Mark and Lorraine LeMahieu’s little green wooden sailboat at the dock. Photo by Lorraine LeMahieu.
By Stewart McFerran
There is a large wilderness area west of Ludington and Manistee. It is called Lake Michigan. Mark and Lorraine LeMahieu recently crossed that wild and watery expanse in their homemade sailboat.
They launched their 22-foot wooden boat in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and made landfall in Pentwater, Michigan. Then they turned north for an overnight stop in Ludington Harbor. Lorraine said they walked down Ludington Avenue to the Sportsman’s Irish Pub, home of Sporty’s World Famous Reuben sandwich.
The next morning the LeMahieus left the safety of the harbor and once again entered the Lake Michigan wilderness. They coasted on the wind in open water along the sandy shore, past Manistee to Arcadia. There, they berthed their little green sailboat at a dock in Veterans Memorial Marina. Due to fog, they stayed an extra day, with ice cream from the Ice House and the words of the Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, to sustain them. The church is a few blocks from Arcadia Harbor. The ice cream is a few blocks farther.
Getting started
The adventure began years ago when Mark bought plans from Glen-L Marine to build a sailboat called the Amigo. He said he had been dreaming about “building a boat that could sail the Great Lakes.” He picked the “Amigo” plan and began constructing the boat frames in the basement of his house, then moved the project to the garage, with Lorraine’s consent. Mark collected 1,775 pounds of lead from various sources, including tire weights. The lead was heated to a molten state then poured into a form, where it hardened into a keel. Once cool, that shapely piece of heavy metal was bolted to the bottom of the Ali-G, making up the ballast that keeps Mark and Lorraine upright during encounters with waves on Lake Michigan. You can read Mark’s account, “Pour Your Own Keel”, in Boat Builder Magazine, (November/December 2002).
The fog lifted and the couple got an early start, leaving Arcadia at first light. As they headed north, they passed Point Betsie on their right and the Manitou Islands on their left in the Manitou Passage. Entering Leland, they found a “transient” boat slip available for the night.
Rounding Leelanau
Leland is a designated harbor of refuge for recreational boaters who pass by long stretches of sandy coast. Weather can change quickly, and boaters often find they need to seek shelter. The State of Michigan and the Michigan Waterways Commission require each marina to hold some slips for transient boaters. During much of the boating season (May–September) there are plenty of transient slips available to travelers, but in July and August the demand for slips is high.
Mark and Lorraine rounded the Leelanau Peninsula light (known as the Grand Traverse Lighthouse) and guided their vessel into West Grand Traverse Bay. Once again, they found a berth for their 22-foot wooden boat in Northport Harbor, within walking distance of Barb’s Bakery and its famous cinnamon twists.
Sailboats often use automatic helms (called tiller pilots) that steer the boat to a compass course. When I asked Lorraine if Mark had installed a tiller pilot, she said: “He doesn’t need one; he has me.” Given the distances they covered and the speed they traveled, their manual tiller time was plentiful. So, the couple took turns holding the tiller and steering the boat in the right direction.
Heading home
As June ended and the Fourth of July loomed, slips became hard to find at other ports within West Grand Traverse Bay. (Boaters can check municipal marinas for slip availability on the Michigan.gov website.) Mark and Lorraine decided to head toward their home in the land of cheese.
It is extremely important to check the weather when planning a journey on the Lake Michigan wilderness. A small boat traveling less than 10 mph can be overtaken by a fast-moving storm on the open lake. As Mark shared, conditions may not always be as forecast.
“I think the most difficult part of the trip was traveling in fog,” he said. “I thought the most fun part was Northport to Frankfort, and Lorraine thought it was the most difficult.
“We had northerly winds stronger than they predicted,” he continued. “It was white caps all the way with 6-plus-feet waves quartering astern. We were one of only a few boats out there all day, and we flew.
“I guess ‘fun’ and ‘difficult’ can sometimes be interchangeable when sailing.”
On their way home, Mark and Lorraine experienced 25 mph winds and large waves on Lake Michigan. This was indeed a wilderness experience for them in their small boat. But as all who have ventured into the wild know, the rewards of tackling such a journey are great.
All told, the LeMahieus “covered a little more than 350 miles in 11 days” on their most recent journey. In addition, they enjoyed many of the things that were available within walking distance of the harbors on the edge of the Lake Michigan wilderness.
Stewart McFerran illuminates current environmental issues in a historic context. He hopes readers will gain an understanding and insight into ways people interact with their environment.
