One of the goals of our weeklong sailing trip this year was to visit Frankfort, Michigan. We like Frankfort… Jacobson Marina has a nice pool, is within a very short walk of several good restaurants and shops, and a nice beach is very close by. We planned on spending two nights, but ended up staying a third due to weather.
The extra time allowed me to temporarily seal our leaky portlight that was a problem on our first leg across the lake. I bought some caulk at the hardware store a mere two minute walk from Jacobson Marina, and sealed the portlight while working from the dinghy. It only took about 10 minutes, and I expect the repair to get us through the rest of the season while I wait on a backordered new portlight.
While we’ve been to Frankfort several times before, we’re always up for exploring new things. We took the dinghy across Betsie Lake to the former Lifesaving Station on the Elberta side. From there, we walked up the bluff to check out the Elberta Bluffs Overlook and Elberta Beach. It was a pretty spot! We also spent some leisurely time at Frankfort’s beach by the marina as well.
Our second night involved some weather to deal with while docked. Overnight, strong west winds built large swells on the Big Lake. Though the geometry of the breakwall in Frankfort looks like it would reduce large swells coming from Lake Michigan, it still allows swells to enter when winds are strong from the west. I witnessed this about a decade earlier while staying in the municipal marina to the east, and was wondering if things would be calmer in Jacobson Marina this time. It probably was better at Jacobson, but still a pain… around 3am I was tightening and adding dock lines in an attempt not to scratch any gelcoat on the docks as we were violently sloshed around in our slip. I estimate the swell and surge in the slips to be around 2 feet, which is very uncomfortable in the small confines of a boat slip! We did not sleep well, and chafed through at least one dockline. I have since wondered how it would have been if we had anchored instead.
