Leaving the Great Lakes Behind

September 17,2017

I must admit that I was pretty happy to enter the Chicago Lock. As pretty as the Great Lakes were, as nice as all the people I met were, and as good as so many of the dinners were the Great Lakes left me traumatized. Entering the smooth, protected waters of the river system gave me a good feeling.

I passed under the Lake Shore Drive bridge and into the Chicago Sanitary and Barge Canal. Every bit as romantic as it sounds. I headed to Joliet, IL.
Yes, the lakes were done, but the rivers presented new challenges. The canal out of Chicago is really congested with traffic/ It is narrow and heavily industrialized. On more than one occasion, I had to dodge around a tow. It was interesting.
I had a 37 mile run to Joliet. Amazing how many miles can be run with the current pushing you along.
Joliet has a free city wall that loopers can tie up to. I was fortunate that there were other loopers already tied on to the wall because it was so tall that I couldn't have tied up without help. And, it's not just a free wall, they also provide electricity. Nice! I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of nights, but I wound up staying 3 nights.
I found a really great restaurant for breakfast in town. I indulged myself twice. I highly recommend the Route 66 Diner in downtown Joliet.

Chicago!

September 14, 2017

In the two days I spent there, I got a lot done in Portage, IN. But, I was really excited to be getting to Chicago. I was even more excited to be finished with the Great Lakes. Pretty as they are, they treated me poorly. And... they weren't done with me, either.
I got an early start and was underway on calm waters. But, true to form, by the afternoon the wind had picked up and the waves were tossing me around.
I had called ahead and reserved a spot at DuSable Harbor. As I was approaching, I tried to call them on the radio. I also tried to call them on the phone. I got no answers. I managed to find my slip and tied myself in. I thought that I'd get a little more help for $100.00 a night. I found the office to let them know that I had arrived. I also mentioned that I didn't get any answers to my calls. The kid working in the office explained that the radios didn't work in the office. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking that for that kind of money they could get a better radio or a bigger antenna. Oh, well.
I had a shower and treated myself to a couple of beers at the café that was right on the river walk next to the marina.
While enjoying my beer, I asked to look at a menu. They advertised Mediterranean food. I finished my beer and took a long walk over toward Navy Pier. By the time I got back toward the boat, I was hungry. I decided to eat at the same little café. I had lentil soup, kufta on rice, and a nice salad. It was all delicious.
I found out that Monroe Harbor, right next to DuSable, only charges $1 a foot for a mooring ball. So, after breakfast, I moved the boat to Monroe. I'd never grabbed a mooring ball before, but it was fairly easy. I wound up staying on the mooring ball for two nights. The mooring field and DuSable are all run by the city of Chicago. The mooring field is serviced by a couple of tenders that will pick you up and drop you off pretty much on demand. You just have to call them on VHF channel 68. Easy and fun.
After I got moved to the mooring ball I hailed a tender and went out for breakfast. On the walk back I decided to do some grocery shopping. I Ubered back to the boat with my groceries. I then spent the afternoon walking around Navy Pier and having a few beers on the pier. The weather was gorgeous, so I enjoyed my little break.
Next day I did much the same thing, walked, ate, enjoyed. But, the day before I had noticed a big group of people on Segways. I decided to treat myself. I again walked to Navy Pier and found the kiosk that rented the Segways. I asked the young woman at the counter if I could take a Segway tour. She pulled out an appointment book and asked me what day I wanted to go. I responded that I wanted to go now! She said let me check with Matt. They wound up charging me $10.00 more than the regular tour for a private tour with Matt. It was great. I really had a good time learning to ride the Segway and then taking the hour tour.

Tomorrow we enter the river system!

On to Chicago

September 7 - 14, 2017
After all those days in Pentwater, I finally got to move on down the west coast of Michigan. My first stop was in Muskegon. That's the home of the submarine, USS Silversides. I got into the marina late, therefore I couldn't get a ride to the museum. I guess it's quite the thing. You can arrange to overnight on-board the WWII sub.
I fueled up when I arrived and the dockhand who helped me fill up directed me to the slip I'd be tied up in for the night. After I was secured into the slip, I asked him where the office was so I could pay for the slip. He said that I shouldn't worry about it as it was late in the season. So, I got a free night in a nice slip.

