Pere Marquette Lake (Ludington)

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 131 - August 9, 2017

Over coffee this morning, we made a change in plans, since the SailFlow and Marine Weather conditions looked very good. Wind was from the south, but the wind speeds were low. We originally had planned to cruise only as far as Manistee, 26 miles, because we thought Ludington, 55 miles, was probably too far to go.

When we got out on the lake the conditions were very good, almost flat water, and we passed Manistee before noon, so there was no question about continuing on! The conditions deteriorated a bit around 1 p.m., and we were seeing the gentle swells turn into waves of between one to two feet. A "swell," for our non-boating friends, has a rounded top, while a "wave" has a valley and a peak, which can be fairly steep. Still, conditions were really quite tolerable, with no pounding (which happens when we go up a big wave and then drop down suddenly on the other side). 

Here is our route from Frankfort to Ludington.

Screen shot of Frankfort to Ludington track

There is a cut from Lake Michigan into Pere Marquette Lake, with Ludington on the east shore of the lake. This is where most of the marinas are and the town, with its amenities, including ice cream! Unfortunately, no ice cream for us here, because we are anchored on the west side of Pere Marquette Lake in a very nice little cove.

Screen shot of our anchorage on Pere Marquette Lake

As the Active Captain entry for this anchorage says, the scenery is pretty nice IF you refrain from looking east! We are anchored maybe 30 yards from a little sandbar, where I can easily land the kayak, climb up to the road, cross the road, and take Baxter to Buttersville Park, a dog-friendly lakefront park. The park has a parking lot and a little grassy areas with a picnic table, a Sanican, and a trash can.  Trash cans are important when you anchor! If you stay in marinas, there is always trash disposal, but not so at most anchorages!  Beyond the grassy area, there is a huge sandy beach, right on Lake Michigan. Our shoreline view is trees down to the water!

Our shoreline view from our anchorage on Pere Marquette Lake

Landing spot to access Buttersville Park across the road

Pretty good so far!. But if you should happen to look across Pere Marquette Lake to the east, it is not so good! In that direction we see a big chemical plant and some kind of ship with piles of some kind of white or gray material! It might be a tourist town up by the municipal marina, but at this end, Ludington is definitely industrial!

Chemical plant in Ludington across lake to our east

Ship with piles of white or gray material in Ludington across lake to east

The municipal marina is inexpensive enough, I think $1.33 a foot, but is has the stupid fixed docks, which according to Active Captain are four feet high, which makes it quite difficult for us to get on and off the boat. So we passed on the marina. Plus, we really like anchoring! But damn, we will miss the ice cream shop!

Our next stop is White Lake, some 45 miles away, and we will be checking SailFlow and Marine Weather for conditions tomorrow!