Valley of the Waves

Sunday, October 1, 2006, Monday October 2, 1960

We were on the water 8 hours Sunday and I have now seen enough freighters to last me a lifetime. Talking with the tow operators has been fun; they all sound a little gruff, a little southern and quite charming. It's amazing how close we have been to some of them. So far the largest tow we have encountered has been with 15 freighters (3 wide and 5 long).

We docked at Joliet, Illinois at their Bicentenial Park; there are no marinas in Joliet. We needed to re-stock groceries and as Mike headed for the bikes and backpacks I assured him I could take care of the groceries while he tended to some maintenance issues concerning him. I left the park, grabbed a cab and bought groceries. We had some concerns about vagrants sleeping close by on park benches but everything worked out OK.

We decided to have a leisurely breakfast this morning and Mike wanted to tighten up a loose belt on the engine. Unfortunately we had a problem with the alternator bracket again and Mike had to bike to a welder and have it repaired. I walked over to Harrads Casino so he could tinker in peace.

We were only on the water 3 hours today afer Mike completed the repairs and stopped at Harborside Marina for the night and a much needed shower. It was awful...the water reeked of sulfur, the restaurant was closed on Mondays and no laundromat.

We have now been through three locks and experienced a rough time in one of them. They were 3 feet, 34 feet and 37 feet. The 34 ft. lock was the most challenging as it was very windy and we had difficulty holding the ropes to keep the boat positioned.

We made the best of it and cooked a great dinner after a few manhattans. The evening was warm windy and we enjoyed a parade of freighters from dockside and a scarry lightening dislay.

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006

Two hours on the water today into the Calumet River, under three drawbridges and a mast down at Skyway Yacht Works.

What a positive experience; six people, and a smooth mast down where Mike was always in control of our mast. $4.50 per mast foot was the charge and well worth every penny. We were tired and the owners let us tie up free of charge for the night. As if that wasn't enough they provided wonderful chicken gumbo for our supper. We would highly recommend their facility

Friday, Sept. 29, 2006
We are headed south of Chicago to Calumet Bay and Hammond Marina and finally off the Lake from Hell as Mike refers to Lake Michigan. Thirty two miles in five hours; we expected much worse time wise but it was bitter cold. We encountered some very disgruntled seasonal slip boaters at Hammond Marina as tomorrow is the last day the marina is open for at least a year while the present gambling casino is replaced with a new one. Most of these displaced boaters are on waiting lists at other marinas as slips in the area are at a premium. Mike did some prep work on our keel stepped mast in preparation for the de-mast tomorrow.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

5:45 AM Wednesday morning we left the farm for St. Joseph Michigan to return the Enterprise rental and get on with our plan to get off of these dam lakes. We would highly recommend the West Basin Marina in Benton Harbor/St. Joseph's Michigan. The harbormaster was knowledgeable and accommodating and the marina offers the usual ammenities including a laundromat. One problem..no stores nearby to re-stock; I ended up using the powdered milk I brought along "just in case".

I was a little taken aback when Mike presented me with a bright yellow foul weather suit (pants, jacket and hat) last Christmas but delighted to don it at 6:30 am today as we headed out in bone-chilling weather. Rain, wind, hail, 6 to 8 foot waves, dark skies (except for the lightening) escorted us to the Michigan City Marina at the southeast end of Lake Michigan. Just one more excursion on the lake and we'll be near the Calumet river. We missed our de-mast date at Hammond Marina and are hopeful to schedule one in the next couple of days.

Our Guardian Angel

Mike calls my brother Vince our Guardian Angel. Vince keeps us up to date on the marine weather and he and Mike commiserate...to sail or not to sail is always the question...and they usually agree. Vince and his wife Peggy and sister-in-law Leslie sail the lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario in their 1987 29' Alberg which was built in Bloomfield, Ontario. They built a dock across from their home in Youngstown, New York.

