Kristin and I were looking forward to getting out of the summer heat by doing some swimming, and also doing some social distancing from crowds of people. Because of shoreside commitments, we couldn’t do much cruising until the end of the summer, so we wanted to do some “local” cruising.
We definitely prefer anchoring out over marina life, especially during COVID-19. We like the isolation and privacy it provides, and also like the freedom from the confinement of a marina slip. Of course, having a boat that is well equipped for anchoring helps, too!
Despite its very close proximity to our normal home port of South Shore Yacht Club we had never taken Priorities south of Texas Rock. Named after the city street ending at the nearby shoreline, Texas Rock is a very shallow rock/concrete area at the south end of SSYC’s southern mooring area. It’s well charted and usually marked with a buoy. Staying east of the buoy, and west of the breakwall, gives us about 10 feet of depth to navigate through… plenty for our 6 foot draft. South of Texas Rock lies a fairly large area available for anchoring just off a wooded, sandy beach known as Bay View Beach.
With west winds in the forecast to keep the waves small and a forecasted nighttime temperature that wasn’t too uncomfortable, we decided we’d spend the night at anchor just off of Bay View Beach. Our trip actually involved sailing to get there… South Shore Yacht Club’s slips are closed this season due to damage and high water levels… so we did a nice daysail from McKinley Marina to a few miles offshore before heading into the far south gap in the breakwall.
When we were there, water temperatures were around 72… close to normal seasonal high for Lake Michigan, and nice enough for a refreshing swim in the summer heat. We checked the water quality, too, before going in via the county’s website.
Bay View Beach is actually fairly pretty for a beach in a large city. High water levels have moved the sandy area up amongst the trees, giving it a wooded feel. Despite being a county park, and on the edge of the City of Milwaukee, it’s sorta “off the beaten path” since it’s not visible from any street. This year it has gotten more crowded, probably due to the disruptions from COVID-19, but it’s still “quaint.” Most of the crowd was gone around sunset, and we were the only boat left by dark.
By morning, the water had flattened almost completely. We did some stand up paddleboarding to the south to explore some of the cliffs of Bay View Park and check out the architecturally cool FBI building. We were able to socialize (at a distance!) with some friends who drove and walked over to the beach.
As we left, I did notice we picked up a bunch of weeds on our anchor. Holding was good… the bottom seems to be a muddy sand, though little weed clumps were floating all around us much of the time. I think we got a bunch on our prop and rudder, too, but it was manageable. There’s also a shipwreck to be avoided too, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.
If/when we anchor there again we could dinghy over to the Yacht Club for dinner or drinks… some temporary docking at the club is available.
Overall, it was a super easy “overnight” trip that was a nice getaway!