15 Sep Day 2 – Red Sky in the Morning

We woke up to a beautiful “Red Sunrise” this morning.  We were up early because the plan was to put as many miles as possible under the Keel to make it to Chicago before the end of the month.  Left Port Sanilac Harbor at 7:10 am.  There might be something in that old saying “red sky in the morning, sailors warning”.  Not long after leaving, the sky darkened and a front could be plainly seen coming from the NW.  A quick check of the radar and it looked like it would pass quickly, so we decided to press on.

It didn’t bother the commercial traffic, we passed a number of ships.  It did pass quickly with no real issues, but afterward the swells began to build out of the East and started to roll Nautoncall uncomfortably. When I heard a noise from the flybridge and went to investigate, I saw one of the Kayaks had moved and was hanging off the stern a bit – not too serious, it wasn’t going to fall off. Then about 10 minutes later there was another groan from above.  I went up to tie up the Kayak and discovered the helm seat sliding around the deck – like those videos of the Cruise ships with the furniture sliding back and forth across the ballroom.  That’s when I remembered I hadn’t screwed down the seat after the spring repairs…

That made the decision easy to take cover in Harbor Beach.  We decided to take a slip and call it a day.

It was a good decision, repairs were made and we headed into town to explore.  I love these small Michigan towns, like a step back in time.  Those family run hardware stores have everything you need and pleasant staff who know right where everything is.  A quick stop at the local watering hole, Smalley’s Bar.  An old school hotel that used to have rooms for travelers and a 20′ long antique shuffleboard table.  I tried the Edmond Fitzgerald Ale on tap – very nice, I usually don’t like the Dark Ales.

I think the bar picture thing might turn into a thing.

Trip Totals:  Day 2, NM 57, Bars 2