Leg 28 of our 2022 cruise up north
(to read about Leg 27, Detour Village to the Les Cheneaux, click here)
We are back on Lake Michigan again! Today was a great sail under the Big Mac Bridge, all the way to our anchorage in Garden Island.
When we left Government Bay this morning, we found the wind to be very light and still had big swells from the south. It was not comfortable again, but the ride improved significantly as we motored west into the lee of Bois Blanc Island.
As we neared Mackinac Island, I overheard the Coast Guard announcing a security zone was in place under the Mackinac Bridge. Apparently no vessels were allowed to transit under the bridge until noon today due to the annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk. I hadn’t really heard of this (and couldn’t find any Notice to Mariners online, either), and still don’t understand why a boat as small as us would be a security risk. Fortunately, after doing some time-speed-distance calculations I figured it should reopen just before our arrival. It actually ended up opening early at 11:15 am.
Just west of Mackinac Island and before the bridge, the wind filled in from the east, allowing us to sail with the mainsail and spinnaker. A few well placed jibes around the shoals allowed us to fly the chute under the center span of the bridge.
The road surface on the bridge is actually a metal grate, so the bridge traffic made a roaring sound as we passed underneath.
Our speed improved west of the bridge to over seven knots as the wind picked up from the east. Another sailboat lay two miles in front of us, and we slowly made up ground on them throughout the afternoon. After several jibes in the Straits of Mackinac and around the shallows of Grey’s Reef, we got within a few boat lengths of them before they crossed our bow and headed to St James Harbor on Beaver Island. Whenever there are two sailboats on the water, it’s a race!
Of course, I may have gotten a little too competitive. I delayed dousing the spinnaker until there was a little too much wind… maybe 20 knots or more. With very shallow water nearby, I had a hard time getting the sock down before the chute hourglassed. Eventually I found raising the sock up a bunch and heading up slightly allowed the chute to unwrap itself at the top swivel, clearing the sock. I’ll try not to repeat that!
Tonight there’s a small sailboat anchored in a shallow cove off the main harbor. We can’t even see them. Otherwise, we have Garden Island Harbor to ourselves with a beautiful sunset.
(to read about Legs 29, 30, and 31 in my next post, click here)