Day on the Cruise: 124
From: Rogers City, MI
To: Straits State Harbor Marina, Mackinaw City, MI
Statute Miles: 52.7 SM
Time: 6.25 Hrs
Cumulative Miles: 2,924.1 SM
On Board: Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut
Tonight we are at the summit on top of the Michigan "Mitten". This is a major milestone on our Great Loop trip! We are in Mackinaw City, MI!
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| At the Very Top of the Michigan Mainland in Mackinaw City |
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| In our slip at the Straits Harbor Marina in Mackinaw City |
Another beautiful cruising day on Lake Huron. Waters were calm, wind was light, and skies were clear and sunny. We wore jackets and jeans again as the lows last night were in the 50's and this carried over to this morning and our 7:15 departure.
I enjoyed talking to our friends Ed and Gail from Orlando as we cruised North shortly before 8 out in Lake Huron. Today's trip was a shade over 50 miles and was pretty uneventful. We passed the entrance to Cheyboygan, MI, and in the distance at about 20 miles out, we could see the Mackinac Bridge that crosses the Straits of Mackinaw from the Michigan "mainland" to the Upper Peninsula. The towers of the bridge are 750' high!
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| Looking Out the Front Door this Morning as We Talked to Ed and Gail! |
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| Meeting Another Boat Out in the Middle of Lake Huron |
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| Look Closely and You Can See the 750' High Towers of the Mackinac Bridge Over 20 Miles Away! |
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| Lighthouse at the Entrance to Cheboygan, MI |
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| The Mackinac Bridge as We Get Close to Our Stop in Mackinaw City |
The passage in Lake Huron narrows near Cheboygan as it flows between the mainland and Bois Blanc Island. Just past this island, Mackinac Island came into view. As we got closer, we could see the huge white hotel that sits on this historic island that takes one back in time to 19th century. We hope to take the ferry over to Mackinac tomorrow.
Ten or so miles from Mackinaw City, we started to get big swells from, I guess, Lake Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac. We handled them OK, but taking them on the bow made us buck like a rocking horse. I am not looking forward to the rougher waters of Lake Michigan!
Our autopilot performed very well today with the tweaks that we made yesterday. No more "bow" legs between marks, and we basically did not touch the steering wheel for over 50 miles as the autopilot brought us right to the entrance to Mackinaw Harbor and our marina.
We refueled and got a pump out when we arrived at this beautiful state marina in Mackinaw City. Like the other Harbors of Refuge, the design of this marina is pretty much similar to the others.
Tonight we walked around the part of town near the marina,and we checked out the ferry to Mackinac Island for tomorrow. It is very cool up here, and very peasant. This part of town has a lot of motels on a man made beach along the shores of Lake Huron. There seems to be a good many tourists based upon what we saw when walking down the main street. There are two spellings of "Mack - in -aw". One is the English that is spelled "Mackinaw" like Mackinaw City misspelled. The other is "Mackinac" and is pronounced like Mackinaw. This is the French and is the way the Island and the Straits and the Bridge is spelled.
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| Man-Made Beach Next to the Marina with Motels Lined Up |
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| Street Scene in Mackinaw City in Front of the Marina |
Stay tuned for tomorrow's report when we try to go island hopping on the ferry.
Thanks for Reading!
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