Great Loop Date: 08.31.2010 (Tuesday): Rush, Rush to Sweet Charlevoix…

Day 19: 438.3 miles (today: 56.2 miles in 3.5 hours at 19 mph)


Port #8

Todd came into the bedroom at 6:50AM and mentioned we might have a weather window to run to Charlevoix this morning if we took the boat up on plane. For those of you who aren’t boaters that means push the throttles forward and let OB run like she likes to run. I love to hear those engines run so I was out of bed, dressed, had the boat ready to go and was at the lines ready to cast off in less than an hour.

Charlie was confused figuring he had one more day of relaxing at the dock. I let him have the lower hallway today since we knew we’d be in 3 to 4 foot waves on the bow. He would be more comfortable in the lowest part of the boat.

Sunrise as we left Mac City...well, a little past sunrise but it was the first we saw it!

We cast off at 7:50AM and headed for the Mackinaw Bridge. The skies were mostly cloud covered and on this side of the bridge, winds were not bad.

Mackinaw Bridge...she's one BIG bridge.

I always love taking pictures under bridges.

After clearing the bridge, we were somewhat protected from the southwest winds until we made the turn to begin our trek south. Finally, we were heading in the right direction to get to Florida, sunshine and warm weather. Right now, however, we were sending waves over our bow.

This is one angry L. Michigan...but not so angry for us to move on.

 

That's a pretty stiff west wind.

Since we were up on plane, our ride was a little more comfortable than if we had been going trawler speed. Our trip time was shortened by 1/3rd as well. We arrived in Charlevoix, MI at 11:15AM. We also burned our share of diesel fuel, so we took OB to the fuel dock for a drink of her favorite beverage…

After fueling, the dockmaster sent us to a 45 foot slip. He assured Todd we could bring OB in bow first, which Todd really did want to do in this stiff wind. We got to the slip, brought the boat in bow first, secured her, I stepped off…and the bow was over the dock almost the full width of the dock! I looked at the dockmaster and he said he had a big orange fender he could put on the bow pulpit to keep folks from running headlong into it. We were in a slip midway down the dock…this just wasn’t going to work. So Todd started up the engines again, we pulled OB back out and Todd did an excellent job of sterning her in in the worst of conditions. Way to go, Captain. You cheated death AGAIN!

Who but who was our dockmate…Kolohe, the trawler owned by the couple from Hawaii. They LIVE! Actually, Bob’s wife flew back to Hawaii the day before. He is taking the boat to Muskegon for the winter and will fly back to Hawaii from there. I guess this is the last we will see of Kolohe.

Marina Office at Charlevoix City Marina

Marina at Charlevoix City Marina.  See those big fellas at the end of each dock?

Cracker Bay is one of those big boys...owned by the fella that developed The Villages in Florida.  I understand he lives 45 miles south of here.

Blue Star was at the end of our dock.  Don't know who owned it.

Charlevoix is such a pretty little town. The marina is conveniently located right downtown amidst shops and a nice grocery store. We replenished our stocks, walked around the marina admiring some huge yachts that made OB look like a minnow and settled in for an evening of wine and cheese on the flybridge. We were looking forward to at least the next 3 days or so here, not considering the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

This is what I learned about Charlevoix:

• Charlevoix is named after Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, a French explorer. It seems most of northern Michigan has a strong French influence.

• Charlevoix was permanently settled in the post-Civil War era. In the 1880s, Several professors from the University of Chicago formed the Chicago Club Summer Home association. It wasn't long before the city became known as a resort destination.

• Charlevoix was once a popular destination for many passenger liners.

• During Prohibition, Charlevoix became a popular place for gang members from the Chicago area.

• The City of Charlevoix suffered economically from the 1950s to the 1980s as the manufacturing base largely evaporated, the train lines to the city ceased operating, and the larger tourist hotels fell out of business.

• Charlevoix was home to Michigan's first nuclear power plant, Big Rock Point, which operated from 1962 to 1997.

• A major employer in the Charlevoix area has been the Medusa cement plant. It was bought out by Cemex, a transnational company from Mexico, and most recently sold to St Marys Cement Group. It was the first landmark we saw as we neared the entrance to Charlevoix.

• And last but not least, after the 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey, who spent her summers in Charlevoix and had won a pageant in the town, Charlevoix became a regular haven for tabloid photographers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Ramsey family. John Ramsey, JonBenet's father and husband of the late Patsy Ramsey, still resides in Charlevoix.

Wednesday morning, Todd went to the dockmaster to pay for another day in the slip. The dockmaster told him he could stay Wednesday but would have to leave Thursday since all the slips had been reserved for incoming Labor Day boaters. Todd came back to the boat with the bad news, we looked at the incoming weather system, he called Leland Harbor and they had some slips available but don’t take reservations.

As much as we wanted to spend some time in Charlevoix looking for mushroom houses, we knew we needed to fight the waves once again to make headway. Todd got a refund of his dock fees and we were on our way once again.