After traveling 740 miles in Canada, passing through 43 locks over 42 days, then re-entering the USA, we headed for Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island, MI. This journey would take us 47 miles across the top of Lake Huron and into the Straits of Mackinac. We started the day passing this lighthouse with nothing but smooth water ahead!
It wasn't long before we could see the Mackinac Bridge, which is the world's 16th longest in total suspension at 26,372 feet. It is four miles long and connects the Upper and Lower peninsulas.
As we approached the bridge we could see the beautiful country side of Mackinac Island.
Shortly after we docked, this cruise ship arrived.
Everything we had read about the island was absolutely true. Once we got off the boat, it was like we stepped back in time to the early 1800's. No motor vehicles are permitted on the island, so the mode of transportation is by horse, bicycle or foot. The island atmosphere was simply enchanting with its historic waterfront village, horse-drawn carriages . . .
. . . Colonial homes, lawn cricket and locals dressed in period clothing (not costumes).
We had heard that the waters of Lake Michigan were "Caribbean like", but didn't really believe it until we saw for ourselves at Mackinac Island.
It's true!! The water is crystal clear blue-green, but the temperature is rarely above 70 degrees!
We had also heard that the waters of Lake Michigan can be brutal. When the wind comes from the west, the fetch builds coming across the lake resulting in huge waves by the time it hits the coast of Michigan. Unfortunately we also found this to be true, which meant we watched the weather closely and never traveled on a day with high wind and waves. After only one night at Mackinac Island, we headed to Petoskey because the weather was going to get rough mid-week. It was quite a sight passing under the Mackinac Bridge.
Petoskey was a great stop with a quaint downtown filled with restaurants and shops. It was a very popular spot with the Loopers, in fact ten boats arrived the same day we did. We were still cruising with our buddies on Morningstar, Sweet T and Chica, which made for a fun foursome at a beautiful nearby golf course.
The sunsets in the marina in Petoskey were amazing.
We stayed in Petoskey for four nights waiting for a good travel day. Our four boat flotilla took off for a short 13 mile run to Lake Charlevoix. Good thing it was only 13 miles, as the forecasted 1-2 foot waves were more like 3-5 footers!! Charlevoix is mainly a resort community with scenic natural attractions. The town's population explodes from 3,000 residents in the winter to about 30,000 in the summer. Big, beautiful homes line the shoreline.
Here we saw very impressive boat houses.
We rafted-off at an anchorage called Oyster Bay on Lake Charleviox.
Our next stop was Northport Marina in Little Traverse Bay. It was here that the new dinghies were delivered for the captains of Phase II, Morningstar and Sweet T. Long story short, major dinghy envy of Chica occurred while in Canada, which resulted in a group order of new AB inflatable dinks.
Our next destination was Traverse City, which was a short 26 mile run from Northport. We were so excited that our oldest son Mike and our two grandsons Jude and Jonah drove from Columbus to spend a few days on the boat with us. We had such a great time with them, it was soooo great seeing them!
After the boys left, we waited a few more days for a good weather window. As you can see, it was a perfectly flat day on Lake Michigan. They were very few and far between, so we totally enjoyed the cruise to South Manitou Island that day.
South Manitou Island is located about 16 miles off shore, has many sand dunes . . .
and a beautiful lighthouse that was built 1971.
We anchored off the island with several other sailboats. The next morning brought a spectacular sunrise.
When heading south on Lake Michigan, and starting with Frankfort, Michigan Harbors of Refuge are available about every 20 miles providing protected harbors with anchorages and inexpensive marinas all the way to Chicago. As I said, Lake Michigan waters can be brutal with strong westerly winds, which makes these harbors extremely important. Just north of Frankfort is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which includes massive sand dunes up to 450-feet high, a scenic shoreline and untouched forests. In 2011 and 2014 Sleeping Bear Dunes was voted one of the Top Ten "Most Beautiful Places in America."
On Monday, August 15th we headed to Frankfort for the night. It was a small town with a waterfront village of shops and restaurants.
From there is was on to Ludington, where we anchored with a fellow Looper called Over Ice. From our anchorage we took the dingy to shore and walked to a beautiful white, sandy beach. The blue-green waters and white sand all along the shore were just amazing! Later that day a quick rain brought a vibrant rainbow.
Again we had to wait for good weather to make the 70 mile run to Grand Haven. It was a peaceful morning when we headed out. The moon was still in the sky and the waters were smooth.
In Grand Haven we reconnected with our Canada flotilla (we had separated when we went down to Traverse City). We stayed at the municipal marina the first night, where we got to experience the Musical Fountain show. Every summer evening, the world-famous Musical Fountain has synchronized programs with water, music and multi-colored lights. The fountain, the largest of its kind in the world, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013.
Grand Haven had a thriving downtown, which we thoroughy enjoyed. With a nasty forecast for the next several days, we went up river to wait for a good weather window to travel. Before sunrise on August 22nd, we took off with Morningstar and Chica.
To avoid any further delays due to weather, we decided to take advantage of the relatively smooth waters and make the 120 mile run to Hammond, IN.
It turned out to be a beautiful day on mighty Lake Michigan. And the skyline of Chicago in the distance was quite a sight.
