Whitehall,Grand Haven and Saugatuck

We anchored one night in Whitehall in a quiet secluded spot.  We initially looked for an anchorage at the foot of the lake but as soon as we got off the channel we found ourselves in some very skinny water, at one point we only had 9 inches below our keel.  Yikes!

Left for Grand Haven the next day and stayed at the City Dock overnight.  Nice location for accessing the town and events but lots of foot traffic.  When we stayed it was free with no electricity, but they will soon be charging $10 per night, still a bargain.   For anyone coming into Grand Haven the Coast Guard festival begins July 28 through August 6.

We spent the next three days in Saugatuck.  It was a rocky day on the lake, the forecasted 1-3 foot waves became 4-6 footers with the occasional 7-8 footer thrown in for good measure coming on our bow or on the starboard quarter for the last few miles.  It was a bow smacking day.  Oh well, we call days like this payback days for all the beautiful boating days.

We saw this boater rowing across Lake Michigan (not sure but he was headed across the lake).  The picture isn't very clear due to the waves, although we were still in the 2-4 foot wave stage. Along with the relief from the heavy seas when we reached Saugatuck we were pleasantly surprised by the next 4 miles to our anchorage along the Saugatuck river.  Wooded hills lined both banks with houses interspersed along the way.

Here is a house that appeared to be built straight out from the hill, notice the door underneath in all the greenery?

Forget the flowers, I think a bird lover lives here, there were actually 4 birdhouses in a row (I only captured 3).

One more photo of the Saugatuck River with no signs of habitation, people houses or bird houses!
We found a Super Valu grocery store within walking distance in Douglas.  You had to dinghy to the right spot but we were able to tie our dinghy to the dock at The Red Dock.  The Red Dock is an outdoor bar and restaurant.  As we didn't eat there (we were there early in the day) I can't comment on the beer or food but it was very nice to let us tie off at their dock.
The next couple of days we checked out the other side of the lake, the town of Saugatuck which was touristy and artsy and also enjoyable.
One more stop on Lake Michigan.
On to St. Joseph ~~~~~~

Loopers in Frankfort!

Anchored in the bay near Frankfort and met up with some Loopers, Tari and Roger McGee on Paradise Hunter.  Had a delightful time with them and a pleasant lunch at the Stormcloud Brewing Company.  They specialize in Belgian-style craft beer and I had an excellent blonde ale. 

From right to left, Tari, Roger, Bruce and Chris.

Next, on to Ludington.  We ended up spending four days in Ludington, two days at anchor.  After two days we headed to Pentwater and halfway there needed to turn back to the Ludington Municipal Marina for a doctor’s visit.  Stayed two additional days which gave us time to check out their local brewery, Jamesport Brewing Co.  They brew on site, so of course we had to sample some of their beers.  It was an excellent lunch and great beer, and I would highly recommend these two breweries for beer lovers. 

The first two days at anchor were in the bay in by the waterfront.  They had a beautiful park and live music the first night.  The ferry `Badger’ docked close to us and did their round trip to Manitowac, WI twice a day.  The SS Badger has been in service on Lake Michigan since 1953, with a length of 410 feet.  It was designated a National Historic Landmark on January, 20, 2016.  The ship is named for the University of Wisconsin athletic teams, the Wisconsin Badgers.  The boat is steam powered and fueled by coal.  The Badger carries 620 passengers and 180 autos.  Very impressive underway and no, we are not going to collide, we are at anchor!  

On to Whitehall~~~~~~~~

Charlevoix to Leland

In order to enter Round Lake at Charlevoix you need to go under a bridge with a clearance of 17', little low for us, the bridge opens on the hour and half hour, so it isn't much of a wait.  We headed for Lake Charlevoix and dropped anchor in Oyster Bay and spent pleasant 2 days.

Our next stop was Leland and it turned out to be a long day with following seas on our back quarter in 4-6 footers.  That angle is constant pitching with a little side to side twist over and over and ........ Well I'm sure you have been there. 

Took me a while to get my land legs back.  

Leland turned out to be a great town for us, which was good because we ended up staying 5 days due to the weather.  The Chicago-Mackinac race is in progress and I feel bad for those guys, it's a little rough out there.  

So on to the town....

This looked familiar, saw it in a little bookshop, although the shopkeeper hadn't heard of any children actually asking for the free puppy.  

I want one of those signs

I think he's starting to relax.

He's the love of my life.

This photo doesn't do justice to what I am trying to project.  There are parts of Leland that remind me of a waterfront Diagon Alley (for Harry Potter fans). This particular sidewalk is actually off the main drag like a little alley with picturesque shops on either side.

These are photos of the Leland River after the falls and just before it enters Lake Michigan, the middle one was taken from the Cove, a great bar and restaurant overlooking the river.

I also found a real live Sperry Shoe Store and we were helped by the owner of the store who knows her shoes!  I always stop when I can find a shoe store specializing in Sperry shoes and bought a pair of sandals.   

