I'd think a little more outside the box. I think that Grand Traverse Bay would be a fantastic place to keep your boat and it is about a 3-hour drive from Kalamazoo. You could cut that distance down if you want to live a bit north of K'zoo. You say you do 4 hours currently, so it's an improvement! Northern Michigan is phenomenal for weekend vacation destination.
To get there with your boat, take the Trent-Severn waterway to skip most of Lake Ontario and all of Lake Erie. Of course your mast comes down to get to St. Lawrence River via Richelieu River, but you can visit 1,000 Islands and then go straight to Georgian Bay through the Ontario lake country. I've been dreaming about that route! Put your mast up in Georgian Bay and sail through the North Channel on your way to the Mackinaw Straights and Lake Michigan. You will be hitting the highlights of the Great Lakes and skipping the misery of Welland Canal, Lake Erie, Detroit River, etc. I think I'd find the Ontario lakes country more interesting than Erie Canal.
I would choose Elk Rapids or even Charlevoix as the final destination. After a full season there, you still have the option to move south if the commuting is bothersome. If you truck your boat to a southern destination, you will miss an incredible experience, and you may never find out just how spectacular the north end of Lake Michigan is. Cruising destinations from Grand Traverse Bay are about the best you'll find anywhere.
To get there with your boat, take the Trent-Severn waterway to skip most of Lake Ontario and all of Lake Erie. Of course your mast comes down to get to St. Lawrence River via Richelieu River, but you can visit 1,000 Islands and then go straight to Georgian Bay through the Ontario lake country. I've been dreaming about that route! Put your mast up in Georgian Bay and sail through the North Channel on your way to the Mackinaw Straights and Lake Michigan. You will be hitting the highlights of the Great Lakes and skipping the misery of Welland Canal, Lake Erie, Detroit River, etc. I think I'd find the Ontario lakes country more interesting than Erie Canal.
I would choose Elk Rapids or even Charlevoix as the final destination. After a full season there, you still have the option to move south if the commuting is bothersome. If you truck your boat to a southern destination, you will miss an incredible experience, and you may never find out just how spectacular the north end of Lake Michigan is. Cruising destinations from Grand Traverse Bay are about the best you'll find anywhere.
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