Final Run – Muskegon to Grand Haven – August 18

We traveled with Ron and Vicki to Grand Haven, Grand Isle Marina.  Sea to See had some issues that Ron and Vicki wanted resolved before they headed down the river system.  Grand Isle was the first marina that they came to that had the facilities and technicians to install their AIS system, fix their depth sounder and air conditioning.

Synchronicity is ready for storage. Marilyn and Ron head back to Pentwater.

We had decided that Grand Haven would be our final stop for this summer. Perhaps we will continue on the Loop another time. We had Synchronicity put into inside storage at Grand Isle Marina.  They have the lift that is large enough to handle a boat of our size.

We sadly took our personal items off and packed them into the van.  Ron is relieved that he does not have to deal with all the systems of the boat and he will work on minimizing stressful activities.  We drove back to Pentwater on August 19.  At this time we do not know what lies ahead, but first we must get Captain Ron back to feeling his old self and we will go from there.

Ludington to Muskegon – August 15

Vicki and Ron arrived in Ludington on August 12 on their trawler “Sea to See”.  We spent the day with them and took Vicki to the Podiatrist for her sore foot problem.  On the 15th it was an open window for sailing and Lake Michigan had one to two foot waves with swells from the previous windy days.  We wanted to sail to Pentwater, but because it was “Homecoming” weekend the marinas were full.  So, we decided to go all the way to Muskegon.

Sea to Sea – Vicki and Ron Montgomery

Our boat performed well and did not burn any oil, so Ron thought it was low before because it had not circulated though out all the engine parts.  Muskegon City Dock was minimal, but secure from the winds of Lake Michigan.

Vicki and Ron were without a car since New Jersey, so we were the chauffeurs and took them shopping at Sam’s where they stocked up on peanut butter pretzels, nuts, and other necessities for the boat.  Vicki’s phone died, so we went to Best Buy and she got set up with a new phone.  We spent time shuffling the cars from Ludington to Muskegon and Grand Haven so that we could get back home.

Pentwater to Ludington -Test Run August 5

We were ready for a test run to Ludington. The mechanic gave us the go ahead, so we left Pentwater and went back to Ludington. At this point Ron had built up so much anxiety about the boat and other health issues that we decided not to join our friends on the Loop. JoAnn and Jim McFall had been in Pentwater for a few days and we were glad to see them. They left the latter part of July and made their way down the coast and over to Wisconsin.

Captain Ron piloted the boat like a pro but when we got there the port engine had burned a quart of oil in a 2 hour run. This was not acceptable and another reason that we should not start the Loop at this time. We docked the boat in Ludington and returned home by car. Ron continued with his doctor appointments and has to be re-evaluated in a few months.

Pentwater – June 23 – August 4

The weather cleared up and we decided to take a run to Pentwater our home port.  There was a breeze from the northwest and Synchronicity handled the waves well.  As we came into port our friends, Dick and Joyce Toner, came out to the “Big” lake to take pictures of our boat underway.  It was a little rough for their boat and they both got soaked, but Dick got some great pictures.  We tied up at the Pentwater Municipal Marina.

Coming in to Pentwater Harbor

When we arrived in Port, Ron did his post trip check and discovered that the port engine was way overfilled with oil.  This alarmed him and he sought out a diesel mechanic to check things out.  He called all over and then our friend, Ross Seymore, said that he used a mechanic from Chrystal Valley – Mitch Bouwcamp.  Ron gave him a call and he came to the boat to take a look.  He was busy for the weekend, but would come back and tear into the engines next week.  After waiting about a week, he came back and discovered that the injector fuel tubes were cracked and caused diesel fuel to leak into the oil and needed replacement.  The parts had to be ordered and then another week passed.  Fortunately the Pentwater Marina worked with us and allowed us to stay beyond the two week limit.  It would have been difficult to move the boat with the engines taken apart.  Finally, the engines were put back together, we had the oil changed again – 8 gallons of new oil and we were ready for a test run.  We ended up staying in Pentwater for 6 weeks.