We spent less time on the history of the town and more on boat chores, provisioning and socializing (lots of socializing) with some great people.

On to Frankfort~~~~→

Beaver Island Anchorage

We had breakfast at Dalwhinnie Bakery and Deli, which turned out to be an excellent choice.  The Veggie Haystack was the best breakfast I have had in a while, and I have had a lot of good breakfasts lately.  

I had to laugh when I saw this sign in the Deli.  I was told they actually have kids who come in to ask for a free puppy.

After breakfast we hit the 3 museums in town.  

The Marine Museum had many interesting old, original photos with the maritime history of the town.

The Historical Society is restoring a wooden gill net boat from 1935. We were able to go aboard to get a sense of what life was like aboard.

 

We were allowed to board the boat and could have taken some great interior pictures but my battery died hence no photos.  

Our next museum stop was the Toy Museum which was more of a gift shop than museum but had some great old toys.   The shop owner is also an artist and sells her great collection of watercolor paintings and jewelry.  Also very friendly and trusting, we purchased a few items but had no cash or checks and she doesn't take plastic, she told us to just mail a check when we returned home.  Haha, since we don't think we will be home for a couple of years we decided to find an ATM.  

Our last museum was the old Mormon Print Shop which was originally built in 1850 by the followers of Jesse James Strang, crowned King by the Mormon followers on the island.  This museum focused on the history of the island including a room dedicated to the story of Strang and his followers.  Strang was finally assasinated by two disgruntled followers in 1856, ending his short 8 year reign. Shortly later the rest of the Mormons were ousted from the island and the important seaport at that time reclaimed.    

On to Charlevoix~~~~~~→

Alfred Hitchcock's Night of the Ducks!

Did I say `ducks'?

Yes, those cute feathery little creatures provided us with much entertainment as they fought for the bread crumbs we tossed.  Not so cute later on that night.

As I lay in the V-berth reading and drifting off to sleep with the gentle rocking of the boat and the muted sounds of the harbor,  I slowly became aware of an increasingly staccato sound.   Hmm, that doesn't sound normal.  So I did what we all like to do, pretended I didn't hear it until I could no longer block it out and I just knew it wasn't going away.  I went aboveboard, no small feat when everything was buttoned up for the night.  On deck, I looked up and around the boat, but everything looked normal.  Checked the halyards, the stays... Walked up to the bow, but everything looked normal and in place.  Puzzled, I began to  go below when.... Wait!   Are those ducks?  Not just one or two but a horde swimming about the boat.  Then I listened again, yep that sound was low towards the waterline.  Could it be?  YES, those darned ducks were pecking at the hull of the boat.
Was it revenge?   Looking to gain attention for more food?  Eating insects against the hull?
Guess we will never know, it went on for a good hour and then they just disappeared into the inky darkness.

St. Ignace, Lake Huron

The Fort de Buade Museum in St. Ignace was bequeathed to the city by the family of a man who who had a vast collection of Native American artifacts obtained through garage sales and flea markets!  The fort was named for Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac, the governor of New France from 1672 to 1682, and then again from 1689 until his death in 1698.  Fort de Buade was the most important French outpost in northern Michigan west of Montreal.

St. Ignace has a nice boardwalk along the waterfront.  

Fisherman's Memorial along the boardwalk.  

Sunrise over the marina.  

                    Sunrise over the Straits of Mackinac on route to Beaver Island

                   

              The difference between a lighthouse and an abandoned lighthouse,

Next

Beaver Island

Les Cheneaux Islands, Lake Huron

 Les Cheneaux Islands are comprised of 36 beautiful islands with a channel running east-west and 3 entries, the west, east and middle.  There are many wood boat lovers in this area and we saw many classy restored wood boats. 

Hessel has the largest antique boat show in the world every August. 

Of the 36 islands one, Dollar Island, is named for the purchase price.  This house was built on the island and covers pretty much every bit of land. 

This is a rather good photo from google images.  I lost all my Cheneaux Islands pictures, gotta love technology.  

We spent two nights at anchor in government bay near the northwest end of Government Island and LaSalle Islands with a mud bottom.  

                             
Anchorage off Government Island.  

We met a nice local couple boating near our boat in the bay.  Howie and Cathy own two hotels in St. Ignace.  They suggested we take the west channel back to Lake Huron which turned out to be a scenic and enjoyable route.  

Leaving the Soo for St. Marys River

You may have noticed my alternate spelling for Sault St. Marie, it seems to be a common shorthand for the name.  The next leg of our journey was a two day trip down the St. Marys River.

But I have a little more interesting information about the Soo.  Water Street a historic block that fronts the marina includes several historic homes including the Bishop Baraga house, Johnson House,  and Henry Rowe Schoolcraft office.  Schoolcraft was the first indian agent in the area.  Schoolcraft married one of the Johnson daughters and they continued to live in the Johnson house which dates back to the early 1800’s. 

