One of our goals this summer was for me to try sailing. Craig is an experienced sailor, with many charters already under his belt. I was told sailing had a whole different “feel” than power boats, so I needed to test my tummy on one. Last summer I did try the old 14 foot Javelin on Green Lake but quickly nixed that as a “no-way, no-how”. Too small for this aged body to crawl around on. Craig also found he is not as nimble as he was thirty years ago, when he sailed her last.
So, I booked reservations on a huge 114 foot schooner named “Manitou” from the Tall Ship Sailing Company in Traverse City, an hour south of Petoskey. During our Great Loop trip, we stayed at the Traverse City marina and knew the bay to be truly beautiful. We took our dear friends Erik & Melanie and their daughters with us (they are from Fort Collins but have a family cabin in Petoskey). The wind was light but both Mel and I survived the trip nausea-free and we all had a blast.
Encouraged by the “Manitou” sail, we chartered “Scout”, a beautiful 38 foot Cabo Rico. Again, I didn’t take a motion sickness pill to make sure I could do this medication free. We were blessed with 13 knot winds (15mph), blue skies, and a fantastic ride, again nausea-free, woo hoo! We took our lovely friends Michelle & Berry, who we met at the Traverse City marina during our Loop. It was great to see Berry and Craig in their element, old sailors, both of them.
As in years past, we traveled to see a Petoskey High School Steel Drum concert. These kids are freakin’ amazing! They travel in and out of state, bringing their youthful energy and joy. They are such a treat! Here’s this summer’s video which now has over 200,000 views, nearly 3,000 “Likes” and 124 glowing comments on YouTube. Yes, their sparkling talent is worth watching!
We have another week and a half in Petoskey. Lots more stuff to share but we don’t want to bore you, so we’ll do another Petoskey post before we leave, including some GREAT drone footage. Hope everyone is happy and healthy.
Here are kitty shots as a parting gift…
Team Joy Girl Adventures 
Great story and pics. Looked up the Drum Band performance on Youtube- quite impressive- gives you hope for the next generation! My only question is who is the guy holding the cat- don’t recognize him??
Where is your next stop on your adventure? Safe travels to wherever it takes you.
R.J.
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R.J., great to hear from you! Yes, those kids are quite impressive, aren’t they?
Some old man hijacked my bus and I can’t get rid of him, lol
Next we head south to Holland, Michigan. My family is coming to join us and we have great friends there from our Loop trip. š
Be well, friend!!
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Traverse city is beautiful! Steve is from Owoso.
Fun!!
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Owoso looks like an adorable little town! Wish the summer season was longer here! Hope you are feeling great š
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Wow! What great pictures of a beautiful place! Such fun adventures! So glad you are able to experience the beauty ! Thanks for sharing.
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Hey, Diana, great to hear from you! This place is rivaling Durango for summertime fun – it’s hard to choose! Hope you both are well and happy š
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Love the post Niki. I totally get Craig’s cat tee shirt. That seems to be an excuse for my wife all the time. Our cat won’t give me the time of day unless he wants to eat.
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Hey, thanks, Jon! Sorry you have a snooty cat š£ Ours is very sweet to both of us. Did you watch the steel drum band video? They are so good!
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I did watch the video after you brought it to my attention. Impressive. There is a steel drum band at NIU. It seems it is difficult to play the drums without dancing.
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