Day 3 - An Adventure: On to Mackinaw City

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.

We got everything put away and were pulling lines by 8:50 am.  By 9:20 am we had left the harbor and were on the Lake at cruising speed.  

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.  

A beautiful sunset graced the sky as we walked back to the boat followed by a full rainbow that was incredibly vivid. 

After we got settled in, Tyler opened his presents and then we watched some YouTube videos until bedtime. 

It’s not the best pic through the glass door but the view from our slip is pretty incredible… here is the Mackinac Bridge beyond the Shepler’s dock, all lit up.  A pretty great view for tonight!  

Day 2 - Harbor Beach

Scott and I woke before the kids and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the calm of the morning.  I wrapped up my morning devotions and then took a shower - thoroughly enjoying the extra space and higher water pressure.

Scott worked on a few projects and confirmed an oil sensor alarm that we got yesterday was not an issue.  Then I woke up the kids to get them started and headed to the parking lot to scout out the trash situation.  We have a lot of boxes and packaging material from items we’ve purchased and need to find a place.  Luckily, the marina has carts for our use so I made it in just one trip.  

When I got back I made breakfast sandwiches and we prepped for our departure.  We pulled out at 10:50 am and got underway.  

Sammy worked on Legos while Tyler helped Scott customize the electronics.

Lake St Clair was very calm and we crossed in just over 30 minutes.  The St Clair River was a lot of fun - again allowing us to stay at cruising speed all the way up to the southern tip of Lake Huron.  

Around 12:30pm I served French Dip Sandwiches for lunch.  Around 1:05pm we made it to Lake Huron.  As we got out in open water again, we had a beautiful view of Port Huron behind us.

We continued north to Port Sanilac where we had a reservation for the night but decided to continue north to Harbor Beach.  We were underway 4:50 hrs but the time went fast.  Toward the end of the afternoon, Tyler took over the helm and allowed Scott some time to relax and just enjoy the ride.  

 

Once we arrived in Harbor Beach, we fueled up and chatted with the harbor master.  It is the largest man-made fresh water harbor in the world.  The marina is quite empty with most of its slip owners already out for the season.  We are the only boat on our entire dock.  

We pulled in and tied off by 3:40 pm.  Because town is a bit of a distance away, we decided to eat aboard tonight.  I started the oven and warmed Enchilada Pie for supper.  We ate out on the cockpit table.  Neither of our previous boats offered enough space for us to comfortably dine together so this was a great treat.

After dinner, Scott worked on adjusting the height of some hatches in the cockpit floor and then looked at our ice maker again.  Jen cleaned up from dinner and Tyler prepped the scooters for him and Jen to ride into town.  

It was a successful trip and we found everything we needed at a local gas station.  

After we got back, there were showers and blogs and more projects.  But overall, we just enjoyed the evening.  Tonight is a little cooler but it’s just the right temperature to sit on the back couch wrapped in a blanket with a cup of coffee to enjoy the evening sky. 

It was a perfect day!

Day 1 - Across Lake Erie

We started out early to get on the road for our 4 hour drive to Port Clinton.  We needed to stop for groceries and wanted to get on board and somewhat settled before noon when Kyle planned to arrive.  Kyle was the captain for the previous owner and agreed to take this first leg with us as we get used to the controls of the new boat.  

It took a little longer to unload the car and get aboard but we were ready to go around 12:30pm.  We untied the lines and fenders and Scott took us out to Lake Erie.

After we cleared the marina and got out in the lake, Scott brought her up to cruising speed and we were off.  It took about 45 minutes to cross the lake and enter the Detroit River.  

The lake was so calm.  It was a beautiful trip across with the Ohio shore barely out of sight before Canada came into view.  The Detroit River is nothing like I expected but so cool.  There are man-made berms on either side making a fairly narrow channel most of the way up to Lake St Claire.  This allows boats to travel at full speed without damaging the beautiful homes along the shores.  Its like a highway through the river.

