Heading To Marinette - 1st Stop Beaver Island

After crossing our Great Loop wake in St Ignace we spent a couple days resting before heading out on Lake Michigan again. We had to be in Marinette Wisconsin by August 29th to meet our daughter. She would give us a ride to the airport in Milwaukee so we could return to Connecticut for a wedding and to pick up our truck.

As usual, we were awake early.  We took a walk to the local quick stop store hoping to grab sweet rolls but came back empty handed. Instead, we savored the gorgeous sunrise over the marina, filling ourselves with a sense of calm.

Moon over St. Ignace

Morning Calm

Early morning gathering

Morning Reflections

View of the Bay

Sunrise over Wawatam Light

Mystic at St. Ignace

Our exit out of the marina basin coincided with the sun peeking up over the horizon. As we approached the massive Mackinac Bridge, a huge red freighter came at us from the opposite direction and passed under the bridge right off our bow. The rising sun lit our view, creating blinding reflections off ships and lighthouses ahead. We could see them for miles.

Bridge Visitor's Center - we rode our bikes there

Just another huge freighter

St. Helena Island Light had a huge crane working alongside it that caught our eye. There were not many landmarks for us to aim for once the Mackinac Bridge disappeared behind us. We kept a close eye on our charts until we had White Shoal light and then Grey's Reef Light in our sights. They are each 20 miles from shore in all directions; massive beacons leading us to Beaver Island.

St. Helena Island Lighthouse

White Shoal Light

Freighter passing WhIte Shoal Light in front of us

Grey's Reef Lighthouse

We worked our way over to Beaver Island and joined another sailboat also heading into the bay. Since our last visit, a new pier was added on the north side of the harbor. We were directed to the inside pier of the original docks while the other sailboat headed to the new pier. While we were getting settled, two more Looper boats arrived. We helped with their lines.

This is our third visit to Beaver Island. The first time was when we delivered Mystic from Escanaba to Knife River in 2013. Our last visit was in 2016 on our outbound leg of America's Great Loop. We walked up to the Shamrock Pub, where we'd stopped five years ago and sat in the same seats at the bar. We met a lovely couple, Bill and Linda Berry. Bill spent his summers on Beaver Island as a child. They bought a cabin and stay there as much time as possible; it is a remote getaway from life near the big city, Ann Arbor. We traded our boat card for their business card and promised to call the next time we pass through. 

Many Hands, One Light Sculpture - Beaver Island

Captains House - Beaver Island

Microbrewery Closed - DARN!

There was a whole lot of excitement at the marina when we returned. The power had gone out and everyone was on the docks complaining about the inconvenience. Apparently this happens often at Beaver Island. Someone called the Dock Master. The problem was fixed within 15 minutes and folks returned to their air conditioned cabins. Mystic is au natural; we use a wind scoop to move air, so the outage didn't really bother us at all.

Mystic at Beaver Island

We spent a quiet night planning our next steps. Dave contacted Nestegg Marine in Marinette Wisconsin to let them know we'd be arriving within a few days. The weather forecast was mixed with possibilities of rough conditions. We had to keep moving whenever we could. Our next leg would take us from Beaver Island to Rock Island. It would be another long day for us but we would get to Marinette early and be able to rest and expore unrushed.