08-07-09 St Ignace, MI

[Rick] Well, it is a special day. It is our anniversary. That’s right, 38 years ago we were married in Durham, NC. I remember this date since it was one year ago that I forgot it. (Just Kidding). I say congratulations to us both……

We left Drummond Island at 0900 headed for St Ignace, MI. The run is to be 53 miles. As we left the Detour Channel, we were very pleasantly glad to see that Lake Huron was absolutely FLAT. Yes, it looked like a mirror out there. We passed the Detour Channel lighthouse, put on the autopilot, and sat back for the next 2 hours.

We arrived at St Ignace, got our slip, took a walk around the waterfront, and settled in for a couple of days. St Ignace is an island about 2 miles from Mackinac Island, the tourist mecca of this area. We decided not to stay in Mackinac since there are lots of ferries, little space, and very expensive. We plan to go to Mackinac by ferry tomorrow, take the carriage ride, eat some lunch, check out the stores, and return to St Ignace. I think Betsy has a shuttle to the local Indian Casino already booked. We understand that the The Grand Hotel, whose porch was featured in the movie Somewhere in Time will only allow you to go onto the porch if you have a coat and tie and pay $10.00.

The marina at St Ignace is owned by the city and is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A few years ago, it was run down and had very limited facilities. What a difference. Today, there are over 200 slips, modern facilities, including bathrooms/showers, laundry, wi-fi. And the landscaping is very nice. The docks are first class, and this is one of the nicest marinas we have visited. Also, the cost is only $30 per day for our boat.

There are at least 5 looper boats here, and we all went out to dinner. Had a great time.