Mackinac Island July 21, 2016

We listened to the Republican Convention in bed as we fell asleep last night. The wifi  at the Marina is pretty poor, so we did not watch it on the Slingbox. I woke up at 6:15 and turned on Fox News just to be sure I was totally saturated with politics. Later I walked to another dock to take a picture of Annie in front of Fort Mackinac.

 Annie docked in front of the Statue of Liberty 

On the way back from the harbormaster's office, I was accosted by a mink trying to beg a snack. Cute little guy. The ducks show up in the afternoon to beg for their treat.

I spent the early morning hours drinking coffee with a Ranger 25’ tug owner named Art, who is from Sarasota. He drove his tug up here on a trailer and launched it yesterday from Mackinac City. We had a boat show with him and his wife Janet. A Nordic Tug 32 is definitely easier to cruise on than a Ranger 25'. He has been somewhat disappointed with the quality of the materials used in the Ranger's construction. They joined us for cocktails on the upper deck. They are going to Mackinac City tomorrow so we will likely have dinner with them there. They are from Sarasota Florida and trucked their boat up here, which is the advantage of the Ranger.

I was able to get another day here, which was a relief. There was a major storm forecast and we did not want to travel. Friday and Saturday look good for traveling and Sunday does not. So we changed our schedule to adapt. We will skip going to Beaver Island. Tomorrow we will go to Mackinac City and Saturday go to Petoskey with a good weather window. I had planned to stay 2 nights in Petoskey, but we may be there three unless we try to go to Charlevoix early.

The island is pretty empty today. The storms seemed to have kept most tourists away. It did rain and blow about 11:00 as forecast, but the storm was not as severe as it could have been. It was a good day for shopping. I bought my first t-shirt of the trip.

Marianna said they were chased out of Little Current today because of a Grand Banks rendezvous. Earlier this week they got chased out of Gore Bay for the same group. They made it to Killarney before the storm hit there.

I did a big bike ride again today. I started to go around the island, but decided to take a detour and bike over the top on the island. It is pretty hilly and the ride was difficult at times. I ended up near the Grand Hotel.

Kerry was really on her game today. For breakfast she made a knock off of Marianna's egg and potato Fatitta. It was quite good. For dinner we had another creative treat, toasted flat bread brushed with olive oil, garlic, thyme, parmesan cheese and tomatoes. Yum.

She also helped me narrow in on my water leak. The area under the engine was dry this morning, but really wet this evening. Why is that? All the way up to the North Channel we did not have water under the motor, but lately it seems we have it every day. She noticed that we used the wash down pump this afternoon to clean the bikes. Ha! Is that it? I climbed down into the engine compartment and she turned on the wash down pump. Nothing. No leak. But, there was water under it. The shelf where it sits has the water heater, the fresh water pump and the wash down pump on it, and there was water on most of the shelf. One other thing happened - I filled the water tanks today. Yesterday there was a little water under the batteries too, which should not be. So, finally we have a suspect, or group of suspects anyway. Jimbo - ready for a project?

Mackinac Island July 20, 2016

It seems like two different worlds. We woke up this morning in an anchorage in the Les Cheneaux islands, and now are sitting in Mackinac island. Quite a contrast for sure. Here are pictures from last night and from this morning at Government Bay.

It was so quiet and pretty this morning. We sat out on the bow with our coffee and tea. Normally we would be on top of Annie, but we have ceded that territory to the millions of little white bugs in the back of the boat. They are not on the bow, fortunately. We enjoyed one of our last breakfast bars baked by Rosemary.

We left at 9:15 for Mackinac island. It was 17.9 miles at a speed of 7.6 knots. We arrived at 11:30, just in time to see the marina kicking out all the Port Huron to Mackinac racing sailboats. We got in quickly and tried to sign up for another night. They have a list and told us to check in the morning. There are open docks here now, so we are optimistic. It is supposed to be stormy tomorrow, so if they tell us we have to leave Kerry is going to chain herself to the dockmaster's desk! So far we have covered 588 NM.

I called Beaver Island, our next port, to be sure they had space available. Mike said to call Friday morning at 8:00 and he would save us a slip.

We had a salad wrap for lunch on Annie. Then we rode bikes around the island. It is an 8.2 mile trip but all flat ground and easy traveling. There were many scenic vistas and we stopped to enjoy several along the way.

This sign was posted at Cannonball's Ice Cream Shop, about 1/2 way around the island.

After the bike ride it was time for rum and cokes on the top deck. Slowly we built up strength for shopping. Off we went. We did not buy anything, but I found a great t-shirt that is way overpriced which I am thinking of buying tomorrow. I got a take out whitefish and chips order for dinner while Kerry returned to Annie and made macaroni and cheese for herself.

