The anchorage at Club Island was rocky and it took us a couple of tries to get the anchor to set. As good as the Mantus anchor is, it won’t set in solid granite.
Once the anchor was set I fired up the grill and cooked up some Italian sausages. We were hungry, cold, and tired.
It was a cold night. We left the relatively warm waters of the North Channel for the chilly Georgian bay. 75 degrees vs. 55. I kept worrying the anchor or chain might get caught on a rock and I’d have to snorkel in freezing water to free it. Fortunately, everything worked out and I didn’t have to go swimming.
We decided to skip the few sights of southern Lake Huron and shoot for Port Huron in Michigan. It’s about a 160 mile sail. The winds were going to be lite, so we ended up motor-sailing. 3 knots from the sails and 3 knots from the motor.
While we were sailing and still had internet, I started looking for places to stay. We had gotten spoiled with have perfect anchorages everywhere. In the Detroit area it’s back to paying for marinas.
Using Dockwa and the Michigan reservation sight I discovered everywhere was booked up. It was a weekend. To be honest, most of the time we don’t know what day of the week it is.
I found a hidden gem up the Black river. The facilities were very nice. The only negative is you have 3 bridges and a 69 foot high power line to deal with. We’re 56 foot high plus antenna, but it’s still unnerving driving under it.
We also had to clear back into the US. Demond marine, at the mouth of the Black river is a check in office, or you can use their CBP ROAM app from the phone.
I did all my homework before we left on using the app. Uploaded scans of the needed documents, requested to become verified travelers and the rest. This would allow us to check into the US were they don’t have an office.
About a mile outside of Port Huron, I fired up the app, clicked report arrival, put in the port, selected the travelers, answered a few questions, and clicked submit. It whirled away and in less than 5 minutes it came back with denied. We were not allowed to enter the US. No reason, no further instructions, just denied, you are not allowed into the US.
I called the local office and was finally able to talk to an agent. He seemed more frustrated by my denial than I was. He asked me to resubmit my request again and he’d watch for it. Sure enough, 30 seconds later I got approved along with a US check in number.
This all happened just as we were approaching the international bridge
The water levels are very high this year, and the St. Clair river is ripping. We saw eddies and boils all throughout the river. My GPS showed us moving at 10.5 knots, but my knot meter on the boat showed me only doing 6 knots. Speed over ground vs. speed through the water. The difference is the current.
I turned to head into the Black river, the boat turned but we kept moving down the St Clair. We made it in, but it was an interesting experience. Stopped at Desmond’s and topped of our diesel tank.
Today I have us booked at a marina on lake St. Clair near the mouth of the Detroit river.
More to come.
Kurt & Sue Sail 