Folks on West End dock
Q-boat in Detroit
These are the chronicles of the Manitou, her Captain Jim, First-Mate Ann/Prudy, and her crew. You can find the most recent updates on this page. Don't forget to check back often.
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The crew of the Manitou has been in some areas where digital phone coverage has been unavailable. As such, they have not been able to send updates or pictures. However, today, September 2, the Manitou is crossing Lake Michigan and will reach either Manitowoc or Sheboygan, Wis sometime this evening.
The folks on West End dock at the Detroit Yacht Club were very welcoming. We were included in their Bar-b-cue, conversation and helped us cast off the next morning. The passage from the outlet of the Detroit River to the City of Detroit was about 30 miles against a 2 knot current. Since out boat speed is usually 6 knots, it was a long day getting there. We really appreciated the fine facility and welcome on Friday the 15th. The slip we stayed in had a 3 knot current and everyone was helpful getting us in and out. We are getting much better at docking as we've had so many different combinations of wind, currents, bridges and depths to consider at each stop. Sunday the 16th we left at 8 am as we had another long day ahead. The St Clair Lake was choppy with a 2 knot current against us as well as the St Clair River that followed. A 60 nautical mile day (10 hour day) at the helm.
Lake Huron empties into the St Clair River to Lake St. Clair to the Detroit River to Lake Erie. It is a slog all the way north. It is also a very busy river with commercial traffic. The busiest we've seen on our trip. Sunday there were three huge commercial vessels coming up fast behind us at once on the river. It is interesting for both of us to see how America works. We're now planning our passage through Lake Huron.
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Today Aug. 16, we put away our Erie charts and look at Lake Huron. On Fri. Aug 15th we traveled from Put in Bay on South Bass Island, Ohio to Detroit,Michigan. It was a threatening day but very little rain. We were hit by a bug infestation above decks (luckily not down below). The current against us on the Detroit River was 1 1/2 knots so it was a 10 hour day. The river had less activity because of the massive power outage. We went along River Rouge (the Ford facility) which joins the Detroit river. Our day ended at the Detroit Yacht Club and the power had just come on an hour before we arrived. We've been enjoying the hospitality of the Michigan folks today. |
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