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There
is plenty to see and do! For bustling ports with plenty of action, choose Grand Haven, Holland, or Saugatuck. For a quiet,
peaceful stop, try Pentwater, Portage Lake or Arcadia. If you want to try some Lake Michigan charter fishing, head for Ludington
or Manistee.
My favorite stop: dropping an anchor off the beach at the Silver Lake Dunes (see picture above). The
middle section is for pedestrians only; sometimes you can have the entire beach to yourself! If you have the stamina, climb
the dunes and walk across to beautiful Silver Lake (don't forget, you have to walk back!). Then take your boat to the northern
section of the dunes, where you can watch the ORV drivers playing in the sand. It is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy
the beauty of Lake Michigan. An overnight stay in the charming village of Pentwater is just a short distance away.
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Why charter in West Michigan? I have received quite a
few questions about our sailing area. I thought I would describe the area a bit so that you know why it is so nice for boating.
First,
the West Michigan shoreline is very different from most of the other Great Lake shorelines. Because of our prevailing westerly
winds (and the sandy bottom of the Lake) our shoreline is made up almost entirely of beach. There are also bluffs and sand
dunes all up and down the coast. The water this far north is very clean and clear.
Much of the shoreline lies in state
and county parks. What that means for us is that the shoreline is open to anyone. When the wind and waves are not too strong
we love to anchor off a beach and swim or dinghy in - we try to pick beaches that are not crowded. It makes for a glorious
day at Lake Michigan!
Many ports in the Great Lakes are located on rivers.
While we do have river ports (Saugatuck,
Grand Haven, Manistee) we also have many inland lakes with access to Lake Michigan (White Lake, Muskegon Lake, Lake Macatawa,
Portage Lake) and these give an entirely different sailing experience. Most of these inland lakes also have nice little anchorage
spots, so if you are tired of jumping from marina to marina it makes a nice change of pace.
Most ports are close together
(10-15 miles apart) so you can keep your sailing days pretty short if you wish.
If you enjoy staying at marinas with
all the comforts, there are many very nice ones in the area. Ones that come to mind are: Harbor View in Ludington, Eldean's
in Holland, Harbor Towne in Muskegon, and Tower Marina in Saugatuck.
Sunsets! West Michigan sunsets are an event. After
all there are not too many places in the US where you can watch the sun set over a horizon of water. We also have particularly
long days in Michigan, since we are on the extreme western end of the Eastern Time Zone. In the summer, you can expect sunset
at about 9:00 - 9:30 pm
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