Cruising to Lake Huron

 July 17, 2024

        It took us a few days to regain our east coast time zone, but we managed to get underway and up to Frankfort on July 1st.   We had reserved a slip at the municipal marina but about an hour out, the marina called and said that they had to give our slip to a disabled boat and they had no room for us.  We’re striking out on marinas this year!  We called a nearby marina and got a good slip with them.  We were a bit miffed at the municipal marina and I’m sure they will regret it.  The disabled boat was abandoned when we got there.  No one trying to fix it, no one on board, everyone had left and the boat ( an old rusty fishing rig) was just sitting taking up space.  Their loss, our gain.  We met some nice people at Jacobsons Marina Resort.  

Parade started with an antique hearse-🤪

Quite a turnout by the local women

Love these horses

The one and only piece of farm equipment 

       We watched the Frankfort Fourth of July Parade - not near the number of tractors and marching bands as Manitowoc had last year- and walked through the carnival and listened to some of the bands. Later in the  afternoon there was a boat parade that passed behind our boat.

Pretty little antique Chris-Craft

Nice flag!

        Katie and Dean, friends from our Texas Mariners Cruising Association(TMCA) came to visit the following day and brought lots of charts of the North Channel and Georgian Bay and had dinner at the Cabbage Shed with us.  We haven’t seen Dean in years.  It was good to sit and catch up with what he’s been up to.  

Dean, Katie, Clare, and Bob

      Due to some gorgeous weather, we left the morning of the 5th for Leland.  This is a good jumping off spot if you’re headed to Beaver Island which we were.  Last time in Leland it was the very end of the boating season.  The town was very quiet and the marina was only half full.  This time the town was full of tourists and the marina was at capacity.  It’s a very nice marina but they allow anyone who wants to walk the docks.   We were constantly fishing dock lines from the water where they had been accidentally kicked off the dock.  You had to wind your way through crowds to get to the restrooms.  It was a zoo.  We’ll think twice before going there during the season again.

Bob kicking the light

     We left on July 7 for Beaver Island.   Again we had beautiful weather and calm seas though a bit chilly.  We chose a slip at the North Municipal Marina.  It was bought by the city recently.  It was obviously not a DNR marina.  The facilities were lacking and the docks were in need of some repair.  

       We settled in and got our bikes off to take a reconnaissance ride around St.James, the village at the north end of the island.  We rode down to the Beaver Island Harbor light  so Bob could kick it then back to the town proper.  St. James has a population of 226.  

     Beaver Island was once home to a community of Mormons lead by James Strang.  Strang declared himself King of this community.  He even changed the name of the post office to St. James after himself.  He was murdered by disgruntled followers .  The name of the town has changed from Beaver Island to Beaver Harbor and back again to St. James.

     Beaver Island is 55.8 sq.miles and is the largest island in Lake Michigan.  The total population of  eager Island is 616.  The island is 13  miles long and 94% of the island contain large parcels of state land including Beaver Island State Wildlife Research Area.  At the most southern end of the island Beaver Head Lighthouse can be found.   Bob and I decided to see if we could ride to the lighthouse for a visit.

     We went from store to store looking for a free tourist map but none were to be had….except the waterproof canoe map the could double as a placemat for $17.99.😂😱   We finally rode to a gas station and bought a map for $5- for about forty miles of roads!!!   With water bottles in hand we started off for an all afternoon adventure.   Seventeen miles is nothing for us to ride but 12 of that was on gravel - I hate riding on gravel.   Needless to say, we made it to the lighthouse long before closing time oh but wait!  The sign says closed for painting.  You’ve got to be kidding!

It will look nice when they finish

      They were not kidding.  We sat and drank our water and watched the workmen painting the tower.  Now we had the ride home to look forward to.   We had traveled south on the Kings Highway the turned east onto Hannigan Rd.  Did I tell you that the gaeltacht(Irish)fishermen from other communities on Lake Michigan drove Strang’s followers from the island and retook their homes.  For years afterward conversations were still carried on in Ulster Irish.  Now we would continue on Hannigan Rd. Up the west side of the island.  This gravel road would bring us to the Big Birch reported to be the oldest birch tree in Michigan and the Big Rock as well as Tara’s Meadow.  We did stop at the Big Birch but we were pretty tired of riding on gravel and wanted to find some nice smooth tarmac and our boat.  In total we rode over 35 miles - most of it on bumpy gravel roads.  No speed contests were won.

Biggest birch I’ve ever seen

      After all that hard work we decided to go out for dinner. After showers and a cool drink we headed out.  You guessed it, back on the bikes for a ride into town.  We had a nice dinner at The Shamrock and went to bed early.  

        The following day we left for Mackinaw City - this is not the famous island but a city at one end of the Mighty Mac (Mackinac Bridge which does not go to the island !).  We tried out a new municipal marina and we’re pleasantly surprised.  Strait States Harbor is by far the best Michigan DNR marina we’ve stayed in.   At $1.48/ ft.  you really can’t go wrong.   We rode our bikes around parts of town we hadn’t been to before and rode to the grocery store.  OMG don’t complain about food prices!!  Grapes were $5.99/ lb., sprite was $3.99/ 2 liters…..needless to say we did very, very little shopping here.  

The biggest hotdog I’ve ever seen- is everything bigger in MI?

Mighty Mac (Mackinac Bridge) at night

       Our next stop was one of our favorite places on the Great Lakes, De Tour Village.  DeTour is a village of about 263 souls.  It is situated at the confluence of the St. Mary’s River( Lake Superior) and Lake Huron and less than a days boat ride to Lake Michigan.  A very centrally located spot.  The North Channel begins just a few miles to the east and beyond that is Georgian Bay.   We love this community for many reasons but mostly for the friendly people.  Last year John threw us the keys to his Jeep and said to take it to Hessel for the boat show.  This year Dave gave us his truck so we could get to Cedarville for some special marine lightbulbs.  Then there is Desi.  She owns and runs the best restaurant in town, The Mainsail.  We have eaten and drunk there more times than I can count.  The first visit she snapped back at Bob when he asked if her soup was really homemade.  I’ve loved her ever since.  

      We took our usual slip and spent a couple of days connecting with friends and eating Desi’s excellent whitefish.  We waited out some rainy weather and celebrated our 45th anniversary there.  I’m not sure if we’ll ever be back there by boat, but we will be back, somehow.

Dave’s loaner truck-thanks Dave!

Anniversary dinner with Desi

Sign in The Mainsail

Goodbye DeTour Village

       Our next leap is up the St. Mary’s River to Sault St. Marie.   This is an interesting trip because all the ships coming off Lake Superior have to come down the river and through the DeTour Passage.  The laker and footer watching is the best here.  We only passed one ship heading south and were  never over taken by any.   When we got to The Soo we pulled into George Kemp Maria to get fuel and a pump out then we crossed the river to the Roberta Bondar Marina where we had reserved a slip.   This marina is in Canada so a call to the Canadian Border Services Agency to check in.  “Q” flag is up and we easily obtain our cruising permit.  Down with the “Q” and up with our courtesy flag.  We are now free to leave our vessel.

“Q” flag down, courtesy flag up! We are official.

     We have been to the Soo numerous times in the past two years so sightseeing is kind of a moot point.  They do have a very nice bike trail along the edge of the river of which we take full advantage.  We will also do a big grocery shop here in the Metro grocery.  It’s like going to Food Lion in New Bern.  

     We have a couple of dock mates that are quite interested in heading up to Lake Superior.  They inform us that the Canadian Lock is closed for the season for repairs and we will have to use the big U.S. locks if we wish to go up.  We’ve managed to avoid this our last three trips up but I guess we need to put on our big boy pants and go for it.   Hopefully all will go well and I’ll write you from Lake Superior in our next blog.

Till next time- Bob and Clare

Cruises Interruptis

 July 1, 2024

Good morning!   We are back from our California adventure and moving Carolina to Frankfort, MI - one of our favorite stops.  

     We left Carolina in Ludington and flew to Sacramento to meet family for an impromptu reunion.   We arrive on June 16th and stayed with Bob’s sister.  The following day we drove to Lake Shasta about 3  hours north.  We had rented a “patio boat” for the duration of our stay and picked it up at Bridge Bay Marina.(Do we ever get away from water and boats?)

      The pickup was easy and after loading luggage and food we were on our way….at least we thought we were.   About 30 minutes out of the marina the low oil alarm went off.  We shut her down and luckily still had cell service to call the marina.  They promised to send someone out.  We drifted for a bit then had to start her up or go on the rocky shore.   We put-putted into Silverthorn Marina and tied up there.  Within 3 minutes Jason arrived with a jug of oil and fixed us up.   Off again to the cabin.  

Flexie, (named for the flex seal on the pontoons)

     The cabin at Shasta is very remote.  There are only fire trails into the vicinity and the trip by boat would take us 45 minute in the patio boat.  We had an ice chest full of beer and we’re in no rush to get there, so we had a leisurely cruise.  We expected there to be folks at the cabin but when we arrived it was still shuddered and locked.  Time for another beer while we waited for a key to arrive.

      

     Bob’s niece was the first on the scene.  We had carried our luggage, etc.  up and the porch and once we could get in, began to process of unshuttering the windows.  Each window (7 total) has two shutters then a 2x12 board with 4 carriage bolts across the outside.  Hunters and vandals have broken in in the past so the family has taken precautions. Once the cabin is open the fun can begin!

       Bob’s niece Jenny and family have rented a small house boat to live on and have brought their Ski Nautique Air for water sports.  Next Bob’ brother, Dale arrives in his Sanger.  Another boat for play.  He was followed shortly by his daughter, Lena, and her family on a big houseboat.  They were also towing their Mastercraft ski boat.  The count is now up to 12, with 2 houseboats and three ski/surf boats but we’re not done yet!!

       Dinner that night was with Jenny and Chris on their houseboat.  It was Mexican night and the margaritas were excellent.  We all retired early-ish because the next day more family would be arriving. Ben (our son) and his wife and our two grandkids arrive tomorrow as well as Bob’s sisters Cindy and Nancy and Robbie.  That will bring the count to 19.

      The next day Bob and I took the patio boat into the government dock at Jones Valley to pickup the kids.  It was a perfect rendezvous and we loaded luggage and more food onto the boat and headed back to the cabin.   Later in the day Dale went back to the dock to pickup the 3 sisters.  It was a jolly crew and we were already having a great time swimming and floating  off our beach.

The whole crew

     The next fives days were spent knee boarding, skiing, surfing and riding the hydrofoil surfboard.  Finnegan and Ellie both went kneeboarding.  Finnegan was a bit more successful.  We forgot to tell Ellie to let go when she fell off and in her words,” I went stomach skiing!”. 🤣. We made trips to the headwaters and swam in the coves.  We had camp fires to make s’mores…..some morning ones and some evening ones.  We did lots of star gazing and swam till our fingers were puckered like prunes.  We all left with various shades of Shasta-clay red imbedded in our shoes and shorts and towels.  It was a typical Shasta adventure.  Now we all need a vacation from our vacation.

     Bob and I stay a day beyond everyone else to close up the cabin.  All those shutters and boards had to be put back in place.  The hot water heater was taken down, the water tanks pumped full and everything in the cabin covered n plastic.( the bats still manage to get in).  It was a half- day project and then we were off to turn our boat and head back to Sacrament to fly home.

     Bob decided that we needed to ride the USS Badger back across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin to Ludington, MI.  On weekends they have a sailing at 1:30am from Manitowoc, WI to Ludington.  He booked us and even booked a “stateroom”.  When we landed in Milwaukee we recovered the truck and then drove  89 miles north to Manitowoc to meet the Badger.   We had lots of time to kill so we found the Fat Seagull Bar that was still serving food and ordered a late dinner.  The two young men beside us at the bar asked where we were from and the night was begun.  We chatted with Zack and Doug for a couple of hours.   It was finally time for the ferry so off we went to the loading ramp.

     We walked on while a staff member drove our truck on.  We retrieved the key to our stateroom from the purser and headed there to put our backpacks down before exploring the ship.  There was a movie theater, a museum, coffee shop, and children’s play area.  We headed out on deck to watch our departure.  We had watched the Badger leave numerous times last year while we were docked in Manitowoc.  Now we’d have a new perspective.

      Shortly after our explore, we headed off to bed.  It was a very short sleep.  They crew came by around 5:45 to wake us to prepare for arrival and docking.  We wandered out to the foredeck with coffee in hand to watch as we sailed into Ludington.   

      Being a National Historic Landmark, the USS Badger is a bit less than modern.  She is the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes.   She can carry 180 cars and 620 passengers.  She was originally used to transport rail cars between the two sides of the lake all year long.  Now she runs seasonally from mid-June till early October.

       When she comes into port, there are always spectators watching.  If you’re real lucky you’ll be watching on her starboard side and be able to see/hear her anchor drop.  She drops her anchor while underway and “club hauls” around her anchor and slowly backs into her slip.  It’s exciting to watch and even more exciting when you’re standing just above the anchor rode as it deploys.  We could see Carolina from the Badger as we swung around to the dock.  Home again, home again!

      We arrived back around 7:15am and went directly to bed.  It had been a very long trip from California and we were fighting time changes and lack of sleep.   We eventually arose and started a shopping list and gathering dirty laundry.  Now it was time to get back to the business of enjoying our cruising lifestyle.

 Next stop  will be Frankfort for the 4th of July and then onto Beaver Island for a few days.

     I’ll write more soon.  Be safe and stay well until we meet again!

Back to Our Summer Cottage!

 June 5,2024

     We’re back! Bob and I drove from New Bern to Grand Haven, Michigan with a truck full of stuff.  We had 5 crates of non-perishable food and a Yeti cooler full of frozen fish.  Carolina was to go back in the water today, but the weather is not cooperating.  It’s cool and rainy.  We’ve put off the launch until tomorrow.  

     June 6th dawned bright and sunny so we hightailed it down to the. Marina to watch our girl go into the water.  Watching a boat on a travel lift is like watching paint dry - moving from the shed to the launching slip took about 30 minutes but we had no snags.  Bob and I climbed on board while she was hanging and started reattaching all 9 of her batteries.(4 house bank, 1 generator, 2 bow thruster and 2 stern thruster).  Once this was completed we said our prayers to the God of John Deere engines and turned Hercule and Arthur over for the first time this season.   Both started on the first try!!  We love these engines.

Carolina in the Shed

On the move

          We made a quick trip to the other side of the dock and tied up so we could unload the truck.  Bob hauled crates to the boat while I load them to the aft deck and started to put things away.  When most of the stuff was secured, we dropped our dock lines and headed up the Grand River 1 mile to the Grand Haven Municipal Marina.  We had a slip in front of the office and near the facilities.  The evening was fine and we took a short

In the water at last!

walk down the water front.  As we were closing up and getting ready to retire, a booming loud voice started speaking to us from the opposite shore.  He said the show would begin in five minutes.  We’d read about the dancing fountain in Grand Haven us never could local it.  I think it just found us.   We pulled out chairs and sat waiting with anticipation.  We were not disappointed.  Within minutes the music began and the “fountains” began dancing across the river from our slip.  The speakers they use must be 10 feet tall and very loud.  There’s no sleeping till after 10:30 at this marina.  

Dancing Fountains

     The following day the wind came up and, oh my, what a surge we got.  We had been warned that any west wind would bring in a surge and boy did it.  We would have moved but the Michigan DNR does not refund slip fees and we were paid through Tuesday of next week.  We learned to live with it.  We spent as much time as we could off the boat - shopping for perishables, going to the movies, walking around town. By Friday night things had calmed down for a bit and we were looking forward to a restful night - oh wait- no sleeping till after the fountains have danced,🤣   This night they had drones as well as the fountain.  It was spectacular.   We slept well and we’re ready for the Pride Festival on Saturday morning.

Clare at Pride Festival

     We visited the booths and listened to the music from the festival until the rain started then everything shut down and we started boat chores.  Everything inside and out had a layer of dust that needed removing, floors needed cleaning, new sun shade needed snaps applied.  We were busy as beavers getting all kinds of chores done.  It was a very productive day.  We made a trip to the hardware store for a few tools and we’re ready for Sundays fix-it list.

     Sunday dawn bright and sunny with the chance of 80 degree weather.  We got the bikes down and rode out to Harbor Island and the Strawberry Moon Festival.  After much discussion we decided that we’d rather keep riding then stop for the festival.  Maybe some other time.

     We had a nice restful day again accomplishing more fix-it tasks and laundry ( in my new washer!!!).  We also hatched a plan for getting the truck to Ludington the following day.  We would rent a car and drive up in tandem then park the truck and drive back in the rental.

      We slept late Monday(thanks to no surge in the marina) and picked up our rental at 1pm.  It’s an hour and a half drive up the coast road to Ludington.  Really quite pretty and next to no traffic.  We arrived at the marina about 2:20 and parked the truck, unloaded the bikes and found our slip for tomorrow.  Next we went into town and had linner (lunch +dinner) at the Old Hamlin.  We arrived back in Grand Haven around 5pm.  We walked down the river walk almost to the entrance to Lake Michigan then back to the boat in time for the dancing fountains at 10pm.

        We left Grand Haven Tuesday morning at 8:30 and are heading north up the eastern shore to Ludington.  We should arrive around 4:30-5 pm.  We stayed here before and know that there are no dancing fountains just a nice quiet well protected marina.

Keep well and enjoy your summer.  I’ll write again soon.

P.S.  My new washer!!

Major Kerfuffle

 October 4,2023

       After our sortie to the Superior side of the Upper Peninsula it was time to head back to Sault Ste Marie to catch a plane to Boston for our granddaughter’s first birthday.  The airport in The Soo is on the Canadian side of the city so dockage would have to be at Bondar Maria.  Unfortunately they have closed up for the season….or so we thought.   We called the Bellevue Marina just a bit further south and they said we could stay in Bondar but there would be no dockhands or amenities except bathrooms.   It sounded great to us since we were going to leave the boat anyway.

      Bondar is a nice marina, near some shops and restaurants.  We came into a slip which was too close to the public walkway, but another boat left  ahead and we moved over.  Unfortunately when the people go, the gulls and ducks move in.   Our dock was an obstacle course of poop.

      We found a cab to the airport and had no issues with our flights to Boston.  The weather for our stay was not the best but we managed to have great fun with the grands.   The birthday party was perfect and Lily truly enjoyed her first taste of cake and icing.   After about a week we flew back to Carolina to continue our exploration of the Great Lakes.   We planned on heading through the St.Joseph Channel to the north channel then on to Georgian Bay.  We were looking forward to seeing some new sights.  Unfortunately we received a phone call from the boat storage place in Ontario and they informed us - after  7 months of assuring us we had a spot- that we had NO spot in their storage.  This is an unthinkable situation for a boat owner.  We always start calling in January to insure that we have storage for the following winter.  Most places fill up by March.  This put us in a very bad position on a Friday before Labor Day.   We started calling every place that had indoor, heated storage on the Great Lakes.  The answer was no room in more places then I care to mention.  Finally we called North Shore Marina in Grand Haven, Michigan and got a positive response.  YEAH!!  Having to back track to Grand Haven ruined our plans for next year but I’m sure there is a silver lining.  We had been talking about staying longer in the lakes and going back to Superior.  Maybe this was a sign.  Needless to say, we headed back down St. Joseph Channel to De Tour Village to visit our land-based friends there and regroup for a trip back into Lake Michigan.

White fish dinner- yum!

      We, of course, went to the Mainsail to see Desi and we ran into Dave on the docks.  We only stayed one night and began our trek back to Grand Haven.   We decided to try and go to new towns on the way back.   Our first stop would be in Cheboygan, MI.  Last time through they were full and had no slips available.   This time the marina was basically empty. 

Cheboygan, MI lighthouse

     We are working against time now so we only stopped for one night here.   We did ride our bikes into town but their public pathway was tanbark and not appropriate for our bikes.  Unfortunately halfway home, Bob’s bike seat broke off.  We rode the rest of the way with me yelling, “Don’t sit down!” Or “Be upright”.  I don’t know what the people who we passed thought but we made it back to the boat.  A bolt had sheered off and it was an easy fix once we got to Carolina.

     Next stop was Mackinaw City on the southern side of the famous, five mile  long  Mackinac Bridge.

Again, we spent one night but because it was just a ten mile trip from Cheboygan we had lots of time to explore.  We decided to go to the Old Mac Point Lighthouse.  We had a good tour of the light and climbed to the lantern room.  What a view there was of the bridge.  They also set off the fog horn for us to experience how loud it was.  It was another fun and informative day.

Bob and me in the lantern room at Old Mac Point Lighthouse

Bob kicking the Old Mac Point Lighthouse

Big Mac

     Our next stop would be Harbor Springs, a small town in Traverse Bay.  We had tried to stop here on our way north but once again they had no available slips and, as it was in Cheboygan, there were lots of slips  this time.   We’re kinda getting the feeling that the season for boating is over. 

    Harbor Springs is another cutsie town like Charlevoix.    The town has a population of about 1200.  There are some very nice new and old homes along it’s streets.  We did a walkabout to take in some  of the sights.   This town didn’t have a maritime museum or many historical sights but it did have this unusual steam powered steel  pleasure boat. The boat is called “Aha”and was built by E. Shay the maker of train engines used for logging.

The “Aha”

Mr.Shay’s eight-sided home in Harbor Springs

     Our next port of call will be Leland.  Another new town to enjoy.  The population of Leland is about 410.  It sits on the shores of Lake Leelanlau and Lake Michigan..  I’ll tell you more in our next post.