Crossing Saginaw Bay and Beyond

 August 11,2022

The Mitten of Michigan

     Our last blog took us as far as Caseville, MI.  Caseville is on the inside of the thumb of the Michigan mitten.   It will make sense if you look at a map of Michigan, I promise.   Our next port of call is across the upper Saginaw Bay in Harrisville…. Onto the main part of the mitten.   We left Caseville on July 31st at around 9a.m.  Harrisville’s claim to fame is its size.  It is the sixth smallest city by population in the state of Michigan.  That means we have already been in 3 smaller cities.🤣🤣. Harrisville is the county seat for Alcona County.  We will need to stay here for a number of days due to weather moving in.  Luckily for us there is an excellent brewery in Harrisville.

    The marina provided us with 50% off coupons for the Brew Haus so we off loaded the bikes and took a ride.  It was only about 1.5 miles away but we decided one beer each was plenty.  The Brew Haus is also a restaurant so we made plans to return the next time they were open to have linner.   In the mean time we had boat chores to do.

    First on Bob’s agenda was starting the dinghy motor and getting the dinghy in the water.  We have not had the dinghy down in over a year nor has the motor been started.  We’re both crossing our fingers.  We had to deflate the dinghy for the low bridges on the Erie Canal and the motor had been laid down on the floor of the dinghy.  We had bought fresh gas in Gibraltar, so we were hopeful.  As luck would have it, all went well.  The motor started on the second pull and ran like a champ.  We took the dinghy for a short cruise then tied her in our slip with Carolina.

     That evening the town held a concert in the pavilion on marina grounds.  We have heard better singers and did not stay for much of the entertainment.  The following day the weather came in.  It blew like stink.  We watched the dock master and two dockhands help a boat in during the worst of it- lightning, driving rain and winds gusting to 35.  Don’t ask me why they were out boating in that weather.  They left before we could ask.

    The next day, when the weather had calmed (but was still raining) we asked for a ride back to the Brew Haus.  The marina staff were wonderful and willing to drive us almost anyplace we asked and pick us back up.  Needless to say, we had more than one beer.  These were some of the best craft beers we have had since leaving home.  We also found that their food was excellent AND they sold Cornish Pasties to go.   We had died and gone to heaven.   Tim, the dockhand, came and brought us back to the marina.

     We made plans to push out for Alpena on the 4th of August.  We have a hard date in Sault Ste. Marie on the 16th and with the way the weather has been, we want some cushion. Alpena is a bigger city and would have stores that we could provision in.  These small towns are hell on shopping.  You can always find a Dollar General or Family Dollar but they don’t carry fresh produce which is the mainstay of our diet.

    We made reservations on the Michigan state website for our stay in Alpena.The marina is just in the entrance to Thunder Bay River and surrounded by water treatment and city facilities.  All things considered, this was a nice marina and well protected from weather.we actually had lovely weather here.  Our second day on the dock we saw a most amazing sight.  A B- 24 Liberator flew over quickly followed by  a B-29 Superfortress.  We were going to have to find out where they were going.  The superfortress was lowering its landing gear so it had to be someplace near.   A google search pulled up an air show at the Alpena Regional Airport starting tomorrow.   Looks like we’re staying a little longer than expected.

P-51 Mustang

B-24 Liberator

T-6 Texan

Bob with B-29 Prop

B-29 “FiFi”

     We rode our bikes to the airport via excellent bike trails. Round trip we pedaled about 20 miles then we decided to go out for linner so add another 4 miles.  It was a long day but we had a great time.  Tomorrow we’ll leave for Rogers City, our last stop on “the mitten”.

      August 6th dawned bright and breezy.  We were expecting some chop to start out with the lake smoothing as the day wore on.   We were not disappointed.  We left Alpena at 7am and had an uneventful 50 mile trip with one sighting of the B-24 .  We arrived in Rogers City around 3 pm and docked on the outer wall.   We had a neighbor boat that had been in Harrisville with us who helped us tie up.  Rogers City is famous for its neighbor Calcite - the largest limestone quarry IN THE WORLD!!  Population of Rogers City is 2800.  I bet 95% work in Calcite at the quarry.   From the marina we could see the excavators working 24/7.  We could hear them too.