Big Red Lighthouse, Holland, MI

I headed out early the next morning bound for Lake Macatawa and Eldean Shipyard. Eldean's is a pretty big operation. I got tied in for the night and took an Uber to Walmart. I got my prescriptions renewed and took on some fresh food. The next morning, as I was checking out, I noticed that they had an end-of-season sale on long-sleeved T-shirts. It was cold, so I bought one. And, glad I did.
Next stop, South Haven. Big, confusing marina. I got lost trying to find where I was supposed to tie up. I had to pull into an empty slip and, while I left the motor running, ran to an office to determine where I was supposed to be. Turns out there is a north marina and a south marina. I was talking to south thinking it was north and trying to follow backwards directions. It took some doing but I finally got squared away and spend a pleasant evening. I had been eating aboard my boat for awhile, so I decided to treat myself to pizza and a couple of beers. That went so well that the next morning, I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Captain Nemo's. Great breakfast. Good way to start another long cruising day.

St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse

I headed out for St. Joe. Kind of a short day, only 21 miles. The weather was pretty nice, no wind. I pulled in to the fuel dock and topped off the tank. A whole bunch of people on the dock started asking a million questions about the boat, me, and the Great Loop. That's always fun. After fueling, I cruised over to my slip. There was only one person working, so I got no help pulling into the slip or tying up. It was a nice evening. I ate dinner on-board and had a pretty good night's sleep.
Continuing south, my next port of call was the New Buffalo Marina. Another confusing entry to the marina. I managed to find the wrong marina. I tied up and walked around and finally figured out that it was a condo marina. Got it figured out and I got tied into the right place. I had a nice shower in a nice facility and decided to go out to dinner. I walked to within 100 yards of the restaurant row near the marina only to hear screaming football fans. I turned around and had dinner on-board. No problem. I charted my next day's cruise and found that this was my last day in Michigan. Tomorrow, I'll be in Indiana.
I set out early for Portage, Indiana. Nice staff, nice facility. I needed to stay for a couple of days. I had to make another eye doctor appointment. I managed to find a retinal specialist in a nearby town. I had to get up early to take an Uber to the office. I decided to have a shower that first evening in Portage so I could save time in the morning. I walked up to the shower room and got nothing but cold water. I did the best I could and went to bed.
I did get up early and I got an Uber over to the office. Got my eyes taken care of and headed back to the marina. I stopped at Walmart on the way back.
When I got back to the marina, I complained about the shower and the woman running the place said that she'd give me one night free. She later wrote to me and said that the nearly 20 year-old boiler needed significant repairs.
So, two nights in Indiana and off to Chicago.

Continuing South

Having turned to corner, so to speak, at the Mackinac Bridge did a lot to cheer me up. Even though I got beaten up again crossing over to Beaver Island, a southerly heading made me feel good.
First stop for September was in Ludington. One of Ludington's claims to fame is a coal fired ferry boat, the SS Badger, that runs from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI a couple of times a day. You can smell the coal fire before you see the boat (I don't think that the EPA is happy). The couple on the boat next to me told me all about it.
They had invited me over for beers on their boat. And, we wound up walking into town for dinner. It's just amazing all the nice people that I've met on this trip.
After Ludington, I headed to Pentwater, MI. Soon after I tied in for the night, a gentleman stopped by my boat and asked if I was really doing the loop. I said yes and he invited me to come join a group of other loopers for "docktails" down at the other end of the marina. Fun group, one couple was from WV, over near Charleston. We talked and shared stories and drank.
I wound up having to stay in Pentwater for 5 days. The weather on the lake was terrible. One of the loopers went out on the third day and quickly turned around and re-docked. The waves, he said, were huge.
It turned out to be a good stop for five days. There is a grocery store in town. There is also a laundry. I took advantage of both There are also a couple of decent restaurants in town and I took advantage of them as well.
So, the 5 days turned out to be pretty productive, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was the waves and wind on the lake that kept us in, but it was the cold and rain that made it unpleasant. And, then this happened -

