Great Loop Overall Statistics to date:
Statute Miles: 2631.1
Average Miles/Day: 48.7
Total Hours Underway: 359.7
Average speed (mph): 7.4
States Transited: 12
Total Days: 127
Travel Days: 54
Locks: 43
Fuel Purchased: 680.5
Miles / Gallon: 3.5
Nights at Extra Days
Marinas: 30 66
Anchor: 14 3
City dock: 3 0
Free Wall: 8 4
Mooring: 0 0
Day 52 - Leaving Cleveland: 7:00AM - Erie has very light chop. Winds W at 5-10. Once we got to the point at Avon, both the wind and waves picked up with short 2-3 footers - still straight on the bow - but were tolerable. I predicted that on the other side of the point the waves would be much less since there would be no swell wrapping around. After getting a few miles past the point the waves were down to 1-2 feet and much more comfortable. The wind had also dropped to just under 10 miles an hour from 15+ . So for a 30 mile fetch of lake Erie in 40 foot deep water, going forward, it seems our "nice" comfort level for heading straight into it would be about 10 mph winds and the accompanying waves/chop. Engine room checks every two hours are showing everything running smoothly. Learning a lot about how winds and waves wrap around points along the shore.
Day 53 Leaving Kelley's Island
Light S wind. Lake "lumpy" from 2 days’ worth of high(er) winds. Islands blocking southerly swell initially. Course after clearing islands put swell on aft quarter. Autopilot working hard with stern fishtailing around. Started feeling Detroit River outgoing current all the way at about 2 miles out from the entrance of the river.
Day 54 Leaving Gibraltar
Left in the rain. Stray shower that cleared by 7:30 a.m. Due to a closed bridge (normally opening) on the westside of Grosse Ile we needed to go south around the island and then back up to meet up with the Detroit River. Took "Sugar Island Cut" over to the Detroit River main channel - nice to have a 3ft draft! Then took "hole-in-the-wall" channel north to the main river. Hole-in-the-wall channel had 3 to 3-1/2 knots of current running down it. Our boat speed was down to 4.1 at what would be almost 7-1/2 knots normally in this section. Once out of the channel, speed picked back up to 5.7 out on the main river (still 1.5 knots of foul current)
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Great Loop Travel Days (GLTD):
052: Kelleys Island OH from Cleveland OH
053: Gibraltar MI from Kelleys Island OH
054: St. Clair Shores MI from Gibraltar MI
Map of our Overall Great Loop travel:
GLTD052 Kelleys Island OH (from Cleveland OH): We planned to leave Cleveland at 6:30 for the Lake Erie crossing to Kelleys Island, but the pedestrian bridge across the harbor – that had been open all weekend -- had been lowered by construction workers while we were readying for departure. (I had just seen another trawler leave the harbor 10 minutes earlier. Maybe they knew something we didn’t about weekday bridge schedules. 😕
There was no answer when we hailed the bridge on VHF, so Ray took the long walk around the harbor to speak to them. The crew said they would raise the bridge when they saw us there waiting.
Just 30 minutes later than expected, we departed Cleveland. Waves were small – about 1 foot – as the Cleveland skyline disappeared.
We spent the first few hours doing chores – banking and route planning.
Sea conditions: For about an hour -- between 9:00 – 10:00 am, winds increased to 10-15 on the nose (bow), and waves were 2 – 3 feet; we were taking some of the waves over the bow.
Sea conditions: As soon as we passed the “point” just west of Cleveland, the waves flattened a little and winds died to 10 mph.
Note: The black line through the middle of the waters in this photo is the US-Canada border.
This photo could fool someone into thinking we were “blue water cruising”. 😊
By early afternoon we could see Kelley’s Island – the largest American island in Lake Erie. (Pelee Island is significantly larger, but it is in Canadian waters.) Ref: http://touringohio.com/northwest/erie/sandusky/kelleys-island.html
We docked at Seaway Marina, Kelleys Island. Two friendly dockhands greeted us to catch our lines. We would have “beachfront” property for the next few days.
Not to Miss: Food: We settled SCOUT in and took a 1-mile scooter ride to KI Cantina. Margaritas and Mexican fare on the patios right beside a working farm -- very relaxing!
We enjoyed a nice sunset on the “pebble beach”, just 75 yards from the boat.
After being on the island one afternoon/evening, and seeing how peaceful and low-key it is, we decided to extend our stay several days. (Predicted higher winds coming through helped us make our decision). The dock staff accommodated, even though they were expecting a large influx of boats for the weekend.
🚫 Covid "crisis": One of the technological changes brought about by Covid is the apparent need for touchless bank cards.
This necessity has been a nuisance for us, as full-time cruisers. Updated physical cards must be delivered to us -- a moving target – and activated before the bank-determined deadline when the current card will be inactivated! There is no option to opt-out.