      We rode our bikes around Rogers City the day we arrived.  We were there during the Nautical Family Festival so there were amusement rides set up in the park with food trucks.  In town there was a giant craft fair in one of the parks and an antique car show in another.   We visited the Nowiki sausage store and watched the car parade.  That night an 80s cover band played till late.  We were glad we were so far from the park.   We could hear just fine from where we were.    Weather moved in on Sunday and we thought the festival was doomed but the Kielbasa Kings still went on at 4pm and shut the festival down at 10pm when they set off most excellent fireworks from the docks in Calcite.

Some fine old vehicles in the parade!

Bob with the Nowiki Sausage elephant

Fireworks to end the festival

    Rogers City was a nice stop but the weather was not cooperating.  We ended up staying an extra day and leaving on a beautiful day but in 1-2 foot waters.  We knew the waters would settle later in the day and luckily they did.  

     From Rogers City we were crossing the straits to the Upper Peninsula and DeTour Village, MI.  DeTour lies up the St. Mary’s River enroute to Sault Ste Marie.  The population is 251 according to the 2020 census.The big industry here is a dolomite quarry across the river on Drummond Island. And once again we have a view of the quarry from the stern of Carolina.  We have ridden all the streets of  De Tour and have eaten a meal at the Mainsail Restaurant.  Yesterday we rode to the Nature Preserve which was closed and had a repurposed school bus parked in it with someone living there.  Another tiny town.   

Our plan is the leave tomorrow and anchor out behind Drummond Island then head north to Sault Ste. Marie for our rendezvous.   Not sure it will work that way.we heard from friends from last summer and they’ll be in DeTour on Saturday so we may stay to see them.  Bob spent today  changing the oil in the engines and the genset.  A very busy morning.

DeTour Lighthouse

    

Mainsail Restaurant

Bob at DeTour Nature Preserve

Yummy Red Ale 

Another hidden gem in DeTour - very well done memorial garden

 

Constant traffic from Lake Superior cruises past day and night

     Now I have caught you up to our present location.   Next up will be Sault Ste. Marie and Bob’s brother and sister-in-law visiting for a week.   More adventures to  come .Keep us in your thoughts.

Port Huron, Gateway to Lake Huron

 August 4, 2022

Morton Salt warehouse with salt waiting to be shipped, on the St Clair River

Sign welcoming boaters to Port Huron

     

     We left Algonac Harbor Club on July 22 at a decent hour.  We knew we had to fight our way north against a 1-2 knot current.  We had reservations at the River Street Marina on the Black River in Port Huron.   The marina is stretched out along the banks of the river.  Slips or wells, as they’re called here, are perpendicular to the bank.   We had a pleasant trip up the St. Clair River though a bit slower than usual due to the current.  If you look at a map, you’ll see that all the water from Lake Huron and Lake Superior slouches through the St. Clair River into Lake St. Clair then on into the Detroit River.  That’s a lot of moving water.

     On our way north we passed two tall ships heading south to Detroit.  It’s always exciting to see these old beauties on the water.

Look at all those gun ports!!

On their way to Detroit

     We arrived in PortHuron in the late afternoon on Friday.  Our slip was beside the St. Clair Community College campus.  Beautiful grassy lawns, pavilions with grills for boaters use, fire pits, picnic tables - definitely one of our nicer stops.  The restrooms were a bit of a hike but we chalked it up as part of our exercise for the day.  

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

Blue Water Bridge into Canada 

     Port Huron is a town of about 30,000.  Because this is a bigger town, there are a few more attractions for us to visit, like the Fort Gratiot lighthouse.  It was built in 1829 and stands near the entrance to the St. Clair River .  It is also the oldest lighthouse in the state of Michigan.  We rode our bikes to it and climbed all 94 steps to the to.

   We also visited a the Light Ship Huron and learned more about how treacherous the waters of the Great Lakes can be.  We began to question our decision to come here but not for long.   We are learning that the weather patterns are different on these lakes and require careful watching.  

In between all the touristing, we managed to put a few new miles on our bikes.  The ride along the river was beautiful as was our weather.

     One rather steamy day we walked to the local movie theater to see ,”Where the Crawdads Sing”.  We enjoyed the movie but we’re disappointed to find that it had not been filmed in North Carolina.  We were homing for a peek of some familiar terrain.  

