Harrisville, Michigan

We pulled away from the docks at Harbor Beach at 7:15 after exchanging emotional farewells with Bob and Sue. We slowly made our way out of the shallow marina and into the deeper cruising water of Lake Huron looking back to watch Osimo follow, as we always do.

Harbor Beach sunrise

Osimo and Mystic at Harbor Beach

It took Osimo a long time to leave the dock and slip in behind us. Blue Barnacle followed next but quickly moved past. Osimo slowly caught up and followed for the first hour, then began aiming their course to the west toward Saginaw Bay as we continued north. It took four hours to lose site of our two companion boats. It was bittersweet watching Bob and Sue slip away. We've shared so much of this journey with them!

Blue Barnacle passing Osimo

Blue Barnacle on Lake Huron

Our 30 mile crossing of the open waters of Saginaw Bay was easy. It was very calm with hazy skies. We tried to sail but there was either no wind or head wind. We made it to Harrisville by 5:00, after a long 66 mile day on the lake. Dean and Janice, aboard Blue Barnacle, were already at the dock when we arrived. They stopped by and asked if we'd like to meet at the Captains Lounge for Dock Tales. We put together some finger foods, grabbed a bottle of wine, and headed their way. It was a gorgeous evening so we sat outside. The marina waters were very calm which created beautiful, serene reflections.

Hazy Lake Huron

The evening passed quickly as we shared stories with Dean and Janice. Blue Barnacle is flying the gold burgee indicating that they have crossed their wake once and are on their second trip around the Loop. They are "All In" which means they sold everything that tied them to land and made their Great Harbour trawler their only home. It's a huge boat that sits some 15 feet off the water. The interior is much like a small home with amenities like full size appliances. It is a popular live-aboard vessel although it is the only Great Harbour we've crossed paths with on this journey.

We were back aboard Mystic, ready to retire early, feeling a bit lost without our daily routine. Usually, we would connect with Bob and Sue for the next day's travel plans. Using Nebo we could see that they had made it to Tawas safely. We focused our thoughts on our plans to cross our wake. With only about 130 miles to go, we discussed timing. We could take the next three days to get to St. Ignace or we could finish in two long days of travel. We decided to take it one day at a time. Our next stop is Presque Isle (pronounced eelie). This is another popular Looper stop. We know that there are other Looper boats nearby including John and Kathy on Free Spirit, and Jim and Paige on LegaSea. We were hoping to run into them there.

In the morning we took a walk into the small town of Harrisville, finding modest but well kept homes and a handful of shops. After taking a quick shower, we prepared for our departure. Harrisville was a great Harbor of Refuge. There wasn't much there to explore but it was a wonderful spot for a respite.