We’ve already coordinated 1 or 2 sets of new cards. Now we have another.
🟠 Life Afloat Tip: We considered getting our time-sensitive mail delivered to us in Kelleys Island, since we will be in port several days, but Island life – like cruising – has it's challenges. Dock staff advised us that mail takes about 2 days longer due to ferry delivery to the island. So, we will wait until we are in a mainland port for several days.
📞 Future stay marina planning: I reserved slips at our next 2 stops.
🟠 Life Afloat Tip: On our last day in Kelley’s Island, we scheduled mail delivery -- ahead of time -- to travel UPS while we travel and hopefully arrive at the same time during a multi-day stay at our 2nd-to-next stop, Port Huron MI.
Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve: We then walked (for exercise) over 4 miles, round-trip, to Kelley’s Island State Park to see the “Glacial Grooves”.
Due to their large size and ease of accessibility, these are the most famous glacial grooves in the world. […] Beginning about 2.1 million years ago, long cycles of climate change from warm to cold allowed several massive glaciers to form and flow from Canada into Ohio. By about 14,000 years ago, the last ice sheet to cover northern Ohio was gone. These glacial grooves were carved in the limestone by advancing ice and meltwater.
As the glacier advanced over the land, forests were destroyed, rivers were forced to change course, soil eroded, and rocks were picked up and carried by the glacier. Some of the harder rocks that were embedded in the glacier scratched and ground away the softer limestone.
Ref: State Park signage.
In this photo, you see what looks like “carving” from swirling waters. For perspective on size, see the state worker on the bridge at the top right.
This view gives a perspective of the depth of the grooves.
History/Architecture: Along the walk to and from the park, we saw some interesting old buildings.
German Reformed Church, c.1866, was built by the church members with stone quarried from their own property.
By the early 1900’s, most of the church members were gone and the building was used only for meetings of the Ladies' Aid Society.
In 1986, the Kelley’s Island Historical Association gained ownership of the church.
Cemetery: Across from Kelley’s Island Cemetery, the sidewalk “dead-ended”.😉 Spooky.👀
When we got to the “end”, we saw the crosswalk where the sidewalk actually switched to the other side of the road…..Whew!
According to http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/erie/cemetery/kelleys.txt, one of the oldest graves may be for Angeline Porter Huntington, 1812-1837.
Ruins: These ruins were interesting. The building was massive, but we had no idea what it could have been.
When I got a chance to research, I learned these are the ruins of Kelley’s Island Wine Company, in the area of the island called Sweet Valley. This building, built from locally quarried stone, and was the second of the winery’s buildings to have been destroyed by fire -- in 1915.
Unbelievably, in 1933, a fire burned the winery again! After that fire, Kelley’s Island Wine Company ceased operations…until it was reestablished in 1982. Today, Kelley’s Island Wine Company is still operating – out “in the country” -- right next to KI Cantina, the Mexican eatery we scootered to our first day on the island.
Inscription Rock Petroglyphs: Believed to have been created between A.D. 1200 and 1600, these American Indian symbols carved in rock were discovered in the shoreline in 1833. The rock is now entirely exposed and protected by a roof and viewing platform.
Hitching Posts & Mounting Block: Closer to the marina, “downtown”, we noticed what looked like original hitching posts and a mounting block. It was like I found hidden treasure! If these were original hitching posts, it seems they were moved (to flank the sidewalk). Otherwise, Ray said, that was one really big horse! 😊
Kelley Mansion, c. 1867: The final stop on our history/architecture tour. Also built with locally quarried stone, this home was acquired by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, in 1933, to serve as a retirement home for nuns, and, later, as a summer camp for girls. I think the building to the right is a small chapel.
Put-in-Bay Excursion: We “jetted” over, on the Jet Express ferry, to spend the day on one of the popular Looper stops, Put-in-Bay (the island proper is called South Bass Island).
Put-in-Bay. That’s a strange name. “There are several tales to the creative name Put-in-Bay still holds to this day, the most common theory, is that of the sailors. The theory conveys that the unique name most likely originated from the sailors who would seek refuge on the bay, as it provides safe dockage. It is said when it was too rough to sail-they would “put in the bay”.
Often called the “Key West of the North,” Put-in-Bay features a lively entertainment scene, historic sites, and breathtaking water views.
Crystal Cave at Heineman’s Winery: Our first stop on the island was Crystal Cave. Discovered by workers in 1897 while digging a well for the winery […], Crystal Cave is the world's largest geode.
We walked down a long flight of narrow stairs into the actual geode cavity (cave)!
Some of the crystals in the cave (geode) are as long as 18 inches.
The walls of this cave are covered in strontium sulfate, a blueish mineral called celestite. Over the years, crystals have been harvested and sold for the production of fireworks. Celestine is the most abundant natural source of strontium, the element that gives fireworks their alluring pop of red color.
