We departed Grosse Pointe a bit later than usual (9am- sleeping in!) because we knew we were only going a short distance. The trip to the next marina was only about 10-12 miles, so it would only take us a couple of hours.
We pulled out of the slip without any issues considering how tight the marina was situated. Before leaving I stopped by Bill’s boat in the morning with a bottle of wine to thank him for the hospitality. We would have been screwed if he hadn’t come along!
The trip up the Lake was uneventful, although I was still working against the current of the lake. Moving Northward will continue to be a slow move until we get to Lake Huron.
Our destination was St. Clair Shores; home of the “Nautical Mile”, where there is everything to do with boats, plus some.
We made our destination and had pre-arranged a reservation for a slip. This is the first dock we’ve had to pay for. We prefer to anchor out, not only because it’s free, but also the tranquility and ambiance of a non crowded anchorage is hard to beat. Plus we don’t have to worry about the dog and cats jumping off, running free, away from the boat! At least at anchor I know they won’t jump…at least not yet!
We reached our destination around 11:15am and contacted the harbor master. She directed us to check in at the gas dock. We checked in and were directed to a slip down and around the fairway. No issues finding it and tying up.
Since we have the bikes, we’ve used them a few times, especially (only, so far- I will have to figure out how to dinghy them in) when at a dock. It is easy enough to lift them up and down so we can get a ride around town and explore. Today was a hot one! mid 80’s and sunny. Remember we don’t have A/C unless running the generator or plugged in to shore power. Since we were at a dock, I did plug in and turn on the A/C for the animals while we were out exploring. Of course we found a local brewery (Baffin) which we had a flight sampler and a pint, while enjoying the their air conditioning! We continued to a grocery store and stocked some items for dinner and lunch.
We returned to the boat about 20 minutes before a rain shower hit, and were securely inside watching TV while it rained (nice to have power). We ended up going to a local restaurant (Brownies!) for some drinks and appetizers. Apparently restaurants in Michigan like to be closed Monday-Wednesday. There have been several places we’ve looked into going, but they are all closed these days.
We finished the night walking Frank and retiring to the bed, getting ready to travel a little further North tomorrow to St. Clair.