posted 06-24-2012 07:35 PM ET (US)
Here is a very quick account of a week-long cruise around Grand Traverse Bay we took in June of 2012.Grand Traverse Bay Cruise 2012
Day One, Sunday, June 10, 2012
Beverly Hills to Elmwood Township Marina by highway, about 230-miles
Launch boat at very busy ramp.
Slip 39 in Elmwood Marina. Local cruise for 1-hour
Dinner with family in Suttons Bay by car
Day Two, Monday, June 11, 2012
Departing Elmwood at 2:30 p.m.
Arriving Northport at 4:00 p.m.
Dinner was at THE GARAGE, a new bar and restaurant in Northport. Chris had whitefish. I had a burger. We watched the first period of Game Six of the Stanley Cup. LA KINGS went out to a 3-0 lead and looked in control of the game. We did not stay for second period.
The new boater lounge had a high-definition television, but the cable feed was not yet connected.
Day Three, Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Laying Northport Marina, with all new bath house facilities.
Changed E-TEC engine oil rate setting to XD100-only setting. This should reduce oil consumption to about 1:70 oil-gasoline ratio.
Added 25-gallons of gasoline fuel. The REC 90 pure gasoline was from a delivery last fall. Price was $4.03/gallon. Incremented FUEL REMAIN by 25 to 62.5-gallons (on both the Lowrance HDS/Memory Module and the ICON gauges.)
Departing Northport approximately 11:00 a.m.
Heading North toward the Grand Traverse Point.
At the point waves were out of the North, varying NW to NE.
Heading West then Southwest to Leland. Waves more from the West or NW.
A cloud front of low dark clouds approaching from the NW.
Arriving Leland approximately 1:30 p.m.
Soon after the cloud front arrives, wind increases, and temperature drops.
Barometer 998 mBar.
Leland Harbor is under renovation, as follows:
--main channel entrance is being dredged
--launching ramp is being rebuilt behind coffer dam
--four slip are being converted to handicap access with new pilings being driven
RAMP DETAILS
The down slope of the ramp is 14-percent, or an angle of 8-degrees downward. The ramp is to be formed as a cast in place 8-inch thick concrete slab laying atop 6-inches of aggregate stone. The end of the ramp is to be 4.4-feet below water at low water datum (LWD). At the ramp end there is to be a 1-in-5 downslope to the lake bottom to 8-feet below LWD.
The ramp is to be 8-inch thick concrete with #6 steel re-bar on 12-inch centers set E/W [each way] over 6-inches of aggregate of 2006 MDOT railroad specification. The ramp surface is to have a finish groove set 60-degree to the slope of the ramp. The concrete is to have a 28-day compressive strength of 4,000-PSI. Entrained air content to be 6.5-percent, plus-minus 1.5-percent.
At end of ramp a rubber "prop wash" deflector is to be installed using 0.75-inch thick and 18-inch high rubber sheets with 1-inch overlap at seams for a total of 49-feet width. The ramp is 45-feet wide and 71.7-feet long.
A central skid pier is to be 44-feet long and 5-feet wide.
ABONMARCHE CONSULTANTS, Manistee, Michigan, were the architect-designers.
We went to dinner at THE BLUEBIRD. Chris had Bluebird-style whitefish. I had blackened prime rib. My dinner was over-cooked and not great. Go with the classics--live and learn.
Relaxed in boater's lounge. Read interesting historical article about Lake Superior Iron Smelter at Leland. Discovered that Lake Leelanau was formerly Carp Lake, and the river Carp River. The Iron works ran for about 15 years. Hardwood was cut from Carp Lake and floated down on barges. Beehive kilns turned the hardwood into coke. Iron ore was brought across Lake Michigan by boat to be turned into pig iron in the furnace. Iron ingots were loaded on boat.
The business failed due to high labor cost of creating coke and unprotected harbor.
Day Four, Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Laying Northport Harbor. Overnight a high pressure system blew in from the North, making for clear skies and very low temperatures. The Milky Way was very prominent last night. This morning it is unseasonably cool, and the wind is from the Southwest.
The crew from the dredge arrives early, about 6:30 a.m., and starts the large diesel engine, awakening us. The crew yell back and forth to each other over the noise of the dredge engine as they maneuver in a small work skiff to tow an auxiliary barge from the dock to the dredge.
