We left St. Ignace early for the run to Harbor Springs. When Kelley had called the night before they “thought” they would have a spot for us for a couple of days – but it turned out to be for only one.

The Straits were flat and we were gifted with watching the sailboats heading towards Mackinac Island finishing their run from Chicago. We turned south and the lake continued to bless us with a flat run. Leaving early (7 am) helped and we arrived here at 12:30 pm.

We tried to get into Harbor Springs last year but they were booked. Turns out it was Regatta Week, the only time they take reservations, and we were out of luck. Of course, this is Regatta Week!

The town is so charming. Bud and Fredi had told us about it a few years ago when we started this journey. There are many shops, filled with high end clothes. There is the fudge shop, but only one. It is a beautiful spot.

We ate at Bar Harbor which was purported to have the BEST burgers. We were not disappointed. In the evening the local band played in the park and we were treated to a concert. This would be the best spot to have a summer home. It is quaint, although filled with tourists, the shops and businesses are well supplied for the cottagers that reside. (I am sure that there is a market within driving range).

This stop gets an A+.

We spent an extra day in St. Ignace. Weather….but then the sun did come out.

We woke to rain. We decided to wait it out and if it stopped early we would go on to DeTour. It finally did stop and we cast off the lines and left. We had planned to take the Government Cut as we had done last year, but the lake was calm – no wind, just FOG! But, the fog lifted and we continued east towards the De Tour Channel. This is the channel that many of the ships going to the Soo take. There is a lot of entertainment watching them  go back and forth.

De Tour is a quiet spot. We walked. There is not much more to do there. There are a couple of restaurants and a small grocery store but that about sums it up. If the weather is good, we will leave for???? we haven’t made that decision yet.

There is a storm that is hanging over us today. We had rain last night and there is a 70% chance of rain today with T-storms. A couple of positives here: there isn’t any wind (unless a T-storm happens); we are tied to a dock; we could travel 6 miles across the Straits to St. Ignace which would take 6 miles off our next destination. Decision made: St. Ignace.

The ride was calm; there was a bit of fog once we got closer to St. Ignace. And, of course, rain. Kelley and I laughed because the last time we came into St. Ignace we got slammed by a thunderstorm and rain. I think I am destined to be tying fenders and lines in the rain when we come to St. Ignace.

The town looks great. There are some shops that have disappeared but a new market is in town and it is a great one. If you want’ the marina said you can call them and they will deliver your groceries to your boat. You can also go and buy them and then they will deliver them. We walked on down and selected the items we wanted and because there wasn’t much, we carried it on back.

This evening we are having cocktails on Proud Mary, a Fleming 55 that is doing the Loop in the reverse. We are looking forward to hearing about the trip from Chicago down.