Chack Chack on the Great Loop Leg 3

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helm

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Chack Chack left Indian River, Michigan yesterday to start leg three of our Great Loop trip. We repowered the boat with a Suzuki DF 200 and added Si-Tex radar on a new arch built by Bolton Stainless this spring.

We cruised up the Michigan inland waterway yesterday to Cheboygan and today have a fairly long cruise down to Harbor Springs with our desination being Chicago if a few weeks.

Eric
 
Eric, I envy you ! Here you are already on the water, and I'm still in S.E. Texas trying to get away from the curb. You have a good - and safe trip and thanks for taking us with you.
 
Well Saturday we had a nice run from Cheboygan to Harbor Springs around 60 miles. On flat water with the DF 200 we could cruise over 30 knots with full fuel, water, stuff for 3 weeks and 4 people, the boat cruises comfortably at 20 knots at around 3900 RPM.

Harbor Springs looks a lot like Mackinac Island very scenic, lots of nice boats and pleasant people. Today we took a short run down to Charlevoix on Round Lake just off Lake Michigan. Its a great town very friendly with a spanking new Michigan State Marina that is right in downtown. Live music on the water front today, shops for the ladies and nice restaraunts

Eric
 
You probably have a grand plan for the entire Loop - what are you using for planning? Cruising guides? Do you have chartplotter chips for the whole route? Love to hear the details! Very jealous - another four years to go for us before we can really even think about doing any part of it. But we can plan!
 
I watched Chack Chack cruise into the Traverse City public marina this morning. We don't see too many C-Dory's in these waters, so I had to go down and see who had arrived in town. Had a very nice chat with Eric and it sounds like they're having a great trip.

Eric, it was great talking with you. I hope the rest of your travels are adventerous and safe.

Jack
 
Chack Chack cruised down to Traverse City today from Charlevoix on a mirror flat Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. Cruising speed was 28-30 knots fully loaded at around 4600 RPM, just a little over 90 minutes.
The girls 17, and 19 really like Traverse City -sunny and 80 degrees with lots of boys and two nice beaches right next to the marina.
Downtown is great - nicely preserved business district, great shopping and nice restaurants.
Enjoyed meeting Salty Dog today in the marina- which by the way is another great facility.
Tomorrow we are off to Northport to hoist the boat and do the 20 hour oil and lower unit gear oil change then tour the Sleeping Bear National Lake Shore.
Best
Eric
PS - Pat we use CMAP NT MAX on a Standard Horizon CPV 350 chart plotter with Si-Tex Radar overlay ability. Additionally we run TIKI navigator on our laptop with the NOAA charts using a bluetooth GPS, and back this up with Lakelands Lake Michigan chart book. Tiki is also going to run Navionics charts so we will add this for the trip from Chicago to Mobile, along with the CMAP charts.
 
Toms grocery store is very close to docks, be sure to go to Barbs bakery early for cinnamon twists. Lighthouse is a good bike ride. Northport is great altho teens may think boring compared with TC. Also sometimes NP has the cheapest gas.
 
Chack Chack left Traverse City yesterday and we made a quick pit stop at Northport Marine service for a hoist and 20 hour oil change and gear lube. Amazingly they were ready for us immediately and had us in and out of the water in 90 minutes - what a great place.

Since it was only noon when were done with the service work we decided to head down to Frankfort - since the docks at Leland are currently being rebuilt and the marina is closed.

Cruising by the dunes at Sleeping Bear is truly outstanding. We where about three miles offshore and they were large but when we got to within a quarter mile off shore they were gigantic. Who would ever think that there would be 600 foot tall sand dunes along the Lake Michigan shore.

Frankport is a nice town with their downtown right next to the water, lots of people salmon fishing currently, nice beach on the lake for the kids and Jacobsons marina has just been rebuilt and has a heated pool and hot tub - both a hit with the girls.
Eric
 
Chack Chack has spent Friday and Saturday in Grand Haven. We made a short jump from Muskegon Friday morning when we had a sure weather window but still had lots of chop on Lake Michigan. Friday night was thunder storms and rain, today is mid 80's and beautiful but 10-20 knot winds on the Lake.

Grand Haven has a great beach and town is right off the municipal marina with a choice of restaraunts and shopping but no nearby groceries. The marina is nearly full tonight - the first place that has been really busy.

