Wednesday, July 11, 2012. Sault Ste. Marie

This morning Kelly and Deb joined us on Breathin' Easy for a trip through the Soo Locks. We had never been through a major lock before and we appreciated their help. The American Soo Locks are larger and all the freighters use them, whereas the Canadian Soo Lock is smaller and is used by the tour boats and pleasure craft. The process turned out to be straightforward. We entered the lock at the lock masters' instruction (green light was turned on) and came alongside the north wall. We looped two lines around vertical plastic coated cables at the stern and the midpoint of our boat. The doors of the lock closed and we were raised 25 feet as water entered the lock. The upper gates opened and out we went. The hardest part was keeping the boat in position in the river current prior to entering the lock. The process reversed on our way back as we were let down 25 feet to the downstream level.

Soo Locks, Canadian Lock on left (from Wiki)

Canada Soo Lock (tripadvisor.com)

After going through the lock we cruised up the St. Marys River to Whitefish Bay. We went as far as the Iroquois Point Light, just far enough to say we touched our hull into Lake Superior!

We returned through the lock and tied up at the George Kemp Marina again. After dinner we watched a concert of a large steel drum band and walked around Sault Ste. Marie ("walk around" a town usually implies ice cream was consumed).  Kelly and I went to the observation platform to watch a huge freighter lock through the American Soo Lock. There appeared to be only a couple of feet clearance on each side!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012. Sault Ste. Marie

We left Lime Island and cruised up the St. Marys River this morning (there is no apostrophe in "Marys"). We passed the Round Island Lighthouse (not the light of the same name by Bois Blanc Island), which is now a private residence.



St. Marys River Round Island Lighthouse, from roundislandlighthouse.com




 We were passed by the freighter Saginaw. This freighter is 639 feet long, 72 feet wide, and has a 7000hp steam turbine engine, with a maximum service speed of 16mph. She certainly zipped past us!

Saginaw upbound just past Lime Island where we had spent the night, passing Believer

 The St. Marys River splits into one way branches around Neebish Island, and we took the upbound (eastern) branch to Sault Ste. Marie.This is tricky navigating for freighters, and there are lots of aids to navigation and more range markers than I have seen anywhere here.

We arrived at the George Kemp Marina for a two day stay. A couple of blocks from the marina is the Antler Restaurant, famous for its decor (walls covered with stuffed animals) and its birthday greetings (lots of chimes and whistles)!

Antler Restaurant, from senicpathways.com

Monday, July 9, 2012. Lime Island, St. Marys River

We left Mackinac Island in the company of Believer, Kelly and Deb's boat, and headed northeast across Lake Huron. We stopped in the Les Cheneaux Islands (French for "The Channels") and anchored in Government Bay for lunch and a nice nap (my kind of travel!). Then on to De Tour Village at the entrance of the St. Marys River into Lake Huron.

Leaving Mackinac Island

De Tour Reef Light at entrance of St. Marys River into Lake Huron

We thought we would anchor overnight at Lime Island, but after we dropped our anchors on the east side of the island, away from the freighter channel, a 25 knot wind blew up from the north and threatened to drag the boats at anchor. Kelly felt this would not do! We pulled up the anchors and drove around Lime Island and tied up at an abandoned loading dock on the west side of the island, well protected and a great place to spend the night.

Abandoned loading dock at Lime Island

Lime Island was a freighter refueling station at one time, but this operation is now abandoned. What this island now has is the largest colony of Common Terns in the Great Lakes. These birds (sterna hirundo) live in colonies and they migrate to Atlantic coastal Florida, the Carribean, and South America. When feeding they hover over the water and dive underwater to catch small fish. In the  past over 6000 breeding pairs lived in Michigan, but now there are only 1600 pairs and they are listed as a "threatened species". The small piece of land where we tied up for the night was actually where a number of terns were nesting. The area was protected by an electric fence to keep out predators. The birds were very protective, dive bombing anyone who got too close to their nest.

Common Tern, from Wiki

Common Tern sanctuary

Tern eggs, mother is nearby

Lime Island also has a nice boardwalk through the woods overlooking the water with platforms for remote camping. There are also some huge fuel tanks left from the days when freighters stopped here to refuel. While tied up overnight at the Lime Island loading dock, I awoke in the middle of the night to see what appeared to be a small city floating by- a huge freighter all lit up! It seemed awfully close to us but we were protected from its wake by the small spit of land which we were docked against.

Sunday, July 8, 2012. Mackinac Island

Today was a rest day with no traveling. Early this morning I walked Daisy up to the arch rock past Mission Point Resort. She was very enthusiastic at the start but as she got more tired she wanted to stop and do more sniffing on the roadside. She must have a huge olfactory lobe in her dog brain! Mackinac Island in the morning before many visitors arrive is always very tranquil and beautiful. There is a pretty walking path near the lake shore opposite Mission Point with some wildflowers and a little pond where a frog was croaking. We had the whole place to ourselves.

At lunch we had a visit from one of our god-daughters, Liz Balcom, and a friend of hers. They are doing internships for their Michigan State University programs at the Mission Point Resort. K had found this out from Liz's mother and called Liz when we arrived on the island. She fixed the girls lunch and they were excited to have home-made food ("a fresh real tomato!"). We took them on a boat ride on Breathin' Easy around Mackinac Island, the first time we had done this also. The weather was sunny and tranquil and we all had a great time. Our visit with Liz was one of the highlights of the trip!

