Lexington Michigan

We went under the lift bridge on Pine River and headed out into the beautiful St. Clair River late morning. Beautiful homes lined the shore. We cruised to Port Huron where many Loopers make a stop, but our goal was Lexington, another 30 miles up the lake. Our first challenge, one of our greatest challenges on the Loop, was to get under the Big Blue Water Bridge that leads out to Lake Huron. As we approached, the channel took us across the river to Sarnia, on the Canada side. It was a beautiful day and very busy for a Tuesday. Power boats and jet skis zipped around us. We were in the narrowest part of the river where the water from Lake Huron is funneled directly under the bridge at a incredible speed. This is the same water flow that continues on to Niagara Falls. As we approached the bridge, the current increased to about 6 mph causing Mystic to slow to one. Things got very intense as we tried to decipher whether we were even moving forward. Steering became difficult in the swirling current and slow speed. Bob and Sue were following us and told us later that they thought our engine had died. They stayed close by to offer assistance until we finally made it out into Lake Huron with a big sigh of relief. 

The St. Clair Lift Bridge

St. Clair Harbor

Riverfront Homes

Huge Riverfront Estate

Great Lakes Maritime Center - Port Huron

Port Huron

Big Blue Water Bridge

Two countries remembering Afghanistan

Gratiot Lighthouse

Gratiot Lighthouse Beach

Gratiot Light

A huge ship was in front of us in the channel. We aimed our course to follow it. The wind was light but we put our foresail out which boosted our speed to 8 mph. In the middle of the lake we saw a Coast Guard Cutter conducting "victim" recovery training exercises. A helicopter approached the target boat and dropped a rescue diver in the water then lifted the victim out. They practiced both basket and harness rescues. It was fascinating to watch!

Flying the AGLCA burgee

Lake Huron is a gorgeous body of water, incredibly blue and clear. We are aware that it can be unforgiving, just like Lake Erie, but today we are having some of the best weather of the trip. Seagulls  entertained us by flying out to the center of the lake and floating on the waves. Most get swamped but it doesn't seem to phase them. They gather in groups, like a tea party on the water. This makes us laugh every time we see them, which is often!

Plowing across Lake Huron

We arrived at Lexington around 4:00. Our slip was in the back corner of the marina. The marina was full of heavy weeds which messed with our depth sounder. We moved slowly and had no trouble beyond anxiety. We'd been told that we'd have a starboard tie but found our slip to be a port tie when we arrived. Instead of docking bow in, we pulled into the slip across from us and backed into ours, keeping the dock to starboard where our lifeline has a gate opening for boarding. We prefer docking on the starboard side so it is easy to come and go from the boat. After getting settled, we walked into town for groceries and found there was not much open except a Dollar General with limited options. On our way back we stumbled upon Jeffrey's Market with much better choices including fresh corn on the cob. 

Mystic at Lexington Marina

We visited Bob and Sue on Osimo. They were docked on a different pier next to a sailboat from Florida. When we arrived, they were talking to the crew. They wanted to know the conditions we'd found on the Erie Canal because they have a deep keel and the Erie Canal is shallow. We went over depths, currents, tides, etc. and gave them our boat card so they could contact us along their journey. 

The captain, Eric, looked like Richard Geer. First mate, Ron, looked like a professor. They told us they were college roommates 40 years ago. Ron brought his guitar and warned us that he would be singing at sunset. We ran into Ron that evening and asked if he'd played yet. He hadn't, but a little later we heard a knock on our hull. He'd brought his guitar to Mystic to play a private concert for us. We sat in our cockpit and listened. He was very funny, and a great performer. He shared a couple of songs that he wrote then asked us what music we liked to listen to. We said classic rock so he played Your Song by Elton John. We smiled and mentioned that this was our wedding song. He said, "There are no coincidences!" 

Lexington was a bit of a disappointment because we'd been told it was a great stop with lots to see and do. We are learning that these small Michigan towns are quiet during the week with shops and venues closed. They only open up for the tourists on the weekend. In spite of how quiet it was, we enjoyed exploring the town on foot. The harbor was lovely; quiet, clean and safe. The Michigan harbors of refuge are well run, well maintained and inexpensive. 

Meeting the Florida guys was the highlight of our stop in Lexington. It's what America's Great Loop is all about. Everyone has a story!

Our Song...

And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind
that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
Elton John