August Recap

My little boat in the nearly empty Rock & Dock Marina

I started August in Grand River, Ohio and finished the month in Frankfort, Michigan. Visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of fame was definitely one of the high spots of the journey. Those two days on Huron (breaking the mast and crossing Saginaw Bay) were some pretty low spots. "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger." ~ Nietzsche

Fifth month cruising:
Cruised - 566.76 nautical miles
Burned - 79.24 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $251.61 (avg 3.175 per gal)
Marina Nights - 31
Anchor Out - 0
Free Docks - 0
Total Miles Traveled - 3,704.83

Onward to Leland and Frankfort

Leland Harbor Light

August 29-31, 2017
The weather cooperated for a couple of days, so I was able to move on down the west coast of Michigan. I hopped over to Leland. Nice little town. A little touristy, lots of T-shirt shops and adventure outfitter kinds of places. There is an historic area, Fishtown. Back in the olde days, it's where fishermen dried their nets, sold their catches, and generally took care of business.
I walked around a bit, did a little grocery shopping, and generally goofed off for the day.
As I crossed the parking lot headed back to the boat, I spotted a wallet laying open in the parking lot. I brought it back to the marina and the harbor master said that he knew the guy who lost it.
Another quiet night at another great Michigan harbor. I left early en route to Frankfort.
And, another 5 hour straight line kind of day. Not much to report. I got into Frankfort and tied in for the night.
The harbor master told me that there were a couple of good restaurants in town. One of them is a brew pub. That had my attention. I walked up into town, with a couple of other loopers, and found Stormcloud Brewing. I had an interesting hopped stout with a nice salad.
Walking back to the boat, I passed a restaurant named Dinghy's. I thought I'll try that tomorrow night if the weather continues to be bad. And, so it did.
The winds continued to toss the lake so, I stayed for a second night. It gave me the opportunity to get some laundry done. I also took a long walk around town and hit an ATM. It's a beautiful, quiet little town.

Frankfort Light built in 1912

I did go to Dinghy's for dinner. Let me rave about that for awhile. I had an unbelievably good deep-fried walleye served with an equally good coleslaw. I opted for the extra price sweet potato fries. The fries were the crispiest sweet potato fries I've ever had. They were served with an aioli. I can't say enough about how good this dinner was. And to top it off, they had a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
That was the end of my fifth month on the loop.

Charlevoix

August 28, 2017
The crossing from Beaver Island to Charlevoix was a little bumpier than expected, but not as bad as the day before.
Charlevoix is a beautiful town and the marina there is first class. I got tied in a registered. I got the directions for the showers and men's room. The office staff also mentioned a grocery store within walking distance, so I got a refill of supplies.
I was walking back to the boat when I spotted a platinum AGLCA flag. I think I've said this before, but white flag is on the loop, gold flag is completed loop, platinum flag is two or more completed loops. The couple on the boat flying the flag invited me on-board for a drink. We talked about looping and boats and Charlevoix. They mentioned that they had had dinner at The East Park Tavern. Good steak! I had been craving a steak, so when we parted company, I walked the short way into town and treated myself to a ribeye steak. I also had a couple of All Day IPAs.
For late August, the weather was pretty cold and rainy. I stopped at a little shop and bought a lined, nylon jacket, close-out price twenty bucks.
The same couple invited me back for after dinner drinks on their boat. We spent a pleasant evening drinking whiskey and talking about our lives.

