Lake Huron and Mackinac Island

 

On August 4, after two nights in Detroit, we pulled out of our slip back onto the Detroit River heading north. The current in this river is fairly strong at 2-2.5 mph and we had to weave around a couple of very large freighters anchored in the middle of the river. For a little geographical reference, the Detroit River connects Lake Erie to Lake St. Clair which in turn is connected to Lake Huron by the St. Clair River.  The western shores of the waterways are Michigan and the eastern shores are Ontario, Canada. Lake St. Clair is relatively small and very shallow with an average depth of only 11 feet. Our initial plan called for us to tie up at a state park on the shore of Lake St. Clair but at the height of the summer boating season it was getting difficult to find dock space for a boat of our size, especially on the weekends.  So we had to alter our plans and cruised across the lake to Algonac, Mi. Algonac sits at the southern end of the St. Clair River where its junction with the lake forms the largest fresh water delta in the world! Rich in boating history, Algonac was the home of Chris Craft boats and Gar Woods boats. Although no longer a family owned business, Chris Craft is still a well-known and respected brand and was the world’s largest producer of mahogany boats. Gar Wood boats closed in the 1940s but Gar Wood, who made his initial fortune by inventing a hydraulic lift for coal trucks, produced some of the most respected and fastest race boats of his day. Our stay in Algonac was unremarkable and included dinner at a restaurant whose old Chris Craft memorabilia collection was far better than its prime rib special.

Moving north from Algonac our next stop would be at Lexington, MI on Lake Huron. To get there we traveled upstream on the St. Clair River. The elevation of Lake Huron at the north end of the river is 577’ whereas the elevation of Lake Erie to the south is 569’.  This means a lot of water has to flow downstream through this river producing a significant current. The northern end of the river is bordered by Port Huron on the Michigan side and Sarnia on the Canadian side. Traversing this area, I was more than a little surprised to see more greenery on the US side of the river and more industrial blight on the Canadian side. At the narrowest part of the river the two sides are connected by the Blue Water Bridge. The current as we were passing under this bridge was 5-6 mph against us. Many loop boats are only capable of speeds around 7-8 mph which means they are barely moving as they traverse this section of river. Fortunately, or actually –by design, Off Leash has plenty of power. I was able to punch up her diesels and maintain a 12 mph headway as we made our way onto Lake Huron. BTW… Lake Huron took its name from the Native American tribe, the Hurons. Its shores were also home to the Chippewa and Odawa all of whom became avid fur traders with the French.

Port Huron - Michigan

Sarnia, Ontario

Blue Water Bridge

Lexington Harbor was our first stay in a Michigan State Park Marina which can be found along much of the coast of Michigan, both on the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan sides. Most of these are also referred to as harbors of refuge. With the Great Lakes reputation for nasty winds and rapidly building seas, these harbors must offer boaters refuge when needed. They usually keep a couple of slips open for emergency refuge or can tie up boats on their fuel dock overnight. The docks are kept in excellent condition and are usually accessible even through the winter. While there we enjoyed chatting with local boaters and that night there was a concert in the adjacent park with a great band featuring a phenomenal female vocalist.

We woke up the next day hoping to get an early start on our next 42 mile leg to Harbor Beach. When we woke up that morning, we were shrouded in our first exposure to fog. It was thick. We could just barely make out the entrance to the harbor. I had faith in our electronics and wanted to get underway but Karen was convinced it was too dangerous and wanted to wait. Well, to support her point of view, a sailboat that ventured out that morning made a wrong turn and got stuck on the bottom in shallow water. So we waited for the fog to lift and had a nice cruise. All was good until we arrived at the marina. Just as we rounded the dock towards our slip the winds suddenly made an appearance and blew us all around as we tried to back into the slip. Fortunately the slip next to ours was also open and we were able to slide in and tie up…. No harm, no foul.  The highlight of our day at Harbor Beach was a visit from our friends, John and Lucy, the couple we met and toured with back on the Hudson River. They had finished their loop and were driving near the area after a visit to Canada. It was great to catch up with them over lunch and they brought us some peaches from a farmers market that were the best we have had in a long time….Thanks John and Lucy!

