Sadly, we are departing Charlevoix this morning and headed for Mackinac Island. We might have stayed longer, but reservations at Mackinac Island need to be made well in advance so our schedule calls... We departed the marina about 8:15 am and went out into the middle of Round Lake to wait for the 8:30 am opening of the bridge between Round Lake and Little Traverse Bay. The photo at the right shows our view looking back at the City Marina with the downtown in the background.
While we were waiting, the Emerald Isle, which is the Beaver Island Ferry, announced her intentions to leave her dock and transit through the bridge at 8:30 am. The picture at the left shows the Emerald Isle about to depart from her dock. There were three other boats waiting for the opening, but we all had no trouble giving the Emerald Isle plenty of room to undock and turn to pass through the bridge.
The next photo (at right) shows the Emerald Isle going out first (of course). She exited quickly and smoothly, and we quickly fell in line astern of her. As far as ferries go, the Emerald Isle is quite a handsome ship so the view of her passage was quite pleasant. Of course, it was also nicer not to have her astern of us in an overtaking position. As you can seen in these pictures the sky was cloudless. and the wind in the harbor was almost nonexistent.
After exiting the channel, we set a northerly course across the mouth of Little Traverse Bay and then toward the main N-S ship channel to avoid a number of islands and shallow areas, which are locally called reefs. We headed up the side of the ship channel to Grey's Reef Lighthouse where we would head more east to the Mackinac Straits. We were about 3 miles south of Grey's Reef Lighthouse when we passed the 110 foot long tug Leonard M pushing her empty self unloading barge, Both are owned by McKeil Marine and were bound for Chicago at 7.7 mph. We were hoping to pass some lake freighters, but this was impressive none the less.
In a few miles we passed the Grey's Reef Lighthouse (photo at right). The ship channel at the lighthouse was a narrow one lane, but both north and south of here the ship channels has two fairways for north and south bound traffic, which are separated by about 2 miles. The lighthouse itself is 65 feet high and sits on two 20+ foot high bases. It was built in 1936 and automated in 1976. It would have been even more impressive before 2010 when a 40 foot radio tower was removed.
Next we passed the 104 foot tug Zeus pulling a barge (photo at left). She was going 9.8 mph with a destination of Ludington according to the information on our AIS. Our closest approach was 0.6 miles, and you will see why in the next picture.
The photo at the right shows the tug Zeus and the barge that she was pulling, which is the tank barge Robert F Deegan. She looks to be light (empty), but her usual cargo is calcium chloride. Calcium chloride is widely used as a deicing agent, and it can depress the freezing point to as low as -52C, which makes it much more effective than salt (NaCl). The tug and barge were at an angle to us, but judging by the length of Zeus, the tow line must be well over 500 feet long.
Shortly after the photo above was taken, we made a turn to starboard (right) to head more or less directly to the Straits of Mackinac, which separates the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. Then we passed this abandoned lighthouse that looked pretty lonely, except for hundreds of seagulls on it.
At about the same time we could first see the bridge over the Straits of Mackinac, which is over 5 miles long. At this point we are over 5 miles from the bridge, and it still is very impressive in its size. We could already see tiny dots (cars and trucks) moving over the bridge. The bridge now carries Interstate 75 and was completed in 1957. Before that all traffic was carried on ferries. So, it not only connected the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan but improved transportation between Canada and the US as well.
I took lots of pictures at different angles, but I will only show one more (photo at left). The photo shows the north tower, and it shows the impressive height of the structure... The tower is about 552 feet high, and the main span is 3,800 feet with a vertical clearance of about 200 feet. I have only been over it once by car, and we went under it going the opposite direction on our first Great Loop. No matter what, it is a very impressive structure. When we passed under the bridge, we were in the main shipping channel between Lakes Michigan and Huron, and thus, when we went under the bridge we were now in Lake Huron for the fist time on this trip.
At this point we were less than 10 miles from Mackinac Island, which is our destination for today. Shortly, we turned more to the north to follow one of the two main shipping channels that lead to the St Marys River. Ships (and pleasure craft) can go up the St Marys River to the locks at Sioux St Marie where they are lifted up to enter Lake Superior. As we approached Mackinac Island, we first passed the old Round Island Lighthouse (photo at right) that marked dangerous rocky shallows on the south (or Round Island side of the ship channel. This lighthouse was replaced in 1947 by the new Round Island lighthouse (next photo).
The new Round Island Lighthouse is on the north side of the channel and also marks the turn into the harbor at Mackinac Island. It became operational in 1947 when the old light was deactivated. Since 2009 both lighthouses have operated at lower power as private navigation markers. In this photo behind the light and extending to the left is one of two break walls that protect the harbor at Mackinac Island.
During this same time, we got spectacular views of the (truly) Grand Hotel, which is the classic symbol representing Mackinac Island. Grand Hotel open opened in 1857 and was billed as a summer retreat for vacationers who arrived by lake steamer from Chicago, Erie, Montreal, Detroit, and by rail from across the continent. Rates at that time were $3 to $5 a night, and as you might imagine the rates are considerably higher today. Cars are not allowed on the island, although there are about 14 motorized vehicles, such as fire trucks and ambulances, on the island today. The main mode of transport for people and goods is by horse drawn carts, carriages, etc. We had planned to use our electric bicycles to take the 8.2 miles road around he island, but only human powered bikes of which there are thousands are allowed. So, much of the charm of the island is in the clinging to the past. The front porch of the hotel is the longest in the world, and since the 1890s, it has been the prime meeting place for people on the island.
As we approached the marina, we got a wonderful view of Fort Mackinac up on the hill behind the marina. It played an important role in the war of 1812. You can also see several of the large kites that people were flying along the waterfront. Our marina is just out of view at the bottom of the picture. Needless to say, the views from the boat were wonderful in all directions...
...and thus we begin our three night stay at this wonderful "blast from the past".
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