Holland, MI

October 3, 2023

We arrived in Holland, Michigan, or more specifically Lake Macatawa, just ahead of a nasty three day storm. This was some thing of a whopper, and for the first time ever we utilized every line on board to secure the boat.

We were preparing to join the fleet in Hammond, Indiana, where our national organization, the AGLCA, was arranging flotillas to run the gauntlet of the upper Illinois river. The river had been closed for three months for repairs to the locks, and the Corps of Engineers was running behind schedule. This had resulted in a tremendous backlog of commercial traffic which had priority over recreational boating in making passage through the locks. The would allow only 16 recreational boats at a time to lock through together, and then only once a day. Between all of the loopers stranded on the southern end of Lake Michigan , and a host of other recreational voters waiting for the locks to reopen, this was not a good situation. To complicate this further, the days were growing shorter, the weather colder and marinas and other support services on the rivers leading south were closing for the season. We were instructed that while traveling in our flotilla that we should not stop but continue each day because of the large backlog of boats coming behind us. This meant no days of rest at marinas, no sightseeing and no recreation, essentially. Additionally, most days the recreational flotillas were instructed to leave very early in the morning and sometimes continue past nightfall. This did not sound like a lot of fun and was not what we had originally signed up for. The AGLCA had done a great job of trying to make the best of the situation, but unfortunately, the best still wasn’t very good .

Waiting for the Storm

Eldean Shipyard

Sunset Lake Macatawa

And then we had an idea. Rather than queue up in the cold weather and short days to run the gauntlet of the Illinois river locks, why not put the boat in storage for the winter, return with the warm weather and take the time to enjoy Lake Michigan before heading down the river system in the summertime? We contacted Eldean Shipyard and found that they had space available to take Katie B out of the water, store her for the winter in a heated warehouse and perform routine maintenance and some needed improvements before we continued our journey in the spring. This seemed like the obvious answer and it also permitted me to work for an additional eight months before retiring from neurosurgeryand gave Kathy eight months to spend with her mother and her sister. The additional attractions of having central heating, not needing to refill the freshwater supply every few days nor empty the sewage system were also significant considerations. And so we signed up. Katy B came out of the water on a travel lift, and we followed her across the tarmac and into a large heated storage shed. She was placed on blocks and connected to AC power for the duration. These travel lifts are amazing machines. This one in Holland is rated for 70 tons or 140,000 pounds. Katie B was a comparative lightweight at just 35 tons. So the process involves pulling a boat between two docks where the machine is waiting with huge slings submerged in the water. The operator then raises the slings and the boat comes out of the water. Obviously, it’s important that the boat is balanced, and the slings are not resting on props or rudders, which could be damaged. Once the boat is suspended in the air, the Travelift moves on its own, carrying the boat down the dock, across the concrete apron and directly into the building for heated winter storage.

During this process, we also had the opportunity to explore Holland Michigan, which we found to be a really nice town with a local college, heated sidewalks, and plenty to see, do and eat. After the boat was squared away, and we were happy with the arrangements, we boarded a direct Delta flight from nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan, and return to our apartment in Edina Minnesota to spend the winter.