Harbor Hopping 2025: Day 5, Caseville

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

We woke up early, knowing we had a full day ahead. That’s how travel days tend to go—but today, we had more on our plate than usual. On the way from St. Clair to Lexington, we’d noticed a vibration, and Larry suspected something might be caught on the prop. Along with the normal tasks to get ready to leave the dock, we now are going to beach the boat so that Larry can be in shallow water. He wants to take a good look at the props. The sun is just starting to warm things up as Larry plunges into the water. He quickly comes up and reports that everything is fine and the props are clear. Whew!

He backed us off the sand and over to the fuel dock—our final stop before the long cruise ahead. At 10:49 a.m. we were in the lake and the vibration started again. I glanced at Larry. “Now what?” We took turns trying to determine where the noise was coming from and then laughed with relief when we realized it was the swim ladder, where the dinghy is resting. We are carrying it differently this year because it's new and we don't have the weaver davits attached yet which is positioning the dinghy differently and creating the noise.

By 12:25 p.m., we were cruising past Harbor Beach—the marina we originally hoped to reach yesterday. An hour later, we passed Port Austin, one of our favorites, which we’ll stop at on our way home. Then at 2:18, we pulled into Caseville Municipal Marina. As we were coming into the canal, I heard the dreaded "thump thump" the props make when hitting something. A moment later I saw it, just a small stick with a scary sound that didn't do any damage. Interesting how concerned we are about the props this trip.

What a unique marina! It's a combination of boats, RVs, and mobile homes and there are retaining walls all around the marina, creating a very clear distinction between the land and water. Steve, the harbor master, and two dock hands helped us tie up in our slip. We chatted for about 10 minutes and quickly learned that Steve is a friend of Stevie Yzerman and that Dave Coulier was here not long ago. Interesting. Not the kind of detail we usually hear when docking at a new marina. :-)

We could hardly wait to get in the dinghy and explore this area. Larry wasn't sure if I'd like this area because he was of the belief that it's a prime spot for boaters but so far, it's been incredibly peaceful and serene; just the way I like it. We made our way back out to Lake Huron and attempted to get over to the enormous beach but the waves were too high. We returned to the boat and got ready to walk into town for dinner. The dock hand in Lexington was so excited to hear we were coming to Caseville. She said she follows a girl on Tik Tok who has parents that own a restaurant there and the daughter opened a coffee shop. It didn't take us long to find Beachys. It is a brightly colored place with indoor and outdoor seating on a corner on Main Street. There was live music playing and lots of families sitting around.  My favorite outdoor lights are strung up everywhere and there is cornhole at the back of the property. What a fun place to sit and relax!

We weren’t sure how to reach the breakwall on foot, so we made our way back to the boat—just in time for a golden sunset between the trees, directly across from our slip. Peaceful, quiet, beautiful. I’m one happy girl.