had spent time with last fall at the rendezvous in Joe Wheeler. We were both there in RVs. Small world!!

Dakota and I finally got a dinghy ride...though several folks warned us not to go...seems a lake freighter had come in this morning and they were expecting him to head out this afternoon. W saw nothing.....but then around 4:30 , we heard the horns (Floyd wants those horns) and knew beyond a doubt that it was something big a coming!! WOW!! Up close and personal!! Shoulda seen the little sailboat trying to get out of his way...there was no where to go...so he hightailed it back to the lake. We never saw him again.

Even growing tomatoes and such on the deck!!!!

Freighter Stats say he was 65 feet wide...channel was maybe 95 feet. Three football fields long!! We were amazed...and even more so than we didn't get rocked as he passed. But then people were walking the boardwalk faster than he was going. Bow thrusters and just a little throttle...empty and riding high. We've been chased by freighters in St Petersburg and Mobile...but never have we been this close! WOW!!