Yes, just in case you are confused Mackinac is spelled two different ways. The island is spelled Mackinac, while everything else, the city of Mackinaw, the straits of Mackinaw and the Mackinaw bridge is spelled Mackinaw. Don’t ask me why. From St Ignace to Mackinac Island is just a short 1 hour sail. If going by ferry you could be there in about 15 minutes. They are very fast and there are… Read More

We left off at Beaver Island, so on Tuesday July 6th we set an alarm (I know, I know….) and got up at 5 am so we could leave Beaver Island and head to St Ignace. This is about a 40 mile passage and will take us about 8 hours. We are heading to St Ignace to meet our friend Camille who will be joining us aboard Painkiller for about a week… Read More

Beaver Island has a permanent resident population of about 550 people. Certainly in the summer the population grows considerably. Of course, being an island, everything must be brought over from the mainland via the ferries that run multiple times a day from Charlevoix. There are 2 ferries that run – The Emerald Isle and the Beaver Islander. Today is the Beaver Island 4th of July parade! Right down main street with everyone… Read More

We left Petoskey on July 2nd heading for Beaver Island. We will spend the 4th of July at Beaver Island and we are told they have a parade as well. First let me tell you a little history about Beaver Island. Did you know that Beaver Island once was the only kingdom with a crowned king that has ever existed in the United States? James Jesse Strang was the Mormon king of… Read More

Once we left Lake Charlevoix it was a quick 3 hour motor to Petoskey. There was little to no wind today hence the need to motor. When the wind is calm, unfortunately that often means the flies will descend. This passage did not disappoint in that regard. By the time we got to Petoskey the first order of business was to wash the boat. We spent about 2 hours giving her a… Read More