Lake Michigan

Sunday, September 10, 2006
Mike did a great job navigating the Straights of Mackinac which like all narrow passes can be a navigational challenge. We headed down Lake Michigan 60 miles to Charlevoix and 10 hours and a drawbridge later we docked at the Charlevoix City Marina. Mike folded our bimini to draw some heat from the sun during the day.…he’s a dreamer; it was a cold all 10 hours. No one from the city marina ever returned our calls to their phone numbers, current and off season although they claim to be available 8AM to 8PM through Sept. 30.
Channel
45º 19' 17" N
85º 15' 58" W
1-231-547-3272
Monitor Channel 9





Monday, September 11, 2006 and Tuesday September 12
Left Charlevoix early and waited until 6:30 AM draw bridge let us pass. Horrible day weather wise but we made good time. Silent passage peeked at 10.1 mph according to our GPS, a first for her. Pelted by cold wind and rain for 75 miles we were cold and weary. Arrived at 5:45 at Frankfort Municipal marina anxious for a warm shower. They forgot to mention a planned 6 hour electrical outage for the whole area so we found alternative ways of warming up. We were both tired and decided to spend a day in Frankfort. The library with Internet access was a stones throw from our dock. Bought a warm Icelandic design hat and mittens at Hull’s of Frankfort. We had breakfast at a local restaurant and met a great couple and their dog RED. Red is a pretty five month old Irish Setter. We never learned their names but we do know this is their 7th Irish Setter and they were all named RED. Mike was amazed when the waitress brought their breakfast and he couldn’t imagine how anyone could eat that much food at once. A lovely large dog bowl appeared from the gentleman’s lap and he proceeded to carefully cut the meat and toast and mix them with the hash browns and eggs and take them out to the dog. One of the nice things I’ve discovered about this cruising thing is you meet a lot of nice people, have interesting and fun conversations and then never see them again except maybe in another port. You don’t know their problems, their children’s problems, their financial problems, marital issues…… and on and on. It works for me.
Channel
4º 37' 49" N
86º 15' 11" W
1-231-352-9051
Monitor Channel 9

Wednesday, September 13, 2006
We left Frankfort at 7:30 AM and arrived at Manistee Marina at 11:30 AM just 31 miles south. We both enjoyed the town of Manistee. Interesting architecture, great riverwalk, restored downtown and shops (reminiscent of a 1950's downtown) good coffee and free wifi at Goody’s Juice and Java, great soup and sandwich bar at Four Forty West, a pretty candle from Hollyhock Gift Shop.



Channel
44º 15' 08" N
86º 20' 58" W
1-231-723-1552
Monitor Channel 9





Thursday, September 14, 2006
A 25 mile run to Ludington to the best DNR Municipal marina we have seen. No ducks (leaving piles of calling cards), spotless facilities, a social area with TV, all the desirable marina amenities, fresh flowers in the ladies room and an enthusiastic and helpful crew. We had homemade spinach pasta at a local restaurant called Luciano's (Mikes has good taste for an Irishman; he always looks for Italian restaurants).


Channel
43º 22' 30" N
86º 25' 51" W
1-231-843-9611
Monitor Channel 9

Friday, September 15, 2006
Ludington to White Lake is 40 miles and it took us 7 ½ cold, windy hours. We anchored out in the southwest corner of the lake with several other sailboats and endured the wakes of powerboats throughout the night. Mike had to get up several times when the winds were howling to check the anchor. We were in 50 ft. of water; he did a good job. Although Mike likes to anchor out (the Walden Pond thing) this is only the second time we have anchored out on this cruise and I am most appreciative.

Channel
43º 22' 30" N
86º 25' 51" N





Saturday, September 16, 2006 and Sunday, September 17
Fotrunately, Muskeegon is only 10 miles south of White Lake. We spent a harrowing 3 hours into strong south winds and 4 to 5 foot waves before we arrived at the Muskeegan Hartshorn Municipal Marina. The weather kept us captive here another day. We took an 8 mile bike ride around the area. Not much to see or do; the visitors center is closed on weekends. Another DNR marina, Muskeegon leaves a great deal to be desired although the staff is congenial.

