Whitefish Point to Grand Marais

Sunday, June 30, 2013

We left the dock at Whitefish Point at 7:15 am. Throughout the night, we listened as the wind slowly settled down and the waves breaking off Whitefish Point eased. We didn't know what to expect as we left the harbor of refuge and made our way out into the big lake. It was calmer than expected so we tried to sail. The winds were too light which left us crawling at 3-4 knots. We need to move at 6-7 knots to make the 50 miles we planned to cover so we chose to motor sail under just the mainsail. The shoreline is very pretty.

Whitefish Point Lighthouse view as we head North

We rounded Crisp Point Lighthouse two hours after passing the Whitefish Point Light. Without enough wind, we continued to tack in and out from the shoreline, looking for a calmer ride under sail and engine power. It's a beautiful morning with a sky filled with sunshine. Even though a good amount of spray is giving us a chill in the cockpit, we hope to be able to shed a layer or two. 

Crisp Point Light

We arrived at the Grand Marais breakwater at 4:00 and approached the long narrow entrance channel. It took a while to see the dock in the far corner of the harbor. We noticed a lot of activity on land and boats rafted up everywhere. We had to maneuver carefully into a tiny spot at the fuel dock behind two fishing boats. Someone from shore helped us tie off. The smell of a fish fry overwhelmed us with hunger. We learned that we had arrived at the local annual fishing tournament with a Grand Prize of $4,000.  

Dave called the Harbor Master to help provision us. Josh arrived very quickly, on a bike. We began fueling Mystic. It's tricky due to the curve of the fill tube and speed of the diesel pump. The tank burps and spits the smelly pink diesel out onto the gunnel. Mystic can hold 48 gallons but took only 16. We pumped out the head then flushed it with clean water. 

Josh was very helpful. It was his first week working this summer job. As we chatted, Josh told us about going to Ireland with his Grandmother. She offered him an inheritance when she dids or a shared trip while she is alive. This smart young man chose the experience with Grandma.  Dave offered him a beer and we sat and chatted about our mutual adventures in Ireland.



Grand Marais, MI

The fish fry was wrapping up so we walked into town for ice and had dinner at the Lake Superior Brewing Company. The WIFI was not very consistent but we were able to check mail and post our progress. We were pretty tired after our 8 hour run. We have two more long days ahead of us if we want to make it to the Keweenaw by July 3rd.


Sign on the Wall - Lake Superior Brewing Co, Grand Marais

Before retiring for the night, we went for a walk along the beach facing the Au Sable dunes. Apparently, the dunes are prone to sand slides. We took photos then walked back to the boat to rest. When we are at the dock we have shore power so I made sure both computers were charging and I downloaded all of our photos.  I'm still having problems with the camera CF cards and the card reader. It's bad timing for camera issues!



Shore view of Au Sable Sand Dunes, Grand Marais, MI

Good Morning Grand Marais, MI

Boat anchored at Grand Marais Harbor

Musings:

• Diesel $4.93/gallon at the marina, $4.30 at the gas station
  
• Facilities - poor, include a port-a-potty and pay showers at the nearby campground.  We did NOT shower!
• 348.6 Engine Hours
• Had to wear jeans on our walk tonight. It's too cold for late JUNE!!!  
• Grand Marais has a great anchorage