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.