Cruise to St. Clair Harbor 2007

This was the last big cruise of the 2007 season. St. Clair Harbor is some 31 miles from MacRay Harbor, and the weather for this Saturday was unseasonably hot at 70 degrees. We left the gas dock at 11:00 and ran with Lime Cutter and Swift Boat. We had the front glass down to enjoy this great fall day!

At 11:30 we made the North Channel (noticing that the no wake buoy had been removed) and we led the way at 27mph up the River.

The satellite radio was jammin' with tunes and Gina cleaned up down below for a bit as we passed Algonac at 11:40. Swift Boat passed us fast and then we made the 12:30 bridge at St. Clair.

Arriving at The Docks
There were numerous boats on the wall, but we ended up in slips 1-5 when we pulled in at 12:40. Instead Of had called earlier with "boat problems", but was able to pull in an hour later. Blake and Wendy from A Moment's Notice pulled in the Marina at 3:00 to join us.

Lunch at the Docks
St. Clair has a nice pavilion complete with tables and grilles for our use. There was very few transients here on this day, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The staff here is very nice.

We had a potluck lunch, and Gina put out quite a spread, complete with chips and salsa, cheese hamburger, and plenty of wine and beer to wash it all down.

Afterwards, we just chilled on the docks for a while, and John and Sheila went to the local golf course to shoot a round. The Harbor gives complimentary shuttle rides.

Dinghy Ride to Swim with the Freighters

Hard to believe it was October and we were "swimming with the freighters" out in the St. Clair River. Just off the Harbor entrance is a large sandbar in the middle of the River where boats must pass on either side. We jumped in the dinghy and made the short trip under the drawbridge and out to the sandbar. The air temperature was over 75 degrees outside. The water is normally cold all the time, but the shallow depth and the sun out made it very comfortable (but not necessarily warm).

We had a regular 'raft off' out in the River. Standing in about three feet of water, it gave a new meaning for "watching the boat traffic". Several freighters passed by within a hundred yards. We will all remember this for quite a while. Very Cool!


	Video
St. Clair Harbor 2:28 .wmv A look at our arrival, a pan of the docks, and then dinghy rides out to the sandbar as well as down the Pine River.

Down the River by Dinghy
We also took a ride down the Pine River for a couple miles. You pass right by a green on the golf course, numerous homes, and some old docks and boats. Parts of the River we got up on plane.

Dinner at the Voyageur
We walked the short ways from the Marina across the draw bridge to the Voyageur for dinner. Located right on the river, we ate while watching the boat traffic through the large windows.



Sunday We made the 2:00 Bridge out the River for the ride back to Lake St. Clair. Just fifteen minutes south we passed our friends Rob and Jackie's house (right on the River) and honked as they waved from their deck. We arrived back at MacRay Harbor at 3:15, where we anchored out with Sport 'n Life for a while, taking advantage of this nice fall day.