Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Harrison Township, MI

We had a very nice night on the ball at PIB. The wind was southernly so there were no waves coming through the harbor. I was up before the 5:30 alarm to get ready for our 6:00 AM departure. I actually left PIB 5 minutes early. I was very pleased to find a flat sea waiting for us. When we made this trip last year, it was so rough and nasty that Kerry declared she was no longer going to travel on Annie! Today she is peacefully snoozing in the V-berth. I set a course for the Detroit River with an ETA about 9:00 AM. I watched Peter pull out of Middle Bass Island on my AIS. We chatted briefly on VHF. 

Having Starlink to provide internet anywhere is so nice. I'm using it to blog, email and also provide a signal to a phone I use for my navigation routing that does not have a mobile subscription.

We reached the Detroit River at 9:15. The voyage was distinguished by smooth seas, bugs (lots of them) commercial fishing boats, a freighter crossing and birds that look like white pelicans. I also communicated with Marty Wall who gave me a better location mark for his home. 

The freighter crossing was really close, but not scary. My AIS said we would cross withing 9 feet of each other. But, it does not say who will cross first making it impossible to know if I should speed up or slow down. So, I decided to be safe and let him pass, and slowed down. That was probably the wrong decision because I had to literally stop to let him pass and there could not have been more than 20 yards between us when he did.

I saw these big birds in the same location last year. Blog readers may remember that I thought I was about to run into a white buoy that suddenly appeared in front of me, but it turned out to be a "big ass" bird, one of these I am sure. Google indicates that it is probably an American White Pelican although the birds in their pictures do not have black wing tips. 

It was a very uneventful trip up the river. Boat traffic was light and we only got rolled by one big passing powerboat. At noon and the 47 mile mark we passed Milliken State Park Marina at which we considered staying if we did not go all the way to Marty Wall's home. We kept in touch with the Orros who decided to skip Jefferson Beach and go all the way to Algonac because of the nice traveling conditions. 

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is joined in the middle now, but still not finished. It was built from the shore side out to the middle, both sides simultaneously. 

We left the channel across Lake St. Clair about 3/4 of the way through to head to the Clinton River. In all our crossings, it was the first time we have ventured out of the channel. The trip there was also uneventful, although the wind and wave picked up a bit toward the end causing Kerry to raise her eyebrow asking what was happening. The trip today was 9 hours, 69.8 miles at an average speed of 7.7 knots. We arrived at 3:00 PM. 

Marty Wall met us at his dock with a big smile and a friendly handshake. I had not meet him before and Kerry had not seen him in multiple decades. He helped us secure Annie and then invited us in to visit. 

Annie at Marty's dock on the Clinton River. Lake St Clair is at the end of the river.

Kerry's cousin Donna June picked up sister Marty Fred at the Detroit airport and they joined us around 5:00 PM. After a nice visit we walked to a newly opened Mexican Restaurant for dinner. It was right on the river. There was a big sailboat race that night and we all enjoyed watching the dozens of boats coming and going. 

Don, Kerry, Donna June, Marty Wall and Marty Fred

We had a pleasant dinner and a nice walk back home. We were tired and decided to get ready for bed after Marty Wall and Donna June explored Annie. Marty Fred planned to sleep on Annie rather than inside the home. So we removed the table, cushions, all the stuff stowed behind them and made the main salon bed. By the time we finished, Marty had decided it was too rocky for her to sleep on board without getting sick. My only comment was "Now, you decide?" So she took her suitcase and went inside. She expressed her continuing love for me as she left, and knows she owes me big time.