Week 10, Part II – Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, 2023 – Muskegon, MI to Saugatuck, MI

Highlights this week: Getting HOMES’s flybridge enclosure down – in preparation for the locks after Chicago; seeing a flock of Snow Geese; and, experiencing the Grand Haven Musical Fountain.

Monday – Tuesday – Sept. 25 -26, 2023 – Muskegon, MI – Safe Harbor Great Lakes Marina (Layover days)

Last night, we just walked around this large Safe Harbor marina. No one was working when we came in, so we didn’t have a key fob to get back into the marina, if we left. Since we weren’t in the mood to scale the fence to get back in, we opted to explore the neighborhood tomorrow.

We have been staying mostly in Michigan municipal marinas, which are always in the heart of a community. For this stay, we chose a Safe Harbor Marina, which is the world’s largest Marina operation, based in Dallas, Texas – operating 115 marinas in 22 states. Since starting our trip last year, we’ve seen many previously mom-and-pop marinas bought up by Safe Harbor. However, we happen to be members of Safe Harbor, since we stored HOMES last winter at Safe Harbor Toledo Beach. Therefore, we had two reasons for staying here: 1) Members get three nights free stay at any Safe Harbor; and, 2) Members get fuel at a cheaper price – and we need fuel.

On the downside, the marina is not in the heart Muskegon. We are in a neighborhood called Lakeside – 3 miles away. However, no worries – we have some prep work to do to HOMES for her trip through Chicago, so it will be nice to have less distractions.

Monday, September 26th – We began our morning by checking out the neighborhood of Lakeside. It has all that we need in its few blocks of stores. Just out in front of the marina is Dockside Donuts. While having no flavored coffee, we did enjoy coffee and a delicious donut. Further up the street, we went in the tiny gourmet meat, cheese and fish store. We have eaten whitefish a few times over the summer, so we decided it was time to try some smoked chub. The shop keeper, who was in his 70s, told us that, when he was a kid, chub was an affordable way to feed a family. He recalled, on Fridays, the fisherman would sell chub outside the paper mill, as the workers came out. That chub could feed the family all weekend.

We had just walked by the site of the old paper mill, which the shopkeeper was referencing. The first sheets of paper were produced in Muskegon in 1900. The mill changed hands several times after 1953 and struggled for the years before permanently closing the 119-acre site in 2009, eliminating the final 190 job. The paper mill was just one industry along Muskegon Lake.

The first sawmill was erected on Muskegon Lake shoreline in 1837, and 50 years later there were 47. Muskegon sawmills helped to rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871. Muskegon was known as the “Lumber Queen of the World,” when 665,000,000 board feet were cut in 1871 alone! These mills needed to develop docks, so, unfortunately, they dumped sawdust and lumber debris into the lake – filling in wetlands and beaches. When the forests were depleted, Muskegon turned to foundries and manufacturing. Today, while still building engines for the military, as it did in WWII, Muskegon is trying to reclaim the 16% of the lake lost due to fill. It is now understood how the ecology of the Great Lakes is critically dependent on the wetlands of the river and lake systems that empty into the Great Lakes. These rivers that flow out into Lake Michigan are called “drowned river mouth” and lead to lakes that provide important nursery habitats for Chinook salmon, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch and threatened native species, such as the lake sturgeon.

For lunch, we ate the smoked chub. Tim did the work of cutting off the head and tail and pulling out the bones. We liked the sweet and smoky taste. Tim also bought what he thought was jerky, but it was “kippered beef.” While jerky is dried in smaller strips, kippered beef is smoked and the slices are thick and moist.

With exploring and lunch behind us, we needed to get to the prep work planned for this stay – taking HOMES’s flybridge down. To get through downtown Chicago on the Illinois River, HOMES needs to be around 17 feet tall. We could go an alternate route around downtown Chicago, through the Calumet River. However, we want to experience Chicago, like we did New York City. Besides, we’d still have to be less than 19.6 feet – for the lowest unavoidable fixed bridge, which is after the point where the Calumet River rejoins the Illinois River. To do the Great Loop, you must have a boat less than 19.6 feet tall. However, since our goal was to traverse the whole Erie Canal, our magical number was 15 feet 7 inches. Before purchasing HOMES, Tim measured her with a laser level and was very pleased that -with her arch lowered – HOMES is just a little over 14 feet 8 inches!

First we washed and dried the clear vinyl sides (called Eisenglass), rolled them up and stored them under the seats of the flybridge. Before putting them under the seats, we pulled out some extra fenders that we’ll need for going through the locks on the Illinois River.

Then we took the canvas top off and folded down the supports. We are going to leave the arch up for now, since we still want to use the antennas for our radios and our AIS, which transmits our position to other boats. Tim will have to modify these antennas once we put the arch down.

Tuesday, September 26th, we had coffee and split a donut at Dockside Donuts, before tackling the waxing project that we have been putting off. But, it’s not wax. Tim bought some cutting compound and polish from the Auto Spa back home. He used the DA buffer to apply the cutting compound and then we hand-rubbed on and off the polish. We did just the front of the Portuguese bridge and were pleased with the results. It is going to take a long time to do the whole boat. We approved a $1200 quote for a guy to wax the hull before putting HOMES back in the water, but the guy never showed up. So, we’ll do what we can for now and, hopefully, in Florida we’ll find someone to wax HOMES. Florida is more geared for boat services, but the prices are higher.

Also, if you are wondering… a Portuguese bridge is the high bulwark in front of the pilothouse – common on trawlers like HOMES. It is meant to deflect waves coming over the front deck, so they don’t slam against the windows of the pilothouse, as well as to give a semi-sheltered area outside the pilothouse while underway. Obviously, we hope to never need the services of our Portuguese bridge!

The local guy on the boat next to us had a much bigger task than we did! He grew up in Catawba Island, OH, so when he found a Matthews Company boat he said that he had to have it. Matthews began building boats in Bascom, Ohio and moved the company to Port Clinton, OH in 1906, where it continued until the mid-1960s. Ironically, In 1906, Matthews and his family – in a 70-foot yacht that he designed- were the first people to complete the Great Loop in a private yacht! It took them almost a year to go 9,000 miles. After the success of this adventure, his business took off – with clients such as the Ringling Brothers Circus and the U.S. government during WWI and WWII. It’s nice seeing a guy so passionate about bringing this piece of history back to life. It took him 5 years to just get the boat to float, and it still has a small leak. However, he doesn’t seemed overwhelmed. Now that he is retired, he hopes to progress more quickly.

Like Ludington, Muskegon has a car/passenger ferry over to Wisconsin. The Lake Express is a high-speed ferry going the 78 miles across Lake Michigan, between Muskegon and Milwaukee, taking two-and-a-half hours. Despite a break wall, the Lake Express gave HOMES a good rocking – complete with clanging dishes- twice a day.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 – Muskegon, MI to Grand Haven, MI -Municipal Marina

We pulled out of our slip and pulled along the fuel dock – our real reason for coming to this marina. Our second fill up of the year took 364 gallons. Being a member of Safe Harbor, we got diesel for $3.60/gallon, while the non-member price was $4.34/gallon. Tim polished and moved the fuel in the back two tanks to the front two tanks – putting the new fuel in the back two tanks. He polishes the fuel to take out any impurities. Even though the fuel from marinas should be clean, it’s good practice to polish it. It took about 30 minutes to fill the two tanks. The employee filled the tanks, while Tim was in the engine room watching the fill tube. He’d tell me, through our headsets, when to tell the employee to stop – a team effort.

Our voyage today took 2 hours and 17 minutes, going 15 miles (17.3 miles), at an average speed of 6.5 knots (7.5 MPH). Tim guided HOMES back up the channel out into Muskegon Lake, and then out the Muskegon Channel to Lake Michigan. Considering it took 30 minutes to get back out into Lake Michigan, it seemed like in no time, we were greeted by the two lighthouses on Grand Haven South Pier. Both lighthouses were built in 1839 and are connected by a lighted catwalk.

We made our way up the Grand River to the Municipal Marina. Our Looper friends on Ino were on the dock waiting to catch our lines. They are French Canadian, and while their English is good, they struggle with slang and accents. However, I told them that they have given me the incentive to learn basic French for when we do the Canadian canals. Since I took 3 years of French in high school and one year in college, maybe it will go better than my attempt to learn Irish Gaelic for our trip to Ireland last March.

Once we settled in, we went for a walk. Our walk led us past one of Tim’s other pleasures – trains. The railroad arrived in Grand Haven in 1858. The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Coal Tipple, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was used to feed coal to the steam locomotives. It is the tallest structure in the city. Also listed is the Pere Marquette Locomotive #1223 – built in Lima, Ohio in 1941! It is one of two surviving steam engines of its type that were used in fast freight service between Chicago, Saginaw, Detroit and Toledo. The Pere Marquette Auto Box Car No. 72222 was built in Columbus, OH in 1946 by the Raiston Steel Car Co. – which operated from 1905-1953 on the east side of Columbus.

Thursday, Sept. 28th started with my haircut, just a 3-minute walk from HOMES at Reds Salon. Melissa reminded me a lot of Janice, my hairstylist at home. I was very please with my haircut and enjoyed talking with Melissa. I wasn’t her first Looper this week. Melissa is familiar with the Loop because she grew up in Rochester, NY with the Erie Canal. Melissa has a sister who is hairstylist sister in Rochester, NY, who sent a Looper client to Melissa when she got around to Grand Haven. Also, Melissa’s grandfather played for the Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) in the 1960s.

After my haircut, I came back and got Tim for a walk and coffee at Bad Habit. In the evening, we walked the 1.5 mile paved boardwalk out to the pier lighthouses. The boardwalk took us past the active Coast Guard Station and Escanaba Park, which serves as a memorial for the 100 crewmen of the local Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, which sunk during WWII in the North Atlantic. Due to its long history and ongoing efforts to acknowledge the contributions and services of the Coast Guard, Grand Haven was designated Coast Guard City, USA by and act of Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1998. Its Coast Guard Festival, held annually in August, is one of the largest festivals in Michigan, attracting around 350,000 people.

The long walk was worth the close-up view of the lighthouses. Also, we got to see a flock of Snow Geese. They flew and sounded just like Canada Geese, but they were white with black-tipped wings. A little research told me that they are seen in Michigan in the fall, when they are migrating south, and that sunset is a good time to see them. What a treat to see them!

After a drink at Odd Side Brewery, we enjoyed our view from HOMES. The lighted anchor atop the hill across from Grand Haven’s downtown waterfront is 50-feet tall. Previously, it was only displayed during the Coast Guard Festival and on the 4th of July, but this year, it became a permanent feature.

Friday – Saturday, Sept. 29th and 30th – The weather was warm and sunny, so we took the weekend to relax and enjoy – taking walks; visiting independent shops; having delicious fish and chips at The Kirby House; visiting the two local breweries – The Grand Armory Brewing, located in the 1905 Armory Building, and Odd Side Ales, located in an old piano factory; and enjoying coffee at Side Bar (which shares space with Odd Side Ales) and Kenzie’s Be Cafe – which employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Just sitting on the back of HOMES and watching the weekend boat traffic was entertaining – sometimes three boats abreast going in each directions, added with jet skis and even one guy’s remote control boat. Then, one poor freighter came through and parted them all. The freighter, Mark W. Barker, built in Sturgeon Bay, WI in 2022, is the first Great Lakes bulk carrier to be built on the Great Lakes in more Than 35 years! It is a River-Class vessel designed to ensure that it will have a low environmental impact to the Great Lakes and to those who work aboard.

Grand Haven just kept giving. On Saturday morning there was a farmer’s market and on Friday and Saturday evenings, we got to enjoy the Musical Fountain water and light show. Since 1962, the Musical Fountain has been playing on the waterfront nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Fridays and Saturdays in May and September. Luckily, we got to see the last two nights of the year! On the last night, the freighter, Mark W. Barker, made a cameo appearance! The show stopped and allowed the freighter go through. It was amusing watching the pleasure boats, sitting in the river, quickly getting out of the way, as the freighter’s spot lights swept back and forth.

Sunday, October 1, 2023 – Grand Haven, MI to Saugatuck, MI

On this first day of October, we received our monthly report from Nebo. Last month, we moved 11 days, were underway 45 hours, traveling 300.1 nm (345.3 miles), at an average speed of 6.6 knots (7.6 MPH).

We started the morning with that incredible full moon shining faintly. We cruised up the Grand River a short distance to North Shore Marina to get a waste tank pump out. Grand Haven’s Municipal Marina didn’t have a pump-out station. Soon, we were past the lighthouses and back out on Lake Michigan, heading to Saugatuck!

Our voyage took 3 hours and 46 minutes, going 26.1 nm (30 miles), at an average speed of 6.9 knots (7.9 MPH). We entered the Saugatuck channel and wound our way up the Kalamazoo River, past pleasures boats and even a paddle boat- Star of Saugatuck Boat Cruises! Luckily, there was a lull in traffic when we had to cut across the river to dock at the Ship & Shore Motel Boatel. It is a retro hotel that allows boats to dock on their wall. We even get a continental breakfast tomorrow morning!

As we pulled along side the wall to dock, a lady who was eating at the waterfront restaurant next door, came over to help with our lines. We introduced ourselves to Sue. She saw our Looper flag and asked about our trip. She lives in Holland and offered to give us a ride to get our rental car on Wednesday. She said Holland doesn’t have Uber or Lift, when we told her that was our plan. We gave her our card and she has already texted us saying to text her if we need a ride. As I said before, the boating community is amazing!

Now it is time to explore the quaint town Saugatuck, known for its charming independent shops, restaurants and art galleries. We will be here until Tuesday morning, then we’re backtracking up to Holland, where we’ll leave HOMES for a few days to go to a wedding in Detroit and then home for a short visit.

Next Sunday’s blog will be shorter than normal, since we’ll be “HOMES less” for half of the week. See you next Sunday!

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Week 9, Part II – Sept. 18 to Sept. 24, 2023 – Ludington, MI to Muskegon, MI

Highlights this week: a two-hour dinghy ride to see some dunes up close; a farmer’s market and fall festival; and, a road trip to the grocery store.