Cross to Beaver Island

August 27, 2017
On the 26th, I visited with my friends Gary and Sally. One of the sights we saw was the Mackinac Bridge. It is nearly 5 miles in length and is often referred to a Big Mac. Here is a picture of Sally and me with the bridge in the background.
On the 27th, with a full load of fuel and water, I headed out for Beaver Island. Not long after casting off, I passed under the giant suspension bridge.
It was to be a 40 mile run under pretty bad conditions. I was, again, being tossed around like a cork at a pool party. I was being thrashed so bad that at one point the dinghy came loose. It had uncoupled the bar that it was tied to and was hanging off of the end of the boat. The only thing to do was to go to idle speed and untie and unwrap the knots that the wave had made to my lines. It took me about 30 minutes (5 under calm conditions) to get the dinghy lashed back down.
I finally made it to Beaver Island. Nice marina, captain's lounge, WiFi, good showers. I was told that there was a really nice Irish Bar in town, The Shamrock.
So, I got all showered and dressed and as soon as I started to walk into town, the skies opened up. It poured all night. So, it was another can of chili night on the boat.
The weather forecast indicated high winds and high waves for the following day, so I figured that I'd get another shot the next day.
The weather, of course, fools me everyday. When I got up in the morning, the skies were cloudy, but there was little wind and not much in the way of waves.
There were two decisions to be made. 1. Go or No go. 2. Michigan or Wisconsin.
The decision was Go for Michigan. I headed southeast for Charlevoix, Michigan.
As I was pulling out of the marina, I heard on my VHF, "Farewell, Traveler". The lady at the marina was really nice and that made me feel good.

August 24 - 26, 2017

My journey up the east coast of Michigan continued with hops to Presque Isle, Hammond Bay, and Straits State Harbor. The water was alternately calm and rough, but nothing so rough as the crossing of Saginaw Bay. There isn't too much that I can say about this part of the cruise. Again, I was 2-3 miles off shore and cruising in a straight line for 4 or 5 or 6 hours.
I continue to be amazed by the marinas in Michigan. Again, all nice, well maintained, nice dockhands, and clean facilities. A concern of mine, early on, was the availability of diesel fuel. Just about all of these marinas had fuel.
My last day cruising Lake Huron was the 26th. I pulled into Straits State Harbor and was greeted by my friends from the RV park in Florida, Gary and Sally. I know that they'll read this, so I won't embarrass them. I'll just say that they are really, really nice people. It was great to see them again. They took me out to lunch. I had a pasty that was absolutely delicious. We rode around town a bit. The town is in the shadow of the Mackinaw Bridge and really touristy. People living above the bridge are Yoopers (from the Upper Peninsula -U-Pers) and people on the lower peninsula are Trolls. Under the bridge (get it?). Gary asked if I liked smoked fish. I said I did, so we stopped at a smoked fish shop. I bought a piece of smoked salmon and a container of "pate". The pate is cream cheese, onions, spices, and smoked whitefish blended together. That was really good, too. We browsed around an arts and crafts fair and all too soon, they had to head home.
I spent my last night on Huron sleeping soundly while tied to the pier in Straits State Harbor. Tomorrow, Lake Michigan.

Poe Reef Light

Hop to Alpena, Michigan

August 21, 2017
Well, I finally got a weather forecast right. The trip to Alpena was fairly nice. These harbors in Michigan are just great. They've all been clean and efficient. Alpena was no exception.
Lots happened in Alpena. I made a run to Walmart and got some shopping done. I went out for dinner one night (not particularly good ribs). I changed the transmission oil and while doing so, I broke the transmission dipstick. The gentleman running the parts/repair shop on site was really helpful, but in the end I had to glue the dipstick back together. I'm hoping that it holds until I can buy a replacement.
I also met a lovely couple on the boat across from mine. We drank wine on their boat (beautiful new boat) two nights in a row. We're now Facebook friends.

Alpena's "Little Red"

After two days of being on hold due to weather, I was finally able to head out for Presque Isle.

Fear!

