DRUMMOND ISLAND TO MACKINAW CITY, MI – AUG 24 At 6:45, on Sunday morning, we left Drummond Island Yacht Haven. It was cold and we had on sweat shirts again! We had blue skies and smooth water. When I went to the stern to check on Jazz, our dinghy, I saw that she was riding too much to the starboard and, as a result of riding our wake, had about four or five inches of water inside. We put the boat transmission in neutral because Phil had to go into the dinghy and pump the water out. The line got caught in the prop of the boat, which promptly, and thankfully, cut it. The wind had picked up by this time and the waves were choppy. It was very hard for him to get the water out and get the line tied back together while bouncing up and down in Jazz. We were both glad when he was back on board the boat and Jazz was empty and riding all right behind us. The wind and waves continued increasing. It was a rough crossing, a long, miserable day. We arrived in Mackinaw City around 3:30 pm. Much to our surprise and delight, Ellen and Woody met us and helped tie us up in the slip. They had been delayed by the weather. Ellen and I immediately went to town. We shopped for little while, had a cup of tea and the guys met us for dinner at O’Reilly’s Pub. Virginia's strategy for handling rough water! O'Reilly's Pub for dinner (reward for surviving rough water) The water in the marina was crystal clear as it has been in most of this summer, but in this marina the plant life was beautiful growing up from the bottom for perhaps 6 to 8 fee. Ellen and Phil blew their conchs at sunset. Ellen presented Phil with his very own conch shell. It was a special conch that she had found on the beach in the Bahamas. It was the one he had been using, but it was her favorite and she gave it to him. He was delighted and so was I. Our last sunset performance with the Conch Shells until we meet again, perhaps in the Bahamas 2009. Monday morning, we said farewell to the Suttons once again. This time we knew we would not see them again until we got to Chicago. It had been such fun, cruising with them. We stayed in Mackinaw City for another night and during the day, we went downtown for lunch at the old historic Depot. They were having a Harley-Davidson rendezvous and there were Harleys all over the town. It was great people-watching. There was live entertainment at lunch and then a concert in the afternoon. It was a very loud concert at the outdoor theater in the shopping mall. We did not stay long. We went back to the boat. At sunset, there was only one conch shell blower and it was Phil MACKINAW CITY, MI TO MACKINAW ISLAND, MI – AUG 26 – 28 We cleaned the boat and about 3:30, we decided to go to Mackinaw Island. We arrived about 4:45. As you approach the island, you can see the Mackinaw Island bridge and the Grand Hotel for many miles out in the water. I have always wanted to go to Mackinaw Island. Mackinaw Island Bridge Grand Hotel There are no motor vehicles allowed on the island. Even deliveries are made by horse and wagon. There are a lot of bicycles and carriages, even the taxis. The island is beautiful and the view from the marina was lovely with a lot of Victorian homes on the street facing the marina. The landscaping is beautiful with lots of blooming flowers all over the island, downtown, as well as in the yards of homes. We were tired so we stayed on the boat and watched the sights of the island. Phil blew his conch at sunset and some people in a run-about stopped by to say hello. They had done the Loop before and were eager to talk to us about our adventures. The man from the next boat who was also a Looper came by to chat a while. The next morning, Wednesday, Barbara and Ken arrived on their boat about 9:00am. We made reservations to have lunch at the Grand Hotel and take a carriage ride. Phil and I rode our bicycles to run an errand and then met Barbara and Ken downtown to take a horse-drawn taxi to the Grand. The Grand Hotel is a living, working museum. It opened in July of 1887 with much fanfare. The colonnaded front porch which extends the length of the entire hotel was featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”, a nationally syndicated newspaper cartoon, in 1936 as being 880 feet long, “the longest porch in the world” The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful. The interior was designed to bring out the brilliant colors of summer on Mackinaw Island. We taxied by carriage to the hotel and had a wonderful, elegant lunch. It was a buffet and it was unlike any other buffet I have ever been served. We had a leisurely, delicious lunch and then wandered through the hotel. We eventually made our way outside to our carriage for our private historic tour of the island. We had a great tour guide, a young man who was born on the island. He remembered sitting in his daddy’s lap when he was five and his father was taking tourists on a tour. He told us lots of stories of the past and present about various sights and people of Mackinaw Island. He was quite concerned about the big draft horses pulling the carriage and talked about the different personalities of the horses and their care. The pair of horses who pulled our carriage were a little more difficult (lazy!) than the other horses in their stable and he was glad that he only had to drive them one day a week! He dropped us downtown and Phil and Ken went off to run an errand and Barbara and I went shopping on a street off the main drag, where there were some nicer stores that were not so “touristy”. We met the guys and walked back to the boats. The wind and waves had gotten stronger and it was really rocking and rolling on the boats. All the ferries that come into Mackinaw Island dock in the harbor where the marina is and they do not move slowly! The reaction of the water to the ferries coupled with the wind and waves made for an extremely rough evening and night on board our boats. We ordered pizza for the four of us and ate on the back deck of our boat. It was so rough. Ken and Phil retied the boats in an effort to stabilize them. Phil and Barbara struggled out to the front deck and blew their conch shells at sunset. MACKINAW ISLAND TO MACKINAW CITY, MI – AUG. 28 -30 The next morning, Thursday, was not much better. The water in the marina was still very rough. By 10:15, the four of us decided we had had