Monday – Tuesday – Sept. 18 to Sept. 19, 2023 – Ludginton, MI (Layover days)

We ended last week docked in Ludington Municipal Marina. We decided to extend our stay in Ludington an extra day and stay until Wednesday morning.

I thought it would be fun to take an Uber out to Ludington State Park and hike the Skyline Trail Dune Climb. Well…after 10 minutes of Uber saying “trying to find a driver,” we decided that was not an option. Also not an option was spending $80 to rent 2 bikes for 4 hours – plus having to bike 23 miles, round trip. So…we decided to take an adventure in our dinghy!

The 1-2 foot waves on Lake Michigan look much smaller on HOMES than they do in a dinghy! Tim enjoyed the ride immensely! I enjoyed standing on the beach the best! But joking aside, we had a fun trip. Our 13-foot dinghy, with its 30-horsepower motor, thought nothing of the waves.

Unfortunately, the Big Sable River was silted over at the mouth, so we couldn’t get back to the hiking areas of the State Park. So, we beached the dinghy and just walked along the dunes on Lake Michigan. We got pretty wet pushing the dinghy back off the beach, but the water is still warm.

On the ride back, we explored the Lincoln River, as far as we could go. The river led to Lincoln Lake, but it got too shallow for us.

Back on the Pere Marquette River, we went past our marina entrance to get a closer look at the S.S. Badger – which I talked about in last week’s blog. This historic steamship car ferry is the last coal-powered passenger steamship in the U.S.

We also watched the freighter, Manitowoc, unloading at the Pere Marquette Shipping Co. Thanks to AIS and the internet, I realized that this freighter would be returning to Drummond Island. When we were docked in DeTour, MI, we watched freighters on Drummond Island getting loaded at the Dolomite Quarry dock – just across the St. Marys River from us (Blog- Week 5, Part II).

Dolomite is the underlying rock of Drummond Island. It was used to build the early locks at Sault Ste. Marie and in the late 1920s it was used to construct many breakwalls in the harbors of the Great Lakes, including ones we have visited in Mackinaw City and Frankfort. Dolomite’s use is in steel making greatly expended during WWII. Today, it is still used in the steel industry, but its hardness and structural soundness, make it an ideal aggregate for construction, including asphalt and concrete pavements. It is also used in glass making, paper making and medicines, such as Epsom salts. However, more applicable to my Ohio upbringing, I recognized it as the big white mounds that I see on the farm fields in the spring and fall. Dolomite’s high magnesium and calcium carbonate makes it a soil neutralizer and it replenishes the fields with these crucial nutrients.

We ended out evening at the Mitten Bar – which serves only Michigan crafted beer, wine and spirts. We enjoyed talking with a local lady who was out for a walk and decided to come in for a beer. Like many people we have met here, she and her husband are retired and spend the winter in Florida. She laughed when we mentioned not being able to get an Uber. She said they do have 3 cab companies. Oh well, the dinghy adventure will remain a highlight of our summer.

On Tuesday, we began our day at the Red Rooster Coffee & Community. No flavored coffee, but we did enjoy the company of the owners and several local ladies. The one lady eyed the muscular young mailman who came in. She said he redefines the image of a mailman 😂. She said her grandfather was a mailman after he lost his job playing his violin for the silent movie industry, once the “talkies” took over. She was a hoot to talk with.

After the dinghy adventure of yesterday, we were ready for a chore/ relax day. I did laundry and worked on my blog and Tim played with his ham radio and did some cooking. We ended our last evening in Ludington at Jamesport Brewing Co., where Tim enjoyed two of their beers and I got a local Michigan cider.

Wednesday, September 20, 2023 – Ludington, MI to Pentwater, MI, Sung Harbor Marina

Lake Michigan had 2-4 foot waves today, but it was our day to move, so we headed out anyway. We just had a short voyage of 2 hours and 10 minutes, going 11.8 nm (13.6 miles), at an average speed of 5.5 knots (6.4 MPH). Our speed was a little slower today, in part to the waves and in part to Sung Harbor Marina asking us to come in after 1:00 PM, since the employees take lunch from noon to 1:00 PM. When we pulled into the dock at 1:10 PM, there were five employees taking our lines and guiding us in. They were the best dock hands that we have had all summer.

After getting the water and electric hooked up and eating some lunch on HOMES, we took a short walk around Pentwater. Tim had a drink at Gull Landing, before we came back to HOMES and took a nap. Even a short two-hour voyage in big waves is exhausting. We generally stand the whole time, which gives our abs a workout.

In the evening, at two picnic tables on the dock, we joined three other Looper boats – our friends on Lucky Chicklett and new friends on Last Mistake and Homeport. We were also joined by Mike, a local guy living on his boat that is sitting in the marina parking lot, and an English novelist, JT Baxter, who plans to travel the world on his sailboat, collecting experiences to make into novels. JT is somewhat of a local celebrity too, because his boat washed ashore back in July when his anchor line broke, while he was sleeping. He spent eight days stranded on a small beach south of Pentwater; however, the neighbors brought him food and did his laundry. One day, 150 people showed up to help dig him out, which didn’t work, but the amazing love shown to him helped to keep him positive. Eventually, a track hoe was used to set him free.

Thursday – Saturday, Sept. 21 – Sept. 23, 2023 – Pentwater, MI (Layover days)

Thursday began with coffee at Green Isaac’s Coffee and Tea. We got our coffee -no flavors- and walked across the street to the farmer’s market – the last one of the season in Pentwater. Unfortunately, there were no produce stands, but it is the end of September. No worries though – we did buy: a sticky bun for Tim’s breakfast; French bread; salsa and chips, from El Cardenal of Hart, MI; and, three kinds of delicious cheese from The Cheese People of Grand Rapids– Swiss, blue cheese and jalapeño jack (now shipping nationwide).

Sung Harbor Marina is on the Pentwater River, which leads to Pentwater Lake. You may have noticed that since we entered Lake Michigan, the marinas have been on rivers and lakes. As opposed to Lake Huron, where most marinas were in man-made harbors. Taking advantage of being on a beautiful small lake, we took the dinghy for a ride and admired the homes on Pentwater Lake.

We were hungry after our dinghy ride, so we made an all Michigan-produced lunch – some of our new cheeses, French bread, salsa and chips and some local summer sausage that we bought in Mackinaw City. We haven’t been in a grocery store chain all summer, except for maybe two Save A Lots on Lake Huron.

In the evening, we took a walk out to Mears State Park for a walk on the beach and then had a drink at the Antler Bar, before getting back to HOMES for our America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) webinar.

This looping year is a little different, because the three locks on the Illinois River – just past Chicago- have been closed all summer.

Therefore, there will be about 265 Looper boats waiting to get through when the locks open on October 1st. Commercial traffic gets priority and there will also be non-Looper pleasure boats, so the AGLCA has been coordinating with the Army Corp of Engineers (who run the locks). Tim and I have no desire to be in the first flotillas of 16 boats locking though together. We’ll be bringing up the rear of Loopers around Oct. 21. We have a short trip home planned, so when we get back to HOMES on October 15th, we’ll make our way to Chicago. We should have a flotilla of about 7 boats. We’ll be having a Zoom meeting with our flotilla on Sunday night.

Friday, September 22nd – we began our day with a coffee and a cinnamon roll at the bakery in the Mason Jar. The baker and Tim compared carrot cake recipes. Such friendly people!

When we got back to HOMES, Mike, the local boater who we met on Wednesday night, asked if we’d like a ride to the “big” grocery store in Hart, MI – 15 minutes away. Of course we accepted the invitation. I had been wondering if there were sprawling towns with shopping centers full of chain stores, once you got away from the quaint coastal towns. However, that was not the case here! Hart emerged out of the rural landscape. After driving through the small downtown shopping district, we pulled into the small parking lot of Hansen Foods – an independently owned, family grocery store. Upon walking in, the lady at the service desk said “Hi” and “Welcome in.” There were 4 checkouts – all busy, but no long lines, and no self-checkout! The very first display was of all local products, and we bought more of the salsa and chips that we had bought at the farmer’s market. The lettuce that I got was so fresh it still had some dirt from the garden on it. They had a deli, bakery, meat department and every other thing that you’d expect at a chain store. However, as they have posted – by shopping locally you: 1) keep your dollars in the local economy; 2) help create local jobs; 3) nurture your local community; 4) help the environment; 5) invest in local ownership; and, 6) create more choice in shopping. I’d have to add one more – independent stores seem to have happier employees.

Mike told us that this quaint town of Hart – county seat of Oceana County – is also the “Asparagus Capital of the Word,” with an annual National Asparagus Festival every June since 1974.

Because of its sandy soil, Oceana County is the largest producer of asparagus in the nation, with an estimated 20 million pounds produced annually, valued at more than $23.2 million. Asparagus season in Michigan typically runs from late April – June. In 24 hours, asparagus can grow from two to 10 inches! Michigan asparagus is the best because it is hand-snapped above ground, giving it the signature tenderness and flavor. Farmhands sit in a horizontal line on a machine that looks like a grounded biplane, being propelled through the fields. They hunch over and snap stalks for eight to 10 hours a day. Mike explained that the large number of migrant workers needed has added culture to the community, including a fabulous authentic Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta, which is a staple in the community and allegedly the best Mexican restaurant in West Michigan.

Mike wouldn’t accept any money for taking us to the grocery store or for the eggs and veggies that he gave us from his son’s house.

We topped off our evening with a walk on the beach at Mears State Park. The huge, white, sandy beaches in Michigan still amaze me!

Saturday, September 23rd – No better way to spend the first day of fall than at Pentwater’s 33rd Annual Fall Festival! We again started our day at the Mason Jar for coffee and Tim got a carrot cake cupcake. The baker remembered us from yesterday and was pleased when Tim complemented her after finishing his cupcake.

The Fall Festival had more than 100 craftspeople, artists and antique dealers on the Village Green. We enjoyed looking at the displays, but didn’t buy anything. Tim did buy some Jelly Belly candy at Cosmic Candy Company on our walk back to HOMES.

In the evening, we walked back uptown to Village Cafe and Pub, where we enjoyed live music and a drink. The Jimmy Buffet songs and lights strung across the yard made for a relaxing evening.

When we got back to HOMES, Mike and JT were at the picnic table, so Tim joined them like he had every other night. Tim has learned some amazing things about these two guys. JT served in the Royal Navy and worked aboard the royal yacht. He writes mysteries about women in crises to spread awareness about domestic violence and donates the proceeds from the sale of his books to charities supporting women. He will be flying back to England for the winter, but plans to return to Pentwater in the spring to restart his journey. Mike, who owned and lost a company, house and cars twice when the economy crashed in the 2000s, will be traveling to a village in Guatemala, where he has been helping to support a school. He too plans to return to his boat in the spring.

These two guys exemplify that life is about giving – not collecting. Whenever society tries to tell me otherwise, I’ll always think of JT and Mike.

Sunday, September 24, 2023 – Pentwater, MI, Snug Harbor Marina to Muskegon, MI, Safe Harbor Great Lakes

We said a quick goodbye to Mike, before pulling away from the dock. Mike took a picture of us heading back out onto Lake Michigan. Our voyage to Muskegon took six hours, going 41 nm (47 miles), at an average speed of 6.7 knots (7.7 MPH). Tim did push HOMES up to 10 knots today just to blow out some carbon.

The coastline between Pentwater and Muskegon looked much like the sand dune cliffs of previous days. However, the water beneath us – from Pentwater to Grand Haven (which we will visit next) – is the West Michigan Underwater Preserve. The Preserve is home to 13 ships wrecks and Hamilton Reef, also known as “The Rock Pile,” which is a snake-like formation of broken cement rubble just south of the Muskegon Channel.

We came through the Muskegon Channel and crossed Muskegon Lake to Safe Harbor Great Lakes Marina. We’ll be here until Wednesday morning and plan to clean and take down the isoglass on the flybridge, in anticipation of lowering the flybridge arch for our trip under the low bridges of Chicago. Coming through the channel, we saw the USS Silversides Submarine Museum, so we may check that out, if it isn’t too far to walk.

See you next week!

Thanks for reading!

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Week 8, Part II – Sept. 11 to Sept. 17, 2023 – Leland, MI to Ludington, MI

Highlights this week: Beautiful fall weather and getting closer to Chicago!

Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 – Leland, MI to Frankfort, MI, Municipal Marina

Our voyage on this drizzly, misty day took 5 hours, going 35.4 nm (39.6 miles), at an average speed of 7.2 knots (8.3 MPH). We had a good current pushing us, so we actually got up to 7.8 knots at one point. The coastline was dramatic, as we spent much of the day passing along Sleeping Bear Dunes. Pyramid Point is a scenic bluff outlook from land, but equally as scenic from the water. The beauty of the dunes at Sleeping Bear Point couldn’t be captured in a picture.

Back on the water, after being in the touristy town of Leland for two days, we were reminded that Lake Michigan is still a working lake. We saw two freighters passing each other, going in opposite directions, as we neared North Manitou Shoal Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built from 1933-1935, with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) – part of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal– in response to the Great Depression. When it was automated in 1980, it was the last manned offshore light in the Great Lakes. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Just north of our destination of Frankfort, we passed Point Betsie Lighthouse, which has been operating continuously since 1858. This slightly foggy day exemplifies the purpose of this lighthouse – to safely guide mariners on Lake Michigan. It was automated in 1983 – the last Michigan lighthouse to lose its keeper. It is open to the public to tour and climb the 37-foot tower. Unfortunately, it is closed on Tuesdays, which is the day we could have visited.

We were greeted by the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse, as we entered Frankfort Harbor to the Betsie River. This 67-foot lighthouse was built in 1912 and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

We were soon docked at Frankfort Municipal Marina. We had issues hooking up to the shore power pedestal again. Our microwave must have an electrical leak, which trips the breaker at the municipal marinas that have upgraded their electrical system to include a Ground Fault Protection (GFP) – a device similar to a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in your home. The upgraded electrical codes are unfortunately way ahead of the electrical systems on older boats. An electrical leak, like with our our microwave, can result in a potential for electrical current to flow into the water around the boat. That is why you may have seen signs at marinas saying that swimming is prohibited. A Looper who came in after us had the same problem. As I said in last week’s blog, Tim is going to install an isolation transformer, which will solve this problem. For now, unplugging the microwave works. We don’t use it much anyway.

