Cruising Lake Huron- Port Huron to Rogers City

Sailboats in Port Huron ready to race

Bluewater Bridge we crossed to Sarnia on the motorcycle trip

Ft. Gratoit light

Harbor Beach light

We left Port Huron on Friday one day ahead of the sailboat race and headed for Harbor Beach which is in the northern portion of Michigan's thumb on Huron's western shore. The weather was good and Lake Huron was smooth as glass. We got to Harbor Beach and took on a couple hundred gallons of fuel at $4.05/gal. and got the boat tucked into her slip. The marina was really nice and the people very friendly. The marina also had a webcam for viewing the harbor and when Jane posted this, everyone was looking us up and calling us so we would go out on the foredeck and wave to the camera. At one point the marina staff asked us if we wanted them to focus the camera exclusively on Bavarian Cream! We learned of a festival at the local Catholic church and thought we would check it out. We wanted to eat lunch there and spend an afternoon, but when we arrived the only activity was a fund raising auction with about 60 people in attendance. There was little food and the beer counter wasn't open, so we headed over to a restaurant that was recommended by the marina staff and had lunch there. After lunch Jane went shopping then we returned to the boat. The next morning we were able to watch the sailboats as they passed the marina on their way to Mackinac. We learned the following day that during the night a storm rolled through the sailboat fleet and one boat capsized drowning two young men. Over ten boats supposedly left the race to assist in the distress call, but unfortunately their efforts proved fruitless.

Some rough conditions on Huron

Our deepest water yet

We had spent two days in Harbor Beach and a confusing weather forecast on the third day caused us to decide to spend an extra day due to high winds. From the marina it didn't seem to be all that bad, but we learned later from some other arriving boaters that conditions were really lousy. The next morning called for slightly better conditions and we decided to move on since the extended forecast didn't look very promising. On this day we wanted to head to Harrisville on Huron's western shore about the middle of the mitten. This also required us to cross Saginaw Bay which was around 40 miles across and really open water. Well, let's just say that we were glad when this day was over. We spent around three hours in 3-4' seas and it wasn't fun, although Jane said it wasn't as bad as our rough day in the Chesapeake. We also went through some of the deepest water we had experienced with a maximum depth of 211'. We arrived at Harrisville and stayed on the boat and at the marina.

South Point light

Pride of Michigan comes into Alpena

At the heritage museum

Shipwreck exhibit

The next day we headed out for Alpena. The day started with reasonably good conditions which steadily deteriorated as the day progressed. With west winds and us hugging the shoreline we thought we would be better off, but we learned that Lake Huron can be nasty. We arrived in Alpena with the intention of spending 3 days here. With a population of around 13,000, Alpena is one of the larger cities in Michigan's upper lower. Additionally, there are many businesses, stores, and restaurants within walking distance of the marina. This makes it an easy place to re-provision which is exactly what we did. We went to a farmer's market, bought groceries, visited a hardware store and Jane got to visit lots of boutiques. On our second day, we went to a Great Lakes heritage museum which was really interesting. The museum exhibits focused on all of the shipwrecks that occurred in this part of Lake Huron with particular emphasis on wrecks occurring between 1825-1925. And there were a mess of them! Many of these wrecks are now preserved in a marine sanctuary and it is possible to dive the various wrecks. After the museum we went to a really great restaurant for dinner then back to the boat.

Thunder Bay Island light

Middle Island light

Presque Isle light

The water is so clear

Now that's a prop!

Bavarian Cream in Rogers City

We left Alpena and headed for the neat little town of Rogers City. We were excited to visit here, because it was a destination we had visited before via its webcam and the internet. For a couple of hours this past January we watched the frozen harbor and shipping lane on the lake. We watched as a snowplow plowed the marina's parking lot, so we felt really connected to this place. We had good conditions for travel and passed several of Michigan's upper lower landmarks. We arrived at Rogers City and 3 dockhands assisted us in berthing the boat. The thing that we really marveled at was how clean and clear the water in the marina was. You could easily see details on the bottom in 8-9 feet of water. The marina staff offered to drive us to a local supermarket which we took them up on. The next day we got our bikes down and rode around town. We had lunch at a recommended restaurant and the food was delicious. Then we went back to the boat and put on our bathing suits and headed for the beach that was right next to the marina. After some ice cream we had supper on the boat and turned in with the intention of heading to Mackinaw City tomorrow.

A gull having a catfish dinner

Cruising to Port Huron and Meeting Our Canadian Friends

Detroit River light

South Bass Island light

We left Lakeside Marblehead and headed across Lake Erie's western basin for the Detroit River. We had perfect conditions for traveling, although it was unseasonably hot throughout the area. We passed several U.S. and Canadian islands that dot this portion of the lake and finally made it to the Detroit River light which starts the Detroit River. The river current surprised us at around 3 kts. which slowed our progress somewhat. Large interlake ships frequent this passage, and we had to remain alert as to where this traffic was. We passed downtown Detroit to port and Windsor, ON to starboard then made our way up to a marina opposite Belle Isle. This put us nearly at the beginning of Lake St. Clair.

Detroit skyline

The next morning we crossed the lake and went up the St. Clair River, passing several large ships as we made our way to Port Huron. The current in the St. Clair River was even faster than that in the Detroit River and it took us the better part of a day to make the trip. Also, unknown to us, there was a major sailboat race, the Port Huron to Mackinac race, scheduled for the weekend and we found several of the marinas full. We finally found a marina with space, but had to pass through three bascule bridges with restricted schedules to get to it which took over an hour. After getting the boat in her slip, we contacted our Canadian friends, Jim and Marie Foubister who live across the river in Sarnia, ON. We met Jim and Marie several years ago on a cruise ship and stayed at their house when we did the motorcycle trip in 2008. They agreed to cross over and meet up with us the next day.

Jim, Jane and Marie

The Canadian delivers the Canadian!

The following day turned out to be a real scorcher with temperatures into the mid-nineties. We took advantage of the marina's pool while doing some laundry, then returned to the boat to get ready for Jim and Marie. We had a fantastic reunion with us telling loop stories and them telling about their extensive travels and cruises. It was great to see them and catch up. We went downtown to a restaurant that was recommended by a fellow boater and had a good meal, then we returned to the boat for some more visiting. Near dark, Jim and Marie left to return home. We're not sure when we'll meet again, but then we never really expected to have seen them on two different occasions since our first meeting. One never knows what will bring people together.

The Foubisters and Bavarian Cream

An Extended Stay on Lake Erie

Hey! Anything to eat in there?

Slidin' at the safari park

Quenching thirsts at the tavern

Hmmmmm! Wine and the good stuff

Brian takes the dink out

After the pig party we decided that we would stay an additional  7-10 days to visit and do things with family members who had taken vacation or time off to spend with us. There's a lot to see and do in the western Lake Erie basin, and Jane wanted to do most of it. We ruled out going back to Cleveland for a couple of days, because Capt. Larry had his heart set on seeing an Indians game, and the team was going to be away for the entire week. We did some short day trips with everyone, and every night we were either invited to a fantastic dinner at the Vogels, or we had everyone over for dinner on Bavarian Cream. Each night turned out to be really special. We went with Brian and Janelle and took Edie to a drive through animal safari. The animals came right up to the car for food handouts and Edie didn't seem too sure about their intentions. She was able to feed them the long carrots without getting her little fingers in the way. The next day Brian and Janelle took us on a road trip to some of their favorite watering holes. We stopped at a tavern they used to frequent then on to a winery where we had wine and cheese and olive plates. We could have stopped there, but were whisked to a bar/restaurant that Janelle used to work at. After all of this we returned to the Vogels for happy hour and dinner! The next day Brian came over and took the dinghy out for a spin and we hosted every for dinner that night on the boat.

Perry's Monument

Diggin' in at the Boardwalk

 

South Bass Island vineyards

Capt. Larry had promised Jane a break from the boat and a night or two in a motel so she could while away in a bathtub. This meant a road trip. So we headed over to Catawba Island and caught a ferry to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island, commonly known as "Buckeye Party Central."

The only way to go!

We had tried desperately to find a room for the evening, but it was late in the week and everyplace we called was booked. So this would be a day trip to the island and return to find a motel on the mainland. We rented a golf cart to get around and were glad we did.

Having fun at Joe's

The cart enabled us to wander all over the place and Capt. Larry didn't have to worry about his knees.We first stopped at the Perry Victory and Peace Monument and toured the exhibits. Capt. Larry was also able to get another U.S. Parks stamp for his Passport Book! From their we toured the northern part of the island and then returned to Put-In-Bay for a seafood lunch on the Boardwalk.

Joe's Bar is famous

Shops were calling Jane's name so Capt. Larry dropped her off and he went looking for a boater we met in Charleston who worked as a bartender at the Crew's Nest. He didn't have any luck finding him and only had an e-mail address on his boat card, so the effort was for naught.

Our favorite bartender

After meeting back up with Jane we wandered south and stopped at the Hineman Winery for a bottle of Catawba Red. It was delicious. Further south we stumbled upon a really interesting place that made the day trip worth the effort. Joe's Bar was a really low-keyed place with a really lively clientele.

Leaving South Bass Island

After a couple of drinks and wild storytelling with the locals, we found the cart and headed back to the ferry. That evening we had dinner at a mexican restaurant and found a motel room with a jacuzzi in it. Jane was in heaven!

Romance in a dink

The next day a cookout was scheduled at the yacht club, and since the Vogels are members, we were in attendance. The food was great and we got a chance to tell a lot of boaters about the loop. We especially recommended going east on Lake Erie and into the western part of the Erie Barge Canal. This was something that appealed to several and easily doable from their home base. After the cookout, Brian and Janelle stayed and visited, and took the dinghy out for a sunset cruise. We then entertained them on the boat until late into the evening.

Checkin' out the woodies

River rats in Ohio????

Pam and Slow Ride at Kellly's Island

For Brian and Janelle the vacation was over, and they returned to Columbus the next day. With the kids out of the way, the Vogels and the Pfeifers began partying. We went to the Lakeside wooden boat festival and then returned to the house for a bratwurst cookout. The brats are the good stuff from Bucyrus, OH, known as the bratwurst capital of the world. If you are ever in Ohio for the Bratwurst Festival in Bucyrus, you won't be disappointed.

Glacial grooves on Kelly's

Cutting up at the Village Pump

On the shore of Kelly's Island

The next day we boarded the Vogel's boat, Slow Ride, and took a leisurely ride over to Kelly's Island. Again we rented a golf cart to get around. We had some drinks at a tiki bar establishment then went to The Village Pump restaurant for lunch. From the fried green beans, artichoke dip, Brandy Alexanders. and the perch and walleye dinners, everything was wonderful. But the company was the best! We toured the island and finally stopped at an island winery for a bottle of wine, then returned to the boat for the ride home just after some storms had passed through. This was our last day in Lakeside Marblehead, and for us it was a grand finale. We cannot thank our hosts, Kevin and Pam Vogel, enough for their wonderful hospitality and generosity. We also thank Brian and Janelle for helping with the pig party and shuffling us around for a great visit. We can only hope that we get a chance to reciprocate on visits down south.

Kevin and Pam Vogel, our Erie ambassadors

Porkin' with the Pfeifers

Pizza and beer on the patio

Kevin & Pam had fixed us up with a really wonderful slip right next to the Gravel Bar Yacht Club. We had use of the yacht club facilities, dual 30-amp electric, water and free use of a loaner car and all at a really reasonable price. We had pushed through Lake Erie to make it here by July 9, because a big party was being planned and we apparently were the guests of honor. One way or another we were going to be in attendance. After we got settled in the Vogels picked us up and took us to dinner at a fine nearby restaurant. Capt. Larry's nephew, Brian Duress,came up from Columbus late that evening and we sat in the boat's cockpit and drank beer and got caught up until 0100. We spent the next day cleaning the boat and doing boat chores to get ready to have friends and relatives come aboard. This was a major cleaning similar to when we took off in February. Brian's wife and daughter, Janelle and Edra, joined us for a Friday evening of pizza and beer. We also met Vogel friends Nick & Mary Russo who joined us for the evening. It was so great to be with everyone again and what a wonderful time we had!

Getting the pig on the spit

Celebrating the pig in the cooker

Jane spritzing the pig

Hey Kevin, where's your spritzer!

Cutting the pig

Edra watches the band set up

The band- Brian & the Skinheads

Powdering the cannon

Kaboooom! We're under attack!

Capt. Larry and sister Deb

The next morning we got up early to witness the preparation of the pig for the whole hog roast. Nick Russo had the lead in this operation and it started with putting the pig on the spit at 0730. When everything seemed to be in order, the first beers were consumed around 0800. It was going to be a long day! The pig was roasted and spritzed with beer and wine to keep the meat moist all day long. While the pig was roasting everyone enjoyed bean bag toss games and lots of keg beer. Capt. Larry stole away around 1000 to take a nap so he could pace himself, but the pig kept cooking. Around mid-afternoon people started to show up. This was also the time the pig was just about done. The pig was taken out of the cooker and everyone started to cut it up. It seemed that at least half of the meat that was cut was sampled by the cutters and Capt. Larry was in the thick of this. By 1700 the party was in full swing and there was enough food to feed an army! At 1900 we had to tap the second keg of beer! Brian had put together a three piece band and he and the other two members started playing when the feasting was over. They were really good and everyone enjoyed the music and dancing. Kevin had arranged to have an old civil war cannon delivered to the yacht club. He powdered and wadded the cannon and set it off 3 or 4 times during the course of the evening. Imagine the reaction of boaters on the lake when this was fired in their general direction. We're not really sure what the local ordinances call for in Ohio, but no one hasseled us about the cannon or the loud music. Close to midnight the party started to come to a close. Capt. Larry's sister, Deb, and grandson, Caleb, stayed overnight aboard Bavarian Cream. The next morning we had a big pancake breakfast and Capt. Larry taught Caleb all about the boat. It was a really great time and one we won't forget!

A pair of baby racoons in the Vogel back yard