     All I all, Port Huron was a good stop.  It was a very nice marina with good showers and facilities.   We managed to get an Amazon packaged delivered there which is always a plus.  Now we were ready to try our hand at entering Lake Huron.   We had been warned by many that the current was very strong and we should hug the Canadian side to take advantage of the backwash until the bridge. We have always timed our travels to move with the current but in this case the current runs only one direction all the time.   And it’s fast.  Between 3-4 knots on an average day.  Our boat runs at about 8.5 knots so this could be a slow trip. 

    We were up early on July 26th.   We had a long day ahead of us so we planned on making the 8:15a.m. 7th Street and Military Street bridge openings.  We made our opening then turned left into the St. Clair River.  The current was 1-2 on first entering but by the time we got to the Blue Water Bridge it was up to almost 5 knots.  Carolina was making about 3.5 knots.  It took us about an hour to travel the 3 miles to the entrance into Lake Huron but we made it.  Now we are into our third Great Lake.

     Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes and the fourth largest lake in the world by surface area.  At its widest it is about 5 miles across and averages about 193 feet in depth.  Water flows from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan into Huron then out to Lake Ontario.  This is a big body of water.

      Our next stop will be Port Sanilac, a small village (pop. 620) on the western shore.  It was first called “Bark Shanty” as it was originally a lumberjack settlement.  There is an octagonal lighthouse here but it is no longer open to the public.

Port Sanilac Lighthouse is now anAir B’nBfrom what we hear!

    The Port Sanilac Marina is a privately run establishment.  This is a rare thing on the shores of the lake.  The state of Michigan own a majority of the marinas as ports of refuge.  In fact there was a state run marina beside this one.  Chester and his wife have operated the marina for a number of years.  He retired and was enjoying the life of Riley when his daughter who had taken over decided to circumnavigate the globe with her husband.  Chester was back at work with a couple of month.   His daughter  and family are in Figi preparing for their last leg to New Zealand where her husband calls home.

     We rode our bikes around and took a lay of the land.  Many places were not on Tuesday - just not enough foot traffic.  We rode to the local grocery and picked up a few things but the prices were very high…7.95 for a small box of oatmeal.  We planned our sightseeing for the next day and retired to the marina pub for a maneuver schlock.

Port Sanilac Marina

Blue Water Inn

     On Wednesdaywe did boat chores  in the morning waiting for the Sanilac County Historic Village and Museum to open.  We had ridden past the museum and village the day before and it looked interesting.  Needless to say, we were their first customers of the day.  The docent, Kathy, was quite friendly and more than happy to fill us in on local legend and lore.  The main house was the home of Dr. Joseph Loop and his family.  The home was built in 1872 and reminded us of our own historic home.  We mentioned that we lived in an older home and we were invited to take the back stairs, basement tour or normally open to the public.   It’s a lovely old home.   Along with this building there was a general store, schoolhouse, church, stable, fish/hunting camp and a few other out buildings.  This spot is easily missed by tourists which is a shame.  It’s a very nice little museum.

Pretty flowers!

Bob and his trusty steed!

An anchor for our front yard.

   We left Port Sanilac on Thursday morning hoping to make it to Caseville but knew there was a chance we’d not make it because of weather heading our way.  We had Harbor Beach as a bailout of necessary.   Well , it was necessary.  The wind started to build and it was spitting rain.   The marina said they were all booked up so we would be anchoring.  There were two boats there before us and they were positioned so we had plenty of space.  Unfortunately the bottom of this anchorage was covered in weed.  We put our anchor down and waited.  As the wind picked up we started to drag.  We crossed our fingers and hoped the anchor would catch but knew that the longer she dragged the more weed there would be fouling her.  We eventually had to pull the anchor back up.  With me at the helm and chain out and Bob on the bow with a machete.  It was an extremely painful process for both of us.  I’d put 120 feet of chain and we had to clean weed off at least 100 feet of that.   We cruised the anchorage looking for a less weedy area and finally found a good spot.  Again we dropped the anchor and this time it seemed to set.   Within 30 minutes the marina called us and offered us a slip.  That was a no-brainer.  We upped anchor and tied our selves to the dock for the duration of the blow.

Weed, weed everywhere!