Michiganders like to refer to Michigan as looking like a mitten. If you hold up your left hand, keep your fingers together but extend out your thumb, when you look at the back of your hand you are looking at Michigan. Harbor Beach is on the outside of your thumb. Our next stop at Harrisville would be a little past your knuckle of your index finger. To get there, we would have to travel up the rest of the thumb and then cross the space between the thumb and the fingers, a body of water called Saginaw Bay. Crossing past this bay meant roughly 40 miles of open water in an area known to whip up easily. We also had conflicting reports that day for thunderstorms. So, we were a bit nervous as we set off that morning. We decided to throttle up for an hour to get ahead of the storms and the plan paid off. We made it with relatively calm seas and no trauma. It’s nice to have the power to speed up to avoid potentially bad weather. Unfortunately, speed does come with added cost as we burn over twice as much fuel per mile going 18 mph than we do at 9 mph. We harvested our fair share of dinosaurs that day but we got in safely.

There was not much to do or see in Harrisville but this stop did become memorable. A marina staff member drove us as well as our friends Jim and Cheryl from Classea and Bob and Mary-Kay from Pilar to a brewery for lunch. The lunch itself was unremarkable but….. the coconut cream pie was absolutely incredible. We all agreed it was the best pie any of us had ever had!

Our next two travel days took us to Alpena and then Presque Isle State Harbor. As we made our way up the coast of Michigan we noticed then water got much clearer. By the time we got to Presque Isle it was almost perfectly clear. We took the dinghy out from the marina for a ride to a beach where we hung out for a few hours and swam in the rather frigid water. We also took a rather long walk to see both the old and the new light houses.

The 1800s saw an ever increasing amount of maritime traffic on Lake Huron. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 boats could navigate from New York City to Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans. Lighthouses became very instrumental at guiding ships through violent storms, thick fog, shifting sand bars and rocky reefs. Presque Isle (French for “almost an island) was the largest natural harbor between Detroit and Mackinac and was therefore used by many ships to take on wood for fuel. The original 30’ lighthouse on Presque Isle was built in 1840. In 1870 a new 133’ lighthouse was built. An entry in its logbook dated July 1, 1878 noted that from July 1, 1877 to June 30, 1878, 8,942 vessels or steamers passed by this lighthouse! Each lighthouse has an accompanying home for the keeper and his/her family. The automation of the lighthouses in 1970 made the position of keeper obsolete but the homes at the Presque Isle lighthouses have been preserved as museums. Patrick Garrity lit the lamp of the new lighthouse for the first time in 1871 and remained its keeper until 1885. His wife, daughter and three sons all served as keepers of lighthouses in this area. We climbed to the top of both lighthouses and enjoyed the views.

Our next voyage would take us to the northernmost point of our loop at Mackinaw City. This area is a huge vacation destination and has quite a lot to offer. Fudge seems to be one of the first things on anyone’s mind as they venture into the city. Fudge shops are everywhere and they all seem to make some claim to be the original fudge maker for Mackinaw. The fudge is made in the storefronts on large marble or stone tables. I wish I could say we had the self-control to resist the chocolaty temptation but, alas, we could not. Northern Michigan is also one of the few places in the US where you can find pasties. No, not the kind strippers wear. Pasties are  meat and potato filled pastries that were made as an easily hand held lunch for miners, fishermen and other workers. Many folks in the area find them to be a comfort food. Karen and I each tried one for lunch one day….they were ok but for true comfort food I’d rather have a good mac and cheese or my mom’s parmesan baked chicken!

Mackinaw City is also the home to the US Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw. Also known as “Queen of the Great Lakes”, at 290’ this beauty is the largest of the Great Lakes icebreakers. Her construction was authorized by congress December 7, 1941, ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor as part of the war effort to keep the shipping lanes open for movement of steel and other supplies. Commissioned December 30, 1944 she plied the waters of the great lakes until her retirement in 2006. She is now open as a museum and our tour of her was a highlight of our time there. With 10,000 HP diesel electric engines and an addition bow propeller to help move broken ice away she is a formidable beast. She has now been replaced by smaller more economical ice breakers but she will always hold a special place in the hearts of Great Lakes mariners.