August 20, 2017
The run from Port Austin to Lewisville was about 40 miles. I set out at about 0930. The forecast was for 5-10 kt winds and waves of 1.to 1.5 feet. That seemed to be within bounds.
I was about 3 hours out when the wind started to kick up. And along with the wind came the waves. I tried to keep a course into the waves, but that course essentially had me going away from my destination. I tried, for a brief time to head into the wave, but the boat was taking a beating. Changing course at all was a really scary thing to do. I wound up surfing the waves.
I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. The waves now were at about 5 feet (and I may be underestimating). As a wave would pass by, the stern was lifted up. The wave would increase my speed, sometimes up to 14 kts. As it pushed the boat forward, the wave would push the stern to starboard, so much so that I feared broaching. I had to steer hard to starboard to keep the boat upright. Then, as the crest of the wave passed I'd have to center the rudder to keep the boat on course. And, when I say on course, I really mean on a course that would keep the boat from capsizing. I was miles off my intended course.
I steered on like this for nearly 5 hours. It's one thing to get scared, it's entirely another thing to fight the weather and the waves for that length of time. I pulled into Lewisville thoroughly shaken. Thoughts of abandoning the trip had crossed my mind.
I can admit, now, that Lake Huron completely intimidated me. It was all I could do to drag myself out of bed the following day.

Jump to Port Austin

August 16-19, 2017
Tony came with the new water pump and had it installed  by 1330. We did a quick run up and I cast off my lines and headed to Port Austin.
The run to Port Austin was only about 26 miles. Fortunately, it was uneventful. I am pleased to report that the mast did just fine and the water pump works as intended. Both of those items had me really worried, so it was a load off my mind.
I wound up having to spend 3 days in Port Austin. The weather turned really bad, lots of wind and rain. I mostly stayed on the boat, but I did get out to do some grocery shopping at the little market in town. There was also a Farmer's Market on Saturday the 19th. Kind of fun.
The weather report for the 20th seemed reasonable so, I charted a course for Lewisville. In Michigan terms that's from the tip of the thumb to the middle knuckle of your index finger.

Recovery

August 16, 2017
So, the nice lady at Beach Harbor Marina gave me a business card from Dirty Hooker Diesel. She said that the owner was a really nice guy and did a lot of work on boats in the marina. She also said that I could call him anytime. So, on a Sunday afternoon, I called the owner, Tony, and he said he'd be over later on in the afternoon. Sure enough, he arrived about 3p.
I probably forgot to mention that the fresh water pump for the engine had developed a serious leak. That, too, was causing me a bit of concern. The first order of business was to remove the pump. He said that he'd try to rebuild it and that he'd send somebody over on Monday to re-rig the mast.
I spent a quiet night in the marina. Michigan has a really great marina system. It's run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. There is, or is supposed to be, a marina about every 30 miles all the way around the state. I wound up taking advantage of many of them. Anyway, I got a call from the shop and found out that they couldn't rebuild the pump, a new one would have to be ordered. And, the body guy from the shop would be there later to take some measurements.
To make a long story short, measurements were taken, braces were fabbed up, and on Tuesday, a guy from the shop re-erected the mast and fastened it down. The bad news (sorta) was that the pump wouldn't be in until the next day (Wednesday).

The metal bars (port and starboard) now secure the mast.

One of the women working at the marina offered to take me into town to do some grocery shopping. I got a few things I needed and we returned to the boat. The interesting part of shopping was that the town's grocery store was a gas station. And, as the woman said, "Pretty good grocery store for a gas station, eh?"
When I got back from shopping, the guy in the boat next to mine asked me over for a beer. I'm not normally an IPA guy, but Tom offered me an All Day IPA from Founders Brewing. Delicious! Tom is a diver. Dry suit, mixed gas, deep diver. So, we spent part of the afternoon talking about diving and  the great number of pristine wrecks that dot the bottom of Lake Huron.
Wednesday afternoon, Tony showed up at about noon with the new pump under his arm. The pump itself is easy on/easy off, but it was an expensive pump and the shipping was fairly expensive. Not that I'm complaining. Tony did great work and for him to have come out on a Sunday and then do the job himself was amazing.
As soon as the pump was installed, we gave it a quick run up and leak check. Everything was good, so with my newly affixed mast and new water pump, I shoved off for Port Austin.

Disaster!

