Next morning after breakfast and coffee, Melanie ran a few errands like laundry and last minute supplies and then we left and headed East towards Presque Isle. The wind was light so we motored and made a steady five to six knots. The wind gradually faded and then turned to the southeast which was against us. It gradually built until we were seeing guests over 20 with 2 to 3 ft waves! I raised the mainsail and we rolled up our large jib and used the staysail and the main to zig-zag our way into Presque Isle Harbor. Using just the motor it would have taken us 3 hours to go 4 miles but even though we Zig zagged and probably doubled the distance we were safely there within an hour or so. We dropped anchor, cleaned up and Melanie made us a hot bowl of soup and boat-lox, it’s the Cruisers version of Lox, smoked salmon and cream cheese with onion and tomato on a bagel. Only we use canned salmon and mix it with the cream cheese. It’s quite delicious. We watched a show on TV before falling into bed exhausted. We were asleep before 9:30!

The wind switched during the night to a southerly breeze and so when we woke up, hauled up the anchor and set off the wind was once again in our face. We decided to motor sail not only to make speed but to make sure that I had enough power as our batteries are starting to misbehave. We started off with the gentle 10 to 12 knot breeze and made good progress along the North Shore of Presque Isle, past Stoneport and then headed south towards the entrance of Thunder Bay.

The weather forecast was for 10 knot winds, but as we rounded the corner of Thunder Bay the winds increased to 20 to 25 knots. Waves quickly built up to four to six feet. We slogged along, zigzagging our way towards Harrisville as we were not able to really make any decent speed with just the engine. About 7 miles from the harbor, the winds started to die a little, but the waves were still big. We decided to unroll the jib to help with our speed as the wind was slowly decreasing. As the sail filled the bolt in the turnbuckle holding the forestay onto the front of the boat sheared in half!

The full sail flapped backwards crashing into the staysail and the mast and spreaders. We quickly turned the boat around so the wind was coming from behind to take the load off the front of the boat to prevent the Mast from breaking. I wrestled with the forestay and together, Melanie and I managed to finally roll up the sail around the roller furler and then we managed to secure the furling to the starboard shroud so it would not fly about and do damage to the boat and to us. We dropped the main as well and limped in to Harrisville under engine with the staysail providing support and a little extra speed. Thankfully the wind calmed down some more and the waves died down so that the seas calmed which limited the rocking and rolling. We were concerned that the mast would break so we were careful about making safe way to port. We arrived in Harrisville about 2 hours after our scheduled arrival but the dock hands waited for us and helped us in much to our surprise. We settled in and once the boat was safely tied up we took a long walk on Shore with Windsor and went to the local restaurant for a glass of champagne and some food.

After work the following day I spent time searching for and procuring a new fitting to replace the one that broke. We found exactly what we needed online so it was just a matter of ordering and waiting for the part to be delivered. In the meantime we busied ourselves with resupplying, going to a farmers market and buying fruit and vegetables. Saturday morning we walked into town to the local coffee shop for some breakfast and coffee. After that we went to the local Farmers Market and then came back to the boat to unpack everything. During the night the wind switched to the northwest and blew quite hard with large waves on the lake. It was in the mid-40s when we got up! We have no heat so we kept the boat closed up and did the best we could to stay warm under Cloudy Skies.

The Marina has a courtesy car and they took us to the hardware store so we could get a heater. Thankfully they had one in stock and we were able to warm the boat up nicely. Sunday we spent time chatting with locals and had dinner with our dock neighbors. Melanie made a turkey dinner with sweet potatoes broccoli and salad, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and some great companionship for the evening. Monday they hauled their boat out to head south for Florida and we made arrangements for the part we needed to be delivered to the marina by Tuesday.

Tuesday came and went. The parts did not arrive. What really angered me was it arrived in Alpena at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a bright sunny day with light winds, and UPS marked on my status delayed due to bad weather. They lied! I chatted with the parts company and they apologized, but it wasn’t really their fault it was UPS. The part finally arrived just after noon on Wednesday. I got to work putting it onto the boat and to my dismay, found that one side did not fit properly! I had to drill out a hole through stainless and got halfway before another boater arrived that had helped us a few days prior. Between the two of us we found some parts in my toolbox and with the addition of a bolt, a nut and a few washers, we engineered a jury rig so that my forestay would at least be in place for us to get home. I would need a different, larger turnbuckle. We won’t use the jib, only the staysail which has its own stay so the forestay will hold the Mast up but not be under any significant load. After getting everything in place and preparing for departure, we said our goodbyes and left around 4:30 p.m.. we had about 120 miles to do in order to reach Port Huron sometime Thursday.

