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.
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| Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum |
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| Bow of the cutter Mackinaw |
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| 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 The Mackinaw has been replaced by a new Coast Guard icebreaker which requires a smaller crew and is cheaper to operate.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.
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| 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.
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| Mackinac Island Harbor |
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| Mooring field and Mackinac Island State Docks |
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| Arnold Transit Company dock across from state docks |