As I sit and write this, I am tied up safe and sound about 100 miles from Chicago. The trip continues. The boat continues. I continue.
I'm picking up my story from August 12, 2017.
After a pleasant stay in St. Clair, I left there en route to Beach Harbor, MI. I don't know if I read the weather forecasts wrong  or the weather just changed over the first 3 hours of cruising. Suffice it to say that the weather wasn't what I thought it would be. The winds rose as did the waves. I was being hammered by waves that I estimated to be 4 to 5 feet. And, they didn't seem to come in a predictable pattern. I was being slammed so hard that I put on my life vest and secured my portable radio to the chest strap.
I tried navigating into the waves so that I could quarter them and get a bit more comfortable ride. Unfortunately, that heading was taking so far off course that I'd never reach my destination. I tried going with the waves. That was better, but I was still getting hammered.
The pounding continued to get worse when suddenly there was a tearing sound and a giant thud. That was followed by bashing sounds on the roof of the cabin. I slowed the boat and moved into the cockpit so that I could see the roof. The mast had been torn free from the roof and was smashing itself onto the roof.
I grabbed some lines and climbed out onto the starboard side of the boat. I lashed the mast as best as I could to the handrail on the roof. Then, I climbed out onto the port side and repeated the procedure. Needless to say, I was pretty frightened.
I had to reduce my speed to minimize the bashing on the roof. I contacted the marina and told them I would be late. My contact there said that she would wait for my arrival.
The voyage continued. But, I did have to slow twice more in an effort to secure the mast to the roof.
After what seemed like endless hours, I finally arrived at Beach Harbor and tied in for the night.
Adding insult to injury, it started to rain. So, I had to secure a tarp over the roof in an attempt to keep the area as dry as possible.
The folks at the marina gave me the number for a local shop where I might be able to get help.

Canadians/Canadiens

I needed to change the oil on the boat. It needs to be changed every 150 hours and it was slightly overdue. I had the cover to the engine up and was beginning to work on removing the oil. I wound up talking to the guy in the boat next to me. I asked if he was a diesel guy and he replied that he had just retired from a 35 year career with Caterpillar Canada. So, I related the story of what had happened to me on the way up the river. He explained that the engine would only run to fuel flow. Then, he asked when was the last time the fuel filters were changed. I had never changed the secondary filter and the primary was changed about 500 hours ago. He said that that was likely my problem. Change the filters now. And, change the primary every time the oil is changed and the secondary every other time.
I spent the next several hours changing the oil/oil filter and the primary and secondary fuel filters. Runs like a charm. I am ever grateful to him for his advice.
Later that same day, I met a group of Canadians from Windsor. We talked about boats, traveling by boat, the great loop, Canada, and the USA. And... oh, by the way - they fed me beer. They came over to my boat and we talked about it and more about the loop. Later that evening, they invited me to join them, but, unfortunately, I was tired and just getting into bed, so I declined. I felt bad about that.
Next day, I was up and ready to go. The draw bridge only opened on the hour and half-hour so I made to out at the 9am opening. I had several more miles of current fighting on the St. Clair River. But, I finally made it onto Lake Huron. A couple of hours cruising got me to Lexington, MI.
I pulled into and got tied up at Lexington State Harbor. I started to walk over to the office to get registered and I hear, "Jack!" It was the Canadian crew from St. Clair Marina. After registering, I got invited to drink more beer (they forced me, what can I say?). The crew had heard that there was a concert in the park adjacent to the marina. A group called Taylor Tucky was playing.
Several of us walked over to the park, some stayed at the boats (you could hear just fine from the boats). There were also a couple of food trucks there.
One of the trucks was from Wimpy's Place a local restaurant, just a brief walk up from the marina. I had a couple of cheeseburgers. I thought they were pretty good. The band was pretty good, too. Country, not my favorite, but they were really into it and put on a good performance.
We walked back to the boats and drank more beer, imagine that.
Nice folks and more proof that Canadians are the nicest people in the world.

