We talked about it for about a year and finally got together to explore Lake Michigan. We all met at the Hammond marina and some straegic planning took place aboard Jnizi's beautiful boat.

The next morning I followed "Serenity Forever" and "Sea Pickle II" on very calm water.

We stop and took pictures of each others boats running across the calm water and continued towards Chicago. It wasn't long before the city started to take shape on the bow.

First stop was Burnham harbor to look at a few boats. I think we all found one or two we liked.

Next we attempted to lock through into the river but a barge decided to take a cruise down the river so we decided to head north and come back later.


Stopped for lunch and a swim several miles off shore. Jnizi and his Admiral complimented Firecadet on his grilling skills.

Then after a run further north we headed back to the river. We all took turns posing with the city in the background.

I think the picture of the "Sea Pickle II" belongs on a postcard.

It was a real thrill going under Michigan Avenue in our boat!

The trip back was an adventure with me trying to keep up with Firecadet and Bliss running hard to beat a storm. The Vista 278 handled the weather and waves great. I was glad I was running in a well made boat. We all made it back in time to see a nice sunset when we arrived in the harbor. That was a real reward for our work. We made 92.5 miles according to the GPS and about 7.6 hours running time.

Thanks to Firecadet613, Jnizi, and Bliss36 for showing me around Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago. We had a weekend I will never forget!
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2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi