Street Art in Boyne City

Welcome to Boyne City

Homes along Lake Charlevoix

On Thursday, July 25 we journeyed to Charlevoix. It was a pleasant ride. You enter Round Lake through a narrow channel. There is a drawbridge that opens on the hour and half hour. We knew the municipal marina was booked due to the Venetian Festival. We called the Northwest Marine Yacht Club. Luckily they had a slip available. To get to the Yacht Club you travel through another small channel and come into Lake Charlevoix. The dock attendants were very helpful and everyone we met was very friendly. We rode our bikes into town. Charlevoix was very crowded and all decked out for the festival. Of course we found a coffee shop.  We also found a fresh fish store and purchased trout fillets. Bob and Laurel on Hawkshaw, the boat next to us, invited us for docktails and drinks at 5:00. We then had dinner with them and two other couples at the picnic tables.  It was a fun evening. The rains came overnight with a significant drop in temperature. On Friday morning we woke up early, rode to town and treated ourselves to a delicious breakfast at the Edgewater Bistro. After giving the Summer Recess a good cleaning, we went to Glenn's Market for groceries. We planned on going back to downtown to take pictures and listen to the concert, but the rains came, so we decided to stay on the boat and keep dry.  Saturday, we left the yacht club and headed down the lake to Boyne City. The homes along the coast were magnificent.  We anchored near downtown Boyne City. The day remained cold and overcast. On Sunday we took the dinghy into town. We tied up at the dinghy dock and walked the downtown. There was a coffee shop. Yea Boyne City! We did a lot of bouncing on the way back to the boat due to an increase in the waves. Today we are going to anchor in Oyster Bay, which is part of Lake Charlevoix.
 

Northwest Marine Yacht Club

On Sunday, July 21st we had clear skies so we began our journey into Lake Michigan. We are finally going to new ports. We went under the Mackinac Bridge at about 9:40 heading toward Beaver Island. We had to maneuver through Gray's Reef and safely anchored in St. James Harbor on Beaver Island. After securing the boat we went for a dinghy ride around the harbor and saw a 42 ft. Krogen trawler with a loop flag.  They were from Panama City, FL and had completed half  the loop. We talked sharing stories and will probably meet them again as we head to Chicago. We decided Monday that we would sleep in and not travel to a new port. We took the dinghy into the small town surrounding the harbor. It consisted of five or six blocks of gift shops, delis and a well stocked grocery store. Of course we stopped for a coffee before heading back to the boat. During the night a storm came through with lightning, thunder, and two fronts of rain.  The anchor held beautifully. The winds continued through Tuesday and the eight boats in the harbor danced back and forth on their anchors. By this morning the winds calmed and we made our way to Petoskey, a lovely resort town in Little Traverse Bay. We walked into town and found a wine bottle topper with a Petoskey Stone. It will be a docktail conversation piece as we continue on the loop. Of course we found a coffee shop, Roast and Toast.

Approaching the Mackinac Bridge





Harbor on Beaver  Island

Clock Tower at Petoskey Harbor

                                                                                 

Petoskey Harbor

Little Traverse Bay

Due to weather conditions we decided the best decision on Thursday was to go to Rogers City. It was a pleasant ride. Rogers City has well traianed dock attendants and we were tied up in no time. My friend Deb and her husband Gary drove to Rogers City and we had a nice visit as well as the courtesy of a driver to get a few supplies. We said good bye to them and after dinner we were entertained by a local band concert. Friday morning brought sunny skies and we decided to make the journey to Cheboygan. We travelled through three cells that brought a lot of rain, but  no large waves.  We docked in Cheboygan in early afternoon. A generous season well owner offered us his truck and we went downtown and bought a few groceries. Today we journeyed to Mackinaw City and it was exciting to see the bridge as it came into view as well as Mackinac Island with the magnificent Grand Hotel and the fort. We docked before noon at the state marina.  We then went into town to vistit our three favorite places: the popcorn store, the pasty store, and the fish market. However, the highlight was the new Starbucks that openned across from the marina..   We then had a great visit  with Edgar and Audrey, who we met in Perry Sound last year. They took us to their beautiful house on Lake Michigan with a fantastic view of the bridge.  Dinner was at an Irish Pub. Tony got his cider. This was a good day: a mocha and a cider.

                                                        Storm coming into Cheboygan

                                                   Coast Guard Ship Mackinaw in Cheboygan

We are anchored in one of our favorite harbors, Presque Isle. The surroundings are beautiful and the water is crystal clear. The last two days on  the water have been very calm but very warm. Our trip from Port Huron to Harbor Beach was uneventful. That is a good thing. We anchored inside the breakwall in the harbor. They are currently dredging the entrance to the marina. We were serenaded all afternoon by hundreds of seagulls. On Tuesday we left Harbor Beach and went to Harrisville. It was very hot and buggy. The marina in Harrisville is well staffed and very clean. After anchoring the next couple of hours was spent cleaning all the bugs off the boat while sweating up a storm. We met a  couple from Midland aboard a 44 Marine Trader trawler. They had done the loop twice and were very happy to relate stories of their adventures. Today's journey was very pleasant. We used our dinghy after anchoring to visit the marina and look at the boats as well as to take a picture of the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse. This evening the clouds have rolled in from the northwest and we are enjoying the back deck. Tomorrow we plan on going to Cheboygan and hopefully meet up with a friend from my Brewster School days.

Approaching the Blue Water Bridge, the gateway to Lake Huron

Harbor Beach Light

 

Old Presque Isle Lighthouse

Summer Recess anchored in Presque Isle

On Saturday evening, we were surprised by our many friends at Belle Maer. They gave us a beautiful gift basket filled with products from Michigan which we will certainly use on our adventure. We want to thank all of them for their generosity and well wishes. We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful blue skies. After removing lines, hoses and power cords while not disturbing the morning dove nest that was built under the dock, Tony blew  the horn at 9:12am. We left Belle Maer Harbor with a dinghy escort provided by our friends. As we entered Lake St Clair, our friends blew air horns and showered us with their water guns.WHAT A SEND OFF!!

The journey through the North Channel and St. Clair River was smooth with very warm weather. We were tied up at Riverside Marina on the Black Creek in Port Huron by 3:30.

Our day ended with a wonderful dinner at the Atrium Cafe with our friends Larry and Janet followed by drinks, dessert, and great conversation on the deck in front of their Lake Huron Beach house.

It’s Saturday, July 13, 2013, the day before we leave.  We have spent the last week preparing for our departure.  Sunday, Father Ron gave us a blessing for a safe journey after mass.  We spent the week taking things off the boat we will not be need and taking things we will need out to the boat. Sharon rearranged the cupboards three times before she had them the way she wanted them. We were both surprised by the amount of storage space we have left.  Sharon assured me that space will be needed for things we will buy on the way.  I’ve checked and doubled checked the equipment on the boat to make sure everything is working. We both know that things will break on the trip and we just have to accept that.  We will spend the day with our son and his family and he will drive us to the boat tonight so we can get an early start in the morning. Our first stop is Port Huron. Our good friends, Larry and Janet, have a beach house in Port Huron on Lake Huron. They insisted that we stop there and have dinner with them. Sharon and I both just want to get started.