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Old 07-31-2016, 12:48 PM   #45
BandB
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City: Fort Lauderdale. Florida, USA
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21,449
Quote:
Originally Posted by Donsan View Post

The recreational boating season on Lake Michigan is very short. You can get some real nasty weather in September but you can also get some real glassy cruising weather. It would be difficult if not impossible for a looper to hit all the places I would want to visit on one season. You really should be close to Chicago by mid September. The conventional looper wisdom is to be off Lake Michigan by Labor Day.
Our plan is to reach Chicago on August 31. Then we'll take a break and return there on September 19. We'll cruise from the 21st to Oct 7, then spend a week in Chicago before heading south on Oct 15.

The likely weather conditions. Last half of September, typical year is highs in low 70's. Long term forecast for this year is 80 to mid 60's for highs. Last year was upper 80's to mid 60's. First half of October, typical year is highs in
mid to upper 60's. This year long term forecast is 60's dropping to upper 50's around mid month. Last year was low 60's to 80. We understand the lake conditions might not be great some of that time. We're prepared for the conditions and look forward to late summer and early fall there. Still warmer than some of the days we encountered on the Erie and Oswego at the start of this loop.

Any October cruising will be very close to Chicago, Macatawa and south. Then 8 days in Chicago, just enjoying the city.

We will arrive on Kentucky Lake around the 25th of October. Pickwick on the 29th.

We realize we're leaving Chicago later than most, but the great majority of our Lake Michigan cruising is completed in August.

As to Green Bay, it's only 2 hours beyond Sturgeon Bay. Our plans are to cross from Charlevoix to Green Bay, a 6 to 8 hour trip, then from there to Sturgeon Bay to Manitowoc to Milwaukee to Racine to Kenosha to Chicago. After Green Bay our trips are all two to three hour trips.
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