Hello again. It has been a while since I last posted. Not for lack of wanting to, but just getting to a marina that has a WI-FI, has been a struggle.
We left Algonac and we travelled up the St. Clair River. Now, I must add if I haven’t yet. When we entered the Detroit River, I was doing about 9 ½ mph. As soon as we entered the river, my speed dropped down to 7.1 mph. It was a long slog up to the marina in Detroit. When we left Detroit and went up to Algonac, we crossed Lake St. Clair. Speed again about 9 ½ mph. When we left Algonac and headed up the St. Clair River, I had the boat at the same rpm’s as I would for 9 ½ mph. Again, we did about 7.1. Our Great Lakes Cruising Club report on the St. Clair River for Port Huron and the Blue Water Bridge, states that ‘we should stay to the Canadian side of the river, as the current coming out of Lake Huron, under the Blue Water Bridge is way stronger on the American side of the River. The river narrows at the Bridge and also curves. As we got closer to the Blue Water Bridge, I again had the rpm’s set for about 9 ½ mph. As we got closer to the bridge, our speed dropped down below 5 mph. After we got through the bridge and about ¾ of a mile into Lake Huron, our speed went back up to 9 ½ mph. We cruised up along the ‘Thumb’ of Michigan and both Nancy and I were very surprised that the shoreline North of Port Huron almost all the way to Port Austin, is sand beach. I had no idea. I assumed, very wrongly that it was rocky.
We stopped for the night in Harbor Beach, nice little marina, not really close to town or anything, but a nice stop. The next day we headed off for East Tawas, roughly 50 or so miles North then across Saginaw Bay. We were picking up my sisters for the remainder of the journey. Of course, we got in on Thursday at the beginning of the Fourth of July Holiday weekend. We also got a chance to see our Nephew Dale, his wife Linda and their son Sullivan again, as they came up on Saturday. East Tawas State Dock was very disappointing. The Dockmaster as well as the State DNR office will be hearing from me. Each and every time that you had to walk to or from your boat, you had to run the gauntlet of the ‘seasonal’ boaters from the Bay City area. There were signs stating that there was NO Alcoholic Beverages Open on the Dock. All these people did was drink, then play the music from boat to boat louder than the next boat. If you did want to use a cart to haul stuff to you boat, you almost had to ask permission to weave through their ‘parties’. I don’t mind a little partying around, but when you can’t walk on the dock, and people are getting rude because you are hauling stuff to your boat and they party till almost 1 AM, VERY LOUDLY, then I will say something. I did get into it with a group. I was hauling a cart back up to the bathroom area where the carts were kept and had to go through this group of people, who were horrendous. I stopped and politely asked them to please move. One gentleman didn’t move and didn’t move. I more loudly than the time before kept saying ‘Sir, SIR, SIR!!!’. Some woman, looked at me and when ‘Jeeze’. I then unloaded on her about my paying for a slip and having as much right to use the dock as they do and that I shouldn’t have to ask to have people move to do what I need to do. Nobody in their group said a word.
So, we left East Tawas on Monday morning and travelled as far as Alpena. We stopped for the night and just bedded down.
Today, Tuesday, we travelled from Alpena, MI to Rogers City, MI, as distance of around 62 miles. We went to dinner at a great restaurant and bought some groceries. Rogers City Marina is one of the nicest marinas that I have been too. The Harbor Master is great, the staff is great the marina is clean and quiet. We are not sure what tomorrow will be. There is a good chance of Thunderstorms tomorrow morning, then clear Thursday, then 100% chance of Thunderstorms on Friday, so we are not sure if we will be leaving in the morning or not. We will either go to Cheboygan, MI or to Mackinaw City when we do leave. So far, it is going okey dokey. The picture is the best that I could do to show the current under the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.