After getting the electric problem sorted, we walked the short distance up through the park to the small town of Frankfort. We were so pleased that this is not a pricey tourist town! We had coffee and split a cookie at Perks of Frankfort for nearly the same price as one coffee in Leland. With coffee still in hand, we walked down the tree-lined street to Lake Michigan, scouting out places to visit later. After supper on HOMES, we walked up to the local craft brewery- Stormcloud Brewing Company – nationally recognized as the 2022 USA Beer Ratings Brewery of the Year! Tim agreed with that rating. The best part was talking to locals and having a friendly, talkative barkeeper. Unfortunately, they are not open tomorrow, but the barkeeper gave us some suggestions for tomorrow night.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 – Frankfort, MI (layover day)

Hearing the rain pattering on the deck outside gave us the incentive to sleep in until 9:00. We started our day by walking up to L’Chayim Deli for fresh homemade bagels and – to my added delight – hazelnut coffee! After breakfast, we shopped at Frankfort Hardware. Despite needing nothing, Tim found some things to buy. 😁

Of course being a layover day, Tim had a project. This one has been bothering him since we bought HOMES. He hated the TV being on the wall! So, he moved it to the cabinet – which was probably the original location for the TV, because he found holes that matched up and the doors were obviously an add on. He is much happier with this layout!

The second project was less fun. The sensor on the waste (black water) tank hasn’t been working. Once we pump out, it should display a green light, but it has been stuck on orange. We typically pump out about every 10 days, but we still wanted to sensor to work. So, Tim pulled the sensor up and poured steaming hot water down the shaft of the sensor to loosen it up. That did the trick! He even got the sensor to register green – which it never has done before. It has always started on yellow.

After supper on HOMES, we walked back uptown. There are 23 other Loopers in Frankfort. We talked with our Looper friends on Faith about the trip through Chicago. America’s Great Looper Cruisers Association (AGLCA) has organized flotillas of boats to get through the locks after Chicago. Those are the locks that have been closed all summer for repairs and have prevented Loopers from getting any further than Chicago. Faith is going through the locks on October 4th, with 16 other Looper boats. We opted to go through in the last group on October 21-24. Our flotilla only has 4 other Looper boats. After our chat, we went into Old Town Grill and Tap for a nightcap.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 – Frankfort, MI to Manistee, MI

What beautiful fall weather for today’s voyage – which took 3 hours and 42 minutes, going 24.6 nm (28. 3 miles), at an average speed of 6.6 knots (7.6 MPH). The scenery was stunning, with the fog still hanging over the sand dunes and Lake Michigan as blue and flat as she could be. We never saw any rain, but the distant rain clouds made a faint rainbow on the horizon.

After a scenic and enjoyable cruise, we saw Manistee North Pier Lighthouse come into view. There has been a lighthouse here since 1869, with the first one being lost in Manistee’s Great Fire in 1871. This steel lighthouse was constructed in 1927. The elevated catwalk has evolved over time and allowed the keeper access to the lighthouse in inclement weather.

For some reason, the other Loopers cruised right by Manistee to Ludington. We like to stop in as many little towns as possible. The current on the Manistee River was swift and moving against us, so docking and tying up took a little additional time. Once we were securely tied up, we walked up to the quaint town to explore and find coffee. We ended our day at T.J’s Pub in the basement of the Ramsdell Inn – a Victorian boutique hotel, built in 1891.

Thursday – Friday, September 14 -15, 2023 – Layover days

Thursday – My 55th birthday! I didn’t want to cruise on my birthday, so we’re staying in Manistee, until Saturday morning. We started the day with coffee at Port City Brew. They had cinnamon-apple-spiced flavored coffee – a birthday wish come true. 😁 It was a nice birthday! Tim made me brownies; I did some reading; we got a pizza at Fricano’s; and, ended the day at North Channel Brewing Co., where we had a nice time talking with some local people.

Friday – today was another relaxing day. We got coffee at Trophies – pumpkin-spice flavor! I love this town! Then, we took a walk on this beautiful fall day. We deflated my paddle board and stowed it away. Tim washed the bottom deck of HOMES, while I worked on my blog.

In the afternoon, we walked the North Riverwalk from HOMES, along the Manistee River and out to Lake Michigan. In 1830, the village of Manistee was one of about 15 Odawa (Ottawa) villages along the shores of Lake Michigan. “Manistee” is an Ojibwa word meaning “spirt of the woods.” Lumbering – both legal and illegal- built Manistee. The first white settlement and sawmill were built here in 1841. In 1853, the U.S. government declared war on Manistee and other lumbering communities of Lake Michigan, because it felt that too much timber was disappearing from federal lands. The U.S.S. Michigan was sent and in the following months, at least 5 Manistee lumbermen were arrested and delivered by the U.S.S. Michigan to federal courts and tried for timber theft. Following the Civil War, Manistee became the leader in shingle production and had 18 shingle mills by 1881.

Three other Looper boats came in yesterday. This evening, we had dinner with The Beach House and The Other Woman at The Blue Fish Kitchen & Bar. Then, we walked up the street for a drink at Third Life Brewing. We enjoyed talking with the owner, who is single-handedly brewing, running the business and bar keeping. He explained that all the work is worth being free from debt and investors. Tim and Danny from The Other Woman had one more drink at North Channel Brewing, while the rest of us went back to our boats.

Saturday, September 16, 2023 – Manistee, MI to Ludington, MI

Today, we cruised under gray skies. Lake Michigan gave us a 1-2 foot chop – with an occasional 3-footer thrown in to make the dishes rattle. Our voyage took 3 hours and 28 minutes, going 22.6 nm (26 miles), at an average speed of 6.5 knots (7.5 MPH).

We cruised up the Manistee River around 9:30 a.m., paralleling the Riverwalk that we walked yesterday. Our Looper friends from last night left much earlier than we did. They called us, as we were pulling away from the dock, to warn us of the choppier than expected waters. However, HOMES’s size and stabilizers allow us to travel comfortably in 1-3 foot waves, so we continued out the channel, following fellow Looper, Hearken, who is also headed to Ludington. At the mouth of the channel, we became well aware that it is Saturday, as we had to navigate around many fishing boats.

As we neared Ludington, we could see the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area, Ludington State Park and Big Sable Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed in 1867 on the land formerly known by French explores as Grande Point au Sable. Deterioration has and continues to be a problem. In 1900, cement was poured between the plates and brick and the black and white stripe was introduced. In 1949, the light was electrified. In 1987, the Big Sable Lighthouse Keepers Association was formed and continues its work to preserve the lighthouse. From May-October, visitors can hike the 1.8 miles to the lighthouse and climb the 130 steps to the top of the tower.

We soon entered the channel marked by the Ludington North Breakwater Light – a 57-foot tall steel-plated lighthouse built in 1924. The channel led us to the Pere Marquette River, named for the famous Jesuit missionary explorer – Father Jacques Marquette – who allegedly died near the mouth of the river in 1675, at the age of 37. However, Frankfort, MI – where were we started our week- claims that Marquette died there – at the mouth of the Betsie River. Either way, HOMES traveled both areas. Marquette is a key historical figure for Michigan – founding Michigan’s first European settlement – Sault Ste. Marie (which we visited 2 weeks ago)- and he and Louis Jolliet, were the first Europeans to travel and map the northern portion of the Mississippi River. He was returning to his mission at St. Ignace, MI (located across from Mackinaw City, over the Mackinac Bridge), when he died.

We turned off the Pere Marquette River to the Municipal Marina. Because of HOMES’s size, we docked on the wall, instead of in a slip. After getting tied up, we walked the short distance to town and got a coffee at the Book Mark – a combination bookstore and coffee shop. The toasted coconut coffee was delicious. After dinner on HOMES, we decided to call it a day and stay in for the evening.

Sunday, September 17, 2023 – Ludington, MI (Layover day)

This layover day was earmarked for relaxing and planning. After sleeping in, we walked to HumaniTea. I had a coffee, but Tim opted for a “sipping chocolate” – melted chocolate you can drink! He highly recommends it.

Our walk around town took us past the S.S. Badger and her sister ship, S.S. Spartan, which is now just used for parts for the S.S. Badger. These ships greeted us when we came into the river yesterday. The S.S. Badger is the last coal-fired passenger steamship in operation in the U.S.; however, the company knows coal isn’t a long-term solution, so they are looking at other options. Since 1952, the S.S. Badger has been offering the largest cross-lake passenger service on the Great Lakes, connecting Ludington, MI and Manitowoc, WI. She can accommodate 600 passengers and 180 pleasure and commercial vehicles. Originally, she was designed primarily to transport railroad cars. In 2016, she received the nation’s highest historic honor when the Department of Interior officially designed her as a National Historic Landmark. Unfortunately, her 2023 Season ended early because of a ramping system mechanical failure, but she will be back “better and stronger in 2024.”

We spent the afternoon getting reservations for our next 4 stops, prior to getting to Holland, MI. We have a 10-day reservation at Holland, so that we can attend a wedding in Detroit and go home for a short visit. We extended our stay here in Ludington, MI until Wednesday morning, so I’ll have more information and sights to share from Ludington in next week’s blog.

See you next week, as we continue our trip down Lake Michigan, getting closer to Chicago.

Thanks for reading!

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Week 7, Part II – Sept. 4 to Sept. 10, 2023 – Mackinaw City, MI to Leland, MI

Highlights this week: 1) going under the Mackinac Bridge at 4:30 AM and then seeing a beautiful sunrise; 2) entering Lake Michigan – True to her name, HOMES has now visited all 5 Great Lakes!!! 3) getting my paddle board out for the first time; and, 4) making many new Looper friends!

Monday, September 4, 2023 – Mackinaw City – Straits State Harbor to Petoskey, MI – City Marina

Our voyage today began at 4:36 AM – because the waterway under the Mackinac Bridge was closing from 5:30 AM – Noon for the Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk, being led off by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Our voyage took 7 hours and 43 min., going 48.4 nm (55.7 miles), at an average speed of 6.3 knots (7.2 MPH).

After the beautiful fireworks display last night, we went to bed in preparation of our early-Monday morning departure. This was only our second time starting a voyage in the dark. The first time was for our longest voyage so far – Buffalo, NY to Erie, PA (83 miles/ 11 hours).

Tim uses a navigation program – Navionics – to plot our course. That gives us a path to follow on our chart plotter, as well as on our iPad. In addition, the bright moon and HOMES’s spot light gave us plenty of light to see. The only minute that we couldn’t see anything was when the white lights right at the bridge took away our night vision. Another Looper boat, Prime Meridian, left right before us and soon two other Looper boats were coming up behind us, so we were not the only ones getting out before the waterway closure.

The early morning start also gave us a chance to see a beautiful sunrise at 7:04 AM.

Twenty miles west of Mackinac Bridge, we exited the Straits of Mackinac and entered Lake Michigan – our fifth and final Great Lake to visit! HOMES has now lived up to her name! Technically, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are one body of water, joined by the Straits of Mackinac – the short waterways between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The Native Americans called this area Michilimackinac.

Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located entirely in the United States. It is the second-largest Great Lake by volume (Lake Superior is first) and the third-largest by area (Superior is first and Huron is second). It is the fourth-largest lake in the world by surface area. Lake Michigan is the deadliest of the Great Lakes for swimmers, due to the long coastline of sandy beaches, big waves, and strong undertows.

As we rounded the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, we cruised between two lighthouses – White Shoal Lighhouse and Waugoshance Lighthouse. Both lighthouses were major engineering feats, for their time. Before building these types of lighthouses on isolated islands, reefs or shoals, Light ships were used. Since a Light ship could drift off course in a storm, they were not as reliable. White Shoal Lighthouse, built in 1910, is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes at 125 feet. Waugoshance Lighthouse, built in 1850, is deteriorating due to erosion and is likely to fall into Lake Michigan in the near future. It was the first lighhouse in the Great Lakes that was totally surrounded by water.

After we rounded the northern tip and began heading down the Lower Peninsula, the waves did increase to 2 feet, with an occasional 3-foot wave. However, since the waves were coming at the side of HOMES, the stabilizers smoothed out the ride. The water became almost flat when we entered Little Traverse Bay.

Since it was Labor Day, we had to be patient while entering Petoskey City Marina. There was a boat in our way that was waiting for the fuel dock to open up and many small boats were zipping in and out of the marina. The marina was not answering their radio or phone, but we knew our slip number – which is a benefit of reserving your slip online. So, we negotiated our way around the waiting boat and Tim backed us into our slip. We can dock HOMES without any help, but another boater did come and take the lines that I handed off to him. The next hurdle was that the electric wasn’t working for us. Our neighbors suggested checking the microwave, which can cause breakers to pop. Sure enough, when Tim unplugged the microwave our electric worked fine. This is the first time that we had to unplug our microwave, so we think it also has to do with the electric at the marina. However, when he has time, Tim is going to install an isolation transformer, which will isolate HOMES, electrically, from the marina.

Because of our early morning departure and long voyage, we took a two-hour nap, before heading off to explore the town. This is clearly an affluent, quaint town. The historic Gaslight District has been a shopping area for over 100 years and is bursting with restaurants, bars, trendy shops, galleries, expensive clothes stores, and elegant souvenir shops. We went to Mitchell Street Pub for a drink. It was a long, narrow bar, with walls covered in antiques and novelties. They had buckets of peanuts that you could husk and throw the shells on the floor.

After our drink, we made our way back to the marina and enjoyed the setting sun. We had a FULL day- from sun up to sun down.

Tuesday – Wednesday, September 5- 6, 2023 – Layover days

We started our Tuesday with a coffee, biscotti and scone at North Perk Coffee. After finishing our treats, we headed to West Marine, with our coffee still in hand. Tim has been anxiously awaiting this trip to get his antennas and other marine bits and bobs.

