Last we left off we were heading out across Saginaw Bay to Tawas City. Well, as part of the little changes to alleviate wind/wave discomfort, we decided to head a little further north across the bay to Harrisville Harbor. It turned out to be a good decision as the waves were hitting us at just the right angle to make the just over 65 mile trip pretty comfortable, but it was a very long day. Who knew sitting at the helm of a big boat monitoring autopilot could be so exhausting. ;()

Harrisville, on the west shore of Lake Huron, is a quaint little town and is the 6th smallest town in Michigan with a population of only around 500 people. The town itself didn’t really have too much to offer in tourist activities, but there was a small grocery store and a couple of restaurants with decent food.

The wonderful thing about Harrisville is the marina. This was probably the nicest marina we have been to. Internet and cell service has been pretty poor most of the trip, but Harrisville offered outstanding, fast and never buffering internet. The laundry room, restrooms and showers were amazing and gleamingly clean. The laundry room even had two washers and four dryers, so that job was done in half the time as usual. The boaters lounge was massive and very comfortable with a library, a jigsaw puzzle already underway with encouragement to sit down and add pieces and many comfortable seating options. The staff was also very wonderful and they even gave rides to those who did not want to walk or ride one of the marinas bikes the half mile to and from the town. We walked one day and biked to the store the next day. It was the first time I have been on a bike since my fall sprawling me in the middle of the street and dislocating my kneecap. It was scary and I did get off and walk up and down the hill of a driveway, just in case, but I made it unscathed!

The Great Lakes have been having an unusually heavy bout of algae blooms this year. The ones at Harrisville were really strange looking creatures. In fact, we thought the first one we saw (not pictured) was a jellyfish.

Following our two night stay at Harrisville, we proceeded a short distance to Alpena Michigan for another night at the Alpena Harbor Marina. Did I previously mention that anchorages are few to none in this part of the world, so marinas it so often is. The trip was really enjoyable as we cruised along at 7-8 MPH on glassy smooth water with just enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable. We got in to port, gassed, dumped and docked just before the winds did in fact kick up causing later arriving boats to struggle a little bit. We even docktailed that night with another Looper couple that was docked next to us in Harrisville the previous night. It’s always fun to meet up with other Loopers, and other boaters in general, and compare stories and experiences. This couple, Dallas and Cathy and chocolate lab Leia were only 10 days into their Loop adventure starting in Ohio along Lake Erie. This was their first “big” boat so Dallas had a lot of questions which Michael, of course, was a fount of helpful information and knowledge.

We had originally planned to be in Alpena only one night, but we are far ahead of our next scheduled stay in Mackinac Island at the end of the month and the marina was offering stay two nights get the third one free, so what the heck! we stayed three nights.

Alpena is the only city in Alpena County and after Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region with over 10,500 residents. Alpena is located in Thunder Bay along the shore of Lake Huron. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is in Alpena.

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, established in 2000, protects an estimated 116 historically significant shipwrecks ranging from nineteenth-century wooden side-wheelers to twentieth-century steel-hulled steamers. It is the thirteenth overall and first on the Great Lakes of such preserves. (wikipedia) Since the water of Lake Huron is so clean and clear, a lot of these shipwrecks are visible from the top of the water.

Tied to the preserve is the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. We walked along the Thunder Bay River to the Heritage Center via the Great Lakes Maritime Trail, which had a lot of historical and informational signage as it meandered along the river. Once at the Heritage Center spent several hours there engulfed in the history of the life and times of the shipping industry, the people, and the ships of the past. It was quite an interesting place with a lot of head filling information. I do loves me some history and this was right up my alley.

View along the Thunder Bay River looking out across to the old Fletcher Coal Piers of 1830 which turned into Fletcher Paper Mill in 1880 after the downfall of coal shipping. The paper factory closed in December of 2000 and the building is now derelict but the piers, modified in 2007, are now used for tall ships, tour boats, and research vessels, of which there are a lot of them keeping an eye on Lake Huron fish populations and water conditions here in Alpena.

Also attached to the Underwater Preserve was a glass bottom boat excursion, which we signed up for. But, as it has been our experience on this trip at so many bars, restaurants, museums and other adventures, the boat was cancelled at the last minute because of engine problem. Jeez, this again!

Tomorrow we head around the corner to Presque Bay for, we hope, an anchorage for one or maybe two nights, depending on weather. Keep following us for what comes next! Love to all, Gina and Mike