Cruising around Mackinac Island

Saturday, July 7, 2012. Mackinac Island

Next to the Mackinaw City  Marina is docked the decommissioned US Coast Guard ice breaker Mackinaw, which has been made into a historical exhibit. We visited the ship this morning.

Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum

Bow of the cutter Mackinaw

Mackinaw's diesel engines powering electric generators

The cutter Mackinaw was commissioned in 1944 and was the largest icebreaker in the world at the time. The Mackinaw has three propellers, two in the stern for propulsion and one in the front to churn up the ice and help push it out of the way. The 290 foot ship is powered by six diesel engines which are generators powering electric motors which actually drive the propellers. To keep the Great Lakes industries competitive in international markets, the shipping channels need to be open about ten months each year. Most years this requires opening a channel through ice in March. The Mackinaw has been replaced by a new Coast Guard icebreaker which requires a smaller crew and is cheaper to operate.

After our tour of the icebreaker Mackinaw we began our week cruise with Kelly and Deb. Their boat is a 44 foot Beneteau sailboat named Believer. To cruise together we slowed down a bit from our usual cruising speed of 8.5 to 10 knots to about 7-7.5 knots (depending on the current) if they were motoring,  and faster if they motorsailed.

Believer approaching Mackinac Island

 Our first stop was Mackinac Island where we each had reservations for two nights at the state docks. A short trip across the Straits involved staying away from the many ferries.  It is always great to safely tie up at the dock, even more so at the Mackinac Island docks we have walked by so many times on past visits. We look forward to having two days to rest here after traveling every day for the the past week.

Mackinac Island Harbor

Mooring field and Mackinac Island State Docks

Arnold Transit Company dock across from state docks

Friday, July 6, 2012. Mackinaw City

This morning we fueled up and left Rogers City. We passed the Poe Reef Light and traveled up the South Channel between Bois Blanc Island and Cheboygan. It was a real thrill to see the Mackinaw Bridge as we rounded the corner of Bois Blanc Island! We motored up the Straits of Mackinac and drove under the Bridge and then back to Mackinaw City where we docked at the Municipal Marina. Our slip there was across the dock from friends Kelly and Debbie Osborne of Jackson, who came out in their sailboat to meet us outside the harbor.

Poe Reef Light off the southeast corner of Bois Blanc Island, northern Lake Huron

K and I have always loved the Mackinaw area. Mackinac Island is the one place we vacation just about every year. To see the island, the Mackinaw Bridge, the Old Round Island Point Light, and these waters from our own boat was very special. We have found that after we visit an area from the water our perspective of that area broadens and we have a better feel for it. I think that will be true of the Mackinaw area.

 

Approaching Mackinaw Bridge from the South Channel

We never saw this view of the bridge from the Mackinac Island ferry!

Thursday, July 5, 2012. Rogers City.

This morning Shad bicycled down to the city docks and we had a visit before K and I left Alpena. We passed several shipwreck sites in Thunder Bay, and cruised east of the Thunder Bay Island Light. This is an important lighthouse for northbound vessels so they do not cut across shallow rocky shoals as they turn toward the Straits of Mackinac. Heading northwest we cruised 6 1/2 hours to our destination tonight, Rogers City.

Thunder Bay Island Light

We stayed far enough from shore to avoid shoals around the northeast corner of the Lower Peninsula. We approached Calcite, an industrial port just east of Rogers City. Several freighters crossed north of us heading toward Mackinac, and I steered well south of them, out of their way. One ship seemed to be heading closer and closer to us, in the same direction we were headed. I realized he was headed to the port of Calcite. Since we were ahead of him heading to Rogers City, I decided to call him on the VHF radio to see what his plan was so we could avoid crossing in front of him. The freighter was the Joseph H. Thompson. The conversation ran as follows:

Breathin' Easy:  Joseph H. Thompson, this is the motor vessel Breathin' Easy, over.

Freighter: This is the Joe Thompson, go to channel 8, over.

Breathin' Easy:  Joseph Thompson, this is Breathin' Easy. It looks like you are headed to Calcite. Can you tell me where you would like me to go to stay out of your way as you come in?

Freighter: Are you that little white boat off my port bow? Well, I guess you can go anywhere you want, like a flea buzzing around! Anyway, I have to wait out here until the ship at the dock is finished loading before I can go in...

Joseph H. Thompson  (dlund.20m.com)

Joseph Thompson, stern view of dedicated tug (images.mitrasites.com)

The freighter Joseph H. Thompson was initially built in 1944 as a 515 foot cargo vessel named Marine Robin. During World War II she made trans-Atlantic voyages for the war effort and was present at the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944. In the 1950's she was given a new 199 foot midsection making her the largest freighter in the world at the time at 714 feet long, and she was renamed the Joseph H. Thompson. In the 1980's she was remodeled again into a self-unloading barge. Her aft and fore cabins were removed and her stern was redone to make a notch for her push vessel. A dedicated tug was constructed with left over steel from the larger vessel's hull. She is now 706 feet long with a capacity of 21,200 tons. As a self-unloading barge-tug combination she is efficient enough to compete with newer freighters. (From www.boatnerd.com).

Rogers City Marina

We docked at the Rogers City Marina. A waterfront park has a bandshell where a concert was given this evening by a community band. The theme was "patriotic music" in honor of the Forth of July. We sat in the park next to the trombone player's wife. The music was great and the audience appreciated the performance. Wonderful small town Americana!

Rogers City bandshell

Sunset at Rogers City Marina