Channel
43º 13' 28" N
86º 20' 54" W
1-231-724-6785
Monitor Channel 9

Monday, Sept. 18, 2006, Tuesday, Sept. 19, Wednesday, Sept. 20
It appears our comfort zone is evolving. We left for South Haven Municipal Marina with a 10 to 20 wind forecast and 3-5 ft waves. Rough entrance and docking 91/2 hours later. Met some nice people (sailors of course) from Michigan City and had dinner at a local pub. Would not recommend this marina for multiple reasons; not a good place to be for 3 days while awaiting the right weather conditions.

Channel
42º 24' 05" N
86º 17' 22" W
1-616-637-3171
Monitor Channel 9

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006
We had hoped to get to Michigan City Marina but five hours of wind and waves in our face was enough so we docked at Saint-Joseph West Basin Marina. This is a great marina and the Harbormaster is very accomodating. Forecasts with winds exceeding 25 miles, gales, and 7-10 foot waves pushed Mike right over the edge. He did not anticipate the impact the weather would have on the Great Lakes part of this cruise and can't wait to get on the rivers.

Channel
42º 06' 58" N
86º 29' 44" W
1-616-983-5432
Monitor Channel 9

Friday, Sept. 22, 2006, Saturday, Sept. 23, Sunday, Sept. 24
So here we go again....leave the boat in the marina....rent a car....drive 6 1/2 hours to Chillicothe, take care of some business, mow the lawns, watch the Ohio State Football Game, monitor NOAA Marine weather forcasts and wait (anxiously) for unseasonable cold and stormy weather on Lake Michigan to pass.

More Huron

Monday, August 28, 2006
Up at 5:30 AM and on the water at 6:00 AM. We traveled sixty miles in 9 ½ hours. It was cold; hats, gloves, socks, jackets required all day. But the wind was kind to us and we had a good motor-sail. We docked at Presque Isle in Michigan. We were in a heavy fog the last several miles; Mike and his GPSMap 492 did a great job. This is another Michigan marina run by the DNR. Mike thinks this should be called Walden’s Lake. He’s in his element in this remote area with the water, flowers and surrounding woods.
Marina
45º 20' 25" N
83º 29' 10" W
1-989-595-3069
Monitor Channel 9

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
What did we ever do without this GPSMap 492. Mike consulted with a local charter operator and we decided to wait for the fog to lift a little before we leave Presque Isle. We were eventually able to leave Presque Isle in the fog with Mike navigating with the GPS by following our route into the marina back out of the marina. I sat on the bow (my choice) with a horn and an extra light. It was another long, cold day. We were in a dense fog for over an hour, listening for the sounds of the freighter foghorns every two minutes and watching for fishermen. The sky and lake looked as one. We finally arrived at Cheboygan Marina and met some very nice people with quite luxurious powerboats.
Channel into Cheboygan County Marina:
45º 40' 01" N
84º 27' 22" W
1-231-627-9931

We dined at The Old Boathouse on the Cheboygan River and Mike spotted a dock he thought would be a good place to leave our boat while we retuned to Chillicothe to take care of some business. Next morning we took the boat to the Lund dock (waited for a drawbridge) and headed to the Pellston, Michigan Airport to pick up a one-way Hertz and then to Anchor Point to pick up my car and then to the Toledo Airport to return the Hertz and then to the farm. Yes, this certainly is relaxing !!!! This intermittent style of cruising has its challenges.



Tuesday, September 5 & Wednesday September 6
Here we go again! We rented a one-way Hertz out of Columbus, transferred the wooden stands that will hold the mast when we take it down in Chicago from my car to the rental along with other various items including warm clothing and left for Cheboygan. A mere
9 1/2 hours later we arrived at our boat. We stayed in Cheboygan all the next day while Mike did a little maintenance on the boat and I enjoyed a local Internet café. Dinner at Mulligans was very good and just a short bike ride away.

