The last run was from Detroit up the river to Port Huron, up across Lake Huron to the Straights of Mackinaw and down Lake Michigan to my final destination: my home port of Saugatuck, MI. There are not photos to show, this was just balls-out moving the boat from point A to point B to point C.
It took a couple days to get up the river. I had some fuel problems and needed to get TowboatUS to haul me into Algonac to get it shorted out. I spent the night at Algonac Harbor Club, got everything running again, and took on some more diesel fuel. I left first thing.
Pushing up the river against the current is a bit of a challenge, but I made Port Huron Yacht Club without issue. I spent the night with them and left at the crack of dawn, headed for Harbor Springs, kind of following the reverse route I took through here on my old boat in 2004. That proved untenable, though, as the wind and waves built to finally impede my progress. I passed Sanilac Harbor and after 3 hours of motoring into wind an waves, I hailed them and asked for a slip. They would meet me at the dock to get me in. I turned around and the three hour trip took me 20 minutes down wind.
I was up and out again early. What a difference a day makes, as I had a great sail all the way to Harrisville. The next morning, the conditions were calm and I motored around the Thousand Islands area near Alpena and made it to Rogers City. The next day, good weather again, I was able to motor in the Straights State Marina in Mackinaw City, where I would spend a couple nights to rest and relax before heading off to Lake Michigan.
It was time to get moving. I left the marina early and headed under the the Might Mac bridge for Lake Michigan. I made good time in calm seas, clearing Grey’s Reef, turning south and arriving plenty early to Charlevoix to take a slip at the state marina there. Dinner. Shower. Sleep. It was time to keep moving. Charlevoix would be my last landfall this leg of the journey. I was out before sunrise with the first ferry to Beaver Island. I cleared the breakwater and headed for Frankfort. There were storms predicted, but I never saw any of it. Just another day on the lake. I motored most of the way, the autopilot doing most of the driving.
I dropped the hook, made dinner, watched the sunset, and went to bed. Tomorrow, I would have an exceedingly long 80 nautical mile run to White Lake if I wanted to make it in the following day. I had work to do and was running out of time. So, I was up at 4:30am and left in the dark. Lake Michigan greeted me with a washing machine, left-over waves the the storms that I never saw the day before. It was rough, and all I could do was hang on. As I rounded Little Sable and Big Sable, the weather eased and I made it with plenty of daylight into White Lake. I’ve anchored in White Lake before and it’s delightful. Dinner again and sleep.
On my last day, I didn’t have to do another marathon like the day before, so I slept in a bit and took my time, hoping to have one last day with the sails up. It didn’t happen, but I did have a smooth ride past Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Holland. The sun finally broke through and I cruising into my home port alone and victorious, having sailed 520 NM in 11 days!
I learned a few things about this leg of the trip.
Most important: I love solo sailing! With the past two cruising boats I’ve owned (a Westsail 32 & a Nautical 43), I’ve always had wife who also had ideas and opinions about what should happen on board. This boat is ALL MINE! It is exceedingly luxurious to decide where to go and when to leave and to be solely responsible for myself and my boat. The solitude and the personal challenges I found out there were magnificent. It was beautiful.
This is not to say I wouldn’t again own a larger boat with another wife. Couples cruising is wonderful. However, I found a sense of inner peace I have’t felt in a long time, if ever. I can’t wait for my next adventures.