7/3/24 Frankfort

We have been enjoying a couple of days at Jacobson’s Marina in Frankfort. Luckily we weren’t going to move to Leland yesterday. The wind was 10-20 out of the Southwest and waves were 2-4 feet, maybe 3-5.

So you’re asking yourself, so what, winds out of the Southwest, that’s not so bad. I was just down at the beach in Chicago and the waves weren’t so bad and the wind was out of the Southwest.

It’s all about something called fetch, which is the distance that the waves travel before they hit land. In Chicago, the worst wave are out of the Northeast otherwise known as “a Northeaster”. The waves travel from the top of Lake Michigan, across the lake and hit the beaches in Chicago as significant rollers.

In the top of the lower peninsula of Michigan the opposite is true. Winds out the Southwest travel from Chicago and hit Frankfort, Ludington, Manitou’s, etc. Producing significant waves, 2-4 ft., 3-5 ft. Uncomfortable.

So even though we were scheduled to go to Leland today, we may wait a day for the winds to die down and waves to subside.

Another interesting, reading the weather item is “reading the flag”. You can tell how strong the wind is by looking at the top of a flag. If it is straight across the winds are 20 knots or greater, straight across and really ripping, 25 knots or greater, breaking and pointing slightly down, let’s say 45 degrees or so, the winds are 15 knots. If the flag top is breaking at the top about half way and sometimes down, let’s say 10 knots. If the top alternates between 25 degrees to down 5 knots and straight down it’s calm.

More to come.