Celestine also supplied the material for the glass in cathode ray tubes, a main component of television screens before the rise of LED/LCD panels.
The “ceiling” was low.
It was close quarters for the 15 or so people on the tour with us.
Put-in-Bay Brewing has a warm interior with old brick walls. After noticing a theme to the “furnishings” -- like fire hoses and old fire extinguisher canisters supporting the bar shelves, I was convinced this was once a fire station, which the bartender confirmed. The brewery’s website has a photo of the old fire department.
Ray enjoyed the funny quotes decorating the walls. Below are a couple of examples.
Mojito Bay: We were lucky to get swings at the bar. That was fun! But a test of my coordination! 😉
Churches: These gorgeous churches are almost directly across from each other.
Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church, c.1929 (left), and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, c.1865 (right).
While waiting for the ferry to “jet” us back to Kelley’s Island, we saw 3 “Amphicars”. There happened to be a 3-day gathering of Amphicars, and we were there for the last day of the meet-up/rendezvous.
The Amphicar was built in Germany from 1961 to 1968. Amphicar is the only civilian amphibious passenger automobile ever to be mass produced.
Interesting Fact: The Amphicar has a top speed of 7 MPH on water and 70 MPH on land. Wow! These cars “swim” as fast as SCOUT. 😊
Here is a short video we took of three of the cars in action:
Chores: We were in port long enough to give SCOUT a good wash, clean out the dead midges, fill the water tanks, and do a few loads of laundry.
🌎 Small World: We talked to a couple who used to live in Eastern NC, SCOUT’s hailing port. They both once worked at one of our favorite riverfront restaurants, Backwater Jack’s. It’s a small world!
Not to Miss: Food: The Kelley’s Island House Restaurant is downtown, but away from the crowds near the mini golf. Built in 1876 by Henry Trischman, a German immigrant from Hesse, this large, Italianate-styled house stands as a tribute to its builder's success in his adopted country.
Ray and I shared a Bison burger (sans bun for me) and I gambled on the house cut fries (since I didn’t see fried breaded food on the menu); they were delicious (and tolerated)!
We enjoyed this obvious locals hangout so much, we ate there a second night. We highly recommend the Shrimp Piri Piri (if you like peanuts and a lot of garlic). 😊
Sunsets: Ray captured an amazing sunset photo!
GLTD053 Gibraltar MI (from Kelley’s Island OH): We dropped lines from Kelley’s Island early for the long Lake Erie crossing to Gibraltar MI – just inside the Detroit River.
The ride was rolly again, so I did not work on the blog.
There were few sights or distractions. I think we saw just one freighter on Lake Erie.
🔷 Boater Tip: Cell coverage can be sketchy on the Great Lakes. Depending on your route, you may be several miles “offshore”, where cell coverage is weak to non-existent.
As we left Kelley’s Island, cell coverage was weak, and, within a few hours, we had no coverage for about an hour or so. The red line on this map shows our approximate course – a “beeline” to Detroit River. At the approximate area where we lost cell coverage, the black distance line shows Lake Erie is ~35 miles wide, so we were probably ~15 miles offshore.
You may have noticed in the map above, that we cut the corner across the Canada border again – briefly.
A few miles before we got to the Detroit River entrance channel, we were already getting foul current from the Detroit River. After 5 hours of open water cruising, we finally entered Detroit River.
The border between US and Canada runs along the Detroit River.
By early afternoon, we were tied up to the wall of the travel lift bay at Gibralter Boat Yard.
🔺 Great Loop Milestone: We have now cruised 12 states along the Great Loop!
Uh oh! Why were we docked in front of a travel lift at a boat yard? 😮
No. We were not getting hauled out for a problem. (Knock on wood.)
🔷 Boater Tip: We have discovered that slip space in Michigan is very difficult to find.
The couple I met (back in Kelley’s Island) explained that when COVID hit, “everyone” bought a boat, and the marinas are now full.
Great Harbours are great! Because SCOUT has a shallow draft, she can make her way into places that some other boats cannot.
🙏 Big thank you to Gibralter Boat Yard for letting us spend a busy weekend night in their lift bay area! And for a small fee, they offered double 30 amp electric, even though we chose to do without. The weather was very pleasant for open windows/hatches, and we had full battery power from solar and engine charging.
We walked a couple of blocks to a diner for a late lunch.
🟠 Life Afloat Tip: If groceries are not close enough for your modes of transportation, check Instacart.
We placed an Instacart grocery order. (Our last “scooter-able” or walking distance grocery was Tonawanda NY – 3 states ago. 😊)
We relaxed on the boat, then retired early to rest up for another early departure.
