June 15-17 Mackinaw City- Charlevoix-Northport

June 15, 16, 17 Sat, Sun, Mon   Mackinac City - Charlevoix - Northport

The winds calmed overnight and we saw a large, bright ball of fire in the sky.  Having the sun shine lends limitless possibilities for the day ahead.  We headed south into the Straits and under the bridge.  The ride to Charlevoix was comfortable and pleasant.  We could identify the navigational markers easily and watched other cruises come and go.  Strictly by chance, we timed the opening for the bridge perfectly and traveled through the channel to the same slip as previous.  Once secured in the slip, we vacuumed the dead midges (very few in this port).  We met a couple on a sailboat from New Buffalo and shared some adventures from our Loop experience.

On Sunday morning, Tom purchased pastries and they were enjoyed by all.  Suddenly is was decided "Let's leave" so we caught the next bridge opening and went out onto the lake heading south - cloudy skies with a one foot roll to the sea.  As the short ride concluded, the clouds were gray and the rain sprinkles once again fell.  Back in Northport, we were in the same mooring spot again, here too.  Slowly the blue skies appeared - still cool but pleasant.  Nacho dinner with Short Vacation and phone calls to and from the family completed our day.

The morning sunshine was a welcome sight. We could not resist wearing shorts, finally.  The day was spent doing a variety of tasks:  laundry, stowing items in the car, updating maintenance log, filling water tank, making phone calls, a grocery run, update blog, cleaning the fly-bridge, etc.  After we traveled for a week, the "to do list" consists of many small items to catch up on.  We went for a walk to stretch our legs and get some exercise.  One last night of cocktails on Short Vacation and dinner at the Garage completed a productive day.

June 13-14 Mackinaw City

June 13-14 Thurs, Fri Mackinac City

Thursday started with the rain overnight.  The piles of dead bugs were evident on the sidewalks and grass walkways.  Tom and John spent the morning replacing the water pump on the starboard engine of Greeks Folly (after watching a U tube video).  The two captains/mechanics had it up and running in no time!! We then took a casual walk through town which was capped off with caramel corn from the Popcorn Factory and the best ice cream ever from the Sweet Spot.  Later, a dinner stop at the Keyhole Bar, a local favorite, and a Tom favorite, finished off the day.  It stays light up here until about 930 pm. It feels odd to go to bed before the sun sets, but last night Tom had no trouble settling in.

On Friday morning we took an Uber (maybe the only one in town) over to St. Ignace.  Our driver, Mike was the retired chief of police in Mack City.  He was a great guide, knew the history of the bridge and the UP region and had entertaining stories which he shared.  We walked up Castle Rock and strolled through town as we enjoyed some warmth and sunshine.  There is not much to see in St. Ignace so we were back to our boats before the wind kicked up to 25 mph and the rain started.  The remained of the afternoon was spent tinkering on the boat, reading, and staying warm and cozy as the rain and winds once again soaked our afternoon.  We had pizza delivered for dinner and played a few games.  The plan for year 5 of cruising has changed.  Short Vacation is going to return to Northport as Pam has developed severe back pain and wants to return home to Illinois to see her doctor.  Boat buddies stick together so Greeks Folly will also return to Northport.  Tom and Colletta will then spend the remainder of this boating season traveling around Lake Michigan visiting old haunts, familiar harbors, dropping in on friends as well as finding new anchorages and places to explore - finally concluding the Loop in New Buffalo.  We will revisit the North Channel and Lake Superior another year, very soon.

Castle Rock, costs $1.00 and then 138 steps to the top

 

View from the top. You can see the bridge towers and the strait

On the top looking north, lots of pine trees

Famous Paul Bunyan and his ox, Babe.

 

 

2019 Northport -Charlevoix to Mackinaw City

June 11, 12, Tues, Wed Charlevoix to Mackinac City

John and I decided that a short shake down cruise would be wise to make sure everything on the boat worked and we remembered how to run everything. Charlevoix at 25 miles was the decided destination. Pulled out of marina at 0830 in sunshine, cool temps and flat water on the bay.  It feels good to be moving on the water, exploring new places and enjoying God's beautiful nature.  We are ready and anxious to do all that again.  The ride was comfortable with flat waters which is always preferred on Lake Michigan.  As we arrive in Charlevoix, we catch the 1130 opening of the bridge and were met by 5 eager dockhands in the city marina.  The "newbies" are being trained in line tying and communication with an incoming captain in order to make the boat secure in the slip. It was nice to have them all help us in as it was our  first time this season to dock too.  The town of Charlevoix is just as quaint and nice as ever.  We wandered thru the shops, walked the side streets and even borrowed bikes to ride and see some mushroom houses.  A great first stop.