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft office

Back to St. Marys River which was a blur the first day due to the fog and rain but the AIS absolutely was a must with the laker traffic.  The term ‘laker’ is used to refer to the ships (also referred to as 'boats' on the lakes) that stay within the Great Lakes and ‘salty’ refers to the ocean going vessels.  I use the term loosely to refer to all the big ships on the lake.  The AIS worked great clearly identifying and scaring the crap out of us the first couple of times the ‘collision alarm’ went off.  We anchored in a little area off the river by nun and can #’s 25 and 26 by the rock cut in about 15 feet of water. 

All the rain and fog of the day before was worth the price of a gloriously sunny next day.  We continued down the river to Detour Village, MI for the Fourth.  

Saulte St. Marie

As we passed through the Soo Lock we officially left Lake Superior and completed the first leg of our journey.  As much as we love Superior we were glad to see the backside of her as she wasn’t kind this June.  Cold, wet, and foggy weather pretty much described the lake.  Most recreational craft use the Canadian lock as is it smaller and who wants to be in a lock with a Laker if they don’t have to?  We stayed at the George Kemp Marina which was beautiful and had a full range of amenities we were even able to use their bikes.  All Michigan marinas are owned by the DNR and are regulated to the same rate.  We paid only $37.00 for our 30 footer. 

As we pulled into our slip we were greeted by a gentleman who asked if we were ‘Loopers’.  Well, I was so flabbergasted because that was the first time we had been asked, that I don’t think I even answered him.  Fortunately my husband was there and he did answer.  Glen and Jill are on their trawler, Last Dance, and they are on an extended second loop.  They were full of good information about the Loop and we enjoyed our time learning more about the routes. 

We arrived on June 30 and July 1 is Canada Day.  We had docktails, (another first) with 3 Canadian couples enjoying the holiday stateside.  They left for the Canadian side before the fireworks started  to be in Canada on their holiday. Very colorful people all dressed in Canadian colors and enjoying an extended weekend. 

Cheers!

We also enjoyed the Canadian fireworks.

We stayed in the Marina for three days and had a chance to take in the Soo Museum and get a birds eye view of the Lakers transiting the Lock. 

To give a short timeline of the Soo go back 12,000 years when the Native Americans first settled here.  This area was a crossroads of trade and fishing for the Great Lakes tribes.  Next came the Jesuit priests in the 1600’s.  Then the French ruled the single community until the British colonial rule.  After the War of 1812 the border became fixed between Michigan and Canada. To bring you up to date we now have two cities joined by an international bridge with American and Canadian Locks.  Nearly 7000 ships pass through here carrying up to 86 million tons.  It always amazes me how far back we can trace the history of this area.  

The Paul R. Tregurtha transiting the American Lock.  

The Japanese Gate at the Soo.

A belated picture of our grandson, Jaxon who joined us for the Bayfield segment.  Hi Jaxon!

Whitefish Bay

We arrived in Whitefish and stayed at the docks inside of the harbor.  I don't think you can call it a marina as it was very rough with no amenities but it was a welcome respite from another cold, wet day on Lake Superior.

Whitefish Bay is infamous for the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, it happened only 17 miles from there and close to Sault Ste. Marie.  The Edmund Fitzgerald, a 735 ft freighter, was no stranger to Lake Superior, they left Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of November 9 meeting up with the Arthur M. Anderson as they passed Two Harbors, MN.  The two captains, Captain McSorley of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Captain Cooper of the Arthur M. Anderson kept in radio contact as they were aware that a storm warning had been issued and decided to take the northern track to gain the protections of the highlands of the Canadian shore.  At 3:30 the afternoon of November 10 Captain McSorley contacted Captain Cooper reporting some damage and that the boat had a slight list and asked if they would stay close until they reached Whitefish Bay.  I imagine the crew took a sigh of relief as they reached Whitefish.  Captain McSorley's last message to Captain Cooper was "We are holding our own."  At about 5:20 pm the crest of a wave smashed the Anderson’s starboard lifeboat, making it unusable. Captain Cooper reported winds from the NW x W (305 ) at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet.

According to Captain Cooper, about 6:55 pm, he and the men in the Anderson’s pilothouse felt a “bump”, felt the ship lurch, and then turned to see a monstrous wave engulfing their entire vessel from astern. The wave worked its way along the deck, crashing on the back of the pilothouse, driving the bow of the Anderson down into the sea.

“Then the Anderson just raised up and shook herself off of all that water – barrooff – just like a big dog. Another wave just like the first one or bigger hit us again. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent him under.”  Excerpt from "The Fateful Journey" by Sean Ley

The entire crew of 29 men perished that night.  

Image of the Edmund Fitzgerald from the Shipwreck Museum.

The sinking led to changes in the Great Lakes shipping regulations including  mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard and more frequent inspection of vessels.

I never sail in the Whitefish without remembering the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.