When we moved to Wisconsin in 1981 to the village of Townsend in northern Oconto County, I promised my wife Carole we’d only be staying there three years. Well, it’s now 29 years later and here we still are in part because of the inland sea known as Green Bay and its small extension, Lake Michigan. Having been an avid sailor in New England and the Chesapeake, I had no idea that the best cruising I’d find outside of the Caribbean or Bahamas was right here in our backyard. Because of a fairly demanding work schedule, most of our explorations were weekend mini-adventures spent exploring many of the nearby destinations of Green Bay. This year, however, we were ready to spread our (and Esperance’s) wings a bit and venture across the pond. I went out on a limb and scheduled two weeks off and we hoped for good weather as we attempted to get to Beaver Island at the least and possibly dip into the western end of the North Channel in our most wildly optimistic scenario.

After provisioning the boat, a 2006 Catalina 350, we sailed over to Nicolet Bay in Peninsula Park. We were a little disappointed to have just missed the tall ship arrivals gathering in the city of Green Bay but we hoped to maybe catch sight of one or two as they voyaged to their next stop, Chicago. I was scouring the internet trying to determine their planned route to Chicago but all I could be sure of was that it all depended on the captain’s route preferences and the weather. The wind was blowing 15-22 so we had our fingers crossed for a sighting if they decided to round the Door Peninsula rather than going through the Sturgeon Bay canal as they had upon arrival. Much to our delight, we spotted the Europa sailing north near Horseshoe Reef.

Europa heading north

The land in the photo is Welcker’s Point at the northeast tip of the park with Horseshoe Island just out of sight to the right. The 165 foot bark Europa was heading northeast in Green Bay for Death’s Door and we were glad to see her. The wind forecast was brisk but favorable so we were off to bed anticipating an early AM departure for Beaver Island.

The next morning I was horrified to discover our dinghy was missing in a very fresh breeze. I couldn’t even blame Carole as I had loosely tied it up myself to the stern pulpit and neglected to properly secure it before going to bed. Scanning the far shoreline near Ephraim revealed nothing but the wind had to put it there so we pulled anchor and left the shelter of the park for the 5 foot rollers crashing into the far shore. If a cruising boat is your home, your dinghy is your car so our trip wasn’t going to continue if we couldn’t find it. Not only had I foolishly lost the damn thing, I had put our vacation in jeopardy so I was searching carefully as we motored over to the very shallow Ephraim shoreline hoping for a glimpse of our inflatable which of course also had the outboard still on it (as I thought I’d stow that away on Esperance in the morning). This was starting to look like a very expensive oversight. Eagle-eyed Carole spotted it in the surf just north of Ephraim Yacht Harbor so after pulling as close as we dared, I donned my swim fins and PFD to swim for it. Off the heaving swim platform I went while Carole reluctantly took the helm and started circling. I actually body surfed to the wayward dink and pulled it out from the shore with the imagery of Tom Hanks trying to get past the breakers surrounding his Island in Castaway. Too shallow and rough to use the outboard, I was rowing over the waves trying to keep from flipping over backwards as the wind got under the bow of the dinghy and started to lift it. Once I was past the surf zone I got the little Mercury going and realized it was too rough to approach Esperance so I headed for the lee of Horseshoe Island, a little more than a mile away. The wind was too loud to yell over so I hoped Carole would understand my strategy as I took off into the wind and she started to follow. The next element of potential disaster was the partial deployment of the Catalina’s genoa. I watched helplessly as my wife used the autopilot and re-furled the jib all on her own. Oh boy! The meter was really starting to run on this vacation! We finally got out of the waves behind Horseshoe re-secured everything and set sail for Death’s Door. Much to our amazement, we caught another view of Europa, now out in Lake Michigan, headed south for Chicago. She was deploying her sails as we watched her disappear over the horizon just screaming along.

Europa heading south

The land shown here is Pilot Island, a previously delightful place with a picturesque light house that has been taken over by cormorants and whose odor defies description if you’re unlucky enough to approach from the downwind side.

