Trip to Cedar Point from Lake St. Clair, anyone?

I am not interested in rafting 3 or 4 deep as I have heard about at PIB, I wouldn't mind hanging out for the day but retreating to a less rowdy area for the remainder of the time.

If that's what you're looking for, then Middle Bass Island is perfect for you. Middle Bass Island State Park has some of the nicest docks in the great lakes, and the marina is absolutely beautiful. And you're a short 10min ferry ride to Put-In-Bay. I believe the Sonny S is $3 each direction, but someone here might have to correct me. The benefit is that you get your own slip in a beautiful marina with no drunks walking across your boat at 2am. So you can spend the whole day at PIB doing whatever you want to do and soaking up everything the island has to offer. Then when you're done soaking that all in, take the ferry back to Middle Bass and crash in peace and quiet. One caveat: the Sonny S stops running around midnight. Miss the last boat and you're up a creek (and lots of people miss it almost every weekend).
 
The Sonny S is $8 each direction.

MBI State Park Marina is very nice and very quiet. The downside to MBI is there are only two bars/restaurants on the Island. If you are looking for entertainment, you'll need to hop on the Sonny S.
 
The sonny is $6 each way. Middle Bass is the way to go if you are looking for quite.

Since you are going mid-week I would highly suggest going to the Bay though and taking advantage of the Crew's Nest and its facilities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just curious if any one has made the trip from Lake St. Clair to Cedar Point/Put in Bay. Thinking of taking our 320 this summer and looking for advice/input/experiences. Thanks

I don't know if you have Mayflies on Lake St Clair. We do not at the east end of Lake Erie. We really enjoy that area and visit the Islands about every other year, and last year we went in the latter part of June. Won't do that again. Just a heads up if you're not familiar with them. Visit the islands after the 4th.
 
We are the mayfly/junebug/fishfly Capitol of the world.

Oh come on. They're aren't THAT bad!! :huh:
BNKRGBLCQAAAR1v.jpg
 
Oh come on. They're aren't THAT bad!! :huh:
BNKRGBLCQAAAR1v.jpg

Yep, that's what the cockpit of the boat looked like. I wrapped a piece of canvas around the power pedestal after the first night to cover the light, was a little better.
 
Yep, that's what the cockpit of the boat looked like. I wrapped a piece of canvas around the power pedestal after the first night to cover the light, was a little better.

A few of us who live and boat in the western basin have learned to bring thick black trash bags and duct tape with us to the marinas. Cover the lights on the pedestals with duct tape and then put thick bags over them. Keep your boat and dock as dark as possible, and hope there's a parking lot nearby with a big bright light pole to attract the mayflies away from your boat. They can get pretty thick and disgusting for a few weeks, but luckily they hose right off. However, there is nothing quite like the sound of walking down a well-lit dock during mayfly season. It's like walking on bubble wrap with all the crackling and popping under your shoes.

In all seriousness to the original poster; don't let the mayflies deter you. The western basin of Lake Erie in June really is a beautiful hidden gem for boaters on the great lakes. The islands are wonderful, the crowds aren't as bad, and the weather is usually more moderate. After a day or two, you don't even notice the mayflies.
 
I would be remiss if I didn't make one shameless plug here for downtown Sandusky. Everyone knows we have Cedar Point, and it's where 90% of the transient boaters will choose to stay. But unfortunately the vast majority of visitors will never leave Cedar Point and come downtown. There has been a resurgence over the last few years with a beautiful new public marina. Within walking distance of the marina are at least 8 new restaurants and upscale bars, ranging from high-end gourmet to tapas to sushi to a tap house to a prohibition style speakeasy. Every visitor I've spoken with who took the time to swing into town for dinner was shocked by how lively it is. And most of them added Sandusky to their list of favorite boating destinations. Do yourself a favor and check it out!
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but are there any stops worth making in the islands in April? I'll be bringing a boat home from Marblehead to Lake St. Clair in a couple weeks.
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but are there any stops worth making in the islands in April? I'll be bringing a boat home from Marblehead to Lake St. Clair in a couple weeks.

Depending on when in April a stop at the bay may be worthwhile. The Round House opens the 16th and the whiskey light comes on the 17th, signifying the start of the season. Its a good time to experience the island as there is a cool vibe of it waking up from its winter slumber. Plus you'll be able to get a wallside dock with no issues.
 
:thumbsup:
 
Park Place on paper and in appearance looks good, but i've heard and witnessed terrible rocking in there with anyting but light southerly breezes. Trying to get a video to load but not working out so well.

got the video to load

http://youtu.be/R8VCHRQ4rnA

I can attest to that... A few years ago, I had $7500 in damage to my boat staying at Park Place on a Northerly wind morning. Cancelled my membership the same day.
 
Hi Everyone, I have a 340 Sundancer. Never made the trip to Cedar Point on my own boat. Thinking of it this summer. How long of a trip is it from MacRay? What you would estimate in fuel and time?
Thanks!
 
Hi Everyone, I have a 340 Sundancer. Never made the trip to Cedar Point on my own boat. Thinking of it this summer. How long of a trip is it from MacRay? What you would estimate in fuel and time?
Thanks!

From Mac Ray to CP i would guess you are right around 100 miles. I took a trip last year from Marblehead to Metro Beach cruising at about 25 MPH and got there in about four hours. We idled in the Livingstone channel for lunch but the rest of the time was on plane.

I usually cruise at 27-28 mph but slowed down for a couple of the bigger boats in our group.

I burned just under a tank of gas. I will review my notes but i believe we got about .96mpg. This included a dinner cruise and messing around in LSC a bit on the way back.

Here is the route i took. It shows leaving From Put In Bay since we stayed there a night before we headed north. YOu have about another 15 miles to

http://webapp.navionics.com/maps/#s...4729518014/1434729518014.kml@6&key=_jy`G~t~xN
 
Last edited:
From Mac Ray to CP i would guess you are right around 100 miles. I took a trip last year from Marblehead to Metro Beach cruising at about 25 MPH and got there in about four hours. We idled in the Livingstone channel for lunch but the rest of the time was on plane.

I usually cruise at 27-28 mph but slowed down for a couple of the bigger boats in our group.

I burned just under a tank of gas. I will review my notes but i believe we got about .96mpg. This included a dinner cruise and messing around in LSC a bit on the way back.

Here is the route i took. It shows leaving From Put In Bay since we stayed there a night before we headed north. YOu have about another 15 miles to

http://webapp.navionics.com/maps/#s...4729518014/1434729518014.kml@6&key=_jy`G~t~xN

WOW!!! Very Cool! What type of eletronics do you have? Very cool to share! Thanks!
Yes, were thinking about going down for 2 nights, but I am VERY leary to navigate Lake Erie?!? Should I be worried?
 
Lake Erie is a fickle Lady but very rarely unmanageable. I have taken my 340 out in all conditions and never felt at risk. Obviously you want to pick a nice weather window but pretty much anything but a Northeasterly gale and you'll be fine.

I dont use anything fancy at all just a plain old Raymarine C80. The chart i shared is from the navionics website. I usually plan my trip there to get a good idea of where i want ot be going and then manual transfer to the chart plotter when at the boat. Here is a clean chart that you can plan your trip on.

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#@7&key=mib`G~{gwN
 
Yes, MacRay to CP is 100 miles. As far as the lake goes, you just have to watch the forecast and decide what you can/want to tolerate. I delay if there's a forecast beyond 4's.

Plot your course ahead of time, because for a huge and busy marina, the entrance can be hard to distinguish on your first time.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,950
Messages
1,422,896
Members
60,933
Latest member
juliediane
Back
Top