Sunday, September 5, 2004
Port Huron, MI
Welcome to Port Huron
We are back in civilization. What a surprise it is for us after spending weeks in the relative remoteness of Northern Michigan. But, here we are, another milestone firmly logged into the book. We are clear of Lake Huron.
John G. Munson coming into Calcite
It has been one HUGELY busy week aboard Nereus. We left Roger’s City, MI on Tuesday morning and had a beautiful, down-wind sail all the way to Thunder Bay on the eastern shore of Northern Michigan – spinnaker sailing the whole way. We had the lake mainly to ourselves, with the exception of a few freighters. The next port down the coast from Roger’s City was Calcite, a giant gravel pit that ships aggregates to the rest of the region. That was where most of the “traffic” was. Other than that, it was us and the elements.
Bing keeping busy underway
After seven hours, we rounded the point at the Thunder Bay Wildlife Refuge and tried to find a place to anchor. Here’s were the trip gets challenging. Our next run to the “thumb” area of Michigan would be at least 65 miles – a very long day. We would need our rest. Going all they way up Thunder Bay to Alpena would add 12 more miles to that trip, something we didn’t want to do. Anchoring in the out near the wildlife refuge would save miles, but we’d be exposed to weather. However, the winds continued to blow from the north, so we ducked into the lee shore and found the seas acceptable. Unfortunately, the bottom was all rock, and the anchor just wouldn’t grab. We found ourselves in a precarious place. We were already tired and dreading the long trip ahead. We wanted to stay on anchor right there, saving the miles, even though the holding was poor. We decided to risk it. We set the anchor alarm so the GPS would notify us if we dragged anchor and went to bed. It was a rough night’s sleep. Just when we were comfortable thinking we would be okay and started falling asleep, coyotes in the refuge decided they could help our slumber by serenading us with their “lullaby of the woods.” They went on for hours. How much howling can you do in a night? They did finally stop. Apparently, they lulla-byed themselves to sleep and finally shut up. I’m glad someone got to sleep. I slept, but not well. I woke an hour before the alarm, made a pot of coffee, drank the whole thing, and prepare to get underway.
Harbor Beach Light
We were off by 07:00. We were making good time and decided to extend out trip and change our land-fall destination. We originally planned on heading for Port Austin on the “tip of the thumb.” However, we decided, a few degrees change in course now would only add ten miles to today’s trip, saving us thirty miles the next day. We changed course and headed for Harbor Beach. After thirteen hours of motor-sailing in solitude, we entered the harbor at Harbor Beach, sharing the anchorage with only one other boat. I was extremely pleased at our progress. Making Harbor Beach took one whole day off of our itinerary. Unfortunately, we would have to give that day back.
The next morning found winds blowing hard out of the southeast, the direction of our travel, of course. We tried to go, but the boat was getting beat pretty bad and things started breaking. We turned back. We waited most of the day, but the winds never let up. The harbor offered great protection from every direction, except south, so the anchorage became rough. After hours of getting beat up, we moved into the neighboring marina and called it a night.
And it wasn’t great either. We went to town for pizza and discovered there isn’t much to Harbor Beach. Nothing was open, except the pizza place and Dow Chemical’s Agro Services plant. I don’t know what they made there, but the odor was enough to turn your stomach. After filling up on pizza, one whiff and we almost started chumming. The plant was due south of the marina, so that vomit triggering odor followed us all the way back and stayed aboard through the night.
John, Sean, Lucas, and Debbie
The next morning’s winds were still from the south, but light enough that we could beat into the head wind under power with out problem. We motored for five hours to Lexington on Friday, putting us into a strategic location for entering the St. Clair River. Plus, my cousin Debbie lives there, so we decided to stop and get a slip for the night. The place was packed with crazy, drunken, holiday week-enders! It was the first hot day of the year there and people were all coming out to finally enjoy the first warm day of summer and to have one last go at, as Labor Day marks the end of the summer season. And it was hot! The first day we’ve worn shorts while sailing since Holland back in June!
We stopped by Deb’s restaurant – Steis’s Village Inn. Being a Friday on a holiday weekend, the place was also packed. The food was very good and Deb was kind enough to buy us dinner – Thanks Deb! We had a nice visit. She says “Hello” to all the family back home.
Bouys Mark St. Clair River Channel
Tug and barge coming up the channel
So close, we can even fit it all in the picture
No need to get up early on Saturday, as the run to Port Huron is only sixteen miles, just over two hours. We were surprised to see all the boat traffic in the area. It was still hot and very humid along the shore. We pushed on, motor-sailing again, due south. The further we traveled, the more traffic we encountered. Our target was Port Huron at the mouth of the St. Clair River. The closer we came, the busier it was. The St. Clair River is part of the St. Lawrence Seaway system and is the only access for ships heading north into the upper Great Lakes or south to the lower lakes and the ocean. Big boats come through here. We’ve been preparing and on our first day, we weren’t disappointed. As we entered the channel and headed toward the mouth of the river, there were boats as far as we could see. Off Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, there was a regatta with at least 200 sail boats. Power boats lined the shores and beaches of Port Huron. Plus, we were met by a large barge, pushed by a tug, and another freighter following up the channel from the river into the lake.
St. Clair River – Canada on left, US right
The pleasure boat traffic was so bad, it reminded me of driving in Vegas during rush hour – in the summer! It was hot! Now, I know I’ve done nothing but complain about the cold, but now that summer is over, I’m expecting it. But this is ridiculous. Our Hygrometer reported 85ish degrees with 90 percent humidity! We pushed onward, entering the busy river, Canada on the left, USA on the right, boats swarming all around. It was really exciting.
Looking north back toward the lake
We passed under the Bluewater Bridge (which connects the USA and Canada) and bid good bye to Lake Huron. It treated us much better than Lake Michigan had. It is interesting how the two lakes are completely different. Lake Michigan is a recreational boater’s paradise, but most of Huron was exactly opposite, more remote, more industrial. Perhaps it is just the time of year, but the only noncommercial boats we really saw in any quantity were small fishing boats, and those guys will go until the lake freezes and then put out their ice shanties to keep fishing. They have a real love of it. They get up at 04:00 to get to the boat, wait for the sun to start rising and fish for a few hours before going to work. Then after work, straight back to the boat for more fishing. I give them credit for their drive, but I can’t even eat that much fish, let alone work that hard for it.
Looking south – into Canada? Hmmm?
Into the river we went. Not at all what we expected. Of course, we had to enter on a busy holiday weekend – not too bright on our part – but these were the worst seas we have encountered so far. A combination of wind, river current, and boats everywhere, whipped the water in to complete chaos. It was rough! We pressed on, trying to decide what to do. We saw a bunch boats coming out of the Black River, a small tributary on the US side. We checked the chart, turned up the Black, and discovered Port Huron and all its boating glory. We grabbed a slip at the Municipal Marina and, after six days, called an end to our Lake Huron run.
We are back in civilization and will remain in it for a while. The Detroit River is next, before Lake Erie and proves even more challenging. My research has indicated Detroit as the busiest waterfront, per tonnage, in the world. Sounds like fun. At last, we’re making progress.
Looking back at Bluewater Brige and Lake Huron
– Steve