Day 4 - To the Straits!

It was a beautiful warm morning when we started our day.  The kids slept in til just after 9:00 am.  At which time Scott started the bacon and eggs while I took a little walk to the grocery store.  There is an excellent market just a few blocks from the marina - the best option I've seen so close to the water - so I wasn't going to miss out on stocking up.

After we finished eating, Scott and Tyler prepped for our trip while Sammy got ready and I cleaned up the kitchen.  We pulled out of our slip around 10:40 am.  We waited in Round Lake for the 11:00 am drawbridge and received a nice greeting when Scott radioed the bridge keeper.  I bet he remembered us!

The lake looked pretty good as we turned north and got on plane.  The trip today should be around 56 miles and will only take appx 2 hours if we can stay at full speed.

There is a pinch point through the shoals that requires all the boat traffic to come closer than usual.  Typically, we see very few boats while we travel, but happened to come fairly close to a Coast Guard boat today.  Also, because some of the shoals are quite shallow, there are lighthouses constructed in the middle of the lake to direct ship traffic away.  Its actually quite beautiful to see them out in the middle of nowhere.

 

Once we turned the corner, the Mackinac Bridge came into view and we enjoyed taking pics on our approach.

For those that don't know, we have attempted a boat trip to Mackinac three times.  The first trip was July 2013, the second was June of 2023.  Both of those trips were postponed or interrupted by weather and we have been dreaming of making it this far since our first boat all those years ago.  Going under the Mackinac Bridge was a pretty cool experience and I'm so grateful we made it this year!

We pulled into the Mackinaw City Municipal Marina around 1:25pm.  Slip B77 is the second from the end of the fuel dock.  It is on the far side of the Shepler dock, where the guests load and unload on their way to the island.  The marina is at the end of Main Street so we are in walking distance to EVERYTHING.

We headed into town for a late lunch at the Dixie Saloon.  Then walked around Main Street and grabbed a Starbucks before heading back to the boat.  

Jen worked on some schoolwork and took care of some emails.  Sammy continued writing her book and Tyler did some coding.  Scott enjoyed the view from the back of the boat and then headed down for a short nap.

We had a chance of rain around 6:00 pm so we stayed onboard until the clouds passed.  Jen worked on the blog, Sammy continued to write and the guys played chess.  Then we headed over to Mackinac Crossings to do some window shopping and find some ice cream.

Aren't they so sweet to entertain me with silly photos?  I'm so lucky to have these three!

Back on board, we made meatball sandwiches and settled in for a quiet night.  Scott and Jen took a walk with the dog around sunset and found a little park along the shore on the north side of town. 

It was a great day!  We will stay in the Mackinac area now for a few days before heading back south.  So glad to be here!!

Weather: Sunny, clouds with a possible light shower in the evening 
Temps: Hi 72* Lo 55*
Winds: 8-9mph WSW  
Waves: Flat; Switching to 1-2' chop with slow timed swells
Travel Distance: 56 mi