Day 17 of 30 | Harbor Springs to Hessel

1/27/2025

Sunday, July 28, 2024: It's time to continue on to the next destination of our journey; Hessel. Before leaving Harbor Springs, we needed fuel and a pump-out. We were told the gas dock would be very busy this morning with many boats leaving so we radioed ahead and headed over there at the time they suggested. There was only one dockhand working so we were there quite a while as he was tending to three different vessels. It was so fun watching these massive sailboats pull out of their slips and maneuver very sharp turns in tight places. They looked majestic and the energy was still festive from the races.

We left the harbor at 10:55 a.m. and made our way out of Little Traverse Bay, into Lake Michigan, and the Straits of Mackinac. Larry insisted I drive the boat as we went under the Mackinac Bridge this time. I sat at the wheel, but only briefly because I was intimidated by the close proximity of other boats. They were a "very close" mile away which is too close for my comfort. :-) I can honestly say, "I drove beneath the Mackinac Bridge." I don't need to explain how quickly I got out of the Captain's seat. :-)

As we were approaching Marquette Island, the scenery changed to wilderness. There are little islands and shallows as we enter into Hessel Bay. Thankfully, the channel was very clearly marked. We clearly spotted Hessel Marina because there was a double masted ship docked in front. How ironic to see it here. It's the same vessel that was in Suttons Bay while we were there. Matt saw it in the harbor but we never did and now we're seeing it here. Amazing! It was from The Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay.

After getting settled into our boat slip, we headed out in the dinghy to explore. Hessel is located in the west entrance of Les Cheneaux Islands and it has been Larry's lifelong dream to come here by boat and he is beyond excited. As warned by the harbor master, we stayed in the channel to avoid running aground in the shallows. I felt like we were on an abandoned island until we made our way further into the channel. Suddenly, there was a boat, cruising along on plane, and then another, and another. As the saying goes, "looks can be deceiving" and we clearly weren't in a desolate area. We cruised a little further than the famous Dollar House, and then went back to the marina to relax.

We walked the town before finding our way to the beach where we went for a swim. The water is incredibly tranquil and warm. While our dinner was thawing, we had an extensive phone conversation with Stacie, catching up on everything that was happening back home. The first stirrings of homesickness hit me. Thankfully, we will be seeing the kids soon!

The timing to eat another one of our home cooked dinners was perfect. Between that and the stunning sunset , my heart was at ease again and excited to carry on our journey tomorrow.