This was the first hot day in a long time. So, Tim helped me inflate my paddle board and get it into the water. With the Bear River and a small beach right behind HOMES, this is an ideal spot to paddle board – which I did for the next 2 hours, going up the Bear River to the rapids, then back out into the bay. I stopped on the beach a few times to wade and pick up stones. Petoskey is known for its high concentration of ancient fossil coral, now named “Petoskey stone.” This stone can only be found in Lake Michigan and is the state stone of Michigan. I didn’t find any Petosky stone, but the water was very warm.

A Looper boat, Pony, came into the marina today, completing their loop. We walked over for the celebration and toasted the couple who are now Gold Looopers. After the celebration, we went to dinner with three other Looper couples to Palette Bistro – a Mediterranean restaurant with beautiful views of Little Traverse Bay. Paula from Annie B played a tune on the community piano that is in the tunnel back to the marina. Every time we’ve come through the tunnel, someone has been playing this piano.

On this stormy Wednesday, none of us were moving, so Pam and Vince from R.A.M.B.L.R. organized a wine/beer tasting with us and Nevin and Paula from Annie B. The three of us met for the first time in Mackinac City. R.A.M.B.L.R. is a Gold Looper and Annie B just started their Loop nine days ago in Sandusky, OH.

Our driver, Mike, took us to three locations. We started at Mackinaw Trail Winery. The owner gave us a tour of the winery. Her family is Native American. About 4% of the county’s population is comprised of American Indians, dating back thousands of years. Petoskey draws its name from Odawa (Ottawa) Chief Pe-to-se-ga, which means “The Rising Sun.”

We next headed to Petoskey Farms Vineyard. Much to my pleasure, it was also a coffeehouse! While the group enjoyed their wine flights, I savored an Almond Joy Latte!

Our final stop was at Gabriel Farms & Winery. Tim enjoyed talking with the brewmaster, who is the son of the owners. Besides a beer for Tim and a small cider for me, we also bought a giant pretzel to share.

Our driver, Mike, dropped us back off at the marina at 4:00 PM. The rain finally stopped in the evening, so we went for a walk around the Gas Light District and met R.A.M.B.L.R. at Tap30 for a farewell drink. Hopefully, we’ll meet up with them again.

Thursday, September 7, 2023 – Petoskey City Marina to Charlevoix, MI

Today, we had a short voyage from Petoskey back up the Little Traverse Bay to Charlevoix (Shar-luh-voy). Our voyage took two-and-a-half hours, going 15.2 nm (17.3 miles), at an average speed of 6.2 knots (7.1 MPH). We had 2-3 foot waves for most of the voyage, but the stabilizers did their job. It wasn’t a bad ride at all.

The entrance to Round Lake Channel was a little squirrelly, but once inside the channel and past the Pier Lighthouse, Tim had no problem holding HOMES in place – as we waited for the 12:30 bridge lift, along with another boat. The marina was just to the right of the drawbridge. We were soon tied up on the end of the dock. The downtown area was a short walk up from the marina.

We hurried up the dock, but missed the farmers market. We still made it to the French Place for coffee and a piece of carrot cake before it closed at 2:00. Then, we had some shopping to do. A Looper, TGL Tug 34, sent us a message on Nebo last week telling us about a “HOMES” magnet at Central Drug in Charlevoix. We had to ask a clerk for help, but we found and bought the magnet. As we continued strolling by the fancy little shops, we were drawn to a window displaying a tray that was 3D wooden relief of the Great Lakes. We plan to hang it on the wall in the lower helm.

After lunch on HOMES, we took a dinghy ride out to the inlet of Lake Charlevoix. We could see one of the mushroom houses that Charlevoix is known for. If you’re interested in unique vacation rentals, you should check them out. We topped off our evening with a drink at Bridge Street Tap Room, which overlooked HOMES in the marina.

Friday, September 8, 2023 – Charlevoix, MI to Northport, MI

Our voyage today took 3 hours, going 20.8 nm (23.94 miles), at an average speed of 7 knots (8.1 MPH). We followed three other boats out under the 10:00 bridge lift – enjoying the sunny skies, which we hadn’t seen in days. Once back out of Round Lake Channel and into Lake Michigan, the waves were 2-3 feet again. HOMES’s stabilizers did their job, giving us a nice ride. The water is so clear that we can actually see our stabilizer fins.

Once we turned to go down Grand Traverse Bay toward Northport, the water flattened and the views were stunning. As we were docking at Northport, I saw the tents of a farmers market up in the marina park. So, we quickly tied up HOMES – not even hooking up our water and electric – and walked up to the park. The farmers were packing up their produce, but we hadn’t missed this one! We bought some lettuce, tomatoes, corn and blueberries!

After depositing our produce back on HOMES, we headed up to Barb’s Bakery for a coffee, before she closed at 3:00. Northport is more to our liking – no fancy shops or crowded streets. We stocked up on groceries at Tom’s Market, because it was a nice grocery store and a short walk to HOMES. In the evening, we walked up to The Mitten Brewing Co. Tim enjoyed their stout and I got a Michigan cider, along with Great Lakes Kettle Chips with Michigan Cherry BBQ. I hadn’t realized how important cherries are to Michigan until seeing all the different cherry products everywhere this summer. Cherry production is a major part of the agriculture in Michigan, especially along Lake Michigan- harvesting over 90,000 tons of cherries each year. Michigan grows 70% of the U.S. supply of tart cherries. I particularly like the Michigan cherry flavored coffee!

Saturday, September 9, 2023 – Northport, MI to Leland, MI

Today, our voyage took 3 hours and 40 minutes, going 25.7 nm (30 miles), at 7 knots (8 MPH). If we had made this trip by car, it would have been an 11-mile trip, taking 17 minutes. 😁The beautiful turquoise water was flat and shimmering in the sun, as we sadly left Northport. We would have loved to explore more of Grand Traverse Bay. It is stunning! However, we need to keep moving toward Chicago, especially on beautiful weather days.

As we came out of Grand Traverse Bay, emerging onto Lake Michigan and rounding the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, we saw Grand Traverse Lighthouse nestled in the trees. The lighthouse has been restored and staged to reflect life as a lighthouse keeper during the 1920s and 1930s. Visitors can tour the dwelling and climb the tower. In 1972, the lighthouse was replaced by an automated beacon mounted atop a skeletal tower. This 30-mile long Leelanau Peninsula, located between Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan is known as Michigan’s little finger. If you recall, we travelled up Michigan’s thumb at the beginning of our trip.

We arrived at Leland around 1:30 PM, passing its steep cliffs and sandy beaches. Our friends on Annie B had arrived earlier and took a video of us docking. We didn’t waste time walking the short distance up to town, since the coffee shop, Madcap Coffee, closed at 3:00. We then strolled around the town. I found their Huntington Bank amusing. It was in an old house and the ATM was in a glassed-in gazebo. You don’t see that at home.

A big draw to Leland is its historic district – Fishtown. This strip of old fish shanties, standing along the Leland River, where it feeds into Lake Michigan, pays homage to the areas history as a commercial fishing district. The fishing shanties and related ice and smoke houses were constructed during the peak years of the industry, which spanned 1900 through the 1930s. In 2004, the Carlson family, which began its fishery in one of the shanties in 1904, sold the Fishtown property, fishing licenses, tugs and gear to the non-profit Fishtown Preservation Society. While the Society manages and maintains Fishtown, so that visitors can experience one the few remaining commercial fishing villages on the Great Lakes, Carlson’s Fishery continues to operate. In 2008, some commercial fishing began again, when two men whose families fished the area for generations, approached the Society about returning the boats, Joy and Janice Sue to fishing whitefish and chub again. The crews of these boats now combine the experience of commercial fishermen with those new to this age-old trade.

After splitting a whitefish and chips dinner on the patio of the Cove Restaurant, overlooking the falls, we went back to HOMES and enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Sunday, September 10, 2023 – Leland, MI – Layover day

Today, is a chill-out day. We traveled a lot this week and did more socializing than usual. So, Tim is hooking us his new antennas and I am doing laundry, as I finish up this blog. We did start our day with a coffee at Picnic and may walk back up the Grand Traverse Distillery later, which appears to have a very small tasting room.

Tim finally finished his antenna project. His projects usually involve me too. This one had me cramming my hand into a small space and then balancing on the side of HOMES. Another project done!

So far, our trip down Lake Michigan – the western coast of Michigan – has been a very different experience from our trip up Lake Huron – the eastern coast of Michigan.

From our travel perspective, the towns and harbors on Lake Huron seem to have roots in industry and shipping, with freighters still working the waters from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The coastline is less scenic, and maybe that’s why the towns seem less touristy. To our delight, most of the restaurants, bars and coffee shops were full of talkative and friendly locals.

The towns and harbors on Lake Michigan so far seem to have roots in commercial fishing and agriculture – with its cherry farms and vineyards- and now tourism – with its dramatic coastline, sandy beaches, sand dunes and small islands. So, I guess it makes sense that these towns are more affluent, with expensive shops, galleries and crowds of tourists. I understand wanting to vacation on Lake Michigan instead of Lake Huron, but for Tim and me, we like quaint and local, so Charlevoix and Leland, which other Loopers have raved about, have been disappointing to us. We really enjoyed Petosky and Northport, so hopefully we will find more local gems on our way down Lake Michigan.

Tune in next week as we continue our voyage down Lake Michigan – inching our way to Chicago. Hopefully, we’ll find a fun spot for my birthday on Thursday!

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Week 6, Part II – Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, 2023 – Sault Ste. Marie, MI to Mackinaw City, MI

Highlights this week: First – going through the Sault Ste. Marie National Historic Canal and out into Lake Superior! HOMES collected one more letter in her name! Second- going to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and having coffee on the World’s Longest Porch and then having the signature Big Porch Ale by Bell’s Brewing at the highest point of the Grand Hotel – the Cupola Bar with its panoramic views of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge.

Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 – Going through the lock and out into Lake Superior

Today’s voyage was a bucket list item – getting out onto Lake Superior. Our round trip voyage took us 4 hours and 44 minutes, going 30.4 nm (35 miles), at an average speed of 6.4 knots (7.4 MPH). The 2 knot current slowed us down on our way out to Lake Superior, but on the way back in it helped us reach 8.8 knots – it felt like we were flying! 😁

We crossed over the St. Marys River to the Canadian waters to go up the Sault Ste. Marie National Historic Canal, which is only used for pleasure boats. We got a good view of the Soo Locks in the American waters as we crossed. I’ll tell you about them a little later.

The National Historic Lock was much like the Erie Canal locks. Tim radioed the lock keeper and requested an up-bound passage. The lock was having some mechanical issues, so we waited for about 30 minutes, which gave us time to take pictures.

We shared the lock with a tour boat. Just like the Erie Canal, Tim and I each wrapped a rope around one of the many cables secured along the canal wall. We held on as HOMES rose 21 feet in 12 minutes.

There has been a lock at this location since 1797, when the Northwest Fur Company constructed a 38-foot lock to bypass the rapids of the St. Marys River. That lock was destroyed by the United States during the War of 1812. Canada rebuilt the lock in 1895, after an incident in 1870 when the U.S. refused to let a Canadian steamer through the U.S. locks, because it was carrying a decorated British officer.

When the “new” lock was completed in 1895, it was the world’s longest lock and the the first to be powered by electricity. It remained open until 1987, when a wall collapsed. It was re-opened in 1998 for recreational and tour boats, using the original chamber and lock gate machinery.

Once we exited the lock, we continued up the St. Marys River. We passed the Sault Canal Emergency Swing Dam – built in 1896 to protect against the rush of water that would occur if something ever damages the Sault Locks. Luckily, it has only been used once and that was in 1909.

Then, we passed under the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, opened in 1962, connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, MI, USA and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. This is the end of I-75 North.

After passing the swing railroad bridge, we came out of the canal and rejoined the St. Marys River. At this confluence, on the Canadian side, sat the Algoma Steel, Inc. plant. The company was founded in 1902 and is the second largest steel producer in Canada, manufacturing hot and cold rolled steel products, including sheet and plate. Just as we were passing, we heard a freighter horn and soon saw a freighter swinging around from the dock at Algoma Steel. Tim, and the tour boat behind us, slowed to let it pull out. Ironically, it was the same freighter that we were playing leap frog with yesterday! We continued on after the freighter, following it out to Lake Superior.

We excitedly emerged out onto Lake Superior! Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and third-largest by volume – holding 10% of the world’s surface fresh water. It is the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 1,332 feet. At least 350 ships have wrecked in Lake Superior, including the famous freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in in 1975, losing the entire crew of 29 men.

Respecting this massive lake and consulting the weather, we decided last week to abandon our idea of spending a few days at Whitefish Point. Therefore, once we passed Gros Cap Reefs Light on the Canadian side and Point Iroquois Lighthouse on the U.S. side, we spun HOMES around and headed back the way we came. Her name is HO_ES, until we collect her final letter – “M” – next week. 😂

We passed by the canal leading to the Soo Locks on the U.S. side. The Soo Locks, currently have 2 locks open: 1) the MacArthur Lock (opened in 1943), which is the smaller one that we could have gone through, like the tour boats; and, 2) the Poe Lock (opened in 1896), which is used by the huge freighters. We happily, carried on back to the small recreational lock on the Canadian side, as we watched a big freighter head up the canal toward the Poe Lock.

As the pictures show, there is construction project going on for a new lock – equal in size to the Poe Lock- allowing more capacity for the large freighters. The groundbreaking for the new lock project was held in 2009 and it is slated to be completed by 2030.

In no time, we were back in the recreational lock. Going down the 21 feet only took 8 minutes, which is 4 minutes faster than going up. As always, Tim enjoyed talking with the lock keepers and the gongoozlers (people who enjoy watching canal activity).

When we got back to the marina, there was a small cruise ship docked outside the marina. American Queen Voyages has twin ships cruising the Great Lakes. While docked here, we saw both ships – Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager.

We ended our Monday with a drink at Soo Brewing Company, where we ran into a couple, who Tim had met earlier at the marina. They are not Loopers, but they bought their boat in Canada and are working their way to Missouri.

