JACKIE B III Going Loopy

Leaving Mackinac Island was calm but foggy and spooky. This is the Mackinac Bridge off our port(left) and starbord(right) bow. We could see this big guy on our radar long before he emerged from the fog.  We were going about 8 knots and he was bearing down on our exact same heading at 15 knots.  Obviously, we changed our course. We made our way all the way to Charlevoix in one day.  At this point we were making haste to get to Holland to help my mom with my Dad’s “party” of remembrance. We were lucky that the municipal marina right in town had a cancellation.  They called us while we were waiting for the draw bridge to the harbor to open. This is a very nice marina with a splash pad for the children and a fish pond with fish food dispensers. We of course went paddle boarding.  We also went shopping and I got a new dress so Mike took me out to dinner. We were even treated to a concert in the park next to the marina. The next day we set our course for Frankfort, Mi.  We enjoyed seeing all

This is the beautiful suspension bridge over the straits of Mackinac, between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.  The bridge connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. This is the beautiful Grand Hotel featured in the movie, “Somewhere in Time,” starring Christopher Reeves. The island also has an historic fort built during the Revolutionary War by the British.  It was surrendered after the war but captured during the first land battle of the war of 1812. There is so much beautiful architecture here spanning three centuries including French Rustic, Military, Colonial, Victorian, Carpenter Gothic, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival among others. This is where we stayed for two nights.  What a great place to be weathered in.  Also with a little rain, the island was less crowded our second day. Ferries and ships of all sizes make frequent stops here. We were glad to be at the farms side of the harbor. By far the most interesting thing about Mackinac Island is the fact

We left the white cliffs of the Killarney Mountains and headed backs through Little Current to the smooth pink granite of the Benjamin Islands.  We tied up to the shore on Crocker Island, One of the islands that make up the Benjamin Islands because of forecasted winds and the crowded anchorages on the other islands. Plus we had our trusted dinghy and we went exploring. The waters were pristine.  Mike had to go snorkeling. I am a big chicken in cold water. But I did go wading. It felt great on my knees. Everywhere we looked the views were breathtaking. If you look closely you can see many boats anchored in the distance. We really enjoyed this place and wish we had had more time to explore.  We will probably come back next summer. This is the view from our anchorage before we went to bed. The weather is dictating our trip from here on out. Gore Bay is on Manitoulin Island and provided a very safe place to be during the forecasted storms. They even had a water park, but they were closed t