Questions for you Lake Michigan Sailors

Boomer54 · Jul 22, 2016

Generally, Chicago Harbors are very, very expensive. As you move further north up the lake, prices become much more reasonable. Main marinas going north include Waukegan, Northpoint (Winthrop Harbor is the town nearby), Kenosha WI, Racine and then Milwaukee. I live in Iowa but have a 45' slip at Reefpoint Marina in Racine. Racine does have an Amtrack station. But, there are folks from central Illinois who drive it, not all that far. PM me if you want and I can get more specific if you like.

Stu Jackson · Jul 22, 2016

A good friend of mine sails out of a harbor just north of downtown Chicago, off a mooring, not a dock.

IIRC, from my many conversations with him, the most important piece of equipment he has on board is his weather app.

Tally Ho · Jul 22, 2016

There are a few options in NW Indiana, just south of Chicago.
I