We wanted to be on the water by 9 am so we woke the kids up at 8 and just had a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast. It’s Tyler’s 19th birthday today so we did our best to decorate.
Lake Huron is quite calm today with 1-2 footers and winds under 9 mph from the south. Later in the day we are expecting a storm front to move through so we hope to arrive in Roger City by mid afternoon to avoid the rain.
The lake was gorgeous this morning and we enjoyed the calm seas with videos, Legos, computer work, etc. Sammy spent a decent bit of time in her stateroom even which is at the bow of the boat so clearly it was a calm ride.
We had lunch around noon… making grilled sandwiches while remaining at cruising speed. We continue to be impressed by the way the boat handles. We passed Alpena around 12:30pm.
As we approached Roger City, we checked the radar and realized the front of rain would be passing overhead right about the time we arrived and needed to fuel up. However, if we continued north we would avoid the patch of rain. So instead of tying lines in the rain, we decided to press on. We passed Roger City at 2:05 pm.
About halfway to Cheboygan, which is the next possible fuel stop, our fuel sensor dropped significantly indicating less than 9% fuel remaining. Now, it’s pretty common knowledge that boat fuel gauges can be sticky… but really, we didn’t want to figure it out the hard way. So Scott slowed our speed to conserve fuel and we enjoyed the next hour at 8 mph - luckily the seas were comfortable.
We were still a ways off from Cheboygan when the fuel gauge dropped. Best calculation was that it had 16 gallons remaining. But by our estimate, we needed about 14 to make it in. Ugh. We continued on, making action plans for worst case scenarios… all the while trying to ignore the looming storm clouds ahead. I tried to keep spirits light by talking about “what an adventure” it would be should we have to anchor and call for fuel. My captain and his first mate were not amused.
We were still about 10 mins away when Scott asked me to call ahead to the fuel dock. They were close to closing for the day (4:30pm) but Dockmaster Mike was more than gracious about staying as long as it took us to arrive. He talked me through the approach and said he’d be waiting.
We pulled in at 4:15pm. Mike got us filled up quickly and we were headed back out to the lake by 4:45pm. The seas were rougher now having lost an hour to slower speeds and then 30 mins for fuel. The front had passed through and we had all of 4 footers with whitecaps. The winds picked up out of the west (which we were now heading) and the rain began.
No one seemed to mind though as we relished the fact that we had a full tank of gas again. Until something white flashed across the windshield and we realized a cushion from the front seating area had torn off and was now floating behind the boat. Scott turned back, Tyler and I grabbed life jackets and headed out. Scott backed up to the floating 3x3’ cushion while I knelt on the swim platform to fish it out of the water. Honestly with waves like that, I was pretty wet fairly quickly and struggled to get the cushion on board.
Next Tyler and I had to head out to the bow to put the covers back on the cushions to prevent any more from flying off. (The velcro detached from the cushion… not from the other piece of Velcro but actually pulled the glue right off).
Once we got back on board, and somewhat dried off, we tried to get back up to speed but Scott decided to hold us at 20 mph to make a more comfortable ride. We laughed at maybe not needing any more adventure today.
We pulled in to Mackinaw City at 5:40 pm. The marina had already closed for the evening, so we made our way to our slip and tied up for the evening.
We were drenched and super hungry. A quick change of clothes and we were on our way to dinner at the Dixie Saloon.
After dinner, Tyler was hoping for a Kilwins chocolate shake, his favorite. It was raining but birthday boy wants a chocolate shake. We walked all the way there in the rain. He ordered, she went to make the shake and came back to tell us that they didn’t have any milk and cannot make shakes. Our sweet boy says “that’s ok, thank you” without a hint of disappointment. But this mama knew he was. So I asked if she would make the shake if I could find milk. I explained it was his birthday and she agreed! (Honestly, I couldn’t believe it). So off we went to the gas station several blocks away… still in the rain. On the way we notice a Subway and I quick open the door only to see through the side of the cooler, a milk single. The two young employees laughed with us about how ridiculous I look in a rain poncho. After a fun conversation that explained it was Tyler’s Birthday and I was a great mom, they gave us two bottles of milk for free. We headed back to Kilwins where the lovely ladies made the birthday boy his favorite chocolate shake. That’s one we won’t soon forget.