    The following morning, July 29th, we left for Caseville about 30 miles away.  The town of Caseville is bisected by the Pigeon River which is where the state run marina was located.  We had a primo slip.  We were right in front of the office/restrooms.  We had boats on either side that were seasonal renters and they spent weekends on their vessels.  Being this was a Friday, the marina was hopping.  All the weekenders were there gearing up for a party weekend.   We got the bikes off the boat and took a quick tour of the downtown area. The population of Caseville is about 770.  They had maybe two traffic lights and as many restaurants. We planned on staying two nights waiting for more settled weather to make the run to Harrisville around to the other side of the mitten’s thumb.

    Saturday morning we decided to try out Walt’s Restaurant for breakfast.  The day before we were sure it was a victim of COVID, but heard it was still a going concern.  Going was putting it mildly.   It was booming.  There was a wait list for a table!!  I walked back to add our name to the list and was accosted by an older gentleman sitting at a large round table with 2 other gents.  He invited us to sit with them and share our stories.  It was a win-win.   It turned out that Mike worked for the restaurant as a supplier and had a standing reservation at that table.  We sat and talked with the every changing cast of characters that joined the table.  What a treat.  We heard life stories, saw pictures of kids and grandkids, heard all the local gossip and had an excellent breakfast.  From Walt’s we walked over to the Farmers Market and picket up some berries and cucumbers for the boat stores as well as a handmade spalted maple bowl .  We rode from there to the hardware and dollar general looking for a few things then spent the rest of the day on board.

Spalted maple bowl

     Sunday we left for Harrisville in Saginaw Bay….on the other side of the the thumb. I’ll continue that story in our next blog.

Raisin River and beyond

 July 30, 2022

       I left off with us traveling from the Raisin River up the Detroit River to Gibraltar, MI.  We still had guests on board - Paul Deering and Nicole Kerr - and they were concerned about an Uncle back in Cleveland that was not doing well.  We arranged with the Gibraltar Boat Yard to dock and leave the boat with them while we headed to Florida for my Dad’s memorial luncheon.  We arrived after hours in Gibraltar and docked in the haulout slip as we had been instructed.  Because of its construction, this put us about 2 feet off the bulkhead.  Not an easy step for a 5’4” woman.  The other boaters near by were very nice and helped us tie up and even gave us a key to the bathrooms.   

Our”dock” on the Raisin River

Our neighbor across the Raisin River - 2nd most polluting coal fired plant in the US

       This was July 3rd and everyone in the marina was gearing up for celebrating the holiday.  The beer was flowing, the music was way too loud and it looked like it would be a long night.  Paul and Nicole decided they needed to try and get back to Cleveland before their uncle expired so they began calling to rent a car -🤣🤣🤣That was not happening.  It was cheaper to hire an Uber to drive them from Detroit to Cleveland than to rent a car for one day….if they could find one.  They put in for an Uber then we’re told it would be to the boat in 15 minutes!!!  It was hard to say goodbye after living at close quarters for 5 days but we did.

Goodbye until our return to New Bern!

    Bob and I settled down to enjoy the festivities.  We didn’t have to wait long.   Just before dark the first set of fireworks began and each town piled on after the other.  We watched about 5 different shows from our flybridge.  It was awesome and when they were all done, so we’re all the parties.  The marina got quite and we had a restful night in preparation for the real celebration on the 4th.

      The 4th we spent riding bikes around the town and doing boat chores.  I had quite a bit of laundry to do and Bob had a list of maintenance items that needed attention.   We still had to put our dinghy crane back up and rewire it.  We spent the day doing these things then settled in with out evening adult beverages to watch the second round of fireworks.  The town of Gibraltar put their show on, on Monday the 4th.  It was wonderful with fireworks of colors I’ve not seen before.  The town went all out since they had cancelled the fireworks the past two years due to COVID.  It was an awesome show.

     On Tuesday we talked to Tim, the dockhand, about using their gin pole to put our dinghy crane back in place.  They were using it to take a mast down and we’re more than happy to help us with the crane.  Talk about slick- total it took about 3 minutes to put her back.  Now the hard work began for Bob- rewiring without any manuals.  That never stopped Bob.  Within an hour the crane was up and running!!

Bob attaching gin pole cable to crane

Going up

Crane back in place

     We came to this marina to have the crane reinstalled and decided to leave the boat in their care while we flew to Florida for a family gathering to honor the memory of my father.  Dad was 99years old when he passed away on March 16, 2020.   We have been unable to memorialize him due to COVID.  We decided to have a luncheon in his honor on what would have been his 102 birthday - July 9.  Bob and I battened down the boat, asked Tim, the dockhand, to keep an eye on her and called an Uber for the airport.

