Sturgeon Bay, WI

Trip Day:	165	Latitude:	44°49.59 ' N	Locks Today:	0
Miles Today:	0	Longitude:	087°22.60'W	Locks Total:	81
Total Miles:	3,288	Location:	Sturgeon Bay,  WI

Taking off on our bikes, we found Hot Tamales open for breakfast and thought, “why not!”  It turns out Mexican food is a pretty good way to start your day.  Next stop, the Door County Maritime Museum. 

 

 Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay has a long history that continues today; from early schooners and barges to WWII ships of all kinds to tugs and custom yachts today.  Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilders were a major part of the war effort with 85 launchings throughout the war years.  Contracts with the US Navy continued through the 1980s.

The Mark V Sea Stalker was the most unique vessel, designed to carry 16 SEALs with full combat gear.  This one-of-a-kind ship was 71ft long and capable of 50kts—it was the only one ever constructed.  

 

In 1956, the first Travelift was developed and pulled by a truck.  Within a year the first self-propelled   mobile boat hoist was introduced. 

 

 

The tour of the Tug John Purves proved to be very interesting.  Our tour guide was a member of the five-year restoration effort and the tug looked as though it had just been launched.  She was built in 1919 with a length of 149 ft. and a beam of 27.7ft.  This boat, originally the Butterfield, was a coal-fired steam-powered ocean going tug.  She served as a supply ship in WWII.  In 1957, at the Sturgeon Bay      Shipbuilding Company, the tug was re-powered with two GM diesel engines and renamed the John Purves.  In the year 2000 she was donated to the museum after 81 years of active service. 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22nd  - STURGEON BAY, WI

 

 

 

Moving a little slow this morning—Jean has a sore throat and ears.  We knew we only had 14 miles to get into Sturgeon Bay, but by the time we headed into the channel, the southerly winds were really kicking up the whitecaps.  We had to wait 20 minutes for the bridge, then 15 minutes for the next bridge but before long we were at Bay Marina taking on fuel before pulling into our assigned slip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY,  AUGUST 21st. - LITTLE STURGEON BAY

We felt like we were honorary members of the yacht club before we left—what a fun group!  Headed north with winds from the south, we raised the sails and surfed our way up the coast.  By the time we reached Little Sturgeon Bay, the winds were strong and the seas frothy but our anchorage was well protected.  It has been customary for swarms of tiny little gnats to be   clinging to our screen enclosure by the time the anchor is set.  They were especially bad this afternoon so we zipped up tight, relaxed and read books until time for dinner.  By ten o’clock the clouds had cleared giving us full view of the millions of stars and the Milky Way—wish we had a camera that could capture the beauty!