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Sailing the Great Lakes
Michigan is often called the "Third Coast," because it has a very long coastline along four of the five Great Lakes, and its long coast is perfect for sailing. Whether the visitor is a day sailor or yachtsman, amateur or professional, Michigan has sailing vacations, destinations, and opportunities for everyone from the ultimate sailing experience, gliding under the Mackinac Bridge where the only sound is the wind whipping against the sails, to bouncing across the waves on a sunfish sailboat in a small inland lake. Michigan also has sailing for all seasons starting with a spring regatta hosted by the University of Michigan Sailing Club on the Huron River through summer on Crystal Lake where laser sailboats race at sunset, fall when sailors can see the rich autumn colors reflect on the pristine lakes, and winter when ice boats fly over the Lake Leelanau. The winds of Lakes St. Clair and Michigan are perfect for wind surfers who can soar over the tops of the waves.
Sailors can spend a weekend, month, or season visiting the beautiful harbors of Michigan and seeing the historic lighthouses, islands, and quaint coastal villages. Some sailors plan three or four summer vacations visiting the Lake Superior coast one season, Lake Michigan another season, followed by Lake Huron, and then Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. Other sailors return annually to their favorite sailing spots like Mackinac Island, Cedarville, and Les Cheneaux Islands.
Hearty sailors love to race. The two most famous sailing races are the Detroit to Mackinac Island and Chicago to Mackinac Island. After finishing the grueling races, the sailors and their friends enjoy the ambience of historic Mackinac Island with its beautiful hotels, including the Grand Hotel, fine restaurants, and shops. In addition to local sailing clubs organize races for children and adults, Muskegon and Holland have invitational regattas.
Almost every inland lake in Michigan, welcomes sailors. However, the type of sailboat depends on the depth of the lake. Houghton Lake is shallow and a Hobie Cat lovers dream. Higgins Lake, just a few miles from Houghton Lake, is deep enough to allow sailboats with keels. In Michigan, it is easy to find the perfect place to sail.
The Grand Traverse Bay is home to tall sailing ships. Visitors can spend a day on one of the ships or spend the night on the water as a visitor on one of the ships. Another tall sailing ship is a school ship, studying the ecology of the water.
Vacationers, who do not own sailboats but want a sailing vacation, can charter sailboats with or without a crew.
Sailing in Michigan waters is also a destination for world travelers who enter the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Fall sailing through early October is perfect on the Great Lakes, particularly Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. For sailors, who like to extend their seasons or become four-seasons sailors? There are lots of opportunities.
Great Lakes sailors can sail from Chicago south through the Illinois River system to the Mississippi River and try their hand at Gulf of Mexico sailing hitting the ports of Galveston, Biloxi, or the many communities in Florida as well as along the Inter-coastal Waterway.
Other Great Lakes sailors seeking four-seasons sailing can go through the St. Lawrence and Erie Canal systems to the Hudson River and down the east coast to find smooth sailing in the Inter-coastal Waterway.
Those Michigan and Great Lake sailors who prefer to follow the St. Lawrence Canal and River System to the Atlantic Ocean. By sailing south along the Atlantic Coast, the sailors can visit the great ports of Maine, Massachusetts like Cape Cod, Rhode Island with its famous Block Island, Connecticut, and Long Island, New York before heading for the Inter-coastal Waterway or deciding to sail around the Chesapeake Bay before the weather changes in the late fall.
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