Tuesday – Wednesday – August 29 – August 30, 2023 – Layover Days

Tuesday was a rainy day, as predicted. We used the day to do our usual chores. Me – mopping floors and laundry. Tim – his endless projects. Tim decided that he didn’t like the ham radio antenna for our AIS, so today, he built an antenna. He researched the length of wire needed for the frequency and then cut a piece of wire that length and then soldered into an antenna coupler. He disconnected the ham radio antenna and replaced it with this newly-made antenna. This antenna worked better and will make him happy, until we get the Mackinaw City where we can buy one at a boat store. We did venture out later in the afternoon for a walk and a coffee at Superior Cafe.

Wednesday was our “history day.” We visited both the Museum Ship Valley Camp and the Tower of History. Before becoming a museum in 1968, it was in service for 50 years, carrying a crew of 32, cruising the Great Lakes at 10 knot, delivering iron ore, coal, stone and grain. In addition to exploring the engine room and decks, the massive cargo holds contain over 100 exhibits.

Surprisingly, two men from my hometown of Fremont, Ohio appeared in exhibits: 1) there was a radio operator hat belonging to Fred Rosentreter, who graduated from my high school in 1933 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by the Japanese planes; and, 2) there was a plaque honoring Ralph Watson, age 58, who was an oiler on the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in 1975, killing all 29 crew members.

We next headed to the Tower of History. Built in 1968 by the Catholic Church and soaring 210 feet, it was originally a Shrine of the Missionaries and was donated to the Sault Historic Sites in 1980. We took the elevator to the observation decks and enjoyed the views.

Next, it was time for coffee at Cup of the Day and then a walk to Parkers ACE Hardware to get Tim a small electric heater for his bathroom. These Upper Peninsula mornings have been chilly with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s. The heat in our stateroom doesn’t reach Tim’s bathroom as well as mine. The last afternoon stop was at the farmers market for fresh fruit and veggies. We hadn’t realized that the Amish live in this area.

In the evening we braved the wind and cold to enjoy a final drink at Bird’s Eye Outfitters, which is a craft brew bar, coffee shop and outfitters. We wasted no time on our walk back to HOMES because the cold wind was piercing! No socializing on the dock tonight…however, boaters on the two neighboring boats poked their heads out and asked if they could have a tour of HOMES. They had been looking at our website and wanted to see HOMES for real. After the tour, we sat in HOMES’s warm salon and enjoyed talking with these three friends that we have made during our time here, as well as their cute little dog.

Thursday, August 31, 2023 – Sault Ste. Marie, MI to DeTour, MI

Our voyage back down to DeTour Village took 5 hours, going 38.1 nm (34 miles), at an average speed of 7.6 knots (8.7 MPH). As our increased speed indicates, we were running with the current today. It was the same route, except the the down-bound route went on the opposite side of Neebish Island.

Our voyage got a late start, because we woke at 6:30 AM to dense fog – which had not been predicted. It was obvious that we couldn’t leave early, so we went back to bed. At 8:30 AM, the fog was still dense, but by 10:30 AM it was lifting, so we unhooked the electric and water. Before untying the lines, the local boater next to us stuck his head out of his boat window and said that we needed to wait until at least 11:00 AM, because even the freighters weren’t moving yet. He was an interesting old guy with a wealth of knowledge about the area. By the time we finished talking with him, it was after 11:00 AM and we noticed that the freighter, which had been sitting in the river, began moving. So, we untied and headed to DeTour Village.

On our voyage, we made a decision to stay only one night in DeTour Village and head to Mackinaw City on Friday morning. The wind and waves are going to be bad on Friday evening and Saturday. Our original plan was to be at St. Ignace, MI on Saturday and Sunday, but the marina didn’t have any slips for us to add Friday night. So, we canceled our stay at St. Ignace and made reservations for staying Friday- Monday morning at Mackinaw City.

After docking in our same slip in Detour Village State Harbor, we walked up to the village to have a pizza at Dinghy’s – which is closing for the winter in 11 days – and then to Mainsail Restaurant for a drink. The barkeeper remembered us and asked how our trip the Lake Superior went. In a village of 223 people, I guess we stick out. 😁

Friday, September 1, 2023 – DeTour Village, MI to Mackinaw City, MI – Straits State Harbor

Our voyage back down to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula today took 6 hours, going 39.6 nm (45.6 miles), at an average speed of 6.6 knots (7.6 MPH).

We left Detour Village with the Super Blue Moon still shining at 7:30 AM. We cruised past the DeTour Reef Light and returned to Lake Huron, after a week on the St. Marys River and a quick splash into Lake Superior. According to the Nebo tracker, lots of Loopers are on the move today, anticipating the possible 5-foot waves tomorrow.

As we neared Mackinac Island, we caught our first glimpse of the Mackinac Bridge. It is hard to miss with a span of 5 miles. When it was opened in 1957 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, but now it is the fifth largest. However, it is still the longest in the western hemisphere.

When we cruised between Mackinac Island and Round Island, passing Round Island Light, we also got our first glimpse of the Grand Hotel. We navigated in and around the heavy ferry traffic and arrived back on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula at Mackinaw City – Straits State Harbor, which is Michigan’s most eco-friendly harbor, with eight wind turbines producing a substantial amount of electricity to run the harbor.

There are seven other Loopers in the marina. We have been messaging on Nebo with one couple on their boat, Selkie. They organized a “docktails” at 5:00 at a shelter house in the marina. Docktails are very popular gatherings for Loopers, but we aren’t generally with the “pack,” so this was our first.

The owner of Selkie is originally from the area, so he was able to clear up the two spellings – “Mackinaw” and “Mackinac.” He explained the words are pronounced the same, but Mackinaw City got worn down with the mispronunciation, so it went with the phonetic spelling.

Saturday and Sunday, September 2-3, 2023 – Layover days

We began our Saturday at Shepler’s Marine Service, next door to the marina. Unfortunately, it did not have the antennas that Tim wanted. Fortunately for me, they did have boat shoes in my size – Speery Topsiders for only $20! Every shop in Mackinaw City seems to be having end-of-the-season sales.

We also did some trip planning this morning. We made reservations to stay 10 days in Holland, MI at Ottawa Beach Marina in early October. We have a wedding to go to in Detroit, MI on the weekend of October 6th. Since we’ll have a rental car, we decided to drive home after the wedding weekend to see friends and family and to vote early for the November election. We will easily be able to get to Holland in the next month, even if we hit bad weather.

With long-term planning out of the way, we had a quick lunch on HOMES, then off to the Mackinac Island Ferry. A huge ferry takes 2-3 foot-waves much smoother than HOMES. Upon disembarking, we headed straight to the Grand Hotel – threading our way through the crowds of people, who were going in and out of endless shops featuring fudge, ice cream and souvenirs.

We paid our $10/person entry fee to enter the Grand Hotel. First, we bought coffee and drank it on the the Grand Porch – the world’s longest porch. We then meandered around the hotel until we found the Cupola Bar. It is in the round cupola at the top of the Grand Hotel (under the flag on the below picture). Tim had the signature beer – Grand Porch Ale by Bell’s Brewing. It can only be purchased at the Grand Hotel, so Tim bought a 6 pack to take back home.

I thoroughly enjoy the Grand Hotel! I’ve wanted to go there since Somewhere in Time came out in 1979, staring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve. I may be dating myself, but at least I don’t remember This Time for Keeps, staring Ester Williams in 1947.

Back at Mackinaw City, we took a stroll around the town. It was impossible to capture in a photo how beautiful the Mackinac Bridge looks at night with it’s multicolored lights.

This morning, Sunday, September 3rd, we walked to the Mackinaw Bakery and Coffee House. It is by far the best and most reasonably priced shop in town – two coffees and a cookie for $7.00. With coffee hand, we walked to Mackinaw Family Market. It was a small grocery store, but had all of the essentials, including a meat counter with hand-made bratwurst.

Tune in next week….as we cruise under the Mackinac Bridge, enter Lake Michigan and start down the western coast of Michigan!

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Week 5, Part II – Aug. 21 to Aug. 27, 2023 – Alpena, MI to Detour Village, MI

Highlights this week: Climbing two lighthouses; crossing Lake Huron to the St. Marys River – which landed us on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; and, making it up the St. Marys River to Sault St. Marie, MI – one stop before Lake Superior!

Monday, Aug. 21, 2023 – Alpena Marina to Presque Isle State Harbor, MI

Our voyage today took 5 hours and 15 minutes, going 35.2 nm (40.5 miles), at an average speed of 6.7 knots (7.71 MPH). The waves, while traversing Thunder Bay, were 1-2 feet, with the occasional 3 footer. The waves for the rest of the voyage were 1-2 feet – which Tim and HOMES think nothing of, but I prefer flat. 😁

Leaving Alpena this morning, we passed two of Alpena’s manufacturing plants. The first, Decorative Panels International, has been making wall paneling and pegboard panels for 60 years, with 3 ingredients: wood, water and agricultural oil. We saw mounds of wood chips surrounding the factory. Take a look for DPI products the next time you are at Loew’s, Home Depo or Menards.

The other staple in Alpena, since 1896, is the Alpena cement plant- the world’s largest cement plant! Alpena has huge limestone deposits. The cement is called “Portland” cement, because it has the same color stone found on the British isle of Portland. It employs more than 200 employees, is a huge supporter of the community and is working to reduce its carbon footprint to build a more sustainable future.

Seeing these factories and a passing freighter remind us that Lake Huron, and all of the Great Lakes, are not just for tourism. The Great Lakes Region includes eight states (NY, PA, OH, MI, IN, ILL, WI and MN), 51 million jobs and a GDP of $6 trillion.

After a somewhat bumpy ride, we cruised past the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse and pulled into Presque Isle State Harbor. Two other Looper were already there – one being our friends from Regular Eggs. They were pleased to connect to our Starlink. There is no phone or internet reception here – unless you have Starlink. This is the most remote place we’ve been, so far this year. It is gorgeous!

We walked around the harbor in the evening. It still amazes us how clear the water is.

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 – Presque Isle State Harbor to Rogers City Marina

Today, our voyage only took two-and-a-half hours, going 17.2 nm (19.8 miles), at an average speed of 7 knots (8 MPH). We decided to cancel our second-night stay at Presque Isle and move on to Rogers City, because a storm is coming through tomorrow, with wind, rain, and 2-4 foot waves. Today, Lake Huron is flat – the way I like it!

Since it is just a short hop to Rogers City, we had plenty of time to do all that we wanted to do on Presque Isle – visiting the two lighthouses. The Old Presque Isle Lighthouse was just a half-mile walk from the harbor. It was built in 1840 and is one of the oldest climbable lighthouses on the Great Lakes. It is only 30 feet tall, so it didn’t take long to climb up the well-worn stone steps to the lantern room, where a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens, put in place in the 1960s, is still there, although not used. The views were amazing!

Close to the tower is a 1896 bronze bell, which was taken down from the clock tower of the Old City Hall at Lansing – Michigan’s capital – in 1959 when the building was torn down. The bell is 60% heavier than the the Liberty Bell. Tim, of course, rang the bell. It had a beautiful tone!

From the Old Lighthouse in the harbor, we walked 1.2 miles to the north end of Presque Isle to the New Presque Isle Lighthouse. This “new” lighthouse was built in 1870 and is still being used. In 1871, the keeper of the “old” lighthouse transferred to his “new” lighthouse. At 113-feet, it is the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes that the public may climb. Tim and I climbed the 138 steps to the top of the tower for a spectacular view of Lake Huron.

The “new” lighthouse was built because of Presque Isle’s strategic point for ships turning west toward the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Michigan and those continuing up toward the St. Marys River and Lake Superior. After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, boats could navigate from New York City to Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans. The light can be seen 21 miles out on Lake Huron. An entry in the lighthouse log book from 1877 states that 8,942 vessels and steamers passed by the lighthouse from 1876-1877. Michigan has 149 lighthouses – more than any other state.

It took us about 30 minutes to walk the 1.3 miles back to the harbor. After a quick lunch on HOMES, we pulled out of the harbor around 1:00 PM and got to view both lighthouses from the water. After getting to Rogers City, the wind picked up – hinting at the coming storm.

Wednesday – Thursday – August 23 -24, 2023 – Rogers City Marina – Layover days

Awaking to wind and rain, on Wednesday morning, we realized our decision to move to Rogers City yesterday afternoon was wise. We explored the town and found a coffee shop – MI Northern Espresso – and a Radio Shack. We hadn’t seen a Radio Shack in decades, so we had to go in. Tim also got a tasty pastry at Tradewinds Bakery.

For the rest of the day, Tim worked on his never-ending projects and I worked on my blog. Tim moved the VHF microphone from the upper helm to the lower helm and then installed a USB charge point in the upper helm, where the microphone had been. Now, we can charge the iPad in the upper helm without using an extension cord.

On Wednesday evening, the fog began moving in, with drizzly rain and temperatures falling to the low 60s. On Thursday morning, we were immersed in complete fog – which never really lifted all day. The fog horn sounded every 5 minutes all morning. We used the foggy day to explore more of Rogers City.

We visited the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum – a short walk from HOMES. The museum is devoted to the shipping history in the Great Lakes and honoring those people who made their livings on the waterways. Rogers City’s maritime past and present are tightly linked to its claim to fame – being the largest open pit limestone quarry in the world – Calcite Limestone Quarry!

Production of limestone began at the Calcite Plant in the summer of 1912. Most of the sailors, who worked on the fleet of ships transporting the limestone around the Great Lakes, came from Rogers City. That is why two maritime tragedies were devastating for Rogers City.

The first tragedy was the sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley in Lake Michigan on November 18, 1958. Gale-force winds broke the 31-year-old ship in two. Of the 35 crew, 33 died – 23 of those men were from Rogers City – leaving widows on nearly every street in Rogers City and 53 children with no fathers. This sinking claimed more lives than The Edmund Fitzgerald.

The second tragedy was the sinking of the S.S. Cedarville off the Straits of Mackinac in 1965, after colliding with another ship in dense fog. The ship was heading to Gary, IN with 14,411 tons of limestone. The 600-foot ship rolled over and sank in 30 minutes – killing 10 of the 35 crew members.

Giant steel freighters still carry limestone from Rogers City to ports around the Great Lakes. Some of the freighters are 1,000 feet long – longer than 3 football fields – going up and down the “blue highways” used for hundreds of years by the Indians in birch-bark canoes.

