Visit to the Great Lakes




Since I was in Detroit doing some Bengali language videos for www.biblepop.com, I figured I'd do some scouting for possible future boating locations. I reserved a motel in Saginaw, Michigan, an hour-and-a-half drive north of Detroit.

First location -- Bay City, a medium-sized town on Saginaw Bay which opens to Lake Huron. There were several nice marinas, but I didn't like the Saginaw River which was kind of narrow and industrialized. I had my first look at Lake Huron. The water was clear and flat calm. My first impression was Lake Huron is HUGH! Three Chesapeake Bays would easily fit in Lake Huron.

Next I drove north to Mackinaw City and boarded a ferry to Mackinac Island. It was a 45-minute ferry ride each way. The lake was kicking up a 3 - 4 foot chop with a 20-knot breeze.

Finally, I circled to the west along Michigan's western shore and the Lake Michigan coast. This is a very popular cruising area. Petoskey and Charlevoix are upscale coastal towns and have beautiful marinas. Lake Michigan was royal blue, with bright white cresting waves whipped up by the fresh breeze and miles of open fetch.

My take-away from this trip is that these lakes are more like inland seas and are not to be taken lightly. Michigan has developed "harbor of refuge" marinas all around the perimeter of the State to offer the boater a place to duck off the lakes when the weather turns nasty as it often does with violent storm fronts and fog. I was surprised by the beauty and vibrant boating community. I could see bringing "Blue Heron" up here for a summer season.


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