We left to a headwind between 15 and 20 knots with Lumpy 2 ft Seas. Initially it was slow going but the wind gradually moderated over the course of the evening and the waves subsequently dissipated until we were pretty much on calm water. We were able to make a good five knots and after a snack, we prepared for overnight. I would stand First Watch because I needed to work in the morning and Melanie would stand the midnight watch.

We set up the downstairs salon for sleeping and Melanie went down around Sunset to try and get some sleep. We moved nicely through ever decreasing waves with a steady 10 to 12 knot winds pushing us along. Ship traffic abounded and the shore of the thumb of Michigan was outlined in red lights, all flashing in unison on top of the windmills that lined the sky. It was a beautiful starry night, clear skies above with some clouds on the horizon but it was great for stargazing. I’m always amazed at the beauty and the grandeur of God’s creation.

Around 11:30 the flashing green light indicating the shallow area between Port Austin and Harbor Beach made its appearance about 3 miles off the starboard bow. I plotted a conservative track to keep myself in deep water, not really being able to see the shoreline except for the lights. Depth perception at night is quite an issue. We hummed along making good progress into the night. At 1:00 a.m. I went to bed and Melanie took over. We made fairly decent progress through the night and when I awoke in the morning around 6:30, we were only about 35 miles from Port Huron. Needless to say, the wind did not cooperate with us and we gradually slowed down until there was almost no wind at all. It also started to get hot! That was something we have not had on this trip for quite a while!

Around 4:30 or so we entered the St Clair River and our speed jumped to 9.5 knots or more! We passed under the bridge and a short while thereafter turned into the Black River and docked safely at Port Huron Yacht Club. We went out to dinner and enjoyed some Michigan pothole ice cream for the last time before returning to the boat. We took showers and Melanie went to bed at 8:00! I stayed up and did a little reading until 9:00 and then went to bed. We slept hard all night. When the motor is running, it’s very hard to get sleep and even the slightest rocking or hobby horsing distort disturbs your sleep, overnights take a toll but we had to do it in order to be able to be in Grosse Ile on Friday to meet family.

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. the next day. There was barely a hint of daylight when we dropped our dock lines after walking the dog for the last time and heading into the river for our trip down to the entrance of Lake Erie. We watched a beautiful sunrise, the Sun, a large red ball Rose slowly above the trees and shone through the haze to welcome us into a new day. We made quick progress down the river, there was virtually no wind to speak of but the currents kept us moving at a healthy six to eight knots. By 11:30 we were crossing Lake St Clair and entering the Detroit River a few hours later where once again the current picked us up and moved us nicely. It was hot! We both had short sleeves and shorts, the first time we have worn shorts on the water since starting this trip at the beginning of August! With the water temperatures of Lakes Michigan and Huron only being in the low 60s, it’s quite brisk and chilly on the water. Today we sweated. The wind was supposed to be out of the East which would have helped us but instead was out of the North, so going in the same direction as the wind makes it much lighter and it gave us virtually no relief from the heat. It was only in the 80s but to us it was very hot.

We eventually made it to our anchoring spot near Sugar Island. Around 6:30 we dropped anchor and lowered the dinghy before heading into Shore to meet up with Carol, Art, Lynn and John and their daughter Katy. We enjoyed a nice dinner before heading back to the boat around sunset. We went straight to sleep, We Were tired. We woke the next morning around 7:30 and after a few chores, raised the anchor and motored out into the down Channel. We scooted off into the bay at around 7 knots with zero wind. We tried raising the sails but they helped very little. Nevertheless we kept them up and kept the motor running and after a while a gentle breeze from on the nose, East, came up and helped us a little with our speed. We passed Middle Sister Island sister, and shortly thereafter our familiar Islands came into view.