Some scenes from Mackinac Island.

Kerry's Comments:

Don and Peter talked today about their adventures after we parted.  It was so funny that both gentlemen were not only sad we were not travelling together, but they both said the quality of their meals had diminished considerably since Marianna and I were no longer competing for the best gourmet dinner.  I have to say that we did try to prepare special dishes for our Captains and serve them in the most elegant, festive way we could,  EH Marianna?

Les Cheneaux Islands July 19, 2016

We are anchored in Government Bay in the Les Cheneaux Islands, also known as the Snow Islands, which is better, because I can spell that. It took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to cover the 22.1 NM to this anchorage. We passed the DeTour Light House on the way and were back in Lake Huron.

Government Bay is a popular anchorage, and quite large. It is less than 20 miles to Mackinac Island, tomorrow's destination. Unfortunately, it is full of flies and little bugs so the screens have been in all day. I had planned to do some gelcoat work in back but that is where all the bugs are (out of the wind) so I passed on that.

There was only 1 other boat in the anchorage when we arrived, but many others have arrived since then. We anchored near the recommended southwest end. It turns out there is a beach here that is frequented by people in little power boats. One went flying by hitting us with a large wake which knocked Seabasstian over and broke 3 fins. Kerry was fit to be tied. I am slowly gluing him back together. If I come here again, I would anchor in the northwest corner.

On the way over one of the lines holding our window shades chafed through. It is stuck in the down position now. I called the manufacturer in Indiana and ordered replacement cordage. It will be sent to Jim's house so he can bring it up next week. Now we have a project, at least one.

Moving our 2 day stay up by one day in DeTour worked out well. Today was a great day to travel. Looking at the forecast I see that Thursday will not be a good travel day. I was only able to get Wednesday reserved at Mackinac, and would have to leave Thursday. I called them to see if I could stay until Friday. They said it looked like I could. If not, I was going to go to St. Ignace instead.

Lunch was margaritas, peanuts and peanut butter pretzels. After that, Kerry played Sudoku and napped.  I sat out and read Killing Reagan. The sun was warm and the breeze cool which made it almost perfect. Tonight we are grilling a big steak, and plan to watch the Republican Convention on our Slingbox.

DeTour Village MI July 18, 2016

Today started looking rather cloudy and dreary. But the sun has come out, the sky is a beautiful blue, and it is breezy and crisp. The water is turquoise and spotted with whitecaps. In short, it's a beautiful day. However, we are glad to be in the marina as it it quite windy and gusty. Annie actually vibrates in the gusts. You can see and hear the freighters going by right from Annie. I wish we could have sat on top of Annie, but it was just too windy and cold.

Blueberry pancakes started our day. Over coffee I viewed the charts and GLCC Harbor Reports and decided that tomorrow we should go to the LesCheneaux Islands to anchor. They are approximately halfway between here and Mackinac Island where we will go Wednesday. We will anchor in Government Bay, the most popular anchorage.

We had a nice walk downtown. DeTour is a very small village. A lot of the real estate is for sale, including two resorts that appear closed and also the grocery store. We went to Fogcutters Restaurant to scope it out for dinner. It is known for whitefish any way you like it. Well, when you use an 8 year old guide you discover things like Fogcutters has been closed for 7 years! The ladies at the bank recommended the Mainsail Restaurant, so we will go there for dinner.

DeTour does have a nice Botanical Gardens. It consists of many individual remembrances to friends and family members, along with some bigger items. All the little sites are different, and it is very interesting, although slipping into a bit of disrepair.

Wait until Marianna finds out that the restrooms have washers and dryers in them! Marianna cannot stand dirty laundry on her boat, so she does laundry frequently. She knows all the washers and dryers in the North Channel. But, I bet she has never used one actually in a restroom. I wonder why they would have one in the men's room?

DeTour has a very nice marina, and a friendly staff. The floating docks are excellent. We borrowed bikes from the marina and took a short ride in the afternoon. Here are a couple of shots of Annie in the marina.

We enjoyed our dinner at the Mainsail Restaurant. I had a whitefish sandwich and Kerry had a grilled cheese. It was like a "Cheers" restaurant, where if you were a local, everyone knew you name.

I have had a little water under the engine the last 2 days we traveled. I have not been able to find any leaks so far. I ran the engine at the dock when we got here but did not see a leak. I will climb in the engine compartment as we travel tomorrow to see if I can spot the problem. With all the rain yesterday our kayak had quite a lot of water in it. It does have a drain plug which I opened for the first time today. No water now.