The rest of Thursday afternoon was spent doing chores. Tim ran a coaxial cable from the upper helm to install his ham radio.

Yesterday, Tim made yogurt, so today, it was ready to eat! He uses a culture given to us by our nearly 101 year-old friend, Vera Herman. Vera was a professor of geography at Ohio State University from the 1950s – 1970s – for many of those years, Vera was the only woman in the department. Vera received the yogurt culture in 1956 from a Turkish poet laureate, Adalet Agaoglu. Vera befriended Adalet, while Adalet was at OSU getting a Ph.D of Human Letters. Vera credits the yogurt to her long life.

Vera never received her doctorate from OSU. While writing her thesis in 1948, she married. OSU told Vera it was now her duty to go home and take care of her husband. So, Vera taught and served as a school principal in Columbus City Schools for the next several years. However, with OSU’s growing enrollment, due to men coming back from WW II and using the GI Bill, Vera was hired as an associate professor at OSU’s Department of Geography, by her OSU mentor – Chairmen of the Department, Guy-Harold Smith. Guy-Harold Smith did mapping for the U.S. government during WW II and is known for being a great cartographer. Vera also helped to open the OSU branches in Cleveland, Mansfield and Lima. Upon her retirement in 1978, she received the title Professor Emeritus – for her dedication and years of inspiring and paving the way for other women.

Friday, August 25, 2023 – Rogers City Marina to DeTour Village, MI – Upper Peninsula

Our journey across Lake Huron to the extreme eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan today was done in calm water and sunny skies! It took just under five-and-a-half hours, going 34.9 nm (40.9 miles), at an average speed of 6.5 knots (7.5 MPH). The fog yesterday never lifted and actually got worse in the afternoon, so we were very happy with the clear skies!

Crossing to the Upper Peninsula brought with it beautiful views! We cruised into the St. Marys River, passing the DeTour Reef Lighthouse. We slowed slightly to allow the Drummond Island Ferry to pass in front of us, before we entered into the channel for the DeTour State Harbor Marina in DeTour Village, MI.

By evening, there were 7 other Looper boats in the marina – some coming from the Canadian canals, the Georgian Bay and North Channel and some coming from, or going to, Lake Superior. By the end of September, we will all be headed south, down Lake Michigan – some going down the Michigan side and others going down the Wisconsin side. However, the end result will be the same – going through or around Chicago to the Illinois River. The locks on the Illinois River, which allow us to head south for the winter, do not open until September 30th.

DeTour Village has always been the confluence of many travelers. The Village was originally founded in 1850 – five years before the first iteration of the U.S. Soo Locks that connected Lake Superior with Lake Huron. It was later renamed DeTour Village – “DeTour” is the French word for “the turn.” The ships and canoes coming past this village would either turn west to Mackinac or southeast to Detroit – just like today. The European explorers – Marquette, Joliet, De La Cadillac and De La Salle – all traveled through this area, which was controlled at different times by either the French or the British. However, the earliest inhabits were the Native Americans – Mascoutin, Ottawa and Chippewa (Ojibwe or Saulteaux).

On Saturday, August 26th, our layover day, we enjoyed exploring DeTour Village. Last night we had drinks with the Looper couple from Lucky Chicklette – a Sabre 42. This morning, we got coffee at the bait shop – The Lucky Lure, which also housed the Drummond Island Coffee Company. we enjoyed our coffee, while visiting the farmers market. After treating ourselves to breakfast at the Mainsail Restaurant, we came back to HOMES to do some chores.

Projects just keep presenting themselves. Tim tighten up the wiggly table in the salon (living room). He also tried to fix the AIS (Automatic Identification System) antenna, which had stoped working. The AIS is how boats identify each other – telling the name of the boat, speed and direction. Luckily, Tim’s ham radio antenna works for the AIS antenna, but we will replace the AIS antenna the next time we get to a boat store. He also moved his ham radio antenna, because he found that it was interfering with the VHF radio.

In the afternoon, we walked the 1.2-mile round trip to the Detour Village Botanical Gardens – Michigan’s northern most Botanical Garden Park. With its paths through the trees and along the rocky beach front, it was a peaceful place to enjoy the waterfront and watch a freighter glide by.

Sunday, August 27, 2023 – Detour Village, MI to Sault Ste. Marie, MI (George Kemp Downtown Marina)

Our voyage today up the St. Marys River to Sault Ste. Marie took 6 hours and 18 minutes, going 39.1 nm (45 miles) at an average speed of 6.2 knots (7.1 MPH).

We exited the DeTour State Harbor Marina at 7:30 AM, passing the Pipe Island Light and beginning our meander up the St. Marys River. We traveled in and out of Canadian waters, passing wooded coastlines and many small wooded islands. HOMES was fighting a 1-2 knot current at different locations, but nothing as bad as Tim had anticipated.

We had the water to mostly to ourselves, except for a passing freighter. We traveled with this freighter all day, eventually passing him, once we got to Sault Ste. Marie, because he had to wait to go into the locks. As we finished docking, the freighter inched by. He is still sitting and waiting for his turn in the locks, as I sit here watching him and finishing up my blog. He probably wishes he was done for the day, like us.

Sault Ste. Marie is pronounced “Sue Saint Marie.” Settled in 1668, it is Michigan’s oldest city and among the oldest cities in the United States. We will be staying here until Thursday morning, so more fun facts and adventures will be coming in next week’s blog.

Tune in next week when we go into Canadian water, go through the historic Sault Ste. Marie Recreational Lock, and dip HOMES into Lake Superior!

Thanks for reading!

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Week 4, Part II – Aug. 14 to Aug. 20, 2023 – East Tawas, MI to Alpena, MI

Highlights this week: We ended in Alpena, MI – two ports short of where we had planned to be. We only made two voyages this week. There were several days of small-craft advisories, due to 8-10 feet waves on Lake Huron. Despite the weather, we got lots of boat chores done, got haircuts, did some shopping, visited coffee shops, breweries and enjoyed the company of many boaters, including some Loopers. We topped off our week with a glass-bottom boat tour of the wrecks of Thunder Bay.

Monday – Tuesday, Aug. 14 – Aug. 15, 2023 – East Tawas State Harbor (layover days)

There is a small-craft advisory for Tuesday (tomorrow), so we extended our stay by one day here in East Tawas.

Monday, Day 1 of our layover, was productive. First, we slept in! The seven-and-a-half hour voyage yesterday, with half of it in 3-4 foot waves, whipped me out! After a leisurely morning, we explored downtown East Tawas and had coffee at Suzie Brews. Tim noticed the barbershop next door was open- Mainstreet Cuts for Men – so he went in for a haircut.

We noticed that the busy street that we cross into downtown is U.S. 23. I had never stopped to think about U.S. 23 outside of Ohio, but it is actually 1,435 miles – going from Jacksonville, FL and ending at I-75 in Mackinaw City, MI. It was formerly part of the major highway known as the Dixie Highway. We’ll be riding parallel to U.S. 23 until we get to our stop at Rogers City. We’ll see where U.S. 23 ends when we get to Mackinaw City – after our trip over to Lake Superior.

Chores took up the afternoon. I swept the decks and knocked down spiderwebs. I also cleaned up spider poop. For those of you who aren’t familiar with boating in the lakes, this may sound as silly as it did to our boat broker in Florida. Yes, spiders love boats and make a lot of poop! I wanted to clean the decks as well as I could, so the forecasted rain could rinse the decks.

Tim finished up his work on the TV cabinet that he started last night. He took out the old satellite TV equipment, Direct TV, Apple TV and a signal booster – all left by pervious owners. All we use is a Roku, so now we have more space in the TV cabinet!

On Tuesday, Day 2 of our our layover, we had some entertainment watching a group of boys and girls in the BSA Sea Scouts sailing a small sailboat around the harbor. The Sea Scouts have been around for 100 years and is open to co-ed ages 14-20.

Maintenance is never done. Our refrigerator hasn’t been working on DC power, which would only cause issues if we wanted to anchor out – which we haven’t had an opportunity to do in the Great Lakes. When we’re plugged in at a marina, we use AC power. However, we wanted to get it sorted out since we have the time and there is a NAPA Auto Parts in town, in case we needed parts. So, Tim pulled the refrigerator out and found some blown fuses. With those replaced, all is well in our DC world again!

This evening, Tim was checking things in the engine room and discovered some water in the bilge. Upon further inspection, he found that the freshwater hose fitting on the toilet in his bathroom was leaking. When he tried to tighten it, it broke. Considering how he hates to do plumbing, he opted to wait until tomorrow to fix it. I was nice enough to share my bathroom with him.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 – East Tawas State Harbor to Harrisville Municipal Marina

Our voyage today took 5 hours, going 33.2 nm (38.2 miles), at an average speed of 6.7 knots (7.7 MPH). We got underway around 7:00 AM to beat the windy conditions predicted for later in the day.

Our morning cruise was beautiful and smooth, but a few hours after we docked, the wind picked up and the waves were crashing over the harbor breaker wall. There are storms coming through tomorrow, so we’re staying here in Harrisville until Saturday morning – along with many other boaters, including our Looper friends in their Ocean Alexander 48C Classico, Regular Eggs.

We couldn’t have asked for a better place to weather out 3 days! Harrisville Municipal Marina has great amenities- including free bikes and a courtesy van. For supper, we went to Alcona Brew Haus with our friends on Regular Eggs. The food and beer were amazing.

Thursday, Day 1 of our layover, was a stormy day. We knew the rain was coming, but Alcona Coffee Shop was on our to-do list. We had coffee and split a delicious pistachio almond cookie, while talking with a retired local resident. The repeating word – “Alcona” – is because we are in Alcona County, with Harrisville being the county seat. The county flag states it is the “First of 83,” meaning that alphabetically it is the first county of Michigan’s 83 counties. The county was named “Alcona” in 1843, from parts of words in Native American, Arabic, Greek and Latin – amalgamating to mean “fine or excellent plain.”

The rest of the stormy day was spent inside. Tim cleaned the bilge. It is now clean and dry – just how he likes it! He drained our 375-gallon water tank, added a little bleach and refilled it. Now, it will be safe to drink when we begin anchoring again.

I did my usual chores and did some exercising. We had some afternoon visitors, Rich Brown and his wife from the 27-foot Grady-White docked behind us. They want to do the Loop and were fascinated with HOMES. Yesterday, Rich posted a picture of HOMES on The Great Loop website, so HOMES was a little bit of a celebrity this week- she had 190 views, 17 comments and 2 shares. By 8:00 PM, the storms had moved through and we all came out of our boats to enjoy the rainbow!

Friday, Day 2 of our layover, brought sunshine, but still cool temperatures, with a small-craft advisory still in effect on Lake Huron. We started the day at Alcona Coffee again and then walked to the Northeastern True Value Hardware store. Tim bought some things to replace what he has been using up on projects and bought some things for future projects.

In the afternoon, I got my hair cut at Beth’s Haborwaves Salon. Janice, my hair stylist at home, doesn’t travel 6 hours to make a “boat call;” however, I was pleased with how Beth cut it. She suggested that we walk out to the Harrisville State Park, so we did that after my haircut. It’s among 13 parks established in Michigan in 1920. We walked out on its mile-long sandy beach. After supper on HOMES, we took the courtesy van back to Alcona Brew Haus for a drink. Our waitress gave us some tips on what to do in our next stop, Alpena – which is only 32 miles up U.S. 23 in a car. On HOMES, it will be 4 hours.

Saturday, August 19, 2023 – Harrisville Municipal Marina to Alpena Marina

Finally, the weather was perfect! Our voyage today took 4 hours and we went 27 nm (31 miles), at an average speed of 6.6 knot (7.6 MPH). All the boaters cleared out of the marina early, anxious to get going again after 2 days of not moving. However, we hung around for the Farmers Market at 9:00 AM at the harbor park. We bought blueberries, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and eggs -so much better than a grocery store! Tim also bought a raspberry and white chocolate scone for the ride to Alpena.

Lake Huron was flat today. It’s hard to believe there were 8-10 – foot waves just the day before. The coastline today has more hills and woods. Two of our Looper friends – Regular Eggs and Maris Stella – went on to Presque Isle State Harbor, but we turned up Thunder Bay to Alpena. We hate to pass up a harbor town. We’ll get to Presque Isle on Monday.

Earlier in the day, we were passed by Loopers in their Nordic Tug 37, Margin. We met up with them at the marina and had dinner with them at the Black Sheep Pub. They are almost done with their Loop. They began last July in Traverse City, MI. It was nice getting first-hand knowledge about the route from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico, which we haven’t researched much yet. We also met the couple on the boat beside Margin. They are from Dayton, OH and keep their boat at their summer home at Marble Head, OH. It was surprisingly comforting talking with people from our neck of the woods. They are headed back to Marble Head after visiting Mackinac Island.

Sunday, August 20th – Today, on our layover day, we started our day at Cabin Creek Coffee – named one of Michigan’s Top 5 coolest craft coffee shops. They had flavored coffee – oatmeal caramel!

We then visited the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, where we we toured the museum and also took a glass-bottom boat tour of two of Thunder Bay’s shipwrecks. Thunder Bay became known as “Shipwreck Alley,” in the 1800s, due to unpredictable weather, murky fog banks, sudden gales, and rocky shoals. Between 1825 and 1925, tens of thousands of ships traveled the Great Lakes. Fire, ice, collisions and storms claimed over 200 ships in and around Thunder Bay. Lake Huron’s cold freshwater has kept many Thunder Bay’s sites virtually unchanged for over 150 years.

Tune in next Sunday… when we’ll be heading to the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, and then…Lake Superior!

Thanks for reading!

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Week 3, Part II – Aug. 7 to Aug. 13, 2023 – St. Clair, MI to East Tawas, MI

Highlights this week: seeing a black squirrel; completing the St. Clair River; going under the Blue Water Bridge; entering Lake Huron and cruising up the “thumb” area of Michigan and over to the “mitten;” and, our first diesel fill-up.

