Petoskey, MI

Petoskey sits on the shores of Lake Michigan about midway between the Strait of Mackinac and Traverse City. It has been a resort area for many years and remains a popular destination. We came here principally to visit a nearly new Signature Motorcoach resort. This one had belonged to Monaco RV Company before it went into bankruptcy. It is now complete and looking for owners and visitors to get things going.

This type of RV resort is the opposite experience than what we discussed in our write up of the experience in the Tahquamenon Falls State Park. This is a park restricted to only motorhomes over 30 feet and less than 10 years old. No tents or campfires allowed. The grounds are indeed impressive with large sites and well groomed landscaping, new club house, pool, exercise room, billiards, Movie Theater, real 9 hole putting course and so on. What was missing were the coaches. There were only a few of us there on this weekend and it was a bit lonely.

We explored the area and shopping hot spots, but the rather sad highlight was being witness to the lost of a small sailboat. On our way back from dinner, we noticed a small sailboat that seemed to be in trouble near a marina in Bay Harbor, MI. We found our way to a spot where we could park and walk out near the boat. It was hanging on a mooring line apparently caught in some rocks. The wind and surf was quite rough and folks who had been there awhile, including what later turned out to be the boat owner, said it had broken loose from a mooring sometime earlier. There was not anything to be done but watch it roll in the surf. For some reason the hatches were open and every time it took a big roll more water poured into the hull. It was soon apparent the end was near, and suddenly she took a big hit from a set of incoming waves and rolled on her side and sank. Worst of all was the fact that I did not have a camera with me. We have a rule that a camera is always with us. This time we failed to have it.

We checked back in the morning in time to watch the recovery of the wreck over the beach. Definitely a total lost.