As we approached our home grounds the boat traffic got heavier. We forgot how busy it is around our area of the lake on weekends. We have been gone for weeks and rarely saw a boat as most of the ports in Michigan are travel ports, people are going from one place to another. There’s not much going on except around the big cities like Traverse City and Port Huron. Around 4:00 p.m. we arrived and after pumping out and filling up with diesel we headed back to our Dock and tied up, another trip in the books! We arrived safely home to a beautiful blue sky and are glad we’re home safely. We celebrated with an extravagant night out at our favorite restaurant – Orchards. Planning now Begins for next year!

When we left Mackinac Island, we started out under full sail for a short while, headed under the Mackinac Bridge and aimed towards our next waypoint which was an abandoned lighthouse in the middle of Gray’s Reef, a shallow area that extends into the lake from Waugoshance Point. From there we would head south towards our intended destination which was Charlevoix. We put up the spinnaker and that gave us quite a bit of speed, but as the morning progressed, the wind gradually shifted to the east and the southeast and then died. Not even the light fabric of a Spinnaker which is three times the size of all of our other sails combined, yet weighs half as much, could lift to the wind and move us forward. We reluctantly turned on the engine and started to motor.

We passed over the shallow reef and headed south towards Charlevoix. The wind gradually filled in the but we kept the motor running to ensure that we arrived before sunset. We made it for the 7:00 p.m. Bridge and shortly thereafter anchored in Round Lake in the middle of the town. After some housekeeping we lowered the dinghy and went ashore to stretch our legs. We stopped at a bar for a cup of coffee and some chicken wings. There we met someone from a boat we had encountered in Harrisville a week or so earlier. We chatted for a while and then headed back for a good night’s sleep. It is so calm in this little Round Lake that it felt as though we were tied up to the dock.

We awoke to brilliant sunshine and a mirror calm. After feeding Windsor, we headed to shore, ate breakfast and got a good cup of coffee before heading back to the boat where I started my work day and Melanie did her boat chores.

I took the afternoon off and we spent the day walking around exploring the shops, stopping for some good coffee and then finally found a great place to eat dinner. We had an early night and started the next morning off with a farmer’s market. Melanie stocked up on fruit and veggies and after work we walked around looking for another coffeemaker to replace the one that broke when we left Mackinac Island. We ended up walking about 2 miles to a Dollar General and found the last one so it was definitely meant for us :). We showered and fell into bed exhausted.

Friday morning we cast off our dock lines and headed out of Round Lake towards Sutton’s bay. It started off a little choppy as the wind was blowing out of the West. As we entered Traverse Bay the wind gradually switched to the South and calmed down a little, not enough for us to sail but enough for us to motor without bouncing around too much. We entered Sutton’s Bay right around 6:00 p.m. After dropping anchor, we watched a movie and then went to bed. We spent the next morning going to the farmer’s market, searching out coffee and just strolling around town. This was the first day we actually had warm enough weather to go without sweatshirts! I ended up taking a little swim in the bay off the back of the boat and boy was the water cold! We relaxed and did essentially nothing and enjoyed every minute of it.

Around dinner time we went back into shore and found a really nice outdoor restaurant where we had a wonderful dinner before retiring to the boat for the evening. Sunday was pretty much the same, Melanie had hurt her ankle in Charlevoix so we were babying it and limiting the amount of walking we did. We got coffee, sat and watched people and then went back to the boat where we spent most of the day. There was a grocery store on the other side of the road from the beach we were anchored near, so I jumped off in the afternoon and went for a quick grocery store run to resupply. Melanie made tuna with mac and cheese for dinner and then we went ashore to take the dog for a walk and ended up back at the same restaurant for a glass of champagne and an appetizer.

This entire trip we have been sleeping with three blankets, flannel sheets and a comforter! Sunday night was not the night for any of that. It was so hot that we took all the covers off and laid there with the fan blowing on us to try and stay cool. To top all that off, our wind pooped during the day and the generator fell behind in supplying our power for the fridge and the freezer. We had to turn the fridge off to ensure there would be enough power to start the motor in the morning.

It was a struggle, but we were able to get the motor started in the morning and turned everything back on and thankfully, there was Zero wind to tempt us to sail. The water was like a mirror, no ripples and you could see the bottom as clear as day in 25 ft of water. I hauled up the anchor and we left Suttons bay, headed toward Traverse city. We motored past hills covered in homes surrounded by large trees showing just a hint of fall. Some of the Maple trees were starting to turn already! It’s not even September but, given the cool weather we have had for the past few weeks, it’s not surprising.