Tuesday night we were in Frankfort at Jacobsons marina then ran down to Pentwater Wednesday morning. We stayed at Snug Harbor- a first rate marina with a grocery right across the street. Like most of the towns it has great access to a well preserved downtown. Pearson Ensigns were one design racing in the evening.

Wednesday we cruised down to Muskegon so Morgan who is a roller coaster lover could go to Michigan adventure park. Two big wooden roller coasters plus suspended roller coasters plus a water park. Access to town is best from Terrace park marina but Muskegon didn't seem to offer much so if with somewhat dicey weather we decided to run down to Grand Haven Thursday morning - a slow 10 knot trip through disorganised chop.

Tomorrow the forecast if for less than one foot waves and wind under 5 knots and we plan to run down to Saugatuck - the "Cape Cod of the Midwest"

Eric
 
We love reading about Chack Chack's travels. We'd really like to do "the loop". Like starting next year. We're in Bend so maybe when you get back to Oregon we can get together for a tutorial. In the meantime wishing you continued safe and fun cruising.
Bob & Betsy
 
Sunday was a beautiful day on Lake Michigan, we made the 30 mile trip from Grand Haven to Saugatuk on a nearly flat Lake Michigan with the girls flying their box kite behind the boat on the way down. Saugatuk sits on the Kalamazoo river inland from the lake a short distance, the river was quite high from recent rains they have had down here - which we missed by the way - which has resulted in a lot of current in the river. Getting into a slip on the river yesterday was very interesting.

Saugatuck is as advertised, a nice artsy town only 90 miles from Chicago. Nice homes, lots of shops and restaurants. The river was full of boats on Sunday parading in and out of town. We were able to find a slip without any difficulty Tower marine right on the edge of town but every thing right in town was full. As we approach Chicago we will start calling ahead for marina reservations, up until now it hasn't been necessary.

Today we head south either for South Haven or St. Joseph
Eric
 
Love those pictures. That is a great trip.

We did the Eire Canal in Our Journey, a sailboat. Remember Lock 17, I had to back in, since I'd put the mast so hung over the port side. Lovely trip, great people. Around the Michigan mitten was wonderful. Every harbour was a gem.


Went up to the North Channel in Journey On a couple of years ago. Beautiful place, and friendly. Then down the Trent Severn to Petersbourgh and back. The water lift lock there leaed in the hydraulic ram, and they shut down for a day AFTER we went through. Here's our story: Journey On's Travels in the Great Lakes

We're now in Bellingham ready to cross the border and go to the west coast of Vancouver isle for awhile. Good Luck on your trip. It's wonderful.

Boris
 
We made a short 22 mile trip from Saugatuck to South Haven yesterday.
South Haven is just another great town on Lake Michigan. Two long white sand beaches on the Lake and shopping downtown. Plenty of marina choices and full services if needed.

Today we are off to New Buffalo, I was out running on the beach this morning and the Lake is smooth and flat. Plan on being in Chicago on Thursday.

Eric
 
Chack Chack cruised down to New Buffalo Tuesday, another perfect day on Lake Michigan light winds and smooth water. Between South Haven and New Michigan, Indiana there are three nuclear power plants on the lake. New Buffalo has lots of boating options and large nice marinas. Wednesday we made the 40 mile crossing to Chicago - another nice day with no wind and smooth water on the Lake that let us cruise comfortably at 28 knots. We could start to see the Chicago skyline from about 16 miles out. After passing through the Corp of Engineers lock we cruised slowly through downtown Chicago on the Chicago Sanitary canal. Its really a great experience to approach Chicago on the Lake and then suddenly be right downtown in your boat.
After cruising through downtown we continued down the Chicago Sanitary canal to the junction with the Calumet river. We turned back up the Calumet and ran up to Riverdale marina we are leaving our boat until September when we return to start the run down to Mobile.
We will post some pictures when we get back to Oregon.
Eric
 
Heather and I are leaving tomorrow for Chicago to rejoin Chack Chack for the trip down the Inland Rivers to Tennessee. This leg will take us down the Illinois, 240 miles on the Mississippi, up the Ohio into Kentucky Lake where we will leave the boat again at Pebble Isle Marina at the South end of the Lake, then spend a few days in Nashville before we head back to Oregon.

