Our 6,500+ mile voyage around the eastern US
Our creative and generous Looper friends Greg and Susan Costa developed an excellent way to connect with and “give back” to communities as they travel America's Great Loop. It is their goal to do something to make a positive difference at many stops along their (second) Great Loop journey. This might be volunteering, making a … Continue reading Loopers Care
Since crossing our wake (finishing our 6,800 mile voyage on America’s Great Loop), we have enjoyed good times with family and friends in the Midwest, and I have been in Indiana a few times to meet with clients and colleagues. Radian Journey spent a few days with us in Holland. Sunset at Halfway Creek First … Continue reading PostLoop #1
R&R crossed her wake at 6:30 PM on August 20, 2021 in Holland, MI after nearly two years and 6,748 miles around this beautiful country on America's Great Loop. Wow! What an adventure! Our hearts are full of gratitude for all the friends we met, the memories we made, and for this opportunity of a … Continue reading We Crossed Our Wake!
We traveled nearly 70 miles from Ludington to Grand Haven on a picture-perfect Lake Michigan boating day: temperatures in the 70's, light breeze, glassy-smooth water. Ludington's S.S. Badger, the last coal-fired, steam-driven passenger ship on the Great Lakes Harborview Marina in Ludington Leaving the Ludington channel One of our blog followers sent me these shots … Continue reading Grand Haven, Coast Guard City USA
Manistee's historic downtown and nearby residential district lie along the navigable river connecting Lake Manistee to Lake Michigan. In 1841 the first permanent European settlers opened a sawmill in Manistee Lake. With a natural harbor and access to northern Michigan forests, the city became a logging and lumber boomtown that by 1885 had forty operating … Continue reading More Manistee Millionaires
My sister Eve, her husband Pete, and their son Eli joined Don and me for a short day-trip from Arcadia to Manistee. Rhonda drove Eve and Pete’s car from port to port and ably assisted with take-off and landing. Leaving the narrow channel to Lake Arcadia The Captain, paying attention to the waves Do they … Continue reading Bouncing from Arcadia to Manistee
Brother Don and I had a tentative plan to travel from Leland to Frankfort, but none of that town’s marinas could accommodate us. Another boater in the Leland Harbor office told me that he found space in Arcadia, so we called and scored a slip there. Leaving Leland Lighthouse near North Manitou Island Don recalled … Continue reading Arcadia Culinary Surprise
My brother Don joined us in Traverse City for a few days of Lake Michigan Great Loop cruising. Traverse City friends Kristen, Allen and Bonnie joined Don and me for a cruise up the East Bay, around Northport Point, and down to Leland. Rhonda helped us off the dock in TC and (after a few … Continue reading Lovely Leland
We caught the 0700 drawbridge opening in Charlevoix for a trip around the East Arm of the Grand Traverse Bay, past Mission Point in the center of the Bay, and on south to the Clinch Muncipal Marina in downtown TC. First Mate at the helm An Earl Young house on Round Lake Leaving the CVX … Continue reading Traverse City Extravaganza!
We stayed in Charlevoix, Michigan for two days, enjoying this charming town. Downtown Charlevoix and the city marina lie on the shore of Round Lake, connecting to the Lake Michigan channel on the west and Lake Charlevoix on the east. Charlevoix’ small downtown has many unique shops and restaurants that we enjoyed. The area has … Continue reading Charming Charlevoix
We heard that strong currents in the Straits of Mackinac (a narrow band of water that links Lakes Michigan and Huron) could produce 3-6 foot waves and that the best time to transit the Straits is early morning. So we rolled out early, left the slip quietly to not awaken our dock-neighbors, and were out … Continue reading Back in Lake Michigan Again!
Fort Mackinac, the Indian Barracks, and stately Victorian cottages just ashore of our Marina. We looked forward to Mackinac Island for most of our Great Loop voyage. We planned that this island would be our re-entry to the USA after enjoying a few weeks in Canada's Georgian Bay and North Channel, but Canada closed its … Continue reading Incomparable Mackinac Island!
St. Ignace, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is on Lake Huron at the north end of the Mackinaw Bridge. St. Ignace and Mackinaw City at the south end of the Bridge both provide ferry service to Mackinac Island, which is about 5 miles away from both ports. French Jesuit priests founded the St. Ignace Mission in … Continue reading Say Ya to Da UP, Eh?