it with Mackinaw Island Marina and left for Mackinaw City, Michigan. I loved the island and found it absolutely enchanting, but it was too rough to stay any longer. The next time we will take the ferry and stay at the Grand. Never again on our own boat! We arrived in Mackinaw City at 11:15. We had been afraid the crossing would be really rough because of the wind, but agreed it would be worth it to get out of that marina. We were all so glad to get there and the crossing was not bad at all. It was so much smoother in the marina in Mackinaw City. It is very protected and was still and quiet with no waves. As soon as we arrived and got tied up in our slips, we decided to go to the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum. The United States Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw was built after the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II to meet the heavy demands for an increase in production of war materials. Tremendous increases in the movement of iron ore, limestone and coal for the nation’ s steel mills were particularly necessary. In order to keep the products on the move during the winter months, an icebreaker was essential. The Mackinaw, which is the largest United States Coast Guard Cutter assigned to the Great Lakes, is 290 feet long and has a beam of 74 feet 4 inches. It was built at a cost of ten million dollars. Just for fun, in view of our own need for diesel fuel and water on our boats, the Mackinaw could carry 369,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 40,200 gallons of potable water! For sixty-two years, the Mackinaw continued to serve the Great Lakes Shipping Industry. It was fascinating to go through the ship and see first hand the living quarters and learn about some of the phenomenal things the ship did to further the winter shipping. There is now a new Mackinaw which is a little smaller, but is as powerful as the retired Mackinaw. We walked back to our boats and had dinner on “Barbara” and dessert on our boat. Double decker tight sleeping quarters Barbara & Ken Hyman Aboard the Cutter Mackinaw bridge baclgroumd Phil & Virginia Phil and Barbara blew their conch shells at sunset. We planned to go to Beaver Island the next morning. It rained hard during the night. Friday, the 29th of August, was a foggy, foggy morning. The thick fog stayed with us until noon. We decided it was too late to leave for Beaver Island, so we went to the Depot for lunch and went to a movie, “Mama Mia”. We stopped for dessert on the way back to our boats. Phil and I worked on the log and pictures. We ate on our own boats. We had television reception, so it was a red-letter day! Phil and Barbara blew their conch shells at sunset. MACKINAW CITY TO PETOSKY, MI – AUG 30 We left on a sunny, cool morning with no fog. At home in Houston, the temperature in the summers is always in the 90s with a lot of humidity, so it was exciting to have another sweatshirt day! Spiders everywhere and always (you clear them from you boat hand rails at night and the next morning here is the result. We went through the Straits of Mackinaw and the water was smooth at the beginning. The wave height and the wind increased the longer we were under way and it became quite choppy and rough. We decided it was too rough to go to Beaver Island, so we headed for Petoskey, Michigan. We arrived there about 3:00 pm, some 7 ½ hours and roughly 60 miles later. The four of us, Ken, Barbara, Phil and I walked into town for an early dinner. We were all tired and hot, no sweatshirts now! After dinner, we shopped a little, bought a book and walked back to our boats. Phil and Barbara blew their conchs at sunset. PETOSKEY TO CHARLEVOIX, MI – AUG 31 ~ SEPT 2 We left Petoskey, Michigan, at 12:30. I worked on the log in the morning and Phil fixed breakfast and did the washing. It was a three hour run to Charlevoix, MI. Lake Michigan in late August and September is not the place to be. The lake is rough with sudden shifts in the wind and the waves. Just about the time you think it is all right and fairly smooth, it rolls the boat almost rail to rail! Water looks smooth, but it is very choppy & catches you offguard Only an hour later this was the picture The entrance to Round Lake is a narrow channel with a swing bridge at the end where the channel opens into the lake. Beyond Round Lake is Lake Charlevoix. Our destination was Round Lake where the city of Charlevoix is located. There is a tour boat that uses the channel, so we were very watchful and kept our ear to the radio to find out if the “Emerald Isle” was coming through the channel. We did hear the captain radio that he was approaching and we gave him a lot of room because we did not want to be in the narrow channel with that big boat! Round Lake was a busy place on a Sunday afternoon. There were a lot of boats, mostly smaller, both anchored and moving. There was a bar on a pontoon boat in the center of the lake that sold “smoothies” and even delivered! “Barbara” anchored and we rafted to her. We dinghied to shore and went to the amphitheater in the park by the water. There was a concert and quite a crowd. It was fun. Emerald Isle Elco Antique Boat On Monday, after breakfast we went into town. We did some shopping and had lunch. Starting in the 1930’s, an architect named Earl Young designed and built several homes in Charlevoix. The locals call them “hobbit houses”. I walked to the area to see the homes. They are very unusual and each house is designed to accommodate the site. Each home has unique chimneys and cedar shake roofs with flowing curves. They do look like “hobbit houses”. I knocked on one door to ask ask if I could take pictures and the lady told me I was the only person who had ever asked that. Many pictures had been taken, but no one had ever asked permission! Later that afternoon, a very large boat, 103 feet long, the “Battered Bull” came into Round Lake and tied up at the marina dock. The stern of the boat had a huge electrical door that lowered. It was an interesting boat. They spent the night and were gone very early the next morning. ~103' M/V BATTERED BULL (privately owned yacht) We had dinner with Barbara and Ken and, after Phil and Barbara blew their conchs, we went home to work on the log. |
Drummond Island to Charlevoix
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |