August 22-24, 2017 Monday-Thursday
We have spent the last three days in Port Sanilac waiting for a good sea state in order to cross Saginaw Bay to the western side of Lake Huron, we think that day will be tomorrow. The wind has been from the north creating waves of three to nine feet, not what we want to travel in. The forecast for tomorrow is for light winds with one to two feet waves which sounds good. Our plan is to leave for Harbor Beach in the morning and cross Saginaw Bay on Saturday. Saginaw Bay is the portion of Lake Huron between the thumb and mitt of the Lower Peninsula.
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the shape of a mitten and the region that Rick and I are currently cruising is called ‘The Thumb;’ Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola counties. These are small, sparsely populated areas with tourism being the largest industry for the lakeside communities. With a population of just under six hundred, Port Sanilac has three marinas, several hotels, a grocery store, post office and bank.
We enjoyed our walks around town and on the sea wall, stories about what it is like here in the winter, and our visit to the Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum, which is located at the historic home of Dr. Joseph Miller Loop and his wife Jane. Among the first white settlers in this area, Dr. Loop practiced medicine in Port Sanilac from 1855 till his death in 1903. The Village is a collection of more than a dozen historic Sanilac buildings and the museum contains an interesting collection of Native American artifacts, military memorabilia, and Lake Huron shipwreck items. The village houses an 1880’s era barn were the local theatrical group performs during the summer weekends.
On Wednesday evening the Pride of Michigan, a retired navy minesweeper, pulled into the marina. This vessel is part of the Great Lakes Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a non-profit youth organization for young Americans, male and female, ages 13 through 17. This week it has 18 crew members, 9 volunteers, and 9 male cadets, who were honing their advanced dive training skills. The cadets ran the ship and the volunteers provide the guidance, it was inspiring to observe the cadet’s skills at handling the boat and the volunteer’s commitment to the cadets.
