This trip was supposed to be about 20 miles. We did an extra 15 miles, looking for an anchorage. It wasn’t a bad trip, and the extra miles were in a very nice setting. We even came across a ‘ferry’ that was bringing cars across a river, but the ferry was being pulled by cables underwater. We had to stay well away as it was moving across.
Lake Charlevoix is off of Lake Michigan. You have to go into a small river (Pine River) to Round Lake, and through that is Lake Charlevoix. Lake Charlevoix is quite large, and has a lot of water activities around it. Boats, jet skis, paddle board, kayaks, beaches, etc… Also around it are rather large homes, rentals, condos, and small hotels.
Round Lake is much smaller, but it is much closer to the downtown shops of Charlevoix. Our initial trip in, we went through both lakes to an ‘arm’ that splits off Charlevoix to an ares where anchorages were shown on the chart. We soon realized that there is going to be no public space in this area to land a dinghy and a dog, so we turned around and went back to Round Lake. That is where all of the boat/marina action was going on.
We found a spot to anchor in a very crowded harbor. We had timed the arrival perfect, as there is a draw bridge from Pine River to Round Lake and it only opens on the 1/2 hour. On our initial pass through we didn’t like the look of anchoring here due to the congestion. On our return, we scoped out a spot on the far end of the marina and gas dock. There were two boats between us and them. This put us in front of a condo complex and its docks however, and we had to stay close to them, to keep out of the middle of the harbor. We did our anchoring routine and other than being somewhat close to them, we were happy with the location. We watched another large sailboat come in after us, circle the area and select a spot on the other side. They were also flying an AGLCA flag. *Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association*
Since we were close to the downtown strip, We loaded into the dinghy with Frank and headed toward shore. In the mean time, I noticed a guy from another boat headed toward the new sailboat in his dinghy. I circled toward them to get some information. Turns out the guy gave us the code to the restrooms, told us where to dinghy dock, and gave us a general run down of the area. We thanked him and headed in.
Since we had Frank, we walked the strip, checking out the shops and boutiques that lined the street, facing the lake. There were coffee shops, cafes, bars and other shops. The other side of the street was a park that went from street level down to the water; it was set up with a pavilion on one side, and large open areas on the other. We heard a high school band preforming Mozart-like classical music and it was an amazing setting. We continued walking around the downtown area and decided on getting a fish fry and sandwich to-go. I went in and ordered, and Lauren waited outside with Frank. We switched after a bit, and then we returned to the boat to commence eating. At this point the winds had switched and our back end of the boat was facing the pavilion. What a nice dinner, listening to the ‘orchestra’ and enjoying an evening together.
The next morning after taking Frank to shore, we loaded up the bikes and went to shore. It was another two trip process. Lauren had researched and found out about these ‘mushroom houses’ that were built around the area. The architect Early Young was self taught and built them from 1919 to the 1970’s. We biked around a bit more, then figured it was time for lunch. Off of the main street there is an alley with some shops, restaurants and food trucks. We had some salads from a salad specialty shop because neither of us have been eating a lot of veggies so far, but we try! After lunch we biked around a bit, then stopped at a brewery on the water. We noticed another boat had anchored near us while we were gone, but couldn’t see the name of the vessel. While we were drinking our beers, I was searching online for a part I need for the boat. I stepped out to make some phone calls, and realized I needed some more specific information. This meant I had to go to the boat and look. I explained to Lauren the situation, and off I went to the dinghy.
When I got back to the boat, I realized the boat that anchored near us, was very close to us! This is a tight spot! I was OK with it, as etiquette is first one there stays, and if I don’t like it, I should leave. You cannot tell someone else where to anchor or not to. As I was about to get out of my dinghy, I noticed someone headed in my direction. I waited for him, and recognized him from another anchorage or dock. They are also ‘Looper’s’ on their boat “Sehla Way”. David and I chatted a few moments, then I went on board to find the information I needed. Once I had that,, I returned to land to meet back up with Lauren. I called and no answer…ok, I’ll just ride around town a bit and look fro her. I went all around and couldn’t find her. My phone battery was at 1%, so I figured I would stop and wait. I went into a shop: Cherry Republic. Everything is made from cherries. They have a tasting sample of liquors and wines, five tastes for free, or sixteen tastes for $6. Which did I choose? My $6 spent, I started the tasting. After my fourth taste, Lauren sent me a text. I replied where I was, and she joined me to help me with the samples. She had stopped in while I was on the boat and sampled all of the free food samples they have out, too. Now that we were back together, we rode around town a bit more before heading back to the boat.
Back at the boat, we noticed we weren’t as close to the other boat as before- we were dragging our anchor, again! This put us into a small tizzy. The winds had started picking up a bit, but everyone else seemed to be ok. This means we have to draw anchor and find another spot or re-try in about the same place. The thing about Round Lake, is it is also deep. More shallow around the edges, but still in 35-40 feet of water. We decided to cross the channel and try the other side. We picked our spot and dropped anchor in about 35 feet of water. After scope was let out, we drifted a bit until our bow was into the wind. We felt good about it, but winds were definitely increasing, and supposed to calm around midnight or so.
After Dinner, we decided our next stop is going to depend on the weather. Wind was forecast out of the north, but at a bit higher speed than we like. Our plan is to leave early and take advantage of the morning calm. Traverse City is about 40 miles, with Northport being an alternative about 20 miles, both to the south. Forecasts lately have been not so good with increasing winds daily…