October 10-12, 2009 - Chicago, Illinois

Today we departed Holland, MI to make our dash across Lake Michigan. The winds and waves were predicted to build in the afternoon, so we left port in the dark at 7:00 a.m. We cruised across the 88 nautical mile width of Lake Michigan at 14+ knots in just over six hours, faster than normal to even out the rough chop of 3-4 footers. We took on lots of spray during an otherwise uneventful trip – and discovered our aft bilge pump wasn’t functioning! A repair will be done in Chicago.
Monarch’s kind of town, Chicago is! We entered the large harbor at the Chicago Light.

We had spotted the Chicago Skyline from a distant 40 miles offshore in Lake Michigan. As we entered the harbor, we got a close-up view of this bustling metropolis.

The tallest building in the city is the Sears Tower, dark in color with lots of antennae on top.

From the deck we spotted this beautiful fountain in Grant Park.

We docked at the Chicago Yacht Club at Monroe Harbor, in the heart of downtown, just three blocks from Michigan Avenue. It seems unusual to be in the midst of a big city, after so much time in remote anchorages and harbors this summer.

Our requisite walkabout was through beautiful Grant Park, a large and meticulously manicured and landscaped waterfront favorite of Chicagoans. This is a piece of “art” in the park, which provides a fun-house reflection of the skyline.

The elevated train takes commuters to and from work in the heart of downtown Chicago.

We were impressed with history-making Millennium Park, adjacent to Grant Park. This is where President-elect Barack Obama gave his victory speech to the masses on election night.

The latest mode of touring Chicago appears to be on a Segway. This is a two wheel, gyroscope balanced vehicle and the tours reminded of us a mother duck with all her little ducklings following closely behind.

Adjacent to the Chicago Yacht Club is a huge mooring field with hundreds of boats.

Boaters can come and go to their vessels via the park’s water taxi.

On our second day we walked south along the harbor from the Chicago Yacht Club. We came to the famous Shield Aquarium, and next door the Field Museum of Natural History.

The Sears Tower is a visible landmark everywhere we go.

Though Chicagoans are disappointed they did not win the Olympic bid, they still take any occasion to celebrate. Because Monarch came to town, they threw a parade. 45,000 people did a fast-paced parade (but no floats!) for over 24 miles, and over 1 million people turned out to cheer us on our voyage. (This is more commonly known as the Chicago Marathon!)

The million spectators were evident throughout downtown, including Grant Park.

We wandered north on Michigan Avenue, and found many wonderful pocket parks and extraordinary architecture.

The flowers in each park are seasonally changed, with mums and decorative cabbages now displayed.

We contacted our friends Linda and Ron Watters, who live in Chicago. We knew them when we all lived in Detroit. They came to the boat for a much-appreciated visit.

Monday morning, it was out for breakfast and a long walk to West Marine for a new aft bilge pump.

We leaned over the railing on Michigan Avenue to get a good look at the Chicago River, where tomorrow we will begin our river transit through the center of the US.

It’s a beautiful sight, with the bustling city along the banks of the Chicago River. Tonight we are going to Ron & Linda’s riverfront high-rise condominium, where we will get a bird’s eye view of the beginning of our river voyage.

To see where we are on the Looper Locator, just follow this link - http://greatloop.org/mod/aglcalocator/membermap.php?id=1601