GLTD054 St. Clair Shores MI (from Gibraltar MI): We left the marina before sunrise again. We took a short cut north to meet up with the main channel. In this navigation screen, you see SCOUT (the “boat” near center) heading up a narrow channel. The main channel of Detroit River, much wider, is near the right edge.
We already had foul current in the shortcut (left), but we encountered even more as we entered the main channel. Our speed dropped from the usual 7+ knots to 4.1 knots (right).
Unsure how far up Lake St. Clair we could get with the current flowing against us, we had not yet made a slip reservation. After about 90 minutes on the main channel of the Detroit River, foul current began to subside to less than 2 knots.
📞 Same-day marina planning: Now feeling confident we can get as far as St. Clair Shores MI by end of day, we began searching for slip availability in what is called the “Nautical Mile”, a 1-mile stretch along the shore of Lake St. Clair with 6 marinas and 2700 slips!
Some of these St. Clair Shores marinas are closed on Sundays!
Fortunately, after finding availability and requesting a reservation via Dockwa, Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina called us back to confirm and provide docking instructions.
By mid-morning, we were passing the Detroit skyline. Below is The Renaissance Center.
In 1971, in the aftermath of the 1967 Detroit Uprising, a group of 26 civic leaders in Detroit led by Henry Ford II formed a coalition called “Detroit Renaissance.” They announced plans for an ambitious three-phase project that would transform Detroit’s skyline and, hopefully, set the city on the road to revitalization. The complex is large enough to have its own zip code!
General Motors purchased it in 1996 and made it the company’s world headquarters.
On the Canada side is the Charlie Brooks Memorial Peace Fountain, the only international floating fountain in the world. Ray was amazed by the height of the main fountain – 70 feet. Named after labour leader and peace activist Charlie Brooks after Brooks was murdered by a disgruntled worker in 1978, the original fountain had a 20-year lifespan when installed in 1978.
Ref: https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/photo-charlie-brooks-peace-fountain-returns-for-2020-season
As we got closer to Lake St. Clair on the Detroit River, the water seemed to be getting more and more aqua. The view at the bottom of the engine room sea chest strainer shows how clear and aqua the water is!
By mid-day, as we saw our destination “Nautical Mile” in the distance, winds had increased to 15-20 from our stern (rear). Water was choppy, and large wakes increased from large boat traffic in the area.
By early afternoon, SCOUT was berthed on the haul-out wall in St. Clair Shores MI at Safe Harbor Jefferson Beach Marina. Is this becoming a habit? 😊 With same-day planning, there were no wide slips available for SCOUT’s 16-foot beam, so we were assigned the long wall normally used to step sailboat masts.
Even though it was still the weekend (Sunday), the marina was quiet and peaceful.
The marina was large and quite spread out. While our restrooms and the fitness center were just a short walk from SCOUT, the fuel dock where we needed to check in was about a 3/4-mile walk!
After checking in, we walked about 1/2 mile to get to the main road to visit one of the breweries a block away. We thought about having a late lunch at Dragons Landing, but there were no Gluten Free options for me. So, Ray sampled a beer, and we walked back to the boat for a light lunch/snack instead.
This was a very large taproom. It was almost empty – in the large dining area, but this was early afternoon on a Sunday. And, in this photo, you only see a portion of the more intimate bar/lounge area, where most patrons were at that time.
For dinner we walked about a 1/2 mile to WaterMark Bar and Grille for dinner. Well….Ray walked, and I ran, through the heavy shower that started before we made it to the restaurant. Large marina distances - remember? 😊 The food and service were excellent! (We must have been starving -- we didn’t get any photos!)
The next morning, we walked 1/2 mile (again) to the marina office to extend our stay another night, since the seas would be a little more comfortable the day after. Pam, the harbormaster, again, was most accommodating, even checking to see if we needed help with supplies or shopping.
If we had needed groceries, Kroger was within walking/scooter distance.
Before heading back to the boat, we walked along the Lake St. Clair waterfront. Everything was blue. (Except Ray’s shirt. 😊)
🌎 Small World: While Ray was washing the boat, a local boater who follows Loopers on Facebook stopped by to welcome us. He and his wife gave us some local knowledge of area harbors along our route. He does business in North Carolina. It’s a small world!
After doing some chores, we walked just over 1 mile (in the other direction this time) to sample another brewery before dinner. Along the way, we enjoyed playing on the “pedestrian slalom trees” course. 😉
Apparently, Baffin Brewing has a lot of “regulars”; look at all those mugs!
We walked 1 mile back past the marina to have dinner at Brownies On The Lake, overlooking a neighboring marina. They have a regular singer/songwriter/guitarist there on Mondays; Dan Tillery was very talented and performed a broad range of music.
The sun was setting low as we walked back to SCOUT.
What’s next? We will cross Lake St. Clair, then head up the St. Clair River and into Lake Huron.
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