We left Leland around 9am. We were in a group of boats all leaving and heading south. We detoured a bit, and went to South Manitou Island and also passed Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park on the way to Frankfort.
At South Manitou Island, we approached from the north east side, and followed the coast down. We were looking for a ship wreck, that is partially out of the water. We figured we would be able to spot it when we got close. The wreck we were looking for was the Francisco Morazan, which sank in 1960. This is one of many, many wrecks that dot the islands. There are over fifty (not a typo-50!) known wrecks around the north and south island! So we thought we’d get a closer look…
As for the Francisco Morazan- it is actually a somewhat intact vessel that does sit out of the water, and you can swim around it, very carefully. More interesting was the ending of the story of this ship: “The owner of the Francisco Morazan could never be found. So over the intervening years, islanders helped themselves to what cargo was left. Balsa wood model aircraft kits made by Monogram of Chicago were reportedly popular with local boys; one of whom drown in 1967 while exploring the wreck. On the grounds that the rotting cargo proved a health hazard and the over 6,000 pounds of fuel still onboard constituted an environmental risk, a lawsuit to have the wreck removed was filed in 1968 by Michigan’s then attorney general. But the very next day, the ship mysteriously caught fire. With cargo and fuel totally destroyed, the Francisco Morazan became the property of the State of Michigan.”
Once we spotted the sunken ship, we got about 30 feet from it and dropped anchor. Lauren and I hung out and swam around for a bit, before continuing on toward Frankfort. A few other boats came by, but no one else stopped to swim like we did. I tried to get Frank to jump in the water, but he wasn’t down for that. Instead, while I was swimming, he decided to jump into the dinghy by himself! My how he has come along, from being afraid to step foot on it, to now jumping in on his own will. He has learned this is the vehicle to land, and when he wants to go, he gets in. For this reason we have to monitor him at all times, or we tie him up so he can’t reach the sides of the boat, in case he decides to try without his life jacket on!
We pulled anchor and headed toward Frankfort, but not before deviating a little closer to shore to view the Sleeping Bear Dunes. In 2011, the area won the title of “The Most Beautiful Place in America” from Good Morning America. From the water, it is quite impressive to see these massive dunes, some over 400′ tall, that go on and on. People ride buggies on them, slide down them, hike them, etc… There are all kind of activities available to fill your time. We did not stop here though, as we wanted to get to Frankfort at a reasonable time so we could find a place to anchor and hunker down as we knew some bad weather was approaching.
We arrived in Frankfort around 3:30pm, and went to the far side of the bay to anchor. We passed a couple of marinas, a mooring field, and a very active boat launch ramp. There were several other ‘Loopers’ docked, and a couple of boats anchored. We wanted to stay out of the way, and not be too close to the moored boats, to be safe.
I have mentioned the weather- when we arrived, the wind had picked up a little bit, but the clouds were darkening, threatening rain. Once the anchor was secured, We took Frank for the dinghy ride to shore. We walked him around a bit, and noticed there was a grocery store almost directly across from the boat launch ramp. In the other direction was the downtown area, with shops and restaurants on both sides. We continued on to the beach area we had passed coming into town. The beach was beautiful and large. Lots of sandy area to explore, and we took Frank to the end where the dogs were allowed. He enjoyed his time running up and down, jumping in the water, but only to his knees, then jumping out! He like the water, but doesn’t want to actually be in the water. Weirdo.
We walked back to the marina, and was going to stop for a bite to eat, but didn’t have many options with a dog. Most patios were closed due to cold and rain, so we decided to just make dinner on the boat. Lauren prepared a nice meal, and we did hunker down because the rain had started and the winds were definitely picking up. I kept watching the shore and another boat to make sure we were not dragging our anchor. Once secure we weren’t moving, we called it a night and went to bed.
The weather doesn’t look too good for the next day or two, so the plan is to check the forecast in the morning and decide then. Stay tuned…