Cool Marinas around the straits?

[slomaro]

I'll be slipping my 220OV at straits harbor marina for a few weeks this month (unfortunately working from my place up there) and was thinking it'd be fun to do an overnight weather permitting at an interesting or good marina. Any recommendations that are reachable from Mack City in a smaller boat?

 

[Stee6043]

Mack Island + St Ignace for a day or two? Plenty to do in both areas for sure.

I hear Hessel and Cedarville are both really cool spots as well, but I have no direct experience. Detour also sounds fun but getting a bit further out there.

I spent 2 nights on Mack Island a week ago. The surge from the ferries was no joke. Lines and fenders...lines and fenders

 

[slomaro]

I actually took the ski over to the island for dinner a couple of times this spring and you're right about those ferry wakes. My poor ski got beat up good. I was seriously looking at Hessel it seems like an interesting one off the beaten path a bit.

 

[play dough]

We cruised through the Les Cheneaux chain a year ago on the trip to Detour and the Soo. It's a scenic run through there and certainly reachable from Mac City with favorable conditions. I remember it being a couple of hours or more to idle through the area. Some smaller boats ran through on plane, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing that in most areas. I posted a few photos of that trip on this forum about a year ago.

 

[slomaro]

We cruised through the Les Cheneaux chain a year ago on the trip to Detour and the Soo. It's a scenic run through there and certainly reachable from Mac City with favorable conditions. I remember it being a couple of hours or more to idle through the area. Some smaller boats ran through on plane, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing that in most areas. I posted a few photos of that trip on this forum about a year ago.

I definitely am planning to cruise through there if I can get a nice day. I'd love to do an overnight at detour like mentioned above, but I guess I'll have to see if conditions line up for a 22' boat.

 

[play dough]

I definitely am planning to cruise through there if I can get a nice day. I'd love to do an overnight at detour like mentioned above, but I guess I'll have to see if conditions line up for a 22' boat.

From what I'm imagining that you want to do, I would maybe plan to overnight in Cedarville then return to the Straits. It's about 12 miles over to the islands from the Round Island Pass. Then once you're through the channel and exit near Port Dolomite it's maybe 20 miles back to the Round Island Pass or the same to Detour. There's not a lot to see between Port Dolomite and Detour as you have to run a bit offshore to avoid the reefs. Many times, there's also a number of fish nets along that shoreline. Another great cruise for a boat like you have is a run up the St Marys River to the Soo. Launch at Detour and cruise from there. I really enjoyed that leg of the trip and a couple days in the Soo is entertaining. Take the upbound channel going to the Soo and the downbound when returning for a change of scenery.