So far, marina wifi sucks!

In case you don’t know us, or have not been aboard Ritual, here is a quick introduction:

Ritual is a 1987 Slocum 43, cutter rigged sailboat.  We chose her for her hardiness and safety at sea, as well as the roomy interior and storage space below decks.  We have been updating systems and equipment over the past few years, and this work continues as we travel east.

Fred and Lisa are both retired, and have been planning to make an extended trip for several years.  The crew consists of two cats – Jette and Mel. Yes – there are many boat kitties out sailing!

Hello Lake Huron

Good thing we like St. Ignace – we ended up staying a little longer than planned!  This is a lovely marina, close to restaurants, hardware stores and other amenities.  We wanted to celebrate our (probably last) crossing under the Mackinaw bridge with a nice dinner, but the spot we chose was closing at 5:00 (?!). We tried another place, only to walk out after first having quite the discussion with the hostess about where we could sit, then waiting 10-15 minutes without being acknowledged. Place #3 seated us right away, but then added a party of 12 next to us. Service was okay, but the food was mediocre. So goes the struggle for businesses to find good (and enough) help!  All 3 of these are places we have enjoyed in the past.

The next day was cold and rainy, so we cleaned inside and did laundry at the marina. This is a real marina perk, since schlepping dirty clothes and bedding to a laundromat is NOT fun, or easy, nor is washing by hand in our little tub.  Later that afternoon Fred became quite sick, with chills and a fever. We thought it might be food poisoning, but by morning it was apparent that he probably had a UTI. This is a possible side effect of one of his meds. One thing that has come out of the Covid mess is that doctors are now more accustomed to talking via phone and video-chat, and that is what we did.  A prescription was called in to the pharmacy across the street and by afternoon he was on a course of antibiotics, with the promise that we would go to a clinic or ER if he didn’t show quick improvement.

Another added benefit of being at a marina for a few days is the ability to have things sent to us.  Our propane sensors had failed, and we were able to have new ones Fed Ex’ed to us in St. Ignace. We stayed one more day just to be sure Fred was on the mend, topped off the diesel tank and had the head pumped, then happily headed out for the Les Cheneaux Islands. 

A four-hour run east, across the north side of Mackinac Island and along the Upper Peninsula shore, put us in the middle of a series of narrow islands – Les Cheneaux’s, or as the locals call them, the Snows. We dropped the hook in Government Bay, near the little beach on Gov’t Island.  Our friends were camping at a spot just north of us, and it was fun to have them motor out (in a REAL motor boat, not a dinghy!).  Barb gave Lisa a ride to the grocery store, saving her a long dinghy ride and several block walk.

The next day Steve and Barb, along with daughter Christina, picked us up for a boat ride through the islands. We loved seeing the old cottages (and the crazy huge new ones), wooden boats and boat houses, while sipping on bloody marys that Barb made.  We had a nice lunch and enjoyed the live music at The Distillery in Cedarville.  By 3 pm we were all ready for a nap, so we said our goodbyes and returned to Ritual.

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We were up early the next morning to cross the eastern Straits of Mackinaw to Rogers City. Knowing how rough the straits can be, it always amazes us when it is calm. After 40 miles of glassy water, swatting at those nasty little biting flies (which our friend Kelly has turned into a sport with the little electrified tennis racket bug zapper), and passed by only two freighters, we arrived at the Rogers City Marina.

This is another nice marina, with newer docks and bathrooms/laundry.  While we prefer to anchor out, there are few places protected enough along this coast. We were worried about entering the harbor with our 6 ft. draft, but there was 12’ in the marked channel.  Within walking distance we found a grocery, liquor store, and several shops along the main street. We had a good pizza at the Lighthouse Restaurant.  Once again the labor shortage showed, as the place was packed, and there appeared to be one cook, one bartender and maybe 2 wait staff, and many patrons waiting for food and or drinks. We are finding that if we go out to eat, patience is required!

Another rainy cold day greeted us in the morning.  We walked to the hardware store to find fittings for the propane tank that would allow Fred to remove the sensor solenoid, which still is not working. Turns out we need an entirely new system controller, and the sensors we ordered will not work!  By removing the solenoid we won’t have to listen to the loud beeping of the alarm every time we turn on a stove burner. Of course, there will also be no warning if the propane leaks and we are about to blow up! We saw this happen once in Seattle – that boat fried to the waterline in minutes – made quite the impression.  We are resolved to get a new system installed along our way.  Fred also tore one of the secondary winches down for a good cleaning/greasing. The saying goes “cruising is  fixing your boat in exotic places”.  And we are nowhere near exotic yet!

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Fair winds, Fred and Lisa