The Mainship Many Moons passed the 500-mile threshold today, celebrating with one of Frankfort's celebrated sunsets. Is that a milestone worth noting when the goal is 6,000 miles?? I'm not sure. The "ultimate milestone" seems very far away, in both time and mileage. Certainly other boats travel much faster than ours. We see them pass … Continue reading To Frankfort (Day 20)
As I write this after dark from our anchorage close to shore, I see the lights of 14 other boats -- but this protected bay is so broad, we don't feel a bit crowded. On our port side, a lighthouse sends a warm yellow path down the water toward us. On our starboard side, the … Continue reading To S. Manitou Is. (Day 19)
This is such a clean and quirky town in the northwest corner of Grand Traverse Bay. The marina is top-notch. (Strong Wi-Fi!) And darned cute. I could hang out here awhile. The start of the day was somewhat unpleasant for me, though. I think it's important in this blog to tell the whole story and … Continue reading To Northport (Day 18)
In Lake Charlevoix, the dingy and board sat idle all day. Why? Boat wakes. Loads of them. All day. Today's lesson: Choose anchorages carefully! Choices can be limited by wind direction, water depth, personal risk level, and other boats anchored nearby. After scouting around a bit and bailing out on our first choice, we ended … Continue reading Lake Charlevoix (Day 17)
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)
For Many Moons 