Sailing Grand Traverse Bay

Traverse City, where we are visiting our friends Dick and Gaila Mallery, is named after the bay of Lake Michigan -- Grand Traverse Bay -- at whose head it sits.  Grand Traverse Bay, in turn, was named after the "grand traverse," which was the voyage that French and Indian trappers made across its mouth during colonial and pre-colonial periods.

Tom Mallery, Dick's brother, was kind enough to invite the four of us to go sailing on Grand Traverse Bay on the afternoon of Saturday, September 22, 2018, so Dick and Gaila trundled us off to explore the Leelanau Peninsula that forms the western shore of Grand Traverse Bay, north of Traverse City.

Our first stop was Fishtown.  As early as 1880, commercial fishermen sailed out of Leland's harbor on the Leland River to catch trout and whitefish, building wooden shacks where they processed their catch and serviced their fleet. This collection of buildings came to be known as Fishtown. Today, the historic fishing settlement is owned by a non-profit organization, Fishtown Preservation Society. Fishtown is home to a working fishery and a thriving charter fishing business. The riverfront is lined by a boardwalk and quaint shacks that have been converted into tourist shops.

Here is a view up the Leland River in Fishtown:

We were fortunate to be in Fishtown during the run of Coho Salmon!  The Coho were introduced to the Great Lakes and now migrate and spawn on their own in the rivers that feed the Great Lakes.  While we watched, hundreds of salmon challenged the falls of the Leland River in Fishtown:

One clever fisherman tried his luck from a dock in front of a motel across the river from us:

He succeeded, hauled the fish in, showed it off, but then mercifully released it -- all for our pleasure.  In the photo below, his dog seems more interested in us than in the salmon.

Having explored Fishtown, where we picked up some scrumptious smoked salmon, smoked lake trout, smoked fish pates, and smoked fish sausage (!), we all sat down for a picnic lunch before heading off to our sailing adventure:

We drove back to Northpoint, on the east side of the Leelanau Peninsula, near the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay, and found Tom readying his sailboat for this day's voyage:

Dick and Gaila took their seats in preparation for our departure --

-- and Dick hauled the sheets as first mate and one-man crew for Tom:

Kathy and David got a chance to feel the brisk breeze on our cheeks as David held the wheel while Tom directed our affairs on the boat:

The winds were very light that afternoon, so our sailing was very sedate -- up until the time we decided to return to port, when the winds became quite brisk and gave us a chance to feel the thrill of sailing.

But it was all too soon that our sailing adventure was over.  As we docked, Tom and Dick worked to tie up the boat and organize the deck:

We really enjoyed our maritime adventure, and had a chance to ask the Mallerys to pose for a family photograph as we bid Tom adieu:

Driving back to Dick and Gaila's home near Traverse City, the four of us reflected on our afternoon's experience, enjoying the gorgeous weather as we headed south along Grand Traverse Bay.