Day 69- 71

Mackinaw City MI -Manistique MI

• Start 5:45AM
• End 1:20PM
• Underway 7"40 Hours
• Distance 67 miles
• Total Miles on Trip 1452
• Av Speed 8.8 knots
• Weather Foggy 70

The run from Mackinaw City to Manistique was an adventure to say the least. Because it was going to be a long trip we left at 5:45am. Going under the Mackinaw Straits Bridge was incredible. We were under the bridge before daybreak and the bridge all lit up was breathtaking. Also as we passed under the bridge we officially reached Lake Michigan.

While we were in the straits the seas were flat, but once we reached the body of Lake Michigan, we found ourselves in 2 -3 rolling seas coming at us from the side. While it was not too bad, it made for a couple of uncomfortable hours. Once we got behind the Islands in the middle of the lake, we were protected from the wind, and the seas went down to zero, but then either fog or smoke rolled in, and we lost visibility. Visibility dropped to between 200 feet and ¼ mile. Nick and Ginger (Ginger Gail) were following ¼ mile behind us, and called us on the radio saying they lost track of us. Nothing To Plunder is equipped with Radar and AIS (Automated Identification System) and I could clearly see and track where they were. The radar also showed there were no other boats with 1.5 miles of us. About 45 minutes later the visibility returned. It was a challenging day but overall not a bad day. Having the right equipment makes handling situations like these easier to deal with.

Manistique is a sleepy little town, and we would have made it a one day stop, but the weather forecast did not look promising. The marina itself was very nice, but also very empty. There were only 2 boats when we got there, and about 25 empty slips. The city just rebuilt the marina this year. They also built a campground about 2 miles away, and it is the nicest campground that I have ever seen. About half of the sites are directly on the lake shore.

We spent our time touring the town and campground on bikes with Nick & Ginger. We also took a dinghy ride to a small tourists shopping plaza across the river from us. Friday Angel and I rode 5 miles to a small casino. Angel did very well; she won enough to cover my losses and more.

During one of our rides, we stopped at the beach and I finally got to swim in the Great Lakes. I find it very refreshing that you can swim, anywhere that is not private property. None of the beaches have lifeguards. There are small sheds with "Life Saving Equipment" in them. We looked in one, there was a life ring, Boogie Board, and a Lifejacket inside.

Nick & Ginger who we have been traveling with since the Hudson River are leaving us. They have some family health issues that require them to get home as soon as possible. They will be traveling every day that weather permits. Hopefully we will meet up with them as we get closer to their home port in Alabama.

Our next stop is Washington Island WI.