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Agreed. Not planning on altering my day in any way.

We're seasonal at the municipal marina in Mackinaw City and prefer that to the state marina but either one is a great stay with awesome staffs. Straits is a bit more removed from the tourist crowds if you're looking for quiet. With a 50' yacht, you could be limited to the broadside tie at the...

Is your destination Mackinaw City or Mackinac Island or both? 4 days has me thinking the Island. If you haven't experienced docking at the island, be aware and prepared for the significant wake surge from the commercial traffic that will affect your boat in the slip there. Tawas is a bit off...

The 10 day forecast looks like a return to seasonal norms for a while. I wouldn't get too anxious in the northern tier. It's still early although ice isn't going to be a player this year.

That vintage of Sea Ray (I've had 3) is a difficult match for fuel cap threads. I went through a half dozen at my local marine supply and found a match. All the caps were the same brand/part but there was a thread difference. I could see the difference by the thickness of the unthreaded...

Yes...seems lie everyday there is someone that I idolized in my teen years that has left the planet. There's a new generation taking the reins. I just hope there are enough of them with an ounce of common sense left. My children at 40+ seem to be well grounded but I see others around them...

My wife sews (mainly quilts) so some of that stuff gets gifted to immediate family but otherwise, gift exchange ended when the boys left home. We send them a holiday check to use as they please. We host the family Thanksgiving dinner that is usually well attended, but a Christmas gathering has...

The ferries could still make their schedules by coming off plane at the breakwall. It still wouldn't eliminate the surges and wakes but would certainly ease the situation. Shepler started running every 15 minutes a few weeks ago and many times, a boat sits by the Mackinaw City gas dock while...

Agreed. The ferry boat wakes at Mackinac Island are annoying at best. My boat looks like it's in the middle of a spider web after I get all the lines set there. I can't understand why that can't be better controlled. I heard over the VHF a couple weeks ago when one of the Viking Cruise ships...

From what I'm imagining that you want to do, I would maybe plan to overnight in Cedarville then return to the Straits. It's about 12 miles over to the islands from the Round Island Pass. Then once you're through the channel and exit near Port Dolomite it's maybe 20 miles back to the Round...

We cruised through the Les Cheneaux chain a year ago on the trip to Detour and the Soo. It's a scenic run through there and certainly reachable from Mac City with favorable conditions. I remember it being a couple of hours or more to idle through the area. Some smaller boats ran through on...

Over the years, $10K/year has been the cost which included slip and storage. Some years a little more if there was some kind of maintenance/upgrade performed outside of the routine stuff. Now, I'm sure it's likely half again as much with the cost of everything inflated but I don't track the...

We owned a Brittany Spaniel for over 15 years. Not once did it wander anywhere. The dog was trained to stay within our property. She hunted and would not cross a two track in the woods without being lead across. Those who own dogs rarely spend the time and effort to properly train the animal...

Heated storage so winterization isn't part of the ritual, but you're correct, the season comes to a screeching halt shortly after Labor Day. I usually have the boat pulled early October after a week of maintenance chores. Realistically, there's a 12 week cruising season here, mid-June to...

This is the payoff period here in northern Michigan. While many are overheating, it's just a pleasant 80° here in the Straits. It rarely gets too hot in this area and a breeze off the lake is the norm.

This stuff came highly recommended some time ago. I don't even remember what I used it on so can't vouch for its effectiveness.

Nope, never made it to a cruise ship in Alaska. We were on a land tour in Fairbanks, Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage and I finally ended up in the ER in Seward before I succumbed to illness. It's not like I really lost a 1/4 of the summer. Here in northern Michigan, the season really doesn't...

Do I win "last in 2023" trophy? After a disastrous shortened trip to Alaska (got the flu and pneumonia), the marina launched my boat today. They'll keep eyes on it for a day or so before I walk over and pick it up.

Rules are there so everyone can enjoy the facility. Some will take advantage of others if allowed to do so and the problem will just continue to grow unless corrective action is taken. The longer the situation exists, the more difficult it will be to correct. I would be a pest to the...

If you're anywhere in the Great Lakes region, this had to be one of the best Memorial Day weather windows ever. I remember lots of chilly, damp holidays over the years. We have noticed small demand on the facilities here and in Mackinaw City this weekend. A friend on Traverse Bay (Elk Rapids)...