OFF TO MACKINAW

As we went to sleep on Friday night, the forecast for Saturday was for severe thunderstorms for most of the day. We resigned ourselves to spending another night in Harbor Springs, rather than risk a trip through Greys's Reef in bad weather. Mackinaw was about 60 miles away and there was no place to duck in if the weather got bad. So, we slept in kind of late on Saturday morning. I did hear a little rain early, but when I got up and opened the companion way, I was greeted with a beautiful morning and clear skies. The 60 mile trip would have required an early start, so we stuck to our plan of waiting until Sunday to leave very early. We spent the day doing small things on the boat and revisited Harbor Springs. Most of the stores closed up very early and the only things left open were a couple of bars and restaurants. We had dinner at Stafford's Chart House and then headed back to the boat. Before the sun went down we prepared everything for the next day's trip. We took the motor off and hoisted the dingy onto the deck and called it a night.

Sunrise at Harbor Springs

Last Look at Harbor Springs

The sun was just peaking over the hill above Harbor Springs and I was up pulling the anchor up. By 6:30, we were on our way. We motored out of Little Traverse bay and raised the sails once we got out into the more consistent winds on the lake. We set a course for the freighter channel and had a nice down wind run most of the way. By the time we got in the channel, the winds had lightened up and we decided to motor towards the Grey's Reef Channel. Grey's Reef is a very treacherous area of  rocky shoals that cover most of the area across the Northeastern tip of Lake Michigan as it connects to the more open water that leads to Mackinaw. As we approached the Grey's Channel, the water became very shallow but the channel was well marked. The wind and water seemed to have squeezed together into that narrow channel. The wind increased with gusts over 20 and we surfed on huge swells through most of the channel. As we reached the lighthouse at the end of the channel, we made a turn to Starboard (that's a right turn) and began to sail on a beam reach to Mackinaw. We could already see the bridge in the distance but the winds didn't last very long, so we cranked up the motor once again. The AIS kept good track of the freighters and tankers for us and it wasn't long before we were passing under the Mackinac Bridge. No matter how often you go under a fixed bridge, it always gets the adrenalin going because the bridge never looks high enough. Mackinac Bridge is over 100 feet high, but my 60 foot mast still looked like it was going to hit until we went past that first section of bridge. We made a slight turn to Port (that's a left turn) and headed for Mackinac Island. We got settled in our slip and and went to visit the historic town. If you've never been there, it is very interesting. Ferries bring people back and forth from the mainland all day long. There are no cars, trucks or motorized vehicles allowed on the island (except for emergency vehicles) so the main transportation is bicycles, with horse drawn wagons and carriages to do the heavy work of transporting freight and people. The town is full of fudge, ice cream, antique, gift, and souvenir stores, as well as a few hotels and bars. There are beautiful homes and bed and breakfast places everywhere. Fort Mackinac overlooks the town and is garrisoned with troops and families dressed in period costumes dating back to the 1800's. Oh, and don't be alarmed when the cannon goes off every half hour or so.  It is well worth a tour.

Grey's Reef Light

Close for Comfort

Going Under the Mackinaw Bridge

Mackinac Light

Downtown Mackinac

Transportation

One of those beautiful houses

The end of another day

After checking the weather, it looks like the missed forecast for Saturday has been moved to Monday. 60% chance of thunderstorms that may be severe. This means high winds, damaging hail and lightening. We'll wait til tomorrow, but it looks like we may be weathered in again!