Here are some statistics about our voyage on America's Great Loop, plus Nebo Tracker's summary of our July travels. R&R: St. Ignace, Michigan Departed: September 8, 2019, Holland, Michigan Travel Days: 116 Miles: 6,340 Fuel: 7,752 gallons Locks: 77 Anchorages: 5 Waterways Traveled: Lake Michigan, Calumet River, Cal-Sag Channel, Illinois River, Mississippi River, Ohio River, … Continue reading Captain’s Log 7/31/21
While we were in Cedarville, Michigan in Les Cheneaux Islands we, our friends Alvin and Dianne, and Ray and Diane from Radian Journey walked to the nearby Great Lakes Boat Building School for a tour. GLBBS has a well-designed facility and an impressive trade school curriculum, offering one-year certificate programs in either wood boat building … Continue reading Great Lakes Boat Building School
Les Cheneaux Islands is a group of 36 small islands, some inhabited, some not, along twelve miles of beautiful Lake Huron shoreline at the far northeast end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. "Les Cheneaux" is French for "The Channels" and the islands were aptly named for their many large and small channels. The villages of Hessel … Continue reading Les Cheneaux Islands and Soo Locks
Friends Bob and Kristen flew to Drummond Island with Mike in his vintage Cessna. I drove the dinghy from our Harbor Island anchorage to Drummond Island Yacht Haven and then drove a loaner SUV to the rustic Drummond Island airport to meet them. The DI Airport Executive Lounge We transferred Bob and Kristen‘s luggage from … Continue reading North Channel Island-Hopping
We and Radian Journey left Drummond Island Yacht Haven and traveled a short 2.4 miles to a quiet, serene anchorage at Harbor Island, a horseshoe-shaped island with a narrow inlet leading to a large anchorage that felt like a private lake. This was only our fifth anchorage out of more than 100 stops along the … Continue reading Harbor Island Anchorage
The Drummond Island Yacht Haven feels like a summer camp from generations ago. Simple, practical buildings. Low waterside sheds house small slips for fishing boats and boats used to commute to nearby North Channel Islands. Visitors come here year after year. Sailboats and powered cruising boats use DIYH to refuel, fill water tanks and provision … Continue reading Drummond Island: Peaceful North Channel Harbor
Our wind/waves apps Windy and Predictwind predicted winds increasing from 6mph to 19mph today, so we set a VERY early alarm to get across the Straits of Mackinaw before higher winds arrived. First Mate Rhonda coiling lines as we left the Cheboygan River This looks like a carnival ride, but I think it is a … Continue reading Straight Across the Straits
Between the first and second photos below, we rocked and rolled in 2-4 foot waves for more than three hours. We were heading mainly north and the waves were mainly from the west, so our boat rolled from right to left with every large wave. We tried traveling closer to shore, and we tried tacking, … Continue reading Rolling to Cheboygan
Our trip on near-flat Lake Huron from Harrisville to Presque Isle took us past historic lighthouses and picturesque islands. Another early morning departure??!! Presque Isle (pronounced “eel”, from the French) is a tiny peninsula in the North Woods of Michigan. The PI State Harbor is very nice, and very remote. Todd, who owns Woody’s, the … Continue reading Presque Isle Pleasure
Earlier this week we traveled to Harrisville Michigan, a small harbor town in Northeast Michigan. Again we found a beautifully designed and well built marina, good staff and amenities, and a hospitable town. Harrisville Harbor Welcoming Committee Loaner bicycles The Harrisville Harbor also serves serves commercial fishermen. We had to re-provision, but the marina courtesy … Continue reading Harrisville Hospitality
Today we and Radian Journey left Harbor Beach at 0700 on a 55 mile trip north across Saginaw Bay to East Tawas, Michigan. The bright orange morning sun was brilliant on the surface of Lake Huron. Saginaw Bay has a reputation for high winds and dangerous waves, but today the winds were light and the … Continue reading 6,000 Miles to East Tawas
The port of Harbor Beach is the world’s largest man-made freshwater harbor. The Army Corps of Engineers built the harbor and its made-from-a-kit lighthouse between 1873 and 1885 to provide refuge for Great Lakes freighters and passenger vessels on Lake Huron. In the early 1900s, the original wooden cribs filled with field stones were strengthened … Continue reading Harbor Beach Lighthouse