Saturday, August 28, 2004
Mackinac Island, MI
Shiney new prop
Well, as I had suspected, Vetus sent the wrong parts. I called and screamed at them some more, and they promised they would send the correct parts over night for Wednesday. Another day’s delay. Needless to say, we didn’t go into the water on Tuesday as I had hoped.
Come Wednesday morning, no parts. Apparently, we just aren’t supposed to have an exhaust system on the new engine. I called, prepared to scream more, only to find UPS was the culprit; after a week and a half, Vetus got it right. Finally, UPS delivered and we installed the necessary parts and launched the boat Wednesday afternoon.
Moving in is a mess.
It was great to finally be aboard – be back home. I installed the rest of the exhaust components as Vanessa and Binga stowed our gear. It was a long stressful day, but it ended, late, with the sound of our new diesel purring away; our boat finally whole again. We made the decision – it was time to go.
Thursday, we drove to Traverse City to buy provisions and take care of a few last minute issues. By late afternoon, we had everything stowed. We paid the bill at the yard and prepared to deal with one final formality – christening Nereus.
We had forgotten to do that when we launched in Chicago. Since then, our luck hasn’t been great, with bad winds, killer flies, and a blown engine. Now, mind you, I’m not superstitious – at all – however, we have some experience at this. When we bought the boat, we changed the name and hadn’t performed the proper ceremony. We had numerous problems that all went away after we offered the gods their bubbly with the proper oration. We had intended to re-christen the boat in the Chicago River, but we had been so busy, we all forgot. Big mistake, as luck was, obviously, not on our side. Not this time. We weren’t taking any precautions. Around 19:00 Thursday night, Vanessa, Binga, and I stood on the bow, with the engine running, and performed our little ceremony. And it seems as if it paid off.
We promptly departed afterwards. Setting sail at 20:30, we were finally cruisers again. Our goal was the Straits of Mackinac, where we were headed before all this engine business began. We planned on sailing straight there, hence the late departure, planning for a daylight arrival. However, NOAA Weather Radio was forecasting a nasty storm. Bad luck? Not at all. We were exhausted from the long day, and after sailing for eight hours, were happy to take a short break. We raced into Harbor Springs and dropped the anchor at 05:00 Friday morning. Just after, all hell broke loose, the storm holding back until we where prepared. The gods smiling gently on us.
After a few hours sleep, the morning showed us clear skies and strong winds. Apparently, our luck continuing to hold. I took care of a couple of new engine issues and we left the safety of Harbor Springs around noon to continue our journey north. We sailed, motored, and motor-sailed for five hours, hurrying, as more bad weather was predicted for later in the evening. Around 17:00, we entered our next big obstacle after Big Sable – Gray’s Reef.
East Shoal Light marks the southern entrance to the Gray’s Reef Channel
From the tip of Northern Michigan to Beaver Island in the west, there is an underwater ridge of shoals – or shallow waters – that compromise Gray’s Reef. The chart shows nothing but shallow water, rocks, and wrecks throughout the area. Most of the major shipping lanes go further west, around Beaver Island before heading south. However, there is a channel in the middle of the reef, allowing deep-water passage for vessels taking the Manitou Passage “short-cut.” As there are really large ships traveling this channel, we decided to avoid the freighter traffic and find our own way across Gray’s, saving some time in the process.
Clearing Grey’s Reef and Running East
The depth gauge measured shallower and shallower waters as we closely watched the GPS chart-plotter to verify our course. Tricky, for sure, but it paid off. By 16:00, we rounded a now defunct light, indicating we could turn east and head for our destination. As we cleared the shoals, a GIANT freighter joined us to our port. We were both racing for Mackinaw.
Lots of Freighters in the Straits
With the reef obstacle behind us, we prepared to for one of my lifetime sailing goals – to sail under the Mighty Mac, the bridge that spans the five-mile stretch of the straits, joining Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas together, forming one contiguous state. But, would we make it? Perhaps our luck was running out? Behind us, a giant storm was building, one unlike any I’ve ever seen. In the photo to the right, it looks like clouds are building up over some lake bound mountainous island.
A Storm building up from Lake Michigan
However, it is not an island. It is a storm cloud sucking up moisture directly from the lake. It would be close, but if our offering to the gods was sufficient, we might make it safely into harbor. We turned and focused on our goal, our prize. This was great!
We sailed two more hours, keeping the bridge, the freighter, and that storm in our sites. And we made it. At 19:30, we passed under the Mighty Mac, and even more important, bid a bittersweet farewell to Lake Michigan, and gave a hearty “Hello” to Lake Huron. Crossing under the bridge, as it turned out, was much more than a sailing “must do” event for us. It represents a much needed fresh start and a new lake with new horizons. We are out-o-here!
Looking East – The Mackinaw Bridge
South Tower, on Approach
North Tower, Going Under
From Lake Huron – Looking Back at the Bridge and Looming Storm
Storm Racing across the Straights
With that important bit of sailing greatness out of the way (hurray!), we have to turn back to business. Our intended anchorage was on Mackinac Island. But, that storm was chasing after us and we still had a half hour to go before reaching our port. We raced into the harbor and dropped the anchor as the storm engulfed the island with strong, cold winds.
Sunset in the Anchorage
It was a very long six and a half weeks of waiting and working back in the Grand Traverse Bay. We enjoyed the area tremendously, but it is soooooo great to be back aboard and making progress; we’re cruisers again. This destination is one of the great highlights of the Great Lakes. Sailing under the Bridge has always been a fantasy of mine. Vanessa loves Mackinac Island in all it’s Victorian quaintness. This is the northern most point of out whole trip. Everything from here is towards warmer climates.
Hopefully the gods will continue to smile on us. We can point to many great things on this long, but fast leg of our trip that probably shouldn’t have gone our way, but did. But, who cares. We made it – luck still on our side.
Sunset over Main Street – Mackinac Island
– Steve