Days 353 and 354 - Yoopernese — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 82, fuel purchased $565, fuel purchased 175 gallons, slip fee $60 daily high temperature 70°f

Everything in life averages out. We had a glass flat day to cruise from Lake Superior to St Ignace on Wednesday and we had a lumpy ride from St Ignace to Manistique on Thursday.

Once we passed under the Mackinac Bridge it made us feel like we are almost home.

The day started out with light drizzle and heavy fog. We went for a long walk and the fog started to lift around 10:30 am. We cast off and headed to the fuel dock and filled up. We were finally on our way by 11:30 am. The forecast was for light winds but we had winds WSW 10-15 mph as we headed west down the Mackinac Straights. The waves were 1-2 feet and building as the wind speed increased. By 1:30 pm we had winds at 20 mph and waves 2-3 feet with the occasional 4 footer. We know when we hit a 4 footer because the boat rocks enough for the ship’s bell to ring. It was lumpy and rolly the entire trip to Manistique but the boat and crew survived and we tied up at the municipal marina. We were the only transient boat there.

The marina is close to downtown Manistique. It is just a short walk to the stores and restaurants. It was an even shorter walk to the Tin Roof winery and microbrewery. The tasting room overlooks the marina so we could sample their finest and see our boat. They have eight microbrews on tap including an IP eh which is a play on the Yooper English or Yoopanese (upper peninsula of Michigan). Yoopers say eh at the end of every sentence eh.

The forecast for Friday is for light winds but we are skeptical. We will get an early start and get to Sister Bay on Green Bay. Green Bay can get ugly very quickly so we don’t want another lumpy day. We will stay at the Sister Bay Marina. Our friends from Lake Bluff, Molly and Bo, have a vacation home in Door County near Sister Bay. They will join us for sundowners and dinner on Saturday. The forecast for Saturday is very blowy from the north and northwest. We will stay put for two days until the storm passes.

We were away from the Manistique dock by 8:00 am on Friday and cruised the 73 miles to Sister Bay Marina on Door County, Wisconsin. The big lake was dead flat for the first 30 minutes then started to get lumpy again. Our course took us behind Washington Island and the water flattened out.

The lighthouse at the entrance to Manistique Harbor

There is a Swedish restaurant in Sister Bay called Al Johnson’s. They have a sod roof and keep goats on the roof to mow the grass. My favorite meal at Al’s is Swedish pancakes with lingonberries.

Al Johnson’s restaurant and butik.

A few of Al’s goats.

Bonus photo – how to speak the Ojibwa Indian language. This sign was on a laundromat in St. Ignace.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

“My goal in sailing isn’t to be brilliant or flashy in individual races, just to be consistent over the long run.” – Dennis Conner

Dennis Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman, known as “Mr. America’s Cup”. He is noted for winning the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and four wins in the America’s Cup.