PS The wife of the gentleman who helped be diagnose the engine is French Canadian. We chatted for a bit after I had done my engine work. She was surprised that I was doing the loop by myself. She called me, "loup de mer". She asked if there was a similar phrase in English. I was a little stumped. Literally, it means sea wolf, but I think she meant something more like old salt or sea dog.

Lake St. Clair and The St. Clair River

Lighthouse on the Detroit River

From Kean's Marina, I made a nearly 40nm run to St. Clair Boat Harbor. The first couple of miles I was still fighting the current in the Detroit River. After the river loosed its grip, I had a smooth cruise across Lake St. Clair. Well, mostly smooth.
Let me back up a bit. When I started the cruise, I was towing the dinghy. After some problems, I decided to carry it on the swim platform. That has been working just fine for the last thousand or so miles. The only problem with it back there is that my rear vision is blocked. As a result, every once in awhile I'll steer to the port side and clear my stern.
So, I'm cruising across Lake St. Clair and I decide to clear my stern. And, I got the crap scared out of me. Right up close behind me is this huge Great Lakes freighter and it making about 12 knots. At least twice my speed. I did a hard starboard turn and went past him in the opposite direction. I got beat up a little by the wake, but I tucked in behind the ship and everything smoothed out.
In the early afternoon of August 9, I entered the St. Clair river. And, again I was fighting a strong current. So much current that I throttled up to full power. When I've still got about two hours to go to my destination, suddenly the power on the engine goes to about 1/4 throttle. I wasn't sure what to do, so I throttled back to zero. The engine, at idle speed, was shaking like mad, so I shut it down. Now, I'm drifting back down the river. My first thought was that I had run out of fuel. Illogical as I had fueled up the night before. But, I checked anyway and found a nearly full tank. I was getting ready to declare an emergency, as two more freighters were headed toward me, when I thought - let me try to start the engine. It started right up and I continued, at full power, to St. Clair Boat Harbor.
Safe and sound, I filled up on fuel and tied in for the night.
In the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara, I'll just think about this tomorrow! 

The Detroit River

Detroit River Light

The Detroit River connects Lake Erie to Lake St. Clair. I had heard that the river has a pretty swift current. So, I got up and out of Brest Bay fairly early in the morning. As you can see in the picture, the water in the lake was perfect. The light is right where the river flows out into Lake Erie.
Just as I passed the light in the picture, I was passed by a Canadian Coast Guard cutter. The crew on the foredeck waved at me as they went past.
I was forced, by the current, to run at a fairly high throttle setting. I was concerned with running out of fuel. I was especially aware because Brest Bay Marina didn't have diesel. So, I already had a day's worth of cruising sucked out of the tank. And, it seemed that the longer I cruised, the later my arrival time became on my GPS.
But, the cruise up the river was really pretty, challenging, but pretty. I passed Grosse Isle, Fighting Island, and Belle Isle, as well as a few other islands in the river.
In the end, I made it to my destination, Kean's Marina. I had fuel left in the tank when I arrived and all was right with the world. 

The Last Days of Erie

I'm reluctant to call any part of this adventure boring. Every day, I'm sailing into the relative unknown. I'm seeing new places and doing new things. That said, heading out into the lake and steering for the next marina means driving in a straight line for 5 or 6 hours. I've been 2 to 3 miles offshore, so there really isn't much to see. And, there is nothing to do except steer. So, the days are long. I'm really glad that I invested in the Sirius/XM radio. What a difference that makes!

up

After the Hall of Fame I hopped to Huron Municipal Marina. Nice place, but I got weathered in for a couple of days. Fortunately, there was a nice restaurant near-by and a Walmart that I could Uber to.
From Huron to Foxhaven Marina. Foxhaven was a quick and dirty. I hardly even left the boat. Headed out early for Brest Bay Marina.
Brest Bay was the last call for Lake Erie.
On 8 Aug I headed out of Brest Bay and up the Detroit River.

