Marquette Michigan

September 12 - 13, 2106

We woke up on Sunday, ready to head to Big Bay, and realized that we’d changed time zones back in Ontonagon. Time had not been making sense to us! So there you go. Our body's time clock was working, we just were not paying attention.

We raised our foresail once we passed the Lower Keewanaw Portage Light. We sailed for 4 1/2 hours in 10-15 mph light wind. Only saw 1-3 foot waves today. It was a beautiful day, we certainly have earned this one. We tied up at Big Bay dock around 6:15 pm. Big Bay is quiet. There is a campground and the area is heavily wooded. The smell of pine fills the air. Dave called the Dock Master to say we were at the dock but he never showed up so we got our third free dockage of the trip so far. Another lovely day today for our trip to Marquette is a bonus.

Lower Keewanaw Entry Light

Mystic Heading East

Huron Islands Light

Huron Islands Light

Big Bay Light

We motor-sailed as long as we could, but eventually had to furl and continue on, motoring in a heavy bounce. I got sick after having 2 cups of tea. It came on quick and hit me hard but once I got that tea out I was fine the rest of the day. While watching for fish nets, we noticed something offshore that looked like a cargo ship. After some time, it began to look like a warship. Dave noticed that it didn’t seem to be moving and we realized it was Granite Island. giggling about that perception! Another sailboat entered Marquette breakwater just before us, coming from the east. They made it to the Cinder Pond Marina first. We came into the breakwater under heavy tail wind. This was going to be a rough docking. I jumped on the fuel dock and tried to tie off the bow line. The wind was so strong that it spun Mystic 180 degrees sliding her into the dock in the opposite direction, pointing outward. It was almost like we’d done it on purpose but it was unnerving for us for sure! We spent the night on the fuel dock; too rough for us to move.

Granite Island Light

Superior Dome, Northern MI University view from the water

Marquette Light view from the water

We met Roger & Lynne from Seattle aboard a Barvaria 38, center cockpit ketch named Schatzi. It is a pretty boat! They have a darling fur friend aboard named Salty (dog). He was delightful and made me think of our Jess and the kitties who I miss as much as I miss the kids.

Roger, Lynne and Salty

Shatzi leaving Marquette

We had a great time in Marquette, staying for two nights! We had dinner at the Vierling, a microbrewery, road our bikes out to Presque Isle and went for a run along the waterway trail. The bikes work perfect for what we need; they are comfortable and easy to ride. We walked up 3rd Street, the main drag in Marquette, looking for the grocery store and found Blackrocks Brewery, a neat little place that appears to be a local favorite. I took photos of the ski fence out in the back parking lot and the beer stein room upstairs. Turns out, one of them belongs to our friend Nicki Kumerow. She went to College in Marquette. We see why she chose this cute little town. Everyone is so friendly. Every single person we passed on the street greeted us with “hello” or “Good morning”!

Maritime Museum

Lake Superior Yacht Yard

Mystic at Cindor Pond Marina

Cairns

100 year old Ore docks

Quiet moment

Presque Isle Cliffs

Dave at Presque Isle

Beth at Presque Isle on a Windy Day

Sunrise at Marquette

The Coaster II under full sail

Blackrocks Brewery Stein Room

Blackrocks Brewery Ski Fence

We’d been having trouble with our water pressure. The pump kept shutting down. I happened to be walking through the head and heard a hissing noise coming from the head sink. I mentioned it to Dave. When he looked at it he could see that one of the fittings was bad. We had a leak. It was easy to fix and lucky that I stored the toilet paper in plastic bags. Everything survived.