Construction crew arrives and begins driving piling for dock. Their air compressor is very noisy and runs poorly. They tear down the fuel system and clean out some filters. I say to them "That air compressor runs like the engine is from a 1924 Ford truck." The crew replies, "That's because the engine is from a 1924 Ford truck." The crew foreman is an old guy with a white beard. He jokes with me about (me) being old.
I visit with the owner of DAZY, a 38-foot cold-molded sloop.
Departing Leland about 10:00 a.m. We head North at displacement speed with a gentle following sea from the Southwest. After rounding point, we encounter wind and waves from the South-Southeast. We run on plane at moderate speed into the waves at 25-MPH, heading for Old Mission Peninsula.
About 1:30 p.m. we drift for lunch in Old Mission Harbor. After lunch we continue South along the East shoreline of Old Mission Peninsula, going all the way to Traverse City in the East Arm of the bay. Then we head North along the Eastern shore, arriving in Elk Rapids about 3:10 p.m.
Dinner was at PEARL'S. Chris had three appetizers: crayfish, fried green tomatoes, and crab cakes. I had Southern-style fried chicken. Drinks were a dollar off before 7 p.m.
We walked back. On path we discovered another pig iron furnace relic, on the site of the old motel (now Condo's) where we stayed in 1998.
Day Five, Thursday, June 14, 2012
Laying Elk Rapids Small Craft Harbor Marina.
Took a walk to town to shop for bread. Bought last loaf at the convenience store. Visited Island House library. Read interesting article about Calumet and Heckla floating dredge used to recover mine tailings from the lake bottom.
Weather forecast (land)
Partly cloudy then clearing. High 80-degrees. Wind South-5 early, South-10 tonight. Low 60-degrees.
Synopsis: a ridge of high pressure is building. Weak disturbances from West moving in. Rain on Saturday night is possible.
Copying NOAA WX-7 KZZ33 CMU full quieting
Copying NOAA WX-3 solid with some noise (from Petosky).
BARO = 1005 mBar at 9 a.m. (from E-TEC).
Departing Elk Rapids about 10:00 a.m. heading for Northport.
Motoring at displacement speed, rounded Old Mission Point, and then anchored for lunch in byte on West side just South of the point. Had a very relaxing lunch and afternoon siesta.
After lunch ran on plane across Grand Traverse Bay to Suttons Bay, then coasted North along shore to Omena. After Omena ran on plane to Northport, arriving about 4 p.m. Asked for different slip assignment to avoid bright lighting from boardwalk
Went to dinner with Martha and Con Balfor at KNOT JUST A BAR in Omena. I had a good burger; Chris had fish tacos, and Martha and Con had the fish-and-chips, which were in very generous proportions of fries.
Day Six, Friday, June 15, 2012
Laying Northport Marina. There is a strong Southeast breeze and whitecaps on the Bay. Departing Northport about 10 a.m. at displacement speed (to conserve fuel and stretch out the day), we motor to Omena and then to Stoney Point. We see Con Balfor's shore station, and Con himself on the shore. We tie up for lunch and a gam.
Departing Stoney Point about 1:30 p.m. we continue South at displacement speed, arriving at Lee Point park for a brief stop at their dock. Then we continue on to Elmwood Township Marina, where we have to dock in very windy conditions.
Day Seven, Saturday, June 16, 2012
We are up early. We roll up and stow the side curtains and windshield, and generally make the boat ready to be hauled. We go to the launch ramp at 9 a.m., and find it completely unoccupied--quite a change from last weekend. We haul out about 9:15 a.m., and move the boat to the parking lot for make-ready for the highway.
TRIP = 15:57:03-hours
TRIPave = 11.6-MPH
TRIPmax = 42.8-MPH
TRIP = 185.3-miles
ENGINE hours = 227:21-hours
FUEL TRIP = 61.3-gallons
FUEL REMAIN = 11.9-gallon
Fuel economy for trip was 185.3-miles and 61.3-gallons for 3.0-MPG
Dredge in Leland Harbor, having just finished deepening the entrance to 12-feet.
A tug and barge engaged in driving new pilings at Leland Harbor.
U.S. Coast Guardsmen making repairs to the navigation markers in Leland Harbor.
Coffer dam in place to permit pouring of new boat launch ramp. The depth below the water can be seen from the residue on the steel sections.
This de-watering pump ran 24-hours a day to keep the coffer dam dry.
It took 45-yards of concrete to pour one side of the ramp.