Day 57-58

East Tawas - Alpena MI

• Start 5:50AM
• End 12:10PM
• Underway 6:17 Hours
• Distance 56 miles
• Total Miles on Trip 1282
• Av Speed 9 knots

Weather Sunny Light Winds Early, With Winds Building as we went.
We were underway at 5:50AM, and as we rounded Tawas Bay and turned into Lake Huron the sunrise was incredible! I took some pictures but they do not do the sunrise justice. Once again the forecast was 100% right. When we left the lake was smooth, and as we went it started to build. As we turned into Thunderbay, where the marina was located the waves were two to three feet directly on out stern.

Most of the time while in the lakes I turn on the autopilot and let it steer the boat. With the waves on our stern the autopilot was not correcting fast enough and the boat was fishtailing. Turning off the autopilot made the ride more comfortable.

Overall we had another perfect day on the lake and timed it perfectly. Talking to some people that came in later in the day, they had a pretty uncomfortable afternoon.

Alpena City Marina is hosting the Brown Trout Fishing tournament this week. And both Friday and Saturday night they have a festival with a live band.

Friday after dinner we went to the Brown Trout Festival to listen to the live music. They were not bad for a country band. We also checked out the showcase of the fish that had been caught. It was funny, as there were no Brown Trout caught but there were lots of Lake Trout and Salmon.

There was a couple that were selling doughnuts, coffee and sweets to the fisherman. They doughnuts were from a company called Cops Doughnuts. Cops Doughnuts is a doughnut shop and bakery in Clare, Michigan that has been in constant operation since 1896. This foundation business was within weeks of closing when the members of the Clare Police Department came to the rescue. All of them. That's right, all nine members of the local police department banded together to save this historic business.

Saturday we explored town, and went to a winery. It was a good call not to travel, as most of the day it rained. Early afternoon just as we got back to the boat the skies opened up. It rained so hard you could not see across the dock. The winds were the worst we have encountered on the trip so far.

After the rain passed, and the sun came out we attempted docktail's on the dock. Of course as soon as everyone arrived, the rain came back and we moved the party to our aft deck. Plans were made for a 6AM departure and everyone turned in early.

Next Stop Rogers City Marina.