Mackinac Island Construction

play dough

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2011
464
Grand Blanc / Mackinaw City, Michigan
Boat Info
1997 Sea Ray 330DA
Engines
7.4L MPI Mercruiser
Looks like a much needed upgrade to the facilities at Mackinac Island State Harbor is underway. I seem to remember being told about this by the staff there back in 2019 but then covid hit and then a year where high water closed the docks. The restroom/shower building was razed today.
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Fun location and will make it much nicer. Thank You for the heads up. Any idea of the completion date?
 
Taking my boat to Mackinac is on my bucket list. I need more courage.
Rich, run it. That is a great trip. As with any trip, weather can make things more difficult, but with so many harbors up and down Lk Huron, you can find a place to wait it out if the weather turns bad.
Might possibly do Mackinaw Island again next year, with a couple of days in Cheboygan. But the little misses wants to go back to Cedar Point and the Erie islands, so we will see which way we head (north or south).
 
I'm heading up there in a few weeks (not by boat). Hopefully the sound of heavy equipment doesn't ruin the island vibe! :)
 
Rich, run it. That is a great trip. As with any trip, weather can make things more difficult, but with so many harbors up and down Lk Huron, you can find a place to wait it out if the weather turns bad.
Might possibly do Mackinaw Island again next year, with a couple of days in Cheboygan. But the little misses wants to go back to Cedar Point and the Erie islands, so we will see which way we head (north or south).
We’re getting closer to making the trip. Weather and lake conditions are what make me nervous. We’d like to follow or go with a few for our first trip

Erie and her islands are easy and so much fun. That’s a yearly trip for sure.
 
We’re getting closer to making the trip. Weather and lake conditions are what make me nervous. We’d like to follow or go with a few for our first trip

Erie and her islands are easy and so much fun. That’s a yearly trip for sure.

Just think about it like it is 2 trips to PIB with a overnight stop in between. Pick a couple good weather days and it is a piece of cake. We have been making the up north run for the last 5 summers and it is always a good time.
 
Just think about it like it is 2 trips to PIB with an overnight stop in between. Pick a couple good weather days and it is a piece of cake. We have been making the up north run for the last 5 summers and it is always a good time.
What are some of the nicer harbors around the the mid point?
 
It all depends on what time of day you leave LSC. If you leave in the afternoon I would make my first stop somewhere on the thumb. We stopped in Harbor Beach this year and it was nice but not much to do in the area without a decent walk.

If you leave in the morning I would suggest stopping in Alpena or Rogers City. Both towns are pretty small with only a few restaurants. Alpena has a cool downtown but the marina is dead. Most boats in the harbor are fishing boats. You could also stop in East Tawas or Harrisville but both are quite a bit our of the way. From Rogers City to the Island is only a couple hours the next day so you get a full day to hang out.

I would also say that if you get up to the island you carry on a bit further and hit some of the marinas on the west side of the state. Our favorite is Traverse City followed by Charlevoix and Elk Rapids.
 
What are some of the nicer harbors around the the mid point?
Rich, when we make the run up to Mackinaw Island, we tend to take off in the morning (6:30AM start up) and run up to either Sanilac or Port Austin. From there we might run the rest of the way. That depends on weather and if we are running by ourselves or with others. Last trip (CY2021), we did a stop at Presque Isle and while there took the dinghy out around the point and tied to a mooring ball and did some ship wreck snorkeling. That was fun. I also like going to Duncan Bay Boat Club in Cheyeboygan, but I have family in that area so we take the dinghy from DBBC over to their place.
I haven't done it personally, but based on a recommendation, I think next time up we will take a day or two and go over to Hessel State Harbor, was told there is a culinary school there and they have great meals. Also looks like a fun area to explore with the dinghy.
 
Looks like a much needed upgrade to the facilities at Mackinac Island State Harbor is underway. I seem to remember being told about this by the staff there back in 2019 but then covid hit and then a year where high water closed the docks. The restroom/shower building was razed today.

Does anybody know if they ever removed the big rock that was in the middle of the fairway? Seems like it got pushed in there several years ago with the ice, but I never heard or saw if it was removed. Looked huge, but with the water so clear it may have had plenty of water over the top of it.
 
Does anybody know if they ever removed the big rock that was in the middle of the fairway? Seems like it got pushed in there several years ago with the ice, but I never heard or saw if it was removed. Looked huge, but with the water so clear it may have had plenty of water over the top of it.
Didn't know about that, but I was inside the t-dock on both ends over the summer and didn't experience any issues nor did any of the larger cruisers we saw move in there. A rendezvous on the island might be kind of tough to pull off because of the demand for slips there. St. Ignace is a nice facility and Straits in Mackinaw City always has slips available. The city marina in Mac City can fill up but is our preference due to location. Other cruise opportunities up here are the 1. Les Cheneaux islands, 2. Detour and Drummond and the St Marys to the Soo, and 3. the Inland Waterway Cheboygan to Conway depending on boat size. (photos in that order)
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