Grand Haven is known as one of Lake Michigan's premier boating destinations. With at least 6 large private marinas, several more smaller marinas, and a municipal marina, there are a lot of boats here. Add to that an active Coast Guard Station, very nice State Park, public beaches, sand dunes, and a town that really caters to boating, there is a lot to do here as well.
There is also a grandstand at the water's edge where performers put on live variety shows, as well as the Grand Haven's famous musical fountain. Grand Haven itself isn't a large town, but just large enough to have lots of fun. The downtown area is adjacent to the Municipal marina. Its just a short walk to shops and resturants. A quaint trolly also provides transportation throughout the downtown area and most marinas.
By the way, for those of you that think the Great Lakes are just "wading pools", please notice the catwalk to the lighthouse in the picture above. That catwalk was used when the lighthouse was occupied, to allow the keeper to get to it during storms. Anyone venturing out during bad storms on the pier below could easily be swept away. Bad storms with 10ft waves or more are not uncommon. Even today, its not unheard of for someone to be swept off a pier somewhere in the Great Lakes.
As you enter the channel, "US Coast Guard - Grand Haven" is to your right. This is a fully-manned station with life saving responsibility. In addition to this new ship, the Coast Guard has several Zodiac boats. In conjunction with the US Army Corps of Engineers, they also maintain navagation bouys from this location as well. The town of Grand Haven has a really good relationship with the Coast Guard. One of the highlights every summer is the week-long Coast Guard Festival - held each year in early August.
As you head up the Grand River, you pass an industrial area. In addition to several gravel yards, an electric power plant is located in this area. Here the Agawa Canyon from Sault Ste. Marie, Canada is off-loading what appears to be limestone. It's some kind of rock anyway.
The next stop up-river is a Swing Bridge. Further up-river yet is a Bascule Bridge on US highway 31. The swing bridge is for railroad traffic, and is usually open. The Bascule Bridge, on the other hand, usually opens twice an hour during the summer months, and on request at other times. You can usually call the bridge operator on VHF to request an opening.
As if on queue, the Bascule Bridge opens in front of our very eyes. Since it was early in the season, the sailboat had to contact the bridge operator to request an opening. The boat had to wait about 20 minutes for the bridge opening operation to begin.
Our marina - Grand Isle Marina - is located just up-river from the bridges. In total, it is a couple of miles up-river from the pier head. The In-and-Out entrance is on the east side, so you actually have to pass the marina, then turn back west. That fancy tower is where the fuel dock is. The fuel dock also includes a small convenience store. In addition to small boats like mine, this marina can handle "Mega-Yachts" over 100 ft in length. Makes you feel kinda' small when you are berthed next to one of those. In this area - even 50ft'ers are considered small!
Here is our boat being lifted out of the launch well by one of the three forklifts operated by the marina. To prevent marring the boat, the forks have synthetic rubber tubes on them that look to have tube walls at least 4 in thick.
My boat is being backed into the bo'tel for the evening. Gosh, I feel the same way I did when my sons went to Boy Scout camp for the first time.
Up the boat goes into the "third floor" rack. Hey, no boats above mine to drip water on it. It'll be up with there with the birds though!
Since I originally created this page, we sold our Sundowner, and purchased this 1999 Four Winns Vista 268. We are still in Grand Haven, but we moved into a slip at North Shore Marina.
In the summer months, the French registered cruise ship "LeLevant" can be found docked in the channel - adjacent to the Coast Guard station.
During Coast Guard Festival, there are usually several Coast Guard ships moored in the channel. This is the ice breaker Mackinac - down from Cheboygan, Mi.
The last night of the Coast Guard Festival is a spetacular fireworks display. Here, boats get into position to watch the fireworks - hours before the start. This channel is normally 400ft wide, but temporary bouys are placed into the river for the event, and it narrows down to about 100ft wide.
Grand Haven Links:
Grand
Haven, MI
Barrett Boat
Works
Grand Isle Marina
Grand Isle Marina Web Cam at the
launch well.
Keenan Marina
North Shore Marina
Rycenga Marina
Wharf Marina