After settling on board the Imjatse Wednesday afternoon in Saugatuck, we grabbed our bikes and headed into town to explore and grab some dinner at The Mermaid. Such an adorable town! We spent the night at Tower Marina between Saugatuck and Douglas. The next morning Tom was able to work and I headed into town to provision some last minute groceries. We hadn't even set sail yet, and already we were hooked on the cruising lifestyle. E especially seemed to love the rocking of the boat, especially at naptime.

That afternoon we rode down to Oval Beach for a stroll along the lake. It was packed with families and the waves were rolling in. I swear you wouldn't have known it from a beach on the Florida coast until you dipped your toes in the water. Brrrr! On our way back from the beach we took the chain ferry across the river. The chain ferry in Saugatuck is the only one left in all of North America. It cost a whopping dollar per person, bikes and babies ride for free.

We decided around 4:30 to make a break for Lake Macatawa, about 7 miles north of Saugatuck. It was an absolutely perfect evening sail up the coast and we cruised into the inlet near the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club well before sunset. That night we dropped anchor in the bay rather than tie up to a dock. We grilled corn and chicken and watched the sun dip into the water. Such a treat, since we don't get that view on the west side of the lake.

Friday morning we headed over to the yacht club for showers and shore power. The MBYC is a beautiful facility and E and I enjoyed playing in the grass and walking around the neighborhood. That night we headed towards the dining room for dinner, but stopped for some conversation with a couple on the patio. They asked us to join them for dinner and it quickly turned into a party of at least 15 people! We saw another couple from Saugatuck, our new friends ran into more of their friends and we all had a great time sharing sailing stories. We felt right at home.

Saturday morning we got up early and set sail right after breakfast. We wanted to make it to South Haven by the afternoon to meet up with members of the Chicago Yacht Club cruising sailing fleet who were there for the weekend. The wind and water were perfect and we coasted south about 22 miles in 5 1/2 hours. Just in time to get washed up and head to cocktails and dinner with the CYC crew.

We had such a great time, as we always do, getting to know more members and their families. We enjoy similar travel experiences in the Westy, but rarely do they come with the community that surrounds sailing. From Macatawa to South Haven we have met so many warm and welcoming folks. We're excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Welcome back! It's been one crazy, fun-filled year. Last August we welcomed our darling little girl E and its been non-stop awesome sauce ever since. That's the kind of thing that you start saying a year out from those first insane weeks of parenthood that enables you to start considering adding even more to the bunch. But honestly, becoming parents has been an outstanding every day adventure. She is funny, sweet, clever, strong, and beautiful and makes it so easy to appreciate all the little things about our days.

Since February, we have been on a seemingly non-stop travel bender. We hit Tucson to visit Nana and Pop and Florida for my 30th birthday and to visit my grandparents. Then we headed south of the border to Puerto Morelos, Mexico for the wedding celebration of our good friends Tadd and Lindsay who also own a kick-ass dive shop, Wet Set. Next up was a three day backpacking trip outside of Vail Pass with the Lindes and Martins and their little girls. We've also been to Cape Cod three different times! Once for my Mom's retirement party, once in conjunction with a weekend on Nantucket where Tom competed in his third ACK triathlon, and once more just for fun. We also managed two different Westy camping weekends, a trip to the Weaver's lake house, lots of sailing, and even enjoyed a little bit of Chicago summertime.

Now we are capping off the summer with a week-ish long sailing trip up and down the coast of Michigan. Our boat partners sailed the Imjatse across from Chicago and up as far as Saugatuck last week. Yesterday, we drove their car up to meet them and swap. Today is perfect and sunny and we are plotting our next moves. We just ate our last banana so hopefully smooth sailing from here on out!http://www.snopes.com/luck/superstition/bananas.asp