THISTLE

If you were wondering....Yes, we made it safely to Saugatuck, Michigan:)

And, we are still here! The wind has been out of the west at 10-20 knots with daily thunderstorms, not the best boating weather? All we can do is wait for a good weather window to continue down Lake Michigan. (Saugatuck is a nice town to be stranded in....once we depart, more about the town on our next post.)

Saturday departure looks good for now. Light east winds are in forecast. East winds are offshore winds, and will make for smooth seas and smooth sailing!

Since some of you are new travelers following our blog, we thought it would be nice to share some pictures of THISTLE.

With the dream of doing The Great American Loop, we purchased THISTLE on the east coast in the Fall of 2013.  We contemplated changing her name, but have heard rumors of bad luck with a name change and we liked the name "THISTLE".

A year later we found out from Greg's Uncle that THISTLE was his (Greg's) great grandmother's maiden name. We are happy we kept her named THISTLE, and we have been very happy "Loopers" since her purchase.

 All Aboard !!!

The weather report!

THISTLE is a 40 foot Marine Sedan Trawler new in 2006. With an overall Length of 42'6", Beam of 13'1", Draft of 4'6" and Displacement of 23,000 lbs. She is powered by a single 370HP Yanmar Diesel engine. At wide open throttle she can reach 13 knots, but we typically cruise at 8 knots.

 

Our Boat Card (we exchange with fellow Loopers), Registration and our Daily Log book.

The Saloon.

Downstairs Helm (starboard), Dining Area (port) and Couch (starboard).

Galley (port), Refrigerator/Freezer (starboard), NESW coffee table and special THISTLE pillow.

Stern swim step, swim ladder and dinghy on the flybridge.

Main stateroom with a centerline Queen berth.

Vanity and two closets (his & hers).

Guest room with bunk beds (port), Head (starboard) and Anchor (bow). 

Thruster controls, Air Conditioning controls, DC panel and AC panel.

Engine Room.

Helm on the flybridge (we use this helm 99% of the time).

 Covered walkway, steps to the flybridge and one of six thru hull cleats.

Flybridge, mast (used to hoist our dinghy into the water) and horn.

Our reference books and mandatory daily gear: hand held emergency radio, binoculars, knife, sunglasses, sunscreen and iPad for navigation.

Our favorite spot on THISTLE, aft seating area:)

Flying our American Great Loop Cruisers Association burgee.