Pilot Island Lighthouse: dead trees courtesy of cormorant guano

Across the lake we sailed with strong following seas almost dead downwind with Beaver Island our unseen goal. As morning turned into afternoon, we could see the giant sand dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with Rock Island still visible over the transom.  420 feet of water under the keel reaffirmed that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. When we had a fix on northern Beaver Island, it was starting to get dark and by the time we motored into St. James on the northeast side of the island it was close to midnight. Our chartplotter guided us through a series of ninety degree turns while dodging extreme shoals all in a new-to-us anchorage in the wee hours of the morning. We dropped the delta anchor and fell fast asleep.

Esperance anchored at St. James

The next morning we took our now much-appreciated dinghy ashore and had a wonderful breakfast at a restaurant facing the harbor. The sound of an approaching helicopter got everyone’s attention and soon a black unmarked whirlybird landed in the field next to the eatery. We couldn’t see any people coming or going but we assumed it was a VIP or a possible medical evacuation.  After a while it lifted off and flew in the general direction of Charlevoix to the south. Interesting place, we were concluding as we walked over to the Beaver Island Marina to see what was what.  They rented cars fairly reasonably and we wanted to check out this island more carefully. The owner of the marina gave us some excellent suggestions and as we were leaving I happened to ask her employee if she knew anything about the helicopter. “Oh”, she smiled “That was my boyfriend giving me a lift back to the island since I had to work today. It only takes twenty minutes vs. the 2 ½ hours on the ferry.”

We took the rental Geo Tracker around the island and took in the sights.

I kid you not…

The Big Rock (highlighted on our tourist map)

And….

The Big Tree (also a must-see according to the locals)

There are very nice beaches there….

SW Beaver Island beach

Wildlife Refuge

And interesting decorations

Bike planter

Old Mormon wagon

The history of the island is most interesting. It was at one time a kingdom, possibly the only one in the U.S. Lead by James Strang, a renegade Mormon whose following displaced non-Mormon people, these Wisconsin immigrants even created their own Michigan County (Manitou) until later un-done by their legislature after Strang was assassinated. To this day, Beaver isn’t very welcoming to those of this faith. We noticed Irish flags everywhere as the many immigrants from Ireland proudly proclaim their heritage on “The Emerald Isle” of Lake Michigan.

After returning the rental car, we explored the state marina and found free WI-FI emanating from the chamber of commerce office.  Cell coverage is pretty spotty on the Island just to remind you that you’re off the beaten track. After a nice meal we retired and awoke the next day to light air and a continuation of the journey east to the Mackinac Straits. Along the way we saw functional and abandoned lighthouses not on dry land as we expect in Wisconsin but out in the water.

Lansing Shoals Light

Rose Shoal Lighthouse (abandoned)

We were pretty excited to see the Mackinac Bridge looming over the horizon by afternoon. Its mighty piers are visible long before you can see the roadway

Mackinac Bridge from about 15 miles away

Eventually you get to the bridge: in our case flying wing-on-wing with the whisker pole proving its worth.

Hopin' we clear!!

These under-the-bridge workers were friendly. They must have been Yoopers and not trolls

Happy painters

After passing the bridge, Mackinac Island looms ahead. Its high bluffs made it very strategic during the contested ownership era involving the British, Americans, French, and Indians.

Mackinac Harbor and Fort Mackinac

Cool a place as this island is, we tend to prefer less chaotic environments so we swung north into St. Ignace and after a little cross-wind docking drama, made fast just in front of a Jimmy Buffet tribute concert. This really would have been an ideal time to make a flawless landing but we understand the importance of humility. After some foot exploration of St. Ignace, we met a delightful couple from Forest County, Wisconsin who had retired from the banking and nursing home industries. They had come from Menominee Marina in their powerboat and were on their way home from an extended cruise in the North Channel. We are looking forward to meeting up with them next season.  We were very pleased that a dear friend who was in our high school class in Pennsylvania was able to meet us at St. Ignace and spend the weekend aboard. The weather deteriorated so we opted to become Fudgies and take the Star Line Ferry over to Mackinac with the masses that arrive on the island that way. We rented bikes and rode around the perimeter which excludes virtually all automobiles, yet is congested with all the horses and bicycles. We saw some very cool buildings.