    We had a wonderful visit in Florida with 2 of our children and their spouses and children.  My sisters were both there as well as my niece from Singapore and her husband.  We celebrated Dad’s birthday in style at the yacht club on Bird Key and later that week Bill’s birthday at their new condo overlooking Sarasota Bay.

     The kids went to Siesta Beach twice and swam in the pool at our Air B&B daily.  We visited Mote Marine and all the grandkids got to touch a sting ray.  We also played putt-putt golf one morning .  I think fun was had by all.

Jay, Maggie, Teddy, Ellie, Ben, Finn, and Amanda

     After a raucous week of late nights and early mornings, we were glad to be heading back to Carolina.  Our flight was on time and all our luggage made it back!! That’s a win-win in my book.  We were back on the boat by 6pm the night of the 14th….our 43rd wedding anniversary.   We still had a few items to take care of on Carolina Like provisioning, filling the water tanks and topping off the Deisel tanks and we needed a good weather window to cross Lake St. Clair.  So we sat in Gibraltar until July 19th.  During this time we managed to do all our boat chores plus attend a concert in the park and make friends with our boat neighbors, Jenny and Rob.  They took us across the river to a waterfront restaurant for dinner one night.  Nice people.  Just started to think about cruising further than their neighborhood.

Bob, Clare, Jenni, and Rob

 

     The day before we planned on departing, Bob and I walked down to the fuel dock to find out hours and see if they could pump our waste tanks.  We were met by two lovely young ladies, Alyssa and Carly.  They told us they would be at the pumps at 9a.m. The next morning and they’d be glad to sell us some fuel.  Bob was enamored with them both and couldn’t wait to visit with them again.  They were true to their word and were waiting to catch lines when we pulled up.  This is the first time we’d stopped for fuel since last year.  If all the fuel stops in Michigan are like this, we may stay.  The girls asked permission to board then immediately took charge.  Alyssa pumped fuel - two hoses - one for each saddle tank and Carly pumped out our holding tank.  We didn’t have to lift a finger.  Alyssa also pumped gas into the dinghy tank.  They filled the holding tank with gallons of water to rinse it out .  We’ve never had such wonderful service.  Needless to say, those girls got great tips.

Alyssa, Gary, and Carly

     Next stop for us will be on the far side of St. Clair Lake at Algonac Harbor Club in Algonac, MI, the birthplace of the Chris Craft boat.  There is a marked channel to follow through the lake.  Large freighters come through from Lake Huron this way.  The lake itself is quite shallow so caution must be taken.  A little wind will go a long way in shallow water.   We chose a perfect day for this crossing and had a comfortable ride across then up the St.Clair River to Algonac.

    The Harbor Club was quite nice - pool, nice bathrooms, restaurant and bar on site and a Kroger an easy bike ride up the rode.  We could only stay till Friday because our space was promised to a large group coming in for a party weekend.  We were good with this.  The weather was great and we didn’t need any longer than two days to see Algonac.

    Our first stop would be the Algonac Clay Historical Museum.   Imagine our disappointment when the sign said they would not be open till Friday at noon!   But we believe signs are just suggestions so of course we had to test the door.   Low and behold, it opened.   Bob stuck his head in and asked if they were open.   George, the docent dujour, said “not really, but come on in”.  That should have been our tip off to run(🤣🤣).   George was a wonderful guide and toured us through the whole museum, regaling us with personal stories and local tales to go with each boat and motor.  We learned more about Algonac and the Chris Craft Boatworks than mere mortals should know.  It was a truly enjoyable 2 1/2 hours well spent.  

Algonac Clay Historical Museum

Bob with his trusty bike

    We also took this opportunity to ride our bikes along the river and enjoy the views.  We stopped by the Algonac Flaming Grill for breakfast.   Someone should have warned us.  The meals were immense and I took half mine back to the boat for another morning.

Way more than either of us could eat!

An absolutely delicious spinach and feta omelette

      We’ll, we’ve done Algonac and are itching to get moving again.  Our next port of call will be Port Huron, gateway to Lake Huron.  Come back and read some more of our adventures when you have a chance.