In case you haven't heard it is now impossible to get from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River under your own power. Asian carp have been slowly coming up river and the Corp of Engineers has electrified a portion of the Chicago Sanitary Canal and closed it to all but steel hulled diesel powered boats. Currently the AGLCA has a long list of those stranded to the north. If you aren't trailerable the only option is to obtain a transit permit from the USCG and arrange a dead head tow through the fish barrier to the tune of $600. We were fortunate to have left our CD 25 on its trailer at Riverdale Marina and when I heard about the closure we contacted Three Rivers Marina in Channahon. The owner Harry set us up with Elmo at Elmos auto transport who towed the boat down to Three Rivers for $125 on the trailer. Harry and crew are going to launch the boat tomorrow and have it ready for us to spend the night and head south on Wednesday. Probably make Ottawa Illinois Wednesday then Peoria Thursday. We will keep the posts going and try to get some pictures up as well
Cheers
Eric
 
Hey Eric! Running down the other side of the Great Loop.... No carp on this side... :mrgreen:

Have a safe trip and enjoy the TN waters. Keep me posted when in the Nashville area.... Live in Clarksville, visit Nashville often, and have family on up river on the Cumberland at between MM 230 thru MM236 RDB area.

I should be "home" between 18Sep thru about 2-3 weeks after then....then, back on the loop.

Byrdman
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Dang Eric, I had forgotten all about you heading for KY Lake in Sept. We were kinda headed that way last week - before Labor Day. Jan called several marinas and got the all full message, so we came on over to Table Rock in Missouri. Maybe the paths will cross some where else in the future.

How's the 200 Suzuki - able to plane the loaded boat easier ?

"Wild Blue" may be down in the KY Lake area when you reach there - don't know for sure, Jim & Joan plan just slightly more than we do.
 
Chahack Chack managed to bypass the Carp Captives by trailering from Riverdale Marina to Three Rivers. Thanks so much to Elmo and Harry, you guys rock big time.

Well we got to Midway Tuesday and it looked like Midway all over again. First a car crashed into a building, then on I55 a tanker truck on fire, our driver slowed down and all I could say was speed up!

Harry at Three Rivers could not of been more helpful, they had the boat launched, the trailer carefully cared for and most of all hauled Heather and I down to the boat with all the stuff we had bought at the Super Wal Mart.

Well, Wednesday we took off for Ottawa where thanks to some fellow AGLCA members we hooked up with free moorage, power and water all on the town wall. Heather and I walked into town, had a nice dinner at a Thai place then back to the boat.

Thursday was a trip down to Peoria. One lock down from Ottawa, passed a couple of tows, one kind enough to respond to us when we requested which side to pass on. Peoria is quite, and seems to have had better days. Still we had a nice time and met some nice folks.

Friday is off to Grafton, 160 miles, no worries with the Suzuki 200, cruising speeds are in the 25 to 30 knot range at around 4200 rpm. We plan on visiting St. Charles and St Louis then we will be at Hoppies on the 13th to fuel up for our trip to Kentucky Lake. 240 Miles and no gas is just at the end of our fumes. We went to a great hardware store in Peoria just off the water and bought 3 five gallon gas gans just in case we find out our range is shy.
Cheers
Erick Chack managed to bypass the Carp Captives by trailering from Riverdale Marina to Three Rivers. Thanks so much to Elmo and Harry, you guys rock big time.

Well we got to Midway Tuesday and it looked like Midway all over again. First a car crashed into a building, then on I55 a tanker truck on fire, our driver slowed down and all I could say was speed up!

Harry at Three Rivers could not of been more helpful, they had the boat launched, the trailer carefully cared for and most of all hauled Heather and I down to the boat with all the stuff we had bought at the Super Wal Mart.

Well, Wednesday we took off for Ottawa where thanks to some fellow AGLCA members we hooked up with free moorage, power and water all on the town wall. Heather and I walked into town, had a nice dinner at a Thai place then back to the boat.

Thursday was a trip down to Peoria. One lock down from Ottawa, passed a couple of tows, one kind enough to respond to us when we requested which side to pass on. Peoria is quite, and seems to have had better days. Still we had a nice time and met some nice folks.

Friday is off to Grafton, 160 miles, no worries with the Suzuki 200, cruising speeds are in the 25 to 30 knot range at around 4200 rpm. We plan on visiting St. Charles and St Louis then we will be at Hoppies on the 13th to fuel up for our trip to Kentucky Lake. 240 Miles and no gas is just at the end of our fumes. We went to a great hardware store in Peoria just off the water and bought 3 five gallon gas gans just in case we find out our range is shy.
Cheers
Eric
 
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