ACROSS I GO

August 27, 2011  Dateline: Manitowoc, WI USA

This morning I left early for the trip across Lake Michigan from Manistee, MI to Manitowoc, WI.  The weather forecast called for the northerly wind to increase as the day wore on so Rich figured the sooner I got going the better we would be.  The wind would be hitting me on my starboard beam which meant that I would be rolling as the waves past under me.  Rich and Carol forgot to put some items on the floor so I did it for them after a few rolling waves.  I did not put any liquids on the floor, so there was not a big mess.  When I left Manistee, shortly after sunrise, the Lake was full of small fishing boats, there msut have been at least 75 of them in a line that I had to weave through.  I was nice I did not wake any of them.

They got to Manitowoc about 11:30 EDT, 10:30 local time.  The lady at the marina told them about a farmers market that was close by.  I was a distance away so they left and went straight to the market.  Unlike all other farmers’ markets that they saw along the way this one actually had farmers at it selling local produce.  Carol asked Rich for some cash---Rich said he didn’t have any so that ended that venture—no cash no purchases.  Oh well!!

Manitowoc was the home of the first wooden sailing ship built on the Great Lakes.  There were also 28 submarines built in Manitowoc for service in World War II.  The Wisconsin Maritime Museum is now the home of the SS Cobia a WW II submarine.  On the third weekend in August former crew members give tours of the boat.  Carol and Rich will be taking the tour tomorrow.  The luxury yacht builder Burger Boats is located in Manitowoc today continuing the long tradition of boat building.

The western terminus of the SS Badger is Manitowoc while its eastern terminus is Ludington, MI.  The Badger is not only the largest railroad car ferry built, it is the only remaining coal fired ship  operating in North America and is on the Register of Historic Places.  The 410 foot Badger was built in 1940s as a ferry to carry railroad cars back and forth across Lake Michigan.  She was converted to a car ferry that can hold up to 600 passengers plus 180 automobile, buses and large trucks.  Her trip across the Lake takes about 4 hours.   You can see a large tank being loaded into the Badger in the picture on the left. We saw a tour bus follow that tank. There were a lot of passengers onboard who were willing to pay $70.00 one way to cross the lake. This ferry trip saves 400 miles of driving.