St. Ignace to Soo

The kids left early Monday morning and I departed within minutes for Detour Entrance.  The winds were generally calm in the morning but I got good sailing toward the end as I approached Detour Reef Light.

Turning north I was able to hold the main sail for awhile but eventually it was directly on the bow at 15 knots with gusts to 22 knots.  My progress closed to a crawl of 3.5 knots for the last five miles or so. 

Anchored SE of Lime Island in the St. Mary's River for the night.  Poor protection from the north winds so I had some rock in roll in the evening.  Holding was good.  

  St. Ignace to Detour to Lime Island - 08/27 - 43.3 NM

Approaching Martin Reef Light - About Midway to Detour

Detour Reef Light - South Entrance, St. Mary's River

Heading Upwind Inside Detour Reef Light 


 St. Mary's River - Red Outbound/Green Inbound Satellite Tracks
 

Anchored Lime Island - Red Outbound/Maroon Inbound

Departed at first light and headed up river to the Soo.  A tug pushing a barge passed immediately as I was pulling out behind Lime Island.  Met two other ships, but none passed me.  One ship mid-morning, the other on arrival in the Soo.

Tug Pushing Barge Down Bound Near Lime Island

1000 Footer Down bound - Intimidating!

Prop Wash

The Largest Ships On The Great Lakes

Ship Makes The Terrain Look Small

Technician Servicing Light

Large Turning Marker
 

 St. Mary's River Leg - 08/28 - 33.9 NM

Gull Resting On Buoy

Though A River, It Has Wide Areas More Like Lakes

Front Range Next To Church

The Channel Is Very Narrow In Places With Rocks Just Outside

Osprey On Nest Built On Marker

Very long day with current and winds to 15 or 16 knots on the bow.  Forward progress with the wind and current dropped to 3.5 knots at time.  I was very glad to arrive in late afternoon at the Soo.  Docking was routine.

Ship Passed Close As I Approached Marina In Soo

Tower Of History In Background - Overlooks The Locks

Public Wharf - Stern Of Historic "Valley Camp" In Background

Marina With The Mueseum Laker "Valley Camp" In Background

Pilot House - Bow Location Is Unique To Great Lakes

Ship Upbound Approaching Lock - Adjacent To Marina

 Holed up in the Soo for four days waiting for favorable winds to get west of Whitefish Point.  Looks good for tomorrow.



Mackinac Island

Paul and Kelly (my kids) joined me in St. Ignace and we crossed over to Mackinac Island for a couple days.  The slip on the Island was extremely tight and we did minor damage (scratches) to the sides of the boat because it was so tight.  The boat would not fit in with fenders out!  I had to remove them and use fender boards only.  Thankfully I have several.  Michigan docks are notorious for their dock posts and their love for shedding your fenders.  The previous owner chose to not install rub rails and Dash suffers for it!

Enjoyed walking around on the Island and eating out.  I would like to do more biking on the Island. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner out each day and splurged one night for dinner, which was first class.  Below see pictures of what we saw.

Getting out of the slip was harder than going in and we hit the kayak backing up and had to realign the boat.  It was that tight!  With three of us, it was a challenge.  I could not have done it alone. 

I was not impressed with the marina staff for not giving me a slip appropriate for my beam.  Their defense was that I asked for a shore side slip.  Of course I did, because it is recommended in the GLCC notes, but there was no way I could know what there slip width was, I expected the marina would advise accordingly.  They did not!  Be careful what you ask for!

 

St. Ignace to Mackinac Island

 Out 4.8 nm 08/24 - Back 7.5 nm 08/26

The Grand Hotel

West Historic Cottages

Mackinac Bridge As Seen From Mackinac Island

Beautiful Church

Approaches To The Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel Gardens And Lawn

Kelly Critiquing The Dress Codes For The Grand Hotel
She Had A Few Choice Words For The Ladies Dress Code But Just Happened To Be Wearing A Dress! 
Paul And I Were Completely Unacceptable In Our Attire.

As Close As We Could Get Without Being Stopped By The Dress Code Cops!

You Have To Really Want To Go!

Marina Harbor Master's Building

 Mackinac Harbor
 

 Aerial View Of Mackinac Harbor

Look At The Fit...You Have To Use A Shoe Horn To Get In!

Looking West Along Main Street - Early Morning

Looking East Along Main Street

A Unique Private Cottage Entrance

The Cottages Are All Meticulously Kept

Mackinac Bridge In Distance

The West Historic Cottages And Around The Island Roadway

Hauling Luggage To Docks From Grand Hotel

Beautifully Trimmed!

Window Boxes Full Of Flowers

Main Street Washed Clean From Previous Day
However, No Matter The Effort To Maintain Cleanliness,
Horse Manure Is Still Horse Manure!

Picturesque Small Hotel

Beautiful Flower Gardens

Commercial Boat Docks

Lilac Tree Hotel - Very Attractive!

Team Pulling Wagon Full Of Supplies And Workers Unloading

Historic Fort Mackinac
Lawn Fertilization In Progress!

Commercial Docks - Busy With Tour Boats Daily,
Constantly Churning The Waters Of The Harbor!

Another Beautiful Cottage

Mackinac Island Yacht Club

The Harbor Marina

Paul's Favorite Coffee Shop Was In This Complex

Passage Light In Foreground, Round Island Light In Background.  Also, The Main Ship Channel For Cargo Ships Passing From Lake Superior Down bound To The Chicago Area.

The Roadway Around The Island, Great Biking!

Resort SE Corner Of Island - Looking Toward Bois Blanc Island

One Of The East Historic Cottages.

This Cottage Was Called "Baby Grand"
Note: Buggy In Background. You Can Drive Your Own Buggy And Rent By The Hour.

Captain Paul At The Helm Of Dash
Round Island Roadway On Beach In Background

Queen Kelly On The Con
We Passed East Around The Island On Return To St. Ignace To Avoid Tour Boat Wakes