 

While passing through Detroit, the kids and I sat on the bow.  This is new for us as our previous boats didn't offer safe seating up front while at cruising speeds.  It was lots of fun as we saw the buildings and crossed under many bridges including the new international bridge that's currently being built.  

At one point, a couple jet-skiers followed along to jump in our wake.  It was very entertaining to watch them do tricks.

It was 4:30 pm when we finally pulled into the marina in St Claire Shores.  As soon as we were tied off and connected power, Captain Kyle headed out to find his wife to begin the drive home.

The boys got started setting up our Starlink internet and Jen immediately made a plan for food.  We had missed lunch and it was nearing suppertime.  I ordered pizza from Buddy's but because we were on a dock wasn't sure where to have it delivered.  So I decided to grab a scooter and find a better place to meet the driver.  

First I had to figure out how to use the new scooter.  Then had to figure out how to get out of the marina... it's a big one.  Then needed to drop off some outgoing mail.  After finding a post box, I circled back and found a bench that I could wait for the pizza delivery.  As I chatted with some lovely ladies taking a smoke break from a nearby restaurant, I realized I would struggle to carry our large order home.  If I held the pizza box, I'd have to choose between having gas or the break.  Neither seemed wise, so I set the boxes on the 'floor' of the scooter, balanced on just one foot while using the other to keep the food from falling.  And off I went.  Scott spotted me coming down the dock and snapped a pic. 

After dinner, Scott and Jen worked on projects around the boat.  Jen got all of the food and dishes organized and changed the linens on all the beds while Scott unpacked some of things and addressed a sensor alarm that had gone off while underway.

Both kids love having a space to themselves.  Sammy calls her room "spacious" and has already found a place for all of her things.

It's almost 9:00 pm now and we are all pretty tired.  I think we are all ready to climb in bed and rest a bit.  But first, a few moments with a cup of coffee on the bow to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

 

The Plan - Getting Her Home

We purchased a 2017 Azimuth 55S from Port Clinton, OH.  Labor Day weekend we drove down for a sea trial and two weeks later she was ours.  We drove down to spend one night aboard on the 14th so that we could remove the stuff from the previous owners, bring some of our stuff aboard and just overall get used to the space.  

Memory Maker has a great layout with lots of entertaining space.  She has three staterooms, two baths plus a separate crew quarters in the bow of the boat.  I think she is a great boat for this next chapter in our lives.

Tomorrow we will return to Port Clinton to pick her up and begin a 600 mile journey home.  It will be our longest boat trip in the shortest amount of time.  We are excited and a little nervous as this boat is a different brand than we are used to and there is much to learn.  

Day 3 - Home from Chicago

 We were up at 7:30am for a quick breakfast.  We have today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday) to make it home so we have been watching the weather.  There is a large cell of rain coming up from the south and the sprinkles had already started over breakfast.  We weighed our options and decided to make the run today.  The waves would be from the S,SW for most of the ride so it could be a little bumpy if we went straight home vs following the coast.  

We pulled out of the marina at 8:15am.  

We could see the buildings on the horizon for quite a while before losing cellular service.  It was a pretty typical boat ride.  After over an hour had passed, the waves picked up to 3-4’ but with the wind direction and swells it created a motion that was unique (to put it lightly).

It wasn’t long before three of us were hanging out on the back bench staring down the horizon and we had distributed Dramamine and ginger to everyone.

We pulled into the channel at Grand Haven around 1:25 pm.  Once we slowed for the channel, I warmed up French Dip sandwiches and we all enjoyed a warm meal.  

We pulled into our slip around 2:00 pm and started the process of packing up. 

It was a great weekend.  A first for us to cross the lake and a bucket list at that!  

Chicago - Day 2

We slept in til almost 9:00 am!  Wow!  

As we began to prep our breakfast, we were thrilled to see the Thunderbirds fly overhead.  It was fun to see the stunts above and we even enjoyed the color smoke along with the acrobatics.