Seven miles from the docks of Mackinaw City lies Mackinac Island. Don’t ask me why but despite the different spellings they are both pronounced “Mackinaw”. Well, I’ll try to explain it anyway.  The island was originally named Michilimackinaac (the place of the great turtle – based on the shape of the island). It was pronounced with the “aw” sound at the end. This name was eventually shortened to Mackinac. It is said that the founders of the city on the mainland chose the spelling with the “aw” as a way to distinguish itself from the island and provide less confusion for postal carriers. High speed ferries run continually throughout the day taking tourists to and from the island. Despite the fact that the island waterfront is packed with tourists and the bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and fudge stores that cater to them, the island is a magical place that transports you back in time.  Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island. The only exceptions to this are two ambulances which are hidden from view until they are needed. All other transportation and work vehicles, including street cleaners and plows are horse drawn. We toured the island by horse drawn carriage with new looper friends, Cheryl and Chris, from “Nautic Venture”. The tour took us past old homes and forts, natural rock windows, the massive horse stables and a building housing an incredible collection of carriages that have been used on the island through the years. We did not bring our bikes with us but there are miles of bike trails through and around the island that we would love to go back and take advantage of someday.

No visit to Mackinac Island would be complete without a visit to the Grand Hotel. First opened in 1887, the hotel was built in 93 days by a consortium of railroad and steamship companies. Yes… you heard me right… 93 days! Although it is a spectacular hotel, the demands for it to be completed on time did lead to some irregularities such as hallways that slant up and down. There are 388 guest rooms and no two are the same. At 660’ long, the front patio overlooking the grounds and the Straits of Mackinac is known as the longest patio in the world and one of the iconic images of the island. Life just doesn’t get much better than sitting in one of the many white rocking chairs on the patio and gazing out over the hundreds of red geraniums in planter boxes to the views of the grounds and the Straits of Mackinac. The dining room of the hotel is also an incredible sight with seating for over 750 guests and views overlooking the patio terrace. Dinner in the main dining room still requires a coat and tie for men. Fortunately, we were there for lunch when the dress coat is not so stringent. Lunch is buffet style and the variety and quality of the offered foods were like no other buffet I had ever seen. The hotel is on the US National Register of Historic Places, a US National Historic Landmark and a Michigan State Historic Site. The hotel also has also served as the setting for the 1947 musical comedy The Time for Keeps with Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams. And, of course, our generation, especially the ladies, remember the hotel as the backdrop for Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Knowing this, I watched and Karen re-watched the movie the night before we went. All I can say is …. Guys… don’t waste your time… aside from a little eye candy, one of the worst movies I have ever seen!

Being the northernmost point of our loop, I consider Mackinaw City to be our halfway point.  We started our loop on April 2, 2022 and arrived in Mackinaw four months later on Aug 12. We have had 74 separate voyaging days and have travelled 2,922 miles and run our engines for over 400 hours. More importantly, Karen and I are still talking to each other despite living on a boat together for over five months. So far so good. It should be all downhill from here.

Lake Erie!

 

 Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior are interconnected to form the Great Lakes. Together, they are the largest group of freshwater lakes on the earth by area and second in volume only to Lake Baikal in Russia. They hold approximately 21% of the planet’s surface fresh water. Lake Michigan is the largest lake entirely within one country. Lake Ontario is the lowest elevation at 246 feet and is separated from the Erie Canal by the locks on the Oswego Canal and from Lake Erie by locks of the Welland Canal. Natural water flow from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is through the Niagara River and Falls. Lake Superior has the highest elevation at 600 feet and ship traffic from there to the North Channel in Canada and Lake Huron is through Locks in Sault Ste. Marie. Lakes Michigan and Huron are at 577 feet and Erie is at 571 feet. There is no lock to control the level between Huron and Erie which makes for a little current! More on that later.