There was no wind so we ended up motoring all the way to Traverse City. After work, we walked around and did some exploring and shopping, hitting our favorite stores like Cherry Republic among others. We watched a movie and fell into bed. When we awoke on Tuesday morning, Melanie’s foot was in tremendous pain so we laid low and she relaxed while I worked. After work I found a pizza place and we ordered pizza and ate it on the boat. Melanie’s ankle and instep were very painful so there was no walking to be done. We laid low on Tuesday as well to try and let Melanie’s foot heal. I finally found a program on the Rife machine on Wednesday that matched her symptoms and after starting it up, there was an almost immediate effect. She started to feel better right away so we spent the day relaxing while I worked in the hopes that Thursday she would be ready to explore.

Thursday morning Melanie’s son came to visit with his family. We went out to breakfast and then I returned to work while they walked around town shopping and exploring. It was our last night here so after work we took a walk down the Main Street and found a nice place to eat outside. We finished off our meal with a delicious tiramisu from a local Family Restaurant. We returned to the boat and walked Windsor before retiring for the night.

Friday morning we left early on a South West Breeze. We put up the Spinnaker and sailed for a good three to four hours with just the Spinnaker up doing anywhere between 6 and 8 Knots! We had to zigzag down Traverse Bay due to the wind direction and after one of our changes in course, the wind dropped substantially and then suddenly came up to over 20! We had to wrestle the Spinnaker down as the wind was simply too much for it. The sail dragged in the water a little but we were able to haul it aboard safely. We put up the main sail and the jib and sailed with them for a short while and then the wind faded again – enough for us to roll up the jib and put the Spinnaker back up. We sailed until almost 7p.m., a good 11 hours and made it all the way up to the abandoned Lighthouse at Gray’s Reef. 65 miles in 11 hours, quite a good run if I say so myself.

We took the Spinnaker down and then turned East toward Cheboygan and the Mackinac Bridge. We were still able to hold speeds between 5 and 6 but after crossing the reef, it became much calmer. Prior to that we had seen waves up to 5 ft which made hand steering an absolute necessity as the autopilot could simply not cope. I drove for all 11 hours as it was too much for Melanie. After the turn Eastward, we were able to use the autopilot and the waves really flattened down to no more than perhaps one foot or so. We watched the Sun sink into the water, leaving beautiful pink clouds behind. Skies cleared and the storms all missed us, passing safely to our South.

Melanie made us a quick dinner and then a good hot cup of coffee to warm us up. As the sun dropped it became a little chilly on the water but we made good progress towards the bridge and our intended destination which was Cheboygan. The wind gradually faded so we were glad that we had the motor on. We made steady progress under the bridge which was quite beautiful and crossed over into Lake Huron. The Mackinac Bridge is decorated with colored lights and was quite spectacular. Photos don’t do it justice, it’s the longest suspension bridge in the United States, 6.5 Miles, and with all those lights it is quite a sight. The skies were crystal clear and the stars were spectacular. We could see the Milky Way shaken out as a foggy smudge on the black night sky.

We made it into Cheboygan Marina around 1a.m., we were exhausted. We tied up at the same dock we were at before we left for Mackinac Island! We closed everything up and went to bed and awoke the next morning to a beautiful sunny day with a gentle breeze out of the south. We dressed, ate breakfast and then put our laundry in and went to the farmers market to buy some produce. We picked up fruit and veggies and some seasonings and were quite pleased with ourselves. We set sail around 11:30 headed to Rogers City and by then the winds were 10 to 15 knots from the South. We wanted to be in early so we motor Sailed to ensure a consistent speed. The wind was coming from our left quarter and with the motor running at about half speed we were able to make an easy 6.5 to 7.5 knots.

The wind gradually increased until our speeds were in the 7 to 8 knot range. We were tied up in Rogers City by 5p.m. and the first thing we did was head ashore to find a place to eat. We went to the same place we had gone 2 years ago and they would not allow Windsor into the restaurant patio so we walked home and on our way back, we passed a small Sports Bar call International. We asked them if we could sit out back and they heartily agreed. We enjoyed a nice dinner there before coming home, watching a movie and retiring to bed.

