Saugatuck, Michigan ??

[Capt_John]

I am seeking information about cruising to Saugatuck, Michigan.
I am looking for information about Transient Slips and/or Anchorages.
Has anyone been there this year?

[enjaku]

I was there last week.

We have friends with a 70' dock on the river, so that's where we tie up. I stay out of the interior lake if I can.

I did take a trip up river into the lake, and noted that it was seriously crowded, and I didn't see a lot of open spaces, although I wasn't actually looking too hard. There were some balls in the middle of the lake, but they all looked occupied as well. You might be able to drop a hook further up into the lake, but be careful because the center of the lake can get shallow.

When you initially come up the river you'll see a little pond off your stbd side about 0.25 NM upstream. I've seen some boats anchor there, but I wouldn't want to stick more than 2 or 3 boats in there. Also, during weekends if Lake Michighan is too choppy for the power guys/girls this little pond becomes popular for all sorts of watercraft.

As a final note, the river is crowded with powerboats, paddle wheels, kayaks, rafts, and all sorts of things that sort of float. Be careful picking your way through the traffic.

Cheers,
-eric

[Capt_John]

Thanks for the reply.
We are are being Corona safe and are reluctant to leave home (St Joseph, MI).
Saugatuck sounds as I had feared. Over crowded.
We usually Cruise the Southern half of the Lake, but not this year.
Do you have any other news to share about the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan?
Fair Winds,
John

[enjaku]

We went up to Frankfort, and then worked our way down, back to Chicago on a 10-day sail. We anchored out a lot: Portage, New Buffalo, etc. We didn’t see a lot of masks and social distancing. We did go into Ludington, and that wasn’t bad. Mostly just stayed on the boat, and away from ppl.

[Nicholson58]

Usually lots of space in Luddington and Muskegon. Both are easy well protected harbors. We anchor out.

[SV Siren]

You didn't say what days? This will make a BIG difference as to how busy it will be. Weekends are very busy, lots of people, not alot of them wearing masks, unless indoors. Weekdays are much quieter. As other have mentioned draft in some spots in the "inner harbor" can be limiting, but high water levels have helped in that regard.

[ctl411]

Saugatuck depends on the day for crowds. We were there a few days last week. Definitely busier on Saturday but still room in the deep anchorage. People wearing masks in all shops. Some even wearing in the streets all the time.
If you want "town" Saugatuck if you are looking to just anchor out Holland has plenty of bays to hangout in.