Wednesday August 1, 2007

Did I miss a day somewhere, this is Wednesday isn’t it? This finds us at Mackinac Island, sitting at a dock that lurks 8 feet about us. We have devised piling steps and rope loops to monkey our way to the top. Horse drawn wagons carrying supplies pass above us on the dock. There was no room in the State Marina. Just returned from a mountain bike ride around the Island, pretty place…

The Indians were up early this morning at Hammond Bay and were departing in the netting boats when I was on the deck around 6AM. They were a friendly happy crew, big smiles and waves. Have a good catch I told em!! Bet they would give us one if we were around tonight. These things come with desolation.

We sailed an hour or so but again the weather calmed. This weather has been unusually mild this trip. I plan these trips with a weather day in the schedule after each 3 days of sailing. Last fall we sat in Hamilton Ontario for 5 days. We got to know the locals on a first name basis and had a few favorite hangouts. So this calm is very unusual. A good day to lie up on the bow and listen to the water flow by. Shirley loves it up there in the calm, her favorite place...

More navigation today. We sailed NW around Forty Mile Point, into the South Channel of the Mackinaw Straights with the Mackinac Bridge in view more then 20 miles away. Feels good to be returning from the East, Shirley and I sailed in here from the West in 2005. Past Bois Blanc Island, around the end of Round Island into the Harbor at Mackinac Island. The land of no cars, tourists, fudge, flowers, horse drawn carriages, bikes, and the Grand Hotel...The biggest hazard today, speed ferries flying about from the Mainland making huge waves.

The motor died this morning a few times with a bunch of smoke pillaring about. My nerves were a bit on edge as we had motor problems last year and stories to tell about that!! Well it was running to rich, hmmmm, what could that be, …Ahhh ha…I left the choke pulled out a bit… Pushed it in…and no more trouble. Whew….

It quiets down here in Mackinac in the evening, nice not having the mob of tourists. Not quite desolation, but it has it’s own charm about it…..Goodnight…