Moving to Manitowoc

Day 95  |  Sturgeon Bay to Manitowoc  |  7.5 Hours  |  52 Miles

The Michigan Street Bridge opens on the hour and we were waiting for the 7:00 passage. The Oregon Street Bridge, less than a quarter mile away, opened at 7:15 and, just like that, we were heading down the Sturgeon Bay Canal and out into Lake Michigan. The white tower of the Sturgeon Bay Canal Station Lighthouse, located at the Coast Guard station, and the red North Pierhead Lighthouse at the end of the north breakwater, combined to provide a rare opportunity to capture two lighthouses in one photo.

The waves on Lake Michigan had settled in at a manageable 1-2 feet and we had a fairly smooth ride south. As we neared our destination of Manitowoc and the entrance into Maritime Bay, the water started to change color to a nice, tropical shade of turquoise. A thin ribbon of bright blue water can be seen close to shore in the photo of Rawley Point Lighthouse. A short time later, we were surrounded by it.

At the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse we entered the channel to the town marina. To port is the western dock for Badger, a ferry that makes a four-hour, 60-mile run across Lake Michigan twice daily. It is the only coal-fired steamship still in service and we look forward to getting a closer look and learning more about this ship tomorrow. As it pulled off the dock on its 2:00 run, we were in the middle of fueling up with 400 gallons of diesel. After that, we made our way to our slip and slid ourselves in with a little help from the dockhands. Needing a walk, we stretched our legs on the walkway circling the marina, leading to the lighthouse. The area is a Wildlife Conservation Zone and there were mallards, heron, swans to observe along the way.

From across the basin, Crossroads can be seen with the lighthouse in the background. We walked to the end of the breakwater and around the beacon. We took turns with another group capturing our tourist photos in front of the light. We will be here in Manitowoc for a few days waiting for the weather to break. Tomorrow will be stormy and the wave forecast for the Lake is a bit frightening. The red in the center is predicted wave heights in excess of 12 feet. It will be best to hang tight and explore town.