DeTour Village MI July 17, 2016

I slept in until about 7:30 which is late for me. I started my coffee on top of Annie but finished it below as the air was cool. I was hoping for a warm sunny day, but that did not appear to be in the cards. Storms were forecast for the afternoon, with strong gusty winds today and tomorrow.

I called Petoskey Marina and was able to get a reservation for next Sunday and Monday. This was a huge relief for me as previously I was told they were full. Tuesday we need to be in Charlesvoix to meet the Karpinskis, and it is an easy trip there from Petoskey. So it looks like we will go from Mackinac Island to Beaver Island to Petoskey to Charlesvoix. If we can only stay one day in Mackinac we may need to add an additional stop.

With 2 days of storms and gusty weather forecast, I decided to go to DeTour today. I had already paid for 2 nights through Michigan DNR, Monday and Tuesday. I am hoping that if I stay Sunday and Monday instead, I can find an anchorage for Tuesday before we go to Mackinac Island on Wednesday.

The trip to DeTour was short and easy. We left at 10:45 after a delicious Kerry cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs, bread and fresh fruit. It turned out to be a 7.8 mile trip. We arrived at noon, and bought diesel in gallons, which was a pleasure, although I missed getting the exchange rate discount. On the way over I was surprised to see a freighter. Of course they are quite common on the St. Mary's River, but I still have the North Channel mindset which I need to get rid of. Kerry enjoyed her tea during the voyage in her new tea cup.

We communicated with Matt at VYC who told us our dock board walk was finished. We were so happy to hear that as it will make it much easier for us to enter and exit Annie, and will reduce the amount of dirt we carry on Annie from the lawn - especially newly cut grass.

It rained all afternoon, and into the evening. The river was mostly hidden by fog. The monster storm never arrived. Peter reported the same thing from Gore Bay. We read, napped and talked with friends and family. It was a pleasant, if lazy, afternoon. We'll end the evening trying to watch Fox News on our Slingbox. Tomorrow will be our day to explore DeTour.

I should mention that once we left Canada and entered Michigan I took down our Canadian courtesy flag and hoisted the Ohio State Buckeyes Flag. Go Bucks!

Kerry's Comments:

New tea cup does not describe it adequately.  The saucer was found at a charity garage sale and the cup was found at an antique shop.  The pattern is Tea Rose made by Royal Albert and is fine bone china.  Tea always tastes better in a delicate, bone china cup.

The herb garden basil and cilantro - (the mint died) and the absolutely beautiful yellow hibiscus have found their perfect home in the window of the pilot house.....Don says it is hard to look like a serious boat -person with a greenhouse up front,visible to all.

Harbor Island July 16, 2016

It seemed like I was awake all night. I had set the alarm for 5:30, but shut it off before it went off. Kerry says I never sleep well before a big travel day. It was a beautiful morning when I looked out though. I usually do not see this time of day.

Peter and Marianna were so nice to get up and see us off. It has been a very nice trip with them, and as they say, parting is such sweet sorrow. Marianna gave Kerry a very nice departing gift of assorted teas and a nice wooden crochet hook all in a little basket, plus the nicest personal note.

We were off at 6:00 AM. The morning was beautiful. Blue skies and light winds with a following sea - perfect conditions for going against the prevailing winds. I thought the trip would be 70 miles, but it turned out to be only 61.3, saving us at least an hour of travel at our speed of 8.4 knots.  The trip took 7 hours and 15 minutes.

Kerry helped me navigate through the island passages to get to Harbor Island. It was fun having her involved in the navigation. We found that the GLCC Harbor report instructions have a buoy mis-numbered, so I will write to them about that. Kerry even baked a loaf of bread the final hour of our trip. We had it for lunch with butter and jelly. So good while still warm!

Coming to Harbor Island from the North Channel is like leaving the country for the city. We are back in civilization. As soon as we got near here we started seeing boats, lots of them, and jet skies. We are in Michigan now. It was like a switch was thrown and we are “back in Kansas."

I was able to call in to the US Customs and report our arrival without having to go to the Customs Station on Drummond Island, for which I was thankful. I had to give the agent every bit of information about us and Annie. It seemed like he was recording it on a piece of paper. It’s so different from Canada, where when you give them your boat registration number, and they have every bit of information about you on their system.

The anchorage is beautiful. It is round with trees all around and no buildings. It is open to the south, but only a slight chop comes in, even if there is a strong south wind. We are anchored deep into the harbor. There are other boats here, but they are all at the mouth of the harbor.  I hope there is nothing that I do not know!  The harbor is .4 miles wide. Pontoon boats and lots of fishermen come into the harbor. Many of the pontoon boats bring jet skies with them. While I think they are invading our anchorage, I am sure they think this is what they should be doing on a beautiful weekend Saturday.