Sunday was a very windy day. We decided to go to church and after a little research on Google Maps, I found a church called Sunrise Christian close by. We walked to church leaving Windsor in the boat. On the way we passed a cemetery and across the street was a small house with a huge U-Haul truck parked in the driveway. A strange thought popped into my head and I said to Melanie, “I wonder if they need help moving?” It was a strange thought to have but we continued down the road and found the church. Little did I know that the thought was the Holy Spirit talking to me.

We were greeted when we walked in by the pastor’s wife and her husband who introduced himself. We shared a wonderful fellowship and communion with the church family and during the service they spoke about a couple that had returned to work at the church and that was THEIR moving truck! They were serving lunch after church and then unloading the truck! Who knew??

After church, we told the pastor what had happened and he invited us to lunch and to help. We then ate a delicious lunch before heading down the hill to unload the U-Haul. One of the church members rode Melanie back to the marina so she could pick up Windsor. She then walked back to the house where we were just finishing the unloading of their furniture.. We were done in just over an hour and then got a ride from another Church member to the grocery store near the marina where we picked up a few items before heading back to the boat. We took Windsor for a walk and met a few of the locals who were enjoying their day swapping boating and fishing stories. We ended up chatting to them for 2 or 3 hours before finishing our walk and returning to the boat for dinner. The wind Sunday afternoon had gradually increased in strength until it was 40 to 45 mph. Melanie made a tasty meal after which we watched a movie and tried to sleep. I spent almost 2 hours that night adjusting lines, taking in things that rattled – like flags – before the boat was quiet enough that I could go to sleep.

Monday was a holiday so we slept in until 9:00. A few boats came in and we chatted with the occupants and befriended a few people. On our morning walk we ran into Mark who we had chatted with the previous day and when he found out it was my birthday he gave us the keys to his car and told us about a breakfast place where we could go and eat breakfast. We took his car and found the place he recommended and enjoyed a wonderful meal. After dropping off the car we took a long walk around town just looking at shops and exercising the dog and then returned so Melanie could make dinner for us.

Tuesday was a work day and after I finished for the day, we went to The Bradley Museum to learn the history of the Bradley that sank in Lake Michigan in the 50s. Everyone except two people on board were killed. Of those 33 people who died, 23 of them were from Rogers City so it was a huge loss. We spoke to the docent and had an interesting conversation before heading home for dinner.

We were going to do the great loop this year but life got in the way. Our wanderlust got the better of us however, so we decided to take another trip to Michigan and visit some of the spots we enjoyed on our last adventure. Melanie’s youngest son was taking a camping trip to Lake Leelanau, so we would meet up with them in Traverse city around Labor Day. Our first priority was power. We purchased and installed a new wind generator and after an oil change and some regular engine maintenance, we were ready to leave.

we left early Wednesday morning, August 7 after fueling up at Anchors away and pumping out the holding tank. Tuesday was a very windy day with wind gusts up to 40 mph so we delayed our departure and were blessed with a beautiful wind out of the North-North East pushing us along at around 5 knots. We made good headway until we were about 4 miles West of Green Island. The wind slowly began to shift towards the North and then it faded completely. Eventually we gave up after our speed dropped below one knot and turned on the motor. The chart plotter resets itself when the motor starts and to our dismay would not reboot itself! We ended up using charts on my tablet and phone till we approached the entrance of the Detroit River. We prayed and asked God to help us get the chart plotter going. On a whim I took out the flashcards and started it up again and to our surprise it actually booted! We were able to safely navigate in and drop anchor at our chosen spot. Thank you God for that “random” thought!

After lowering the dinghy we went into shore and met up with Art and Carol for dinner. We had a wonderful evening and then returned to the boat for a good night’s sleep. Even though we were anchored close to shore, the current held the boat steady and we felt like we were at the dock! The boat barely moved all night. In the morning, we awoke to a beautiful sunrise then proceeded after eating breakfast to haul up the anchor which was absolutely covered in weeds! We made our way to the downward bound ship channel and proceeded up the river to our next stop.

We made slow progress up the river, but just before entering Detroit the wind switched so it was in our favor. We put up a staysail to help us and eventually the Yankee jib as well. Early in the afternoon we entered Lake St Clair and there we switched the engine off and used the wind only since there was very little current. We were able to make five to six knots easily which really helped our time and it was nice to not hear the engine banging away while working. We entered into the channel of the St Clair River around 6:00 p.m., passing by beautiful summer homes while avoiding the jet skis that were zooming up and down the channel making a pest of themselves. Melanie went down below after I finished work to make dinner for us while I took the helm. We had a beautiful sunny day with studded clouds and temps in the low to mid 70s, quite a change from scorching 90s and high humidity we had last week.

We enjoyed a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner with brussel sprouts while the boat slowly wound its way into the main channel and then turned North toward Port Huron, our next destination. We were not able to fly the Yankee jib but the staysail was able to fill, so it gave us a little boost of speed against the current. Melanie made us a cup of tea and we sat and watched the sun slowly sink in the West. While doing so it colored the sky and clouds with the most beautiful oranges and pinks we have seen in quite a while. Once Darkness settled, we dressed for the cool night and Melanie laid down to catnap while I drove the boat through the darkness up the St Clair river. Things are very different when it’s dark and you really have to pay attention to the chart plotter and the various lights you see on the water. It’s quite nerve-racking because it’s hard to judge distances. After motoring through the darkness for what seemed an eternity, we arrived at Port Huron around 4:30 in the morning.

We were able to pick out a spot to dock, so we tied the boat up, walked Windsor and then fell into bed fast asleep. We were both quite cold from the night air. We awoke around 7:30 in the morning to a beautiful clear sky and a south wind. We dropped our dock lines and headed out towards Lake Huron. Melanie made us breakfast and coffee, always a good start to the day. We had a nice breeze from the south pushing us so we unfurled the jib to help us fight against the current coming down the river. It gave us a good extra knot of speed. We moved slowly up the river, under the bridge that crosses between Huron and Sarnia and entered Lake Huron. As we passed under the bridge into Lake Huron, the river narrows and the current increases greatly. With the sails up we were making almost five knots and when we got to the bridge we slowed down to less than two!

Once we were far enough away from the river, we turned off the motor and raised the rest of the sails and made good way with the wind graduating increasing until we had all sails down except for the jib. It was quite windy and we were making a good way under clear skies but it was quite a ride. We were close to shore so the waves were not too big but nevertheless it was quite an adventurous ride. Wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour made going down below rather challenging. After hours of slogging through some waves which splashed over the boat soaking us completely, we made it to Harbor Beach. 10 hours of hard work.

We tried to drop anchor close to shore and it got caught up hopelessly in the weeds and started dragging, so I had to pull it up, clean it off and reset. The second time it held and we closed up shop on Deck, put the hatch covers in and went down below to a toasty warm cabin heated by the engine. Melanie made a quick dinner of salad and tuna noodle casserole and we tried to watch a little bit of TV but we were both exhausted. After a hot cup of tea and trying to watch something we both decided it was time for bed so I did my last anchor check and then we went to bed and slept like babies. We were up just after 7:00 and by 7:30 we had raised the anchor and were on our way to Harrisville. The wind was much lighter, only about 10 knots instead of the previous days 25 to 30 so we started out motor sailing with the two jibs. That gave us enough speed for us to be able to make good time to our next destination which was almost 55 miles away.

As we approached the tip of the thumb of Michigan, waves started to build to 4 to 6 ft and the wind increased dramatically from 10 to 15 up to 25 and higher. Our speed slowed as I took in the Yankee jib because our sailing angle was too tight. We were doing two knots and pounding quite a bit with waves washing over the front of the boat. Melanie hooked up a shower curtain as a temporary wind and water block and it was very effective. The bow of the boat was plunging through the tops of some of the waves and one of the waves shook the anchor loose. I went up to the front of the boat to make sure it was properly attached and the boat punched through a wave and there I was – standing in 2 feet of water! I stowed the anchor and returned to the cockpit where we both decided it was too rough to continue so we turned around and sailed in a MUCH calmer fashion back to Harbor beach. With the wind now behind us our ride became much smoother and more palatable. We made good time back to Harbor Beach where we arrived around noon with our tail between our legs. We dropped anchor, cleaned up and then headed into shore after lowering the dingy.

