Day 1 - Monday - let the journey begin

Photo by: Lynn Johnson

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Incredible amount of energy around the launch of Gabby; all the planning and preparation complete, we push from shore on one of those once in a life time adventures.
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The crew gels quickly, spirits high; Bob sets the pace and the rest of us follow, sorta. Lots of paddles clanking that first day as we sort it all out. A north easterly wind builds, setting us up for a nice sail down the coast.
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Making good time, our first goal was to clear the tour boats and Mackinaw Bridge which went without incident, next up round wilderness point and head south down the coast, destination Manistee.
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We looked desperately for the cut, missed it and had to keep a keen eye as we made our way through a labyrinth of rock gardens to blue water.
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A quick break on the lee of wilderness point and we were cruising again. The time went fast as stories of adventure unfolded; conversations were intimate as the wind on the water made it hard for everyone to hear. I sat for the most part behind Bob, Toby to the side and Michael behind me - good times.
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The Camaraderie, the bonding of the crew - Fabulous week . . . indescribable . . . if you don't have a plethora of paddlers in your list of friends . . . you're missing the boat! - Beverly Williams Wilson

.Beverly and John (our host for the night)

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As we made our way South conditions building, a call went out to our land crew; the search was on for a place to meet up and make camp.
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A diligent support crew is very important to an adventure like this; they scored big as they found us unbelievable accommodations at the Thorne Swift Nature Preserve.
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Don (support crew) worked the magic and turning on the charm finds out that John Riggs manager of Thorne Swift was part of Project Lakewell a few years back and knew Captain Mike and Project Lakewell Director Lynn; we had ourselves a reunion of sorts, not to mention running water and flush toilets. It felt a little like we were on a swank European bike tour with all the good eats and fancy accommodations - to be continued...