With their propensity for high winds, strong currents and large dangerous waves, the Great lakes have been referred to as an inland sea. Battles have been fought on these lakes… ie.. The War of 1812. The famous line “We have met the enemy and they are ours” was in the report from Capt. Oliver Perry who led the battle on Lake Erie against the British Navy. Capt. Perry famously flew a battle flag with the words “Don’t Give Up The Ship”. His original battle flag is now framed and displayed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and the phrase is popular on t-shirts and souvenirs from Lake Erie.  Much commercial traffic and shipping occurs along these lakes with more than 100 large freighters, known as “Lakers” traversing their waters. Commercial and recreational fishing along the lakes is a $4 billion a year industry. Despite their relatively short season, boating, fishing, sailing, cruising and diving are all huge activities on the lakes.

Shipwrecks Galore!

Oh… and of course there are the shipwrecks. With their large size, numerous shoals and the propensity for sudden thunderstorms, hundreds of ships have met their end on these lakes. The last major freighter to sink was the Edmond Fitzgerald in 1975. The largest loss of life was with the sinking of the Lady Elgin in 1860 with 400 souls lost. With this in mind, it is no wonder that boaters venturing onto the Great Lakes for the first time, ourselves included, Karen in particular, dip their toes into their waters with some trepidation. 

Black Rock Lock an Channel

Our voyages on the Great Lakes would begin from Buffalo, NY on the eastern end of Lake Erie. To get there we had to first travel upstream from Tonawanda on the Niagara River.  You know… the one with the falls!  Along parts of this river the current can be 8 mph which makes the going quite slow and dangerous. To keep boats from feeling like salmon swimming up a river, a channel and Black Rock Lock were built along the side of the river. We found out later one of our friends did not know about this channel and had a difficult trip. Fortunately, we did our homework and together with our buddy boat, Star Dust, we had a very pleasant and safe trip to Buffalo. Soon after the lock and a couple of lift bridges, we found ourselves entering Lake Erie and leaving Buffalo behind. Lake Erie is the southernmost of the Great Lakes, and also the shallowest and the smallest by volume (not by surface area.) At its deepest point Lake Erie is 210 feet deep. The shallowness allows her waters to whip up easily. We approached these waters nervously not knowing what these moody, temperamental, gorgeous lakes would have in store for us.

35 miles away was our first destination of Dunkirk, NY. The first glimpse was of glass-like water with low winds and small swells. Okay, so far so good. We made it to Dunkirk without much drama and tied up to a free town dock with no electricity. This was no problem for Off Leash as she has solar panels and one night without power is not an issue. Dunkirk is a small town, depressed, like many of the New York towns we saw along the Erie Canal but we did, at least, find Waldo peering out from an office building as we walked through town. Dunkirk did have a free dock and a nice area around the marina with some up-scale restaurants and boutiques. The sunset over Lake Erie was quite beautiful. We made an early night of it, locking our boat to the dock just in case anyone decided to untie us during the night. This is something that other loopers have experienced on other free city docks where hooligans, with nothing better to do, will untie boats in the middle of the night, not thinking about the potential for real physical harm to occur both to the boats and the boaters.

Sunset in Dunkirk and who knew Waldo was hiding there

The next day we headed to Erie, Pennsylvania, happy to finally be out of New York State. Nothing against the great state of New York, but we had been in New York for over a month and it was time to move on. The journey was 48 miles and the lake once again behaved well. While in Erie, we anchored at Presque Isle State Park for two nights. This was our first time at anchor since North Carolina and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, remote and peaceful place to drop our hook.  Our friends, Ron and Linda on Gypsy Soul, dinghied over that evening for a visit and docktails. We also, took a bike ride through the state park to the beach and enjoyed a dip in Lake Erie.

