Hole In the Wall to Toledo Beach Marina
22 August 2007 | La Salle, MI
Cloudy, raining, muggy86 degrees
The Detroit River Light in the Fog/drizzle
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What a nice peaceful night. No rocking - we stayed in one position all night with the Detroit River Current. Got up at 6:30am made coffee and breakfast.
The engine started up with no problem and we were off down the river system again at 8:30 am - following the buoys and dodging a couple of freighters. One really kicked up a wake so that we had spray over the bow even though we were way over to the side...
It was really misty out so I questioned as to whether we should turn on the radar or not... Self I said: If you have to ask or think about it then DO IT... so I did, then we put on our rain slickers and life jackets since it was getting really rocky and foggy. We lost a couple of buoys in the fog but the GPS put us back on track. Most of the day was spent in rain, or fog or haze, with choppy, shallow seas but when I could see the sister's outline (The Detroit Edison Smoke stacks) near Sterling State Park I caught the scent of home.
I was worried, as we got closer to the marina because the chart said some places were 5 and 6 feet and we've been pulling close to 6 feet this trip with our provisions and water tanks full. I couldn't find the range markers (only one) but did line up to 290 degrees true to come in (300 on our compass). It was still to hazy to see much until we were almost at the mouth of the marina. The 290 heading was good though and it looked like they dredged the heading because it consistently read between 7-9 feet all the way along that course even though the sides per the chart read 4 and 1 foot. I was a nervous wreck - coming into our new home for the first time. They had a pretty good map of the marina, and I knew where our berth was and this was probably the best docking I've ever done, with nobody to see me do it (it figures doesn't it?). Laced in tight by 2:30 pm.
Unloaded our gear and packed up the truck, checked in at the main office and departed for home around 3:45 pm... sleep tight little humming bird - torn sails, uncertain electrical, but a refrigerator that's kick-ass...
Home again, home again, jiggity jig... Tomorrow, we need to pick up my car from Tower Marine - a goodbye to Saugatuck.
End of Chapter 1?