Mural in downtown. Charlevoix is a beautiful town with a great
marina staff. It also has the most impressive library built in an
old school. Huge and very impressive

Mushroom house

another mushroom house

 

On Wednesday, the departure was planned around the 0830 opening of the bridge and we followed the ferry - Emerald Isle - out onto the lake.  The sprinkles and fog did not affect the calm water for traveling.   As we turned east to head thru the Straits, we could not see the bridge.  Finally when we were about 5 miles away the bridge came into view.  It is a magnificent sight, as always, and we enjoyed our journey under its mighty spans.  We pulled into Straits Marina, took on fuel, pulled into our slip and were swarmed by midges.  Midges are mosquito-like flying bugs (which do not bite) but swarm in clouds like locust.  These bugs appear in May and die off after 2 weeks of warm weather (usually mid June).  The start of this season has been so cool that the midges are sill here and healthy as ever.  If the wind is blowing, they congregate on the leeward side of the boat.  If it is calm, they swarm everywhere, docks, the grass, in the park, by doorways - everywhere close to the water.  While walking through town, they may go unnoticed, but are back to greet us in full force upon our return.

Departing Charlevoix (picture courtesy of Short Vacation)

The midges at Straits Marina Mackinaw City

They are all over. what a nuisance. constantly vacuuming up
dead bugs. If you try to wipe them off with a rag they leave a
black streak

 

2019 Year 5 of the Great Loop Cruise Begins

June 3, Mon  2019 - Northport, MI

It is the beginning of the last - Greeks Folly was launched on June 3 from Northport Boatyard, driven one mile and docked at Northport Marina.  We spent the next six days preparing her for travel (cleaning, checking equipment, provisioning, and becoming accustomed to living aboard again.)  During that time we had cool temperatures, sunshine, rain and swarming bugs.  However she is now ready to move.

Notice how high the water level is on the dock. The lake level is up
3 feet since the low point in 2013. 6 inches this past spring

Prior to departure many projects were under taken in preparing
for reacquainting ourselves with boat life. installing a transducer
on the dinghy for a depth finder I purchased over the winter in
Florida at a nautical flea market. Mother nature did not always
cooperate.

 

Sept. 17-19 Charlevoix to Northport Marina

 

 

Sept 17, 18 Mon- Tues, Mackinac City to Charlevoix 

We return from being on land in Illinois for 4 days, eager to get back to the boat and continue our cruising.  The fall up north brings cooler temperatures, the sun rises but does not shine until late morning and the winds are unpredictable.  After checking 3 wind forecast apps, we decide to leave Tuesday.  The wind has switched to the northwest so the water thru the Straits of Mackinac were a one foot roller.  The ride was comfortable for the six hour trip to Charlevoix.  The marinas close early this time of year so we call ahead and got our slip assignment before the dock master left for the day.  We arrive at 1645 - almost cocktail time.  In the evening we strolled thru the popular, peaceful town, looked at the shops and enjoyed dinner at the Villager Pub.  Early to bed after a long day. 

View of the bridge from Mackinaw City

Short Vacation passing under the Mackinaw Bridge

Thje bridge entering Charlevoix opens on the hour and half hour to get
into Charlevoix marina

Sept 19, Wed-Charlevoix to Northport

Greeks Folly and Short Vacation checked both into and out of the marina this morning.  Before we leave, we walked into town to look at the mushroom houses.  The houses have cedar shaked roofs or thatched roofs that are curved and rounded and give a fairytale and enchanted feel to the neighborhood.  We expect to see a dwarf whistling, coming out the front door.   Once back at the boats we are out on Lake Michigan by noon traveling on our last leg of cruising for the season.  The water is flat but again has a one foot roller.  The three hour ride to Northport is smooth, a nice way to end our travels.  We dock at the municipal marina and wait for our assigned dated to travel one mile to Northport Bay Boatyard to be lifted out of the water and stored for the winter.  Our wait becomes extended again, due to the weather.  The strong winds out of the southeast and northeast make for dangerous conditions to haul boats so the Boatyard postpones our date.  During this time we clean the boat, empty and remove belongings and supplies needed in Illinois, and eat as much of the food as we can. Lol.  We also have time for sightseeing to Sutton's Bay and Leland, nice little towns.

This year of boating has been different from the other three years - in a good way - more rustic and isolated, beautiful scenery, enjoying new friends and learning a lot about a different kind of cruising. These are all good things and we look forward to the continued adventures on our fifth and final year of the Great Loop.

Docked at Northport Marina

by the old Mackinaw Lighthouse

Lifgting her out of the water. All 40,000 lbs. The marina has
a scale on the lift to measure

Transferred to the hydraulic cart to move Greek's Folly into the
heated storage building for the winter

They charge by the square foot for indoor heated storage
so the marina doesn't waste any space for storage

See you next Summer 2019

Like I said, they don't waste any space. We had to take the dinghy
off because of the boat behind us.
 

See you next summer, 2019