Rooster tail ferry

Janet and Carole in white

Remember "The Shining"?

Perhaps the high point of our trip to the island was a visit to one of Janet’s friend’s house. Her son was the headline entertainment act at the Grand Hotel the next day so he had arrived from New York and his partner was on her way from Los Angeles. She had a magnificent view of the harbor and we thoroughly enjoyed being squatters on her veranda

The middle one

From here, the view was impressive

Next we took the ferry back to the marina and had a wonderful meal ashore. We were starting to suspect much of our provisioning had been over-kill. The next morning we bid adieu to Janet and after she left we sailed around Mackinac and deliberated our next steps. We were by now in Lake Huron so the North Channel was in our grasp but we also had seen some pretty intense wind mostly out of the west in which direction we needed to progress  if we were ever going back so, when an easterly wind appeared, we knew we shouldn’t waste the opportunity. Back under the bridge and on to Beaver Island, it was. Knowing the lay of the land, we anchored in the harbor there and had a nice chat with some folks on a 34 foot sailboat we were ‘racing’ most of the way from the bridge. Déjà vu for us as what a few days ago had all been new exploration was now at least a little familiar. We cooked aboard that night and left early (very early) the next morning for Washington Island. Light air built a little and we zipped into Peterson Bay and as we made our way past a flotilla of sailboats one of the skippers yelled over inviting us for brownies after we set the anchor. Carole was thinking it was bedtime but I prevailed and we commissioned the dinghy for a ride over to our new neighbors. Upon arrival one of the rather large group asked if I was a dentist. Now keep in mind that the media aren’t kind to dentists as a rule and to be instantly pegged was a bit disconcerting. To make a long story short, one of the group had a temporary crown come loose shortly before and I happened to have some temporary cement in my shaving kit so I was able to get her patched up later on our boat. New BFF and a sailor to boot!

Somehow we all held ground that night as the wind built up to 20 plus knots out of the south. Since we were back a bit early and not in a rush to go home we decided to join the group heading up to Fayette the next day. The next morning found us leading the fleet in 6 foot seas again wing in wing with the whisker pole set for a sprint to Fayette. We peeked into Snailshell Harbor and were shocked to see a mob scene there

So THAT'S what they mean by a harbor of refuge!

The large powerboat in the foreground is Nestegg owned by the owners of our home marina, Nestegg Marine. Apparently Jon and Sue were setting out for Mackinac when the strong winds forced a change of plan and destination. We were two boats deep off the dock in a place most of us had all to ourselves in the past. Here we met Norm and Sharon from Lower Michigan on a large Hunter and we had a delightful time getting to know them. While we were tied up in mass like this, the Delta County Michigan police came roaring in with bales of marijuana they had just confiscated and were offloading to a police car. “Bales” is not an exaggeration in this case and were it not for very serious faces and sidearms on the part of the police, we could have had fun with the possibilities of that chance encounter.

The next day our new friends from Washington Island left en-mass for Escanaba and we remained at Fayette, a stunning restoration of an 1800s vintage charcoal pig-iron manufacturing town that the State of Michigan has outdone itself with.

Part of the Fayette restoration

There are wonderful hiking trails and sightseeing opportunities here as well as a great harbor.

The next morning the wind finally eased a bit and we set sail for Marinette at a distance of almost 60 miles. As we progressed south on Green Bay we started to see more of the commercial craft that are commonplace near our home port while the wind swung closer to our nose so that by the time we saw the familiar red and white lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Menominee River we were close hauled and heeling.

BBC Rio Grande

The above freighter which hauls wind turbine parts later actually anchored in the bay waiting for the wind to die down so a tug could pull it upriver. Here it’s passing us and a little later we passed it just past the drawbridge. It was quite a shoehorning operation watching this just fit within the confines of the Ogden St. Bridge.

It was pretty sad knowing our adventure was winding to a close as we rigged fenders and docking lines and stowed sailing gear as August drew to a close. Our hope next year is to explore the Manitou’s with our marina neighbors Chuck and Carole and possibly venture a little further east into the North Channel. It was good to see the USCG out and about and it was even better not to have needed their services!!

Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay during a training exercise

Carole

Jack