Boats approach the lift bridge in Pine River Channel. "We're not in Pequaming any more!" So said Jeff as we maneuvered through heavy boat traffic for the 2nd day in a row. We traveled only 15 miles today -- from Harbor Springs to Charlevoix (in the northeastern corner of Lake Michigan) - but we were … Continue reading To Charlevoix (Day 16)
Small town, big money. At least that's how I see it after we arrive at the municipal marina here and tuck between some humongous yachts -- the kind with their own hired crew. The yacht behind us has a hot tub on board. Or so I was told. I didn't ask for a tour. I … Continue reading To Harbor Springs (Day 15)
Glorious. That's the only word to adequately describe what it's like to pass under the Mackinac Bridge in your own boat at sunrise. I couldn't stop whooping! It also marks the official start of The Great Loop for Mainship Many Moons, since that's where we first intersected its route. (Only 6,000 miles to go!) We … Continue reading Mackinac Bridge (Day 15)
This is Murphy, an 80-lb. lab who lives on Slo Pace, a 40-foot Mainship. (Same kind of boat as ours, but longer.) We met him at the grocery store, along with his owners who were stocking up their boat. Just like us. On bikes. At the only grocery store in town. We also met the … Continue reading St. Ignace (Day 14)
I It's not cheap to get to the island with a bike - about $40/person round-trip. But boy, is that ferry fun. Even more fun today, because the captain sent up that rooster tail at the stern as we raced a sudden storm back to port. We made it just in time. This is why … Continue reading Mackinac Island By Bike (Day 13)
Our arrival at Slip F-126 in the St. Ignace Public Marina is not fun - except for meeting a new friend. His name is Phil. He lives in his fishing boat all summer. He arrived with a pole. A long one. Just in time. Entering new marinas is occasionally easy but usually stressful. This is … Continue reading To St. Ignace (Day 12)
More firsts today! First time navigating a busy river with a narrow channel. First time meeting a freighter -- and being overtaken by one. All this in a persistent mist that mars visibility. I wonder if we'll have a dull day soon? St Mary's River is almost 75 miles long, connecting Whitefish Bay to Lake … Continue reading St. Mary’s River (Day 11)
After the excitement of yesterday, I'm grateful for a full day at the Kemp marina just south of the Soo Locks. The dock fee here is very fair compared to some others - $46 a night for our 34-foot boat. (The Whitefish dock was free, but very rough.) Today's forecast is for rain and thunderstorms, … Continue reading The Soo (Day 10)
Nervous? Yes, I was. In the end, though, it's easy going through "the Soo Locks" at Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan, on the Canadian border. Jeff coasts the Mainship Many Moons slowly forward while I call the lock master requesting permission to "lock down" (meaning we're heading down-river, vs. up-river). About 20 minutes later, we're … Continue reading To “The Soo” (Day 9) – The Locks
We followed some of them out of Munising, Grand Marais, and Whitefish Point -- our last three ports-of-call. They were the reason it took us a week to get through Lake Superior. We've come to know some of their skippers in marina discussions. We feel invested. Yachts! Lots of yachts. Forty-one of them are starting … Continue reading To “The Soo” (Day 9) – The Yachts
For Many Moons 