We spent a wonderful afternoon wandering around town, picking up a cup of coffee, some pulled chicken and an ice cream along the way. We just walked and let Windsor spend some time enjoying the smells on dry land. The museum had a wonderful swing in the backyard and we sat there for an hour or so while Windsor happily chased the squirrels in the trees. He had a wonderful afternoon. We headed back to the boat when the skies began to look a little foreboding and sure enough, shortly after we had raised the dinghy and strapped it in place it began to rain. It didn’t last long and we were able to sit out and watch a beautiful sunset and then retired to bed. We set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. so we could get on the road early in the hopes of making it to Harrisville the next day.

6:00 a.m. came around soon enough and before long I was dressed and hauling up the anchor. We headed out into the lake and turned North toward Harrisville. The day started off pretty much the same as the previous day. We made good time but were apprehensive about hitting the open water near Port Austin; that is where the bad waves and wind really hit us the previous day. Two miles past our data buoy the wind was still roughly the same and slowly moving to the West which gave the sails more thrust. It ended up being an uneventful day; we motor sailed and made good time pulling into port around 5:30 in the afternoon. The wind during the day slowly went to the west, then the Southwest, then South then East then Northeast! That was not in the forecast! We tied up safely, took Windsor and went into town searching for ice cream and a place to eat. We had dinner at a local bar and then went to the ice cream store for our Michigan Pothole! The person serving us was the same person that had served us two years ago! It was like stepping back in time. We fell into bed that evening exhausted and slept like two logs..

Next day was a long day of work for me while Melanie went grocery shopping, did laundry and other miscellaneous chores. We saw people come and go from the marina, there is a lot of traffic in and out of there as it’s the only place to stop for many miles. We befriended the man in the boat next to us and it turns out he is heading back to Port Clinton and is looking for a place to dock his boat so we gave him the information about our marina. We enjoyed our conversations after work and took another stroll into town after dinner for another sample of ice cream. Harrisville is a very quiet peaceful little town and will always hold a special place in our hearts. After a shower we went to bed and woke up early the next morning to prep for departure. I filled the water tanks, we took Windsor for a walk and then dropped our dock lines and departed. There was not a breath of wind; the lake was as calm and flat as a mirror. It was going to be another long day of loud Motoring, I guess that’s better than being bashed around below while trying to work LOL.

I was right, the wind did not materialize until we were almost at our destination so we had a long day of loud motoring. It really was a beautiful day though, not a cloud in the sky and barely a ripple on the water. We saw the odd boats passing by, both going in the same direction and the opposite direction to us, a few large ships, some fishermen and that was about it. I made good progress at work and right when I finished for the day the wind finally made an appearance – just enough for us to unroll the sails to give us a little boost toward our destination. We anchored in Presque Isle Bay Surrounded By sandy beaches and pine trees. I watched the anchor hit the bottom, the water is so clear! We anchored in about 15 feet of water and then went to the task of replacing the engine fuel filter. The RPMs on the motor had been fluctuating a little as if it was not getting enough fuel so our immediate thought was to replace that filter. After that Melanie made a delicious dinner and we sat out listening to the bald eagles and the Loons calling for each other. It was a beautiful calm evening.

Melanie made a delicious chicken salad with Cherokee Purple tomatoes that our boat neighbor in Harrisville had given us. They were delicious, and followed by a chocolatey dessert after which we watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon while listening to some relaxing piano music. This definitely makes up for all the lousy weather we experience during our journeys.

Next morning we awoke to a light Breeze out of the East. We left Presque Isle and started sailing with the Spinnaker. After an hour or so the wind died and we were back to Motoring. The wind gradually built up again during the day, and we were able to use some of our sails as well. During the course of the day it got stronger until we had two to three foot waves. They were pushing us along so it didn’t feel too bad although towards the end of the day the wind angle made it so that the boat was rolling from side to side a lot. I was not able to finish working because I was afraid I would get seasick. We arranged for a dock in Cheboygan and pulled in around 6:00 p.m. Melanie made an interesting variation on Lox for dinner and we fell asleep exhausted after watching a movie.

We went to a local breakfast place the next morning for a filling meal and I worked that day late Into the night, stopping only for a short while to get some pizza in between bouts of rain. Saturday morning I finished up my work tasks and then we took a walk into town for some coffee and to shop at the local farmers market. We wandered around town before heading back to the boat where we cleaned up and prepared for departure. With the rotten weather, we figured many people had cancelled their reservations, so on a whim we tried to reserve a dock at Mackinac Island and we got lucky – we were able to make a reservation for Mackinac Island for the following day! During the afternoon a boat pulled in next to us from Kelley’s island! We spent some time chatting with them before Melanie made dinner. Meatballs and vermicelli, yum! We took another walk and found a Causeway over the swamp with beautiful views of the lake and the cattails, then came back to the boat, took a shower and watched a movie before heading to bed.

Sunday morning we took a walk and then ate some breakfast and had a good cup of coffee before preparing the boat for departure. We left, fueled up with diesel, pumped out the holding tank and then headed out into the lake to our next stop, Mackinac Island. We started off with full sail and sailed toward Bois Blanc Island before tacking and aiming for Mackinac. It was fairly calm, the waves were only one to two ft as the water was sheltered by the island, but the wind was quite strong. At one point we had to roll up our jib as we were heeling too much but the wind moderated a little and we were under full sail at a nice clip toward the island. As we sailed up the South Shore of Bois Blanc, the Grand Hotel slowly slipped into view on Mackinac Island. Clouds thinned out and little pieces of sunshine warmed us.

We were near the harbor entrance when we lowered our sails, turned on the engine and motored into the harbor. We hailed the Harbor Master to find out where our dock was and then pulled in quietly and easily next to a small power boat. Our location was ideal. We were at the very end on the east side so we had quite a bit of privacy but were close to everything. The marina is across the road from a park at the bottom of a hill and at the top of the hill is the fort. We took Windsor for a walk and then returned back to the boat where we got changed and headed over to the Grand Hotel. We strolled through town which was extremely busy, up the hill and entered the hotel.

We had to buy tickets which we did, and then we walked through the hotel looking at some of the historical memorabilia before going up to the fourth floor where there was a restaurant inside a cupola that had a wonderful view of the surrounding area. We ordered mimosas and a chicken salad sandwich and white fish dip. Everything in the hotel was extremely expensive. The bill for that along with the tip was over $100!. The atmosphere was really wonderful, we explored the hotel inside and then went down into the gardens below and walked around admiring their flowers and the landscaping, then returned back to the boat and took Windsor for a nice long walk. The evening was approaching and long lines in town heralded the departure of all of the day tourists. It became decidedly quieter and it was quite pleasant being able to walk around and not be hustled and bustled by thousands of people. After our walk we took a shower and fell into bed exhausted.

I worked for a few hours the next day finishing the data load for a new client. Then we took a walk to Arch Rock and enjoyed the beautiful scenes of nature. Melanie had hung up a few shirts to dry in the cockpit and while we were down below eating breakfast, one of them came off the hanger and blew into the water and sank right next to our boat. She saw the empty hanger and we looked around and sure enough, it was laying on the bottom a short distance from the back of the boat. I got out the fishing rod and tried to hook it to no avail. SO we gave up and headed off to Arch Rock and enjoyed a wonderful cruise through nature. We admired the scenery, hiked the steps, went to the nature sanctuary and then walked back to the town. It’s amazing how short the walk back is compared to the walk there. We stopped at the Ice House restaurant for an early dinner because they are one of the few restaurants that allows dogs. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner before retiring to the boat.

All day my mind had been going about how to get that shirt off the bottom. We had a fishing lure that had three sets of three hooks on it so I put that on and after some patient jiggling, we were able to hook the shirt and rescue it from the depths! It was easy to see, the water was about 10 ft deep and crystal clear so it was just a matter of figuring out how to snag it. We were going to head over to Arch Rock to watch the full moon rise in the evening but we were both tuckered out from the long day of walking so we watched a movie and fell into bed exhausted. The wind was blowing from a slightly different direction and there were a lot more waves rocking boats in the harbor and squeaking dock lines, so our night was not exactly restful. After a cup of coffee and a quick walk around town to stretch our legs we dropped the dock lines after filling the water tanks and headed off to our next stop which was hopefully Charlevoix.

We left with a number of ferries out of the harbor at the same time, and the huge wakes from one of the boats caused our coffee pot to slip off the counter and break in the sink! Thank goodness Melanie had already poured us at least one cup of coffee. No more coffee maker, we are now down to a French press until we can find a place to buy a new one. The wind was from the north around 10 knots and with our wind direction we were able to make an easy five to six knots without the boat heeling, which made it great for work. I did not have to hang on for dear life while trying to do my job lol.