Thursday Sept. 7, Friday Sept. 8, Saturday Sept. 9
Up and on the water at 6:30 AM to leave for the Mackinac City Municipal Marina just 3 hours north and missed the 6:45 drawbridge so we left at 7:15 and arrived at Mackinac around 10:30AM. The weather surprised us with a thunderstorm. The lightening is somewhat scary on the water. We had plenty of time to explore the area. The downtown business district has all the amenities imaginable within walking distance. There are numerous shops (14 fudge, ice cream and carmel corn shops) and ferries to Mackinac Island. We were surprised at the tourist atmosphere. We both grew up in Niagara Falls and some of the souvenir shops were reminiscent of those days when Niagara Falls, New York thrived as a tourist attraction. We dined out, rode our bikes and hoped for good weather. We spent a second day and third day in the City Marina due to weather. I’m anxious to get off of these lakes. At least the marina had a Laundromat. We watched the Ohio State Texas game Saturday night at the Keyhole Bar and shared a table with some fun Harley bikers that were on a ride they make every year. Three scotches and a huge plate of French fries later Mike asked me if I was ready to leave (Finally...some fun). We both had a good time but we needed to get to bed early as we had a challenging day ahead of us.
Marina
45º 46' 55" N
84º 43' 12" W
1-231-436-5269

Hello Huron

Monday August 21, 2006
An exciting 5 hour sail ranging from 4.0 mph to 8.5 mph ended at the Port Sanilac Harbor Commission Marina. Dock attendant Rose was very helpful. Nice town. Shopping district is just a few blocks from the harbor. A brick lighthouse on the south side of the harbor was built in 1886.
43º 25' 48" N
82º 32' 48" W
1-810-622-9610

Tuesday, August 22,2006
A 6 hr sail, motor sail, and motoring, to cover 32 miles were straight into the north wind. We docked at harbor Beach Marina. Troublesome entry; stay away if you are over 4 ft. Nice bike trail. Great lighthouse that can be seen 20 miles out.
43º 50 '48"N
82º 37' 47" W
1-989-479-9707




Wednsday, August 23, 2006
Sailed the first hour. Docked at Port Austin State Dock. Mike enjoyed this port, especially the beautiful sunset off the breaker wall and the sunrise when we left the harbor. I enjoyed the free internet access. They cover all the necessities at Port Austin State Harbor, electric, water, showers, pump out, gas diesel, ice, grill/picnic tables and laundry.

44º 03 '14"N
82º 59' 37" W
1-989-738-8712







Thursday, August 24, 2006
What a wild ride! Reefed main and reduced furling kept things somewhat under control but this has been quite a sail in wind and waves. We made it into port minutes before the rainstorm. Harrisville Municipal Marina may be home for a few days. The weather forcast will determine when we leave. Facilities are fine including rest rooms, showers, laundry facilities and a common area with a fireplace, coffee and TV with the weather channel. Not much of a town. No flies here, just bees that have Mike talking about an enclosed cockpit. Hopefully he'll get over it.

Saturday, August 26, 2006 (Mikes Birthday)
Day number three at Harrisville Municipal Marina and the forecast is for 25 mph winds, thunderstorms and 7-10 ft waves.

There's a warning in Melville's Moby Dick that goes: Erie, and Ontario, and Huron, and Superior, and Michigan-possess an ocean-like expansiveness...they are swept by Borean and dismasting blasts as direful as any lash the salted wave; they know what shipwrecks are, for out of sight of land, however inland, they have drowned full many a midnight ship with all its shrieking crew.

Mike and I have learned to respect inland sailing and never to underestimate the Great Lakes.

We have been in the Harrisville Marina Harbor of Refuge since Thursday afternoon. The wind and rain have been relentless. Call us marina hoppers if you will.

A fellow sailor arrived late today, unfortunately he grounded with a huge hole in his furling.

Sunday, August 27, 2006
Still at Harrisville Marina. We never made it out for Mike's birthday dinner Saturday night; torrential rains made our bike ride to the restaurant a virtual imposibility. We have never before seen such a rain. Mike had to cook his own birthday dinner (he's in charge of the bratwurst and sauerkraut dinners).

We heard of a brunch at a local restaurant The Old House Inn and decided to give it a try. The term brunch takes a great stretch of the imagination in the case of the fare served at this restaurant. Little Richard, Fats Domiono and Jerry Lee Lewis were their selections for background music on a quiet Sunday Morning.

Harrisville has a lovely state park and beach, which we enjoyed the rest of the day.
Marina
44º 39 '43"N
83º 16' 50" W
1-989-724-5242
WiFi Available