The day after haul out put the final touches on finalizing our season. Stowing lines, last minute cleaning, and securing doors puts everything on hold until spring.
This year we were launched the last weekend of April which, with the Michigan spring in mind, turned out to be the coldest of the last five years. Living onboard for a twenty two week season this year seemed to be cut short with a cold start and intermittent spurts of summer like weather. We have requested a launch date for next year to be mid May. Hopefully spring will be a little friendlier, with warmer temps and blooming landscape.
Until then, Second Knot is resting in soon to be heated storage for the winter at a cozy fifty five degree maintained temperature.
Thank you to everyone that shared our site this year and followed us while we created another season of adventure.

It never changes...the day we get hauled out for winter storage, the weather is like a typical cold and cloudy fall day.
This is always an amazing process to watch as the crew raises the boat out of the water with the travel lift, power washes the bottom, and lowers it on the hydraulic trailer to move into the storage building.
The marina stores nearly six hundred boats at the close of the season each year.

Truly the feeling of the close to a season when you see your empty dock space. We are always the first to vacate our space on the wall at the boat harbor since the other seven dock neighbors all live locally. The scenery will change by mid October when the harbor officially closes and the peak of fall colors arrives.

Today was our last day on the river, going from home port to Sassy Marina in Algonac for winter storage. It was a day of the best conditions of clear blue sky, perfectly calm water, and a light breeze on our stern as we navigated heading south.
After getting Second Knot secured dockside, we returned to the St Clair Boat Harbor for the removal of our dock lines and say goodbye to our empty dock, closing another season.
Tomorrow will be the day to empty our boat and get ready for the fall service to be done before our haul out the following day.

This year the city of St Clair combined the Art Festival and the Jazz Festival on the same weekend. Yesterday we walked the boardwalk and street where all the artists and vendors had their works on display. Everything from paintings, artwork, crafts, jewelry, and clothing articles were to be found.
Today we went to an afternoon jazz performance that featured a flute soloist, accompanied by a trumpet, guitarists, two keyboards, and drummer. There were hundreds of spectators there, all with lawn chairs, food, and beverages. Quite a show and one of many done this weekend.

Today was race day on the St Clair River. This is the annual event that begins on Thursday when the boats start arriving by trailers. Riverside Dr is closed off on both ends of the road that runs parallel to the boardwalk along the river. Live band music was performed each night in the square where the restaurants and bars were filled with standing room only.
Our marina was booked with transient boaters coming from ports as far distant as Lake Erie and our surrounding Canadian harbors.
The winning boat in the final heat was "Knucklehead", owned by the operators of River's Bend Marina, just inland from our home port. Boats in that class reach speeds of one hundred twenty miles per hour in the straights.
It was disappointing that the “big boys”, like the “Geico” boat, were not present due to a conflicting race in another state.
The day was spent with our boating dock neighbors, enjoying breakfast and lunch on the picnic tables while watching the boats at the staging area across the way from our boats.