Monday – Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2023- St. Clair City Boat Harbor (Layover days)

When we left you last Sunday, we had just docked at St. Clair City Boat Harbor. By the time we finished dinner on HOMES, storms began moving through with torrential rainfall. We considered passing on walking into town, but the local brewery, War Water Brewery, isn’t open tomorrow. So, we waited for a lull between storms, put on rain gear and headed to downtown St. Clair. We easily made the 15-minute walk rain free. Tim liked his beer and bought a sampler to take back to the boat. We weren’t as lucky with the rain on our way back.

Monday was our non-moving day. We walked back downtown for coffee at T.A.P. Cafe and enjoyed our coffee at the riverfront park across the road. Perhaps it was the good coffee, but we had a very productive layover day. We walked the 3 miles round trip to Neiman’s Family Market and bought a few groceries – just enough to fill a backpack for Tim and a duffle bag for me. It was a nice walk through pretty neighborhoods.

Since it was a gray day and a little cool at 68 degrees, we got into chore mode. Tim added a spigot in the fly bridge. There was already water to a sink up there, so he could tap into that. Now we won’t have to drag the hose from below up to wash the flybridge. He also moved the fender holders from the port side to the starboard side behind the crane. It was wasted space anyway. Now the starboard side is open for easier cleaning and for housing my paddleboard once we inflate it.

While Tim was busy outside, I did 2 loads of laundry, vacuumed and cleaned the wooden blinds in the salon. This year we’ve been starting to decorate HOMES a little and moving things around to suit us. We bought a Kelleys Island decorative pillow and hung up our Great Lakes Cruising Club burgee (flag).

After all that work, we were not in the mood to fix dinner, so we walked 10 minutes to Murphy Inn for 1/2 off pizza night. Murphy Inn is a restored 1836 boarding house and is one of the oldest operating Inns in Michigan. We enjoyed our pizza in a booth near the original Brunswick oak and mahogany bar.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023 – St. Clair Boat Harbor (Layover day…again)

No cruising today! Yesterday’s prediction of 5-7 foot waves in Lake Huron for today became a reality this morning. Tim uses the Boat U.S. app to access NOAA Buoys for real-time conditions. Yesterday, we canceled the first night of our reservation in Lexington, MI and paid for an additional night in St. Clair. We didn’t want our first day in Lake Huron to be traumatic…or tragic!

So, we used the morning to plan our upcoming voyages and reserve slips through to next week. The Michigan State Harbor System is great! The cost is usually around $1.00/foot and you can cancel your reservation up to the day before for no charge.

After having enough of computer time, we walked downtown to get coffee and buy a hose for the new spigot in the flybridge. The coffee shop was closed, so we got our first Tim Horton’s in a long time. It seemed appropriate since Canada is just across the river.

Luckily, we got a burst of energy and decided to wash HOMES, because we found a hole in our new hose! So… another walk back downtown to ACE Hardware to exchange our hose. That hose worked fine and we got the hull washed and I scrubbed the Freedom Lift (which holds the dinghy) and the swim platform.

The surprise of the day, besides the hole in the hose, was seeing two black squirrels on our walks to town! We had never seen one! While black squirrels are 1 in 10,000, they are more common in Michigan and Ontario, where their black fur is a benefit during the harsh winters. They are a genetic mutation of the Eastern Gray Squirrel. If you’re superstitious, it’s said that seeing a black squirrel is good luck!

So, our unexpected layover day was very productive! Plus, a boat came in beside us and we had a nice evening of touring each other’s boats – their’s is a 58-foot Fleming – and enjoying a drink on their deck at sundown.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 – St. Clair Boat Harbor to Lexington State Harbor (Lake Huron!)

Great day for cruising to Lake Huron! We headed out under the drawbridge’s 8:00 AM lift and said good-bye to the Pine River, as we re-emerged onto the St. Clair River. We were underway 5 hours, going 29.2 nm (33.6 miles)at an average speed of 5.7 knots (6.6 MPH).

The St. Clair River is 40.5 miles long and forms the international boundary with Canada. So, we cruised to the end of the St. Clair River, with the U.S. on our left and Canada on our right. The river is about 1 mile wide at this northern portion; however, when you see a freighter coming up on your stern, it’s a little intimidating! With the freighter safely around us, we began to see Port Huron, MI and the tall buildings of Sarnia, Ontario.

Seeing the Blue Water Bridge and Lake Huron beyond was exciting. The currents under the bridge have been a concern of Tim’s in our planning. HOMES did lose about 2 knots of speed right before the bridge, but Tim boosted the RPMs and HOMES powered through!

The Blue Water Bridge is a two-span bridge. The first bridge was built in 1938. In the late 1980s, the border crossing became so popular that it was decided to build a second bridge. In 1997, the second bridge was built beside the old bridge, to support eastbound traffic. For the Port Huron residents, it signifies the close connection with Canada, and the willingness of the two sides to work closely together.

After cruising under the bridge, we passed Michigan’s oldest operating lighthouse – Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. It was built in 1829 at a the head of the St. Clair River where ships could see it before they entered the rapids of the river (which we experienced today!). Originally it was 65-feet high, but it was extended to 82-feet in the early 1860s. Weather permitting, visitors are allowed to climb the tower and walk out onto the catwalk for views of one of the busiest waterways in the world.

Beyond the lighthouse, we entered Lake Huron – 3 down and 2 to go for HOMES to visit all 5 Great Lakes! Lake Huron is the second largest of the Great Lakes and the fourth largest lake in the world by surface area. It has the longest shoreline of all the Great Lakes and is renowned for its beaches, sand dunes, wetlands, forests, and extensive river systems. All of which we are excited to see!

Lake Huron is a pretty color of blue. The blue is sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churn the lake. Much different than Lake Erie. Lake Erie’s green color is from algae. Lake Erie is considered the dirtiest of the Great Lakes; however, it is recovering, after decades of uncontrolled pollution. Our first stop on Lake Huron was Lexington, MI.

Pulling into port is not like parking your car. Before getting to the marina, I have the lines and fenders ready. When Tim gets HOMES backed in and close to the dock, I put the fenders overboard, throw off the lines, step onto the dock and tie up HOMES preliminarily with a bow line and stern line.

Then, Tim gets off and spends LOTS of time adjusting the lines and adding two more spring lines and another stern line. Then, we have to hook up the water and electric, which sometimes are right beside HOMES, but like in Lexington, we have to get out the long electric cord and spend time securing the electric cord and water hose. Tim is very meticulous and knows how to tie a knot for every occasion.

After getting settled, we explored. Lexington is a cute town with small touristy shops. We enjoyed a drink at The Windjammer Bar and Grill. On our walk back to the boat, we met a couple who are also Loopers on their Mainship Pilot 34, Unassisted, so we had fun talking about our experiences.

Thursday, August 10, 2023 – Lexington, MI State Harbor to Port Sanilac, MI Municipal Harbor

We had a beautiful cruise to Port Sanilac, on a flat Lake Huron. We were underway for 2 hours, going a distance of 10.5 nm (12 miles) at at an average speed of 5.4 kn (6.2 MPH).

This is a short hop, so we took time to get coffee at Lexington Coffee Co. before heading out.

The sandy-beach coastline is good for beach-goers, but not optimal for boaters. Port Sanilac Harbor is having hydraulic dredging done. All of these harbors where we are staying are man-made harbors. This coastline used to be a perilous journey for ships. The 16 shipwrecks that lie along this stretch are popular with recreational divers. Some shipwrecks are closer to shore and can be seen by kayak or paddleboard.

We safely cruised past the dredger and maneuvered to our slip on the fuel dock. It was a similar procedure to hook up our water and electric as it was yesterday. The town is a short walk up a slight hill. First stop – visiting Michigan’s oldest continuously operating hardware store! Raymond Hardware opened in 1850 by Uri Raymond and was operated by the Raymond family until 1969.

On Friday, our layover day, we started at Sanilac Coffee, then walked to Willis’ Marketplace for some groceries. The rest of the afternoon was taken up with the usual chores, plus filling up on diesel and pumping out – since we are sitting right on the dock with both.

This is our first diesel fill up since beginning our trip on July 24th. We only needed 110 gallons and paid $4.48/gallon. The way we cruise, we typically burn 1.1 gallons per engine (2) per hour. We filled all of the tanks before pulling out last October in La Salle, MI and paid over $6.00/ gallons.

We finished our Friday afternoon off with a walk along the harbor wall, the beach and past the lighthouse. In the evening, we walked back up to Alli’s Bar – a quirky outside bar/ antique store. We came up last night too and enjoyed talking with another couple doing the Loop on their Shannon 43 Ketch sailboat, Maris Stella. Their were also a lot of other boaters there. Tonight, the rain kept some people away, but we got to talk with a couple from Canada who are doing the Trent Severn Mini Loop, on their 48’ Mainship, 3 Rings. They are heading home toward the North Channel. We are also heading toward the North Channel, on our way to Sault St. Marie, MI.

Saturday, August 12, 2023 – Port Sanilac Municipal Harbor to Harbor Beach Municipal Marina

Our voyage today took 4 hours and 15 minutes, going 27 nm (31 miles), averaging 6.3 knots (7.3 MPH).

It was another beautiful day on Lake Huron. Luckily, the rain storms and the 3-4 foot waves happened overnight. We cruised out of Port Sanilac, passing the Port Sanilac lighthouse. The lighthouse has been guiding ships since 1886. With the opening of Lake Superior through the Salut Lock in 1853, more ships began traveling Lake Huron’s coast, but there was no lighthouse along the 75 miles between the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (seen on Wednesday) and the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse, at the tip of Michigan’s thumb. In 1875, a lighthouse was built at Harbor Beach, but it only reduced the unlighted coastline by approximately 16 miles.

The Harbor Beach Lighthouse stands surrounded by water at the mouth of the harbor. It can only be reached by boat. There were tours being given earlier today. We cruised by the lighthouse and maneuvered into our slip next to a Coast Guard Boat. The Coast Guard Station here is responsible for 1,035 square miles of Lake Huron and dates back to 1881. The slips at Harbor Beach Marina are the nicest and widest that we’ve had so far.

Once tied up, we finally met the Loopers who we have been hopping over and messaging since Lake Erie. They invited us over to their Ocean Alexander 48C Classico, Regular Eggs, for drinks. We shared lots of the same experiences since they started their Loop in Annapolis, Maryland. Then, Tim and I walked the 2.2 miles round trip to downtown Harbor Beach. Not a lot in Harbor Beach, but we did stop at Smalley’s Bar for a drink and onion rings.

Sunday, August 13, 2023 – Harbor Beach, MI to East Tawas, MI

Our Seven-and-a-half hour voyage today was a rocking and rolling. We went 49.2 nm (56.6 miles), at an average speed on 6.5 knots (7.5 MPH). The morning began with 2-3 foot waves, but steadily increased with the occasional 4-foot wave to make HOMES plunge down and then up. HOMES was built for these waves – and for even more than Tim and I ever want to see. HOMES has a displacement hull (big and round), with a high, flaring bow to take the waves.

Rather than the sandy coastline of our previous days, the coastline today was lined in evergreens and hundreds on wind turbines. The waves began to subside once we left the “thumb” behind and began out into the open water at the mouth of Saginaw Bay. The waves on the last 2 hours of our voyage went back down to 1-2 foot, much like our other days on Lake Huron.

Around 3:00 PM, we made landfall on the “mitten” of Michigan and docked at East Tawas State Harbor on Tawas Bay. We’ll be staying here until Tuesday morning – then we head up the “mitten” of Michigan!

Stay tuned for next week… when we reach the top of Michigan’s lower peninsula and plan our crossing of Lake Huron to the North Channel.

Thanks for following along!

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Monday, July 31, 2023 – Kelleys Island’s Seaway Marina to Middle Bass Island Yacht Club

Our cruise today took us back to Middle Bass Island. The voyage was basically identical to the trip over – underway 1:21 hours, going 7.7 nm (8.86 miles) at an average speed of 5.7 k. (6.6 MPH). Lake Erie was kind to us again and the waters were relatively flat.

Last night we had a wonderful meal at the Island House for Tracy’s birthday. We then enjoyed some time on the top deck. We re-created our picture from last year on HOMES in Chesapeake, VA, after making it through the Great Dismal Swamp. Robb and Tracy headed back home today on the 10:30 AM ferry.

We were all tied up back at Middle Bass Island Yacht Club around 12:30 PM. Our afternoon plan was to finish our last two projects, before We heading into new waters on Wednesday. First thing was getting the new Starlink dish mounted. Last year we had the residential Starlink dish strapped to the top deck of HOMES, but we were not allowed to use it while in motion. This year Starlink came out with a high performance dish that we can use in motion, so Tim permanently mounted it on the pilot house roof. We’ll let you know how it performs in the days to come.

The second thing on the list was installing the new chain wheel for the anchor chain. When we bought HOMES, she had brand new anchor chain and anchor. However, whoever bought the chain bought it too big for the existing chain wheel. We soon realized this when the chain would jump and run while anchoring. Tim determined that it was cheaper to buy a new chain wheel than it was to buy new chain.

We also had some entertainment. It was “Amphicar Days” at Put-In-Bay and the the rare 1960s “swimming sports cars” motored right past our dock. These icons of the 1960s are powered by two propellers and cruises at 6.6 knot – about the same as HOMES! The most famous Amphicar owner was then-President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 – Planning Day

Tuesday was planning day. It takes a lot of planning to determine our route and where we’re going to dock. Because of weather, we can only reserve spots at marinas about 3 days in advance. In the Great Lakes, there are no anchorages that we feel comfortable with, so we are committed to marina hopping. Unfortunately, two of our picks for this week were already full – the Ford Yacht Club right inside the Detroit River on Grosse Isle and the Milliken State Park and Harbor marina in downtown Detroit. However, that there are always other less well-known gems to find.

After having enough of planning, we took a bike ride and made dinner. There was a farm stand on Kelleys Island right by the marina, so we have fresh fruit and veggies for a while.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023 – Middle Bass Island, Ohio to Wyandotte, Michigan

Tim is so excited to get our voyage north started that we got started an hour earlier than planned. We pumped out at the waste station and headed out the Middle Bass Island channel by 8:00 AM. We were underway 6:21 hours on our voyage to Wyandotte, Michigan – going 38.7 nm (45 miles) at an average speed of 6.1 k (7 MPH). We had some 1-3 feet waves, which is a relatively flat ride in HOMES, with her stabilizers.