Presque Isle

Our next stop on the Lake was to Geneva State Park Marina in Karen’s home state of Ohio.. Heading out of Erie, we were followed by two looper boats with crews we had not met yet, Benita and Classea. The day was cool and cloudy so we used the inside helm station for much of the trip but, once again, we had smooth waters on which to cruise. We also had fish traps! These were new to us and it took a little while and some quick googleing to figure out how they were set up so we could figure out how to avoid them. It also gave us a reason, not that we really needed one, to contact the boats behind us to warn each other of traps as we came upon them. We tied up in Geneva and met the crews of our following boats. Benita had started their loop in Ohio and they were less than 100 miles from home. Jim and Cheryl on Classea were extremely nice folks from Alabama and we hoped to cross paths with them as we both continued our loops.

Geneva On The Lake (GOTL)

A, somewhat, short walk from the Geneva marina is the town that time forgot.  Geneva On The Lake, or GOTL to the locals, is like a town out of the 50s. The main drag is lined with burger joints, diners, arcades, miniature golf and souvenir shops. The only things missing were Richie Cunningham and the Fonz! We walked the town, ate some burgers, strolled through some shops, and grabbed some ice cream cones at an arcade before heading back to the boat.

Next up… one of the more memorable stops of our trip, Cleveland. The wind was picking up as we pulled into the outer harbor but we still needed to pass under a pedestrian drawbridge to access the marina. Unfortunately, the bridge operator must have been on some kind of a break and we had to maneuver around in the wind for quite a while. Once raised, we passed the bridge to find a beautiful, modern but mostly empty marina. This marina is located right in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and next to Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians. We were told that on game weekends, this marina is packed, with all slips filled and boats rafted up to each other…the boating equivalent to tailgating! Our friends, Ron and Linda pulled in shortly after us having been forced off the lake by high winds and waves. Our luck continued to hold out as we had gotten in before it got too rough.

The next day we visited the R&R Hall of Fame. Karen had been there before but I had not. What an absolutely amazing place! Clothing, guitars, shoes, sheet music, photos and recordings from all the great rockers. We wandered the exhibits for 4 hours but, had we gotten there earlier, we could have spent a whole day. At one point we took a break by sitting in the theater that plays continuous loops of R&R Hall of Fame induction concerts. We could have watched those all day too. As much as we did see, there is just as much we did not have time for. Next time we find ourselves back in Cleveland we will again make time for another visit to the museum.

Guitars: Jimi Hendrix's White Stratocaster, Eddie Van Halen's self customized guitar, Keith Richard's hand painted Gibson Les Paul, and Elvis' double neck guitar. And Michael Jacksons Jacket!

Our next leg took us from Cleveland to Port Loraine. Although this is not a significant tourist or cruising stop, it was one we had most looked forward to as it was from here we would be visiting with Karen’s 98 year old father, John. We spent a week here just being family rather than being tourists or cruisers. We hung out with her dad, had some “tasty”(?) but wonderful meals with him and his friends at his independent living facility, took him shopping and to Drs. Appointments and just generally hung out. He took us to one of his favorite restaurants, Jake On Lake, for terrific fried walleye and perch. Karen’s brother, Jack drove up from North Carolina and stayed on the boat with us so we could all visit together and we drove out to see Jack’s daughter, Courtney, and her family at one of her daughter’s soccer games.  Karen’s dad has been living our loop vicariously through us. He and Karen talk almost every day. It was a highlight of our visit to have him come aboard Off Leash for cocktails. The week with John went by too quickly and I know it was not easy for Karen to say goodbye but it was, once again, time to untie and move on.

It was now time to leave the coast of Lake Erie and head to the island resorts of Put-in-Bay and Kelly’s Island. These are summer playgrounds less than 3 miles off the Erie shore in Ohio. We grabbed a mooring ball in the harbor at Put-in-Bay where we stayed for two nights. The town was typical of any beach town resort. Bars, restaurants, t-shirt shops etc.. The town was crazy busy but we hear it is absolutely insane on the weekends. As an indication of the party atmosphere in this town, at over 405’ long, the bar at the Beer Barrel Bar is recognized as the longest bar in the world. Highlights…. Lobster bisque on the dock, sipping drinks at a barefoot bar while seated in hanging chairs, running through the streets in pelting rain on our way to lunch, a tram tour of the island, and a visit to the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial and Museum. The museum gave us an understanding of the War of 1812. Prior to this visit, I knew there was a war of 1812 but I was not particularly interested in history as a kid so I honestly didn’t even remember who or why  we fought the war. I did, at least, have a pretty good idea it took place in 1812.