After we cleaned up from breakfast, we headed over to the Alder Planetarium.  We were able to see the sun through two telescopes outside and then moved in to see the exhibits.  

Once we finished up, we were headed outside to make a plan and were greeted by a large bank of rentable bikes.  We had talked about taking a bike ride today so we figured it was a good sign so we headed over and rented bikes.  

SO MUCH FUN!  Chicago has a long bike path along the lake, running parallel to Lakeshore Drive.  It is wonderful to be close to the city without having to stop for traffic, plus add the cool breeze off the lake.  AMAZING.  

We had a great ride up to Navy Pier and ate lunch at Harry Carey’s.  

After that, we grabbed bikes again and continued north past downtown and then turned back to the south.

We had a slight accident but everyone was ok.  Then we finished with a stop for Dippin’ Dots - Sam’s favorites.

We returned the bikes to a bank near the planetarium and then walked back to the marina.  We had a little time for rest in the AC before heading out for our dinner reservation at the Capital Grille.  

It was an amazing meal yet again!  Followed by a walk downtown to find a Shake Shack and a Starbucks for dessert.  Then we grabbed an Uber and headed home for the night.

I had a headache so I laid down and watched some TV.  Sammy spent the night in her room while Scott relaxed on the back of the boat.  Tyler hung out with me for a bit and then went outside to call Maddie.  Unfortunately, a bird dropped on him mid-call so he came back in squirming.  LOL.

It was a great day!  Lots to see and do.  We’ll definitely repeat the bikes on Lakeshore Drive.  It was a highlight for us all!

Day 1 - To Chicago

 We were looking at the calendar and found we are running out of long weekends this summer.  We have wanted to go to Chicago for some time but we were somewhat intimidated by the long travel day involving a lake crossing.  But our recent trip to Mackinac proved our abaility to go longer runs without issue and when the weather forecast looked favorable for this weekend, we decided to go for it. 

We left our house in Ada around 8:00 am. Stopped for a few groceries in Spring Lake and then were on the water by 10:15 am.

The lake was smooth.  It was a beautiful day!  Due to the angle of our course, we lost sight of land shortly after leaving Grand Haven.  And with it went the use of cellular and data on our electronics.  Its a weird feeling to be out so far knowing that you are disconnected.

It took around 4 hours to arrive.  We passed the time on our devices, reading books, I took a little nap, and the kids watched a movie.

Just after the halfway point at 12:15 pm, we could see the glimpse of tall buildings ahead.  As we continued, the city came into view and it was fun to point out some of our favorite places from the water.

The Burnham Marina is just east of Soldier Field and the Field Museum, next to Shedd Aquarium.  There are over 1000 boat slips available.  It is HUGE.  The upper half of the marina houses the larger boats… Each slip is 100’ long.  

We are docked here for the weekend.  It’s a beautiful spot and close to the walk/run path on Lakeshore Drive.

I made tacos for lunch since we were all hungry. And Coco got a quick walk and some lunch as well.  Then we took a couple hours to just relax. 

At 5:00 pm we called an Uber and headed to a new restaurant for us, the Franklin Room.  It was a great meal.  We split a couple 18oz Ribeyes, had Taro fries, Charred Brcollini, and Butternut Squash.  We all ordered dessert and then headed out for a little walk.  

We grabbed some grocery items from CVS and then called another Uber who drove us to the marina.  Unfortunately there is a big concert on the peninsula by the marina so the road to drop us off was closed.  The driver dropped us off a little further away so we started walking.  But a man with a rickshaw came by and we flagged him down.  

He dropped us off at the main entrance to the marina, still a bit of a walk to our slip… but it was a nice walk.

Scott and I sat out on the back of the boat with our coffee while the kids hung out inside.  Eventually I headed to bed for TV and fell asleep really quickly.  It was a big day and lots of fun!

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