We said good-bye to Lake Erie and cruised past the Detroit River Lighthouse. We entered Lake Eire at Buffalo, NY on September 10, 2022. So far, Lake Erie has been the roughest and most unpredictable water – counting our 3 days in the Atlantic Ocean! It’s like they say about snow skiing in Ohio – if you can do it here, you can do it anywhere!

We got a surprise when we were in the western basin of Lake Erie, in the area of Middle Sister Island, we saw pelicans! I had just been saying that gulls in Lake Erie are not as entertaining as the pelicans and dolphins in the ICW when, lo and behold, three pelican swooped down. Some quick Googling told me that since 2016, Middle Sister Island has been a nesting site for the American white pelicans. Granted, not my fun brown pelicans from the ICW, but pelicans all the same. Historically, these white pelicans have lived in Canada, western Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Now, they are spreading eastward. The American White Pelican is one of North America’s largest birds with a wing span of 9 feet.

The new challenge for the next week will be current. The current running against us on the Detroit River is about 2 knots (2.3 MPH). That doesn’t sound like much, but it slows our progress by about the same, so Tim has to raise the engine RPMS to go the our usual speed.

The channel in the Detroit River looked like a runway. We saw several freighters coming out of the River, but didn’t have to pass any in the River. Other than some very annoying tiny insects that covered everything, our trip up the Detroit River to Wyandotte Yacht Club was uneventful. The “yacht club” was very small, shallow and no one was around to help us dock. None of that matters to us, so it was all good.

We enjoyed two days at this marina. We like spending two days in one place. It gives us a free day to explore, do boat chores and relax. For our free-day on Thursday, Tim washed the flybridge and I worked to get some technical difficulties fixed on our website. While we usually eat on the boat, we do enjoy going out for drinks.

Downtown Wyandotte was just a short walk from HOMES, so we walked there on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. We can recommend Wyandotte Beer Company, Whiskeys on the Water and R.P McMurphy’s. Also, I had the best cup of coffee on the trip so far at the Coffee Lounge – Michigan cherry flavor! It tasted like a chocolate covered cherry!

Friday, August 4, 2023 – Wyandotte, MI to St. Clair Shores, MI

Today’s voyage took us from Wyandotte, MI to St. Clair Shores, MI where we will be docked for tonight and tomorrow at Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina. Our voyage took 5 hours – going 24.9 NM (29 miles) at an average speed of 5.8 knots (7 MPH).

As we proceeded out of the marina into the Detroit River channel, the buoy reminded us of the strong current that would be against us again today.

Once we got back into the channel, we saw two big freighters moored at the Windsor Salt Mine.

The $5.6-billion Gordie Howe Bridge is a new bridge being constructed between Detroit and Windsor, Canada. It is supposed to open sometime in 2025. It will link I-75 in Michigan to Highway 401 in Ontario, allowing uninterrupted freeway traffic flow. It’s named for a Canadian ice hockey player who played 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings.

The US Steel Hot Strip Mill reminded us that the Detroit River still hosts some industry that built the area. However, the demolition of the Detroit Harbor Terminal Building then reminded us that some things cannot survive the changing times. This 10-story, 12-acre warehouse of reinforced concrete was the largest on the Great Lakes when it opened in 1926. It was used by freighters for unloading cargo. It ended it’s life as the location where passengers would board steamships to go to an amusement park on Boblo Island. After being vacant for 20 years, this nearly 100-year-old building will soon be gone. There is no mention of what will take its place.

Still standing tall from 1929 is the Ambassador Bridge – the tolled international suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, USA with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Here are some fun facts: The Windsor-Detroit border is the busiest international crossing in North America with more than 40,000 commuters, tourists and trucks carrying $323 million worth of goods each day; and, it remains the largest international suspension bridge in the world (1.5 miles long)

We cruised by Detroit on our left and Windsor on our right, seeing the Detroit People Mover – the 2.9-mile elevated automated tram- and the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater. We continued past Belle Isle Park, which is home to the Detroit Yacht Club, Belle Isle Aquarium and Belle Isle Conservatory. My mom remembers visiting Belle Isle when she was a girl in the 1950s. Her Great Aunt Esther (Hall) and Great Uncle Bob lived in Detroit and took them there to visit. The 1934 Detroit race riot began at Belle Isle and spread to Detroit. 34 people were killed and 433 were injured. It was said that Great Uncle Bob quit being a dentist because he didn’t want to work on “black people’s” teeth. We will learn more about Detroit’s race problems tomorrow on our tour of the Ford House.

Just past Belle Isle, we cruised past the Mariner Park Lighthouse and out into Lake St. Clair. We passed a “Big Lift” freighter. We followed one of those freighters last August on the Hudson River and then saw it moored in Albany New York.

On our cruise in Lake St. Clair, we checked to see how our Starlink dish was performing and saw that we were getting an awesome 146 Mbps!

We cruised past a sailing competition and into Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina around 2:00 PM. Being a Friday, the channel was full of boats, some rafting 3-deep to go the the waterside restaurant, which had a blaring live band – all right across from our slip. To add to the fun, our slip was 17’ wide and HOMES is 16’ wide. However, none of that made a difference to Tim. He backed us right in. It took us a while to get HOMES tied up to suit him due to the wind.

We finished off our day with dinner on HOMES and then drinks at Watermark Bar and Grill, which is on the marina site. It was the typical boater waterfront restaurant/bar – not our idea of cool, but it was a short walk.

Saturday was our non-cruising day. Last night I bought tickets online to visit the Ford House – the 1927 historical home of Eleanor and Edsel Ford. Edsel was the only child of the founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford. Eleanor and Edsel had four children from 1917 to 1925. They wanted to get their children out of Detroit, because of several high-profile kidnappings. They chose land that backed up to Lake St. Sinclair, with a cove on one side. To the front, they built a wall. They had anywhere from 20-40 staff from 1927 until Eleanor’s death in 1976. The core staff stayed on with the the family that whole time. The staff was made up of either people Edsel knew from the Ford plant, or from locals of Grosse Pointe. Either way, the staff was destined to be European immigrants. Blacks were not given jobs at Ford, where they would be recognized by Edsel, and Grosse Point kept blacks and Jews out using “redlining” – the discriminatory practice where banks and other services refuse to serve people based on race and ethnicity.

The home and the grounds were beautiful. Edsel enjoyed fast cars and boats – unlike his practical father. He drove his boat to work – the same path that we just brought from Detroit.

After walking over 3 miles round trip to the Ford House and indulging my history-geek side, Tim deserved a flight at Dragonmead Brewery. It was on the way back to the marina and much more our style than the waterfront-boater hangouts.

Sunday, August 6, 2023 – St. Clair Shores, MI to St. Clair, MI

Our voyage today took us across Lake St. Clair to the St. Clair River. It took 6:36 hours – going 32.1 nm (37 miles) at an average speed of 5.7 k (6.5 MPH ). We woke to a chilly, windy, rainy day. We carefully untied HOMES and Tim pulled her out of the slip without bumping anything – despite the wind and current. We had a nice ride across Lake St. Clair.

We made our way up the St. Clair River, passing a few freighters, then turned onto the Pine River. Tim radioed the drawbridge and requested the 3:00 PM opening. We timed it pretty well, so Tim only had to maneuver around about 8 minutes before the bridge went up.

We are now docked at St. Clair City Boat Harbor for tonight and tomorrow night. Now, it’s time to go explore the town!

See you next Sunday, as we make our way around Lake Huron!

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Week 1, Part II – July 24 to July 30, 2023 – La Salle, MI to Kelleys Island, OH

Highlight this week: Finally getting to Kelleys Island! We chose Kelleys Island as our port of call, because we got married their 28 years ago. Last fall, the weather was too bad to get there, so we headed there first thing on our 2023/Part II of our Great Loop adventure!

Monday, July 24, 2023 to Wednesday July 26,2023

Safe Harbor Toledo Beach Marina, La Salle, MI to Middle Bass Island Yacht Club, Middle Bass Island, OH.

We are back on our America’s Great Loop adventure! We put our AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association) burgee back on the front of HOMES. This burgee is how Loopers can identify one another. Once we complete our Loop, we will receive a gold AGLCA burgee. We are planning to complete our loop in early 2024 – which means that we will make it back to Delray Beach, FL, where we began.

On Saturday, our son, Nick, dropped us off at HOMES, after unloading a car full of food and supplies. HOMES is now our home again!

On Monday, we left Toledo Beach and headed to Middle Bass Island for a two-day stay. Tim wanted to do a short and familiar trip as a shakedown cruise. Fortunately, Lake Erie was kind to us and we left as scheduled on flat water with beautiful weather! The ride was even a little chilly with the wind. Tim spent time tweaking the autopilot and familiarizing himself with the navigation controls again.

We had an excellent voyage – with a duration of 5 hours, going 30.5 Nautical miles (34.5 road miles). You will see that we were “underway” 4:17 hours, which is shorter than our “duration” hours. The “duration” hours start once we turn the engines on and end when we turn them off, which accounts for casting off and docking.

The trip to Middle Bass Island had two goals: to regroup, after a long winter away from HOMES; and, to relax, after a busy last couple of weeks. I enjoyed blogging again and Tim did little jobs like un-pickling (turning back on) the water maker and hooking up new batteries for the thrusters.

For the relaxing part of the trip, we visited The Island Grind for coffee and had pizza at Uncle Joe’s – two of our favorite places from last fall. We also went to the new “speakeasy” that is in the back of the coffee shop. The owner was telling us about her plan to open the speakeasy last fall.

Wednesday, July, 26 to July 31, 2023 – Middle Bass Island to Kelleys Island

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

We were in no rush this morning, since our voyage to Kelleys Island from Middle Bass would be a short one. We had fun talking with the people from the two neighboring boats. The one couple wants to do the Loop in 10 years – right now they have 3 young kids and 2 dogs – so they enjoyed our Loop stories. We also took time to use the waste pump-out station. We didn’t need to pump out yet, but this is such an easy pump-out station that we used it anyway. The trip to the pump-out station only took a few minutes, so I was busy moving the lines and fenders from the port (left) to starboard (right) side of the boat. Luckily, we have a starboard tie at Seaway Marina at Kelleys Island, so that job is now done for the day.

We pulled through the channel into Lake Erie around 11:00 AM. Lake Erie was nice to us and gave us flat water for our hour-and-a-half trip to Kelleys Island.

The duration of our voyage was almost 3 hours, going 7.9 NM (9 road miles) at an average of 5.6 knots (6.4 MPH). HOMES will never compete with the Jet Express, which goes 40 MPH. The Jet Express is the fastest way for people to get to Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) and Kelleys Island.

At our leisurely pace, we cruised the back side of Put-in-Bay and soon had downtown Kelleys Island in our sights. Tim brought HOMES into the channel, turned left into the marina and then had to spin 180 degrees to back into our space on the wall – the dock hands were impressed. We were all tied up at Kelleys Island’s Seaway Marina around 12:30 PM.

The weather report for the late afternoon and evening were ominous, so we took a little time to walk around the island. We got coffee at Kelley’s Island Coffee Company and bought the last 1/2 gallon of milk at the Island Market. This year, Tim is going to make yogurt for me like he does at home.

We didn’t get to start the yogurt or do laundry as planned, because the storm came in as fierce as predicted. The Island lost electric from around 4:30 PM until around 8:00 PM. The loss of electricity gave us an opportunity to learn that our inverter batteries also didn’t fair well over the winter. We will have to replace those 2 batteries when we get to Detroit, MI. There is a battery store in Detroit near the marina where we plan to stay. Tim didn’t want to turn on the generator, because we are backed up to a wall, so we just waited for the Island’s power to come back on.

The marina also lost water because multiple water spigots along the dock broke off. HOMES has a 375 gallon water tank and a water maker, so we were good there.

Thursday, July 27, 2023 to Friday, July 28th

Two of our special guests this week are: our son, Nick, and our grand dog, Norah. They came on the Thursday afternoon ferry. When Nick was in school in Nashville, some guys in his class adopted Norah from the dog pound. After a day they decided they didn’t want a dog. Nick overheard them saying that they were going to tie her up in the Wal-Mart parking lot and leave her. Instead, soft-hearted Nick took her to his dog-friendly apartment with the intent to find her a home. It was soon clear that Nick and Norah were a pair. Not sure who rescued who.

Norah took to boat life well! After no time, she was up and down all of the steps inside the boat. She had her own bunk bed, but chose to squeeze into the top bunk with Nick. On Friday, we rented a golf cart and explored the whole island. Norah liked wading in the calm Thursday evening water, but didn’t really like the choppy waves on Friday. Nick got in some fishing on Thursday and Friday, but didn’t catch much. Sounds like he enjoyed talking to the old fishermen at the bait store more than fishing.

Friday, July 29, 2023

After a good night’s sleep, we rented another golf cart and went up to Kelleys Island Coffee for coffee and pastries. Nick and Norah then packed up the car and headed back on the noon ferry. It was sad to see them go. They stopped to have lunch with my mom on their way back home.

Our next guests were our friends, Robb and Tracy. As Nick and Norah were leaving the island on the noon ferry, Robb and Tracy were heading to the island on the noon ferry. It’s Tracy’s birthday weekend! Last year we spent her birthday weekend on HOMES in the Great Dismal Swamp and Norfolk, VA.

We spent the day touring around the island – visiting: the KI Cantina for margaritas and nachos; the Crooked Tree Winery; West Bay Bar, where Tracy and Robb shared a bucket of Malibu Rum punch; then dinner at Dockers Waterfront Restaurant & Bar. We also stopped for a picture at the church were Tim and I were married in 1995. We topped off the evening sitting on the top deck of HOMES enjoying the people watching.

Sunday, July 30, 2023 – Happy Birthday to Tracy!

Today, after coffee, we visited the Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve. When the glaciers melted 14,000 years ago, these grooves were left behind. Today, the plan is more eating, drinking and relaxing.

Next voyage: Tomorrow, we head back to Middle Bass Island for a few days. Then…we head out into new water for us – across Lake Erie to the Detroit River. Tune in next week!

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