As a young nation, having won the Revolutionary war just 30 years earlier, we still felt that our independence was being stymied by the British. While we sought free trade with Europe, the British routinely stopped US ships on the high seas in search of deserters from the Royal Navy and in the process sometimes seized American sailors and forced them into military service. There was also resentment in the US over the British aid to Native Americans resisting American expansion. The US also had eyes on Canadian territory for expansion although how much of a role this played is debated. The war was fought on multiple fronts including the great lakes, at sea on the Atlantic Ocean and American East Coast, and the southern states and southwest territories. It was during this war that the British troops burned Washington. The war was brought to a close in 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent. Ultimately all territorial borders remained unchanged. There were no winners of this war, only losers – primarily the Native Americans whose land borders were not recognized by Congress and not enforced by the treaties. The relationship between Britain and the United States has remained peaceful since that time.

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Off Leash in the background...a tiny spec 

As I mentioned at the top of this now long blog, “Don’t Give Up The Ship” was the battle flag flown by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry as he led his outnumbered American fleet to victory over the British Navy in The Battle of Lake Erie, securing American control of the lake. His message to Washington after the battle – “We have met the enemy and they are ours” has also become famous in naval history. This victory was a turning point for America in the war.  Towering 352 feet in the air, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial was built in 1915 as a testament to the everlasting peace and friendship between the nations. Buried at the base of the column are six soldiers who perished in the battle and the names of all the soldiers slain in the battle are etched inside the great rotunda. Karen and I went to the top of the monument during our visit. The view of the Islands and the lake are breath taking.

Put-in-Bay

A large American flag is flown proudly above the municipal pier in Put-in-Bay. Every evening, before sunset, the flag is lowered while the National Anthem is played/sung on speakers loud enough to hear throughout the harbor and city. At the end all the boaters in the harbor honk their horns. It is quite moving.

Only a few miles away from Put-in-Bay was the more laid back Kellys Island. We relaxed for a few days, toured the island by golf cart and enjoyed some remarkable sunsets. Also of note… the frozen Brandy Alexanders at the Villiage Pump. I can only describe this as a very tasty adult beverage milk shake! Bartender… I’ll have another!

Sunset at Kellys and 300-400 year old native American pictographs carved into Inscription Rock

Leaving Kellys Island behind, we headed back to the mainland and the port of Sandusky, Ohio. We had an appointment here for some engine and electronics work to be done. Our stop here also allowed us to visit Cedar Point Amusement Park, a place that held fond memories for Karen from her youth. Although our backs and necks may disagree, the highlight here was the Blue Streak, an old, original wooden roller coaster. Although it is not the fastest or tallest ride in the park, those old fashioned rickety twists and turns are still exciting.

With our amusement park fix and boat maintenance behind us it was time to plan our exit from Lake Erie. Our next destination would be up the Detroit River to….. Detroit. Knowing the run from Sandusky to Detroit would make for a very long day so we planned to stop again overnight in Put-in-Bay along the way. The weather predictions that day had been fairly ominous but the conditions never seemed to look as bad as predicted. After consulting with many local boaters, we headed out of Sandusky at 5 pm which was very unusual for us. The seas were rougher than we had seen in the past with 2-3 foot waves on the bow but we put we hammered down the throttles and powered through the waves and in less than two hours we were safely on our mooring in the bay.

We woke up early the next morning to beautiful skies and relatively calm seas… perfect for our jaunt to Detroit. We had a nice uneventful trip. We had many marinas to choose from in Detroit but based our decision of where to dock with one main criterion….walking distance to Buddy’s Pizza. Karen went to high school outside of Detroit and Buddy’s has always been her all-time favorite pizza. We tied up and hoofed it 1.5 miles and pigged out. Buddy’s did not disappoint. Great Pizza! And on that note I end this post!