Author: Jackie Schanz

At the somewhat larger Mackinaw City, we hope to stock up for our future travels into the remote areas of the North Channel. Mackinaw City, like St. Ignace, is a gateway to Mackinac Island. Mackinaw City is 3 times busier with visitors than St. Ignace. With the advantage of being on the lower peninsula side…

We continue north heading toward the Mackinac Bridge. It is the weekend of the Chicago Yacht Club Race, the annual longest fresh water sailing race and we are fortunate to pass by the lead boat, Eagle One, followed closely by White Hawk. White Hawk ends up clinches the line honors by overtaking Eagle One and…

We pass by South Fox Island and North Fox Island. While a dark grey cloud hangs low over South Fox Island this particular day, a perpetual black cloud exists over North Fox Island. North Fox Island, the smaller of the two islands, was once the site of unfathomable monstrosities. In the 1970’s, a child pornography…

As we enter into the harbor at Fayette, we travel not just one hour back, but about 150 years back in time! Visiting Fayette is like opening a dusty time capsule or traveling to a ghost town, your choice. This town was built for one purpose: supporting the Jackson Iron Company, whose furnace began smelting…

It is a windy 57 degree July morning. Sweatshirts are called into active duty. It is July right? 🥶 Washington Island is approximately 23 square miles off the tip of Door Peninsula. 783 people call this island community their year round home. Once the center of a territorial dispute between Michigan and Wisconsin, Washington Island…

We will navigate under two bridges immediately upon departure. The first one, the newer Maple-Oregon Bridge with a 24 ft. clearance, we pass under easily without an opening request. The second bridge, The Historic Sturgeon Bay Bridge, aka the Michigan Street Bridge, built in 1929, has a low clearance of 11.5 ft. and will require…

Door County is known as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”. With the bay waters of Green Bay on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, Door County provides spectacular views throughout the peninsula. With the scenic coastal towns, apple and cherry orchards, local quaint shops, charming wineries and 5-star restaurants, it has become…

I was happy to see the Manitowoc North Breakwater Lighthouse announcing our arrival into the Manitowoc Harbor. It is always a process when we pull into a new slip at a marina. Captain Tom ALWAYS has to adjust the lines and the fenders so they are “just perfect”. Then he hooks us up to shore…

We will be docked at Harbor Centre Marina. It is a beautiful marina in a park like setting. They have nice amenities: pool, hot tub, tennis courts, and even a bar on the 2nd floor of the marina office building. Their outside upper deck has a panoramic view of the marina and Lake Michigan. Sheboygan…

The first order of business, on this leg of our journey, is a stop for diesel at the Reef Point Marina fuel dock. We were told Racine has the best diesel price in the area. We haven’t seen this low of a price in a while. When needing 300 gallons, price variance is a big…