Lake Erie: The First Days

There is a fairly strong current flowing in the Niagara River, as one might imagine. I made it to Beaver Island Marina after a fairly long day of negotiating the last locks, the last few miles of the Erie Canal and the current of the Niagara. A nice enough place, I spent a quiet night.
I planned a short day to get to First Buffalo Marina. I was hoping to find a mechanic to help me with changing the coolant in the engine. I made it to the marina, but there was no mechanic available. I did score a jug of coolant and some distilled water.
I headed out the next day for Holiday Harbor. I did manage to get some shopping done, but no luck on a mechanic. Next up was Erie, PA. Nice marina, inexpensive, and nice staff. I wound up getting weathered in there for 3 days. There was no mechanic available, again, but I did manage to get a Sirius/SM radio installed. Excited! I also got some shopping done and got a haircut and a beard trim. I hate losing cruising days, but at least I got a few things done.
Next up was Ashtabula, OH. No marina available, so I anchored out for the night. I was behind a breakwater, so it was a fairly comfortable night. BTW, if you've ever ridden a single speed bike with coaster brakes, you've used an Ashtabula crank. Go ahead, look it up.
From Ashtabula on to Grand River and finally a mechanic. A very expensive mechanic, but a mechanic (and a helper) nonetheless. I was getting really worried about the cooling system. Now, that the coolant has been changed, I'm a little less worried.
And then... there was Cleveland. And... the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I pulled into the Rock and Dock Marina (apparently not related) and tied up for two nights. It had been a push to get here, so I just relaxed for the night. I did buy my Senior Discount ticket for the next day.

It's here to stay!

I slept late, got up, and had a shower. It's just a short walk to the front door. I figured I'd be good for 2 or 3 hours. So, from 10a to about 1p, I toured the exhibits. I went to the gift shop and bought myself a T-shirt and a stack of postcards. Then I had lunch and walked around for another hour. I went back to the boat and wrote out the postcards and stamped them.
Back to the Hall, I found a theater that plays the 25th anniversary concerts. I sat there and watched, enthralled, for about 2 hours. Then I decided to have dinner at the hall and re-visit the first floor, the early days.
It was amazing. I'm really glad that I decided to stop.

The Last of the Erie Canal

On my second attempt I actually made it to Spencerport without running into anything. It turned out to be a really nice little town with everything I was in need of, free dock, free showers, nice museum, good food at a near-by restaurant, and a grocery store that I could walk to. The people in the museum, volunteers, were really pleasant to chat with.

Inside a Lock

Next morning, I cast off and headed to Albion. Not quite as nice, but very pleasant nevertheless. It, too, had a free dock and free showers. I met a couple in a sailboat. They were from not too far away from Albion and out for a long cruise with their son. We chatted about boats and the wife of the couple ran into a former student of hers. He told us that there was an antique car show in town and that we should walk over. He is in the local fire department and was cooking hamburgers for a fund raiser. So, guess what we all did for dinner. The car show was fun. The couple and I continued to talk about boats and cruising. And, the hamburger from the FD was really good.
Next up was Lockport. I tied to the entry wall for Lock 34. It was not a particularly pleasant place. The wall was really rough, so I put out extra fenders. I was on the opposite side of the canal from the town, so I didn't get to see much and it rained. When I first got there, a Canadian couple helped me get tied in. We, too, talked at length about boats and cruising. Turns out that they lived not too far away and were just about to finish up the Great Loop on a boat that they had built. It was beautiful, about 35', twin engines, steel hull. A really tough looking seaworthy boat. As part of their loop they had also gone to the Bahamas.
Locks 34 and 35 are the last two locks on the Erie Canal and they are adjacent to one another. They are sometimes referred to as the "Siamese Twins". When you leave 34 you are entering 35. They have a combined lift of about 55 feet.
There were still several mile of the Erie Canal after the last locks. I continued on to the Niagara River. Everybody told me to make sure that I made a left turn onto the river.
The weather turned a little sour, but I made it to Beaver Island State Park Marina for the night. And... so endeth the Erie Canal. I enjoyed (except for that bridge) all 383 miles and 560 feet of lift. From Waterford to Tonawanda a fun trip.