We relaxed all afternoon. Dinner was hamburgers cooked on the grill and a tomato-cucumber and onion salad. Anne called while we were eating. We caught up on all the news, including the brothers showing off in their new big boy pants! Anne is going to arrange to get our AIS and replacement faucet to Jim before he drives up here.

Grayson is on the left and Andrew is on the right.

I turned my solar Christmas lights off, but will have the anchor light on tonight. We exchanged texts with Peter and Marianna all day – to help ease the separation anxiety I think. They went to Eagle Island and are going to go on a wild blueberry picking expedition. This is what Kip did and Eagle Island is always where he baked a fresh blueberry pie. So good! We will stay here tomorrow and go to DeTour Village on Monday. Big storms are possible tomorrow.

Kerry's Comments:

The picture below is my new water carafe.  It is a beautiful shape with frosted glass and the perfect size for our dinner table  on "Annie".  Where did I get this jewel you ask?  The answer----Marianna's trash.   The bottle originally housed an orange liquor which the three of us (minus Peter) managed to consume on two different nights.  I plucked it from her trash to re-purpose as a vase.  I soaked off the labels and found the lovely frosted glass  and noticed it was a very similar to very, very expensive water carafes in fine gift shops.  The carafe's debut was the next evening at dinner where it was greatly admired by all.  Peter really liked it and said they could use one too.  I asked if they wanted it back and Marianna graciously said she would buy another bottle of liquor for Peter....I hope they let us empty this bottle too!!! 

Gore Bay July 15, 2016

The best laid plans of mice and men, and Captain Don . . .

I was up early to check the wind and sea forecast, and they were a go. There was no wind and a nice quietness outside. I waited until 8:00 then walked over to the marina office to get 2 bags of ice. I saw the little girl who starred in the show last night. She was servicing a power boat. It had started to rain by this point and her face was mostly hidden by her foul weather gear. But the biggest smile came out when I recognized and complimented her on her excellent performance. She has never had acting lessons, but has studied under her director for 8 years.

Then I bought my ice, which actually is from the charter company and not the marina. I told the manager about the charter boat that sped through the marina last night. He said he would not lie, and that he was probably on that boat! Then I recognized him as being on the fly bridge. He must have recognized me as the person shouting at him at the same time. We were both so surprised that neither of us said anything else. He gave me the ice and I thanked him and left. I wished afterwards that I had explained the effect the wake had on our boat, although I am sure he knew.

I made tea for Kerry when I returned and said we would leave after the farmer's market. Shortly afterwards Peter's flag started standing straight out. It really got cold, windy and rainy. Lots of boats were coming in and having a hard time getting safely to a dock. One sailboat left and the pitching motion was dramatic after he passed the break wall. So a decision was needed. Wait to leave until later today when the forecast was to be calm, or not travel today. Sunday is forecast to be 15-25 knot winds, so not a good travel day. This meant that we travel 25 miles today, and 45 on Saturday, or we travel 70 tomorrow. Marianna saw our wavering and promised to take Kerry for pizza if we stayed, applying lots of pressure on the captain. Later we decided to stay today and leave early tomorrow. The forecast is for sun and 5-10 knot west winds tomorrow. It finally did calm down about 3:30, but we are glad we stayed. I hope the forecast is right. Our new next destination is Harbor Island.

Don checking Annie's lines.

It was a lazy afternoon. Kerry and Marianna spent most of it shopping, successfully it appears.

Kerry and Marianna have signed up to coordinate the VYC Fish Fry in September for Stuart who cannot be there. He wanted a picture to use for the invitation, so we caught a passing fish off the stern of Annie and snapped this picture.

Kerry did get her pizza tonight. Hard to believe after this morning, but we sat outside at Buoy's restaurant. The evening was just beautiful. Peter and I walked out on the new break wall while we waited for dinner.

Check out the tree line across from the break wall in this picture. It looks like someone manicured the lower branches on the trees to a consistent level. It is really the deer that do it. They eat off all the lower branches, as high as they can reach. From a distance it looks like a straight line.

When we returned to our boats, we met Rufus, a dwarf poodle. He was so cute that we gave him a dog treat. For some reason he does this great dance around the bone. He only ate it when mommy broke it up for him. We love dogs, and have met some great ones on this voyage.

We had our last pleasant nightcap on Brillig. Peter and I smoked cigars, we all sipped on a liquor, and we talked about all the fun we have had together on this trip. And who knows, there could be more joint trips in our future.  We plan on leaving early tomorrow for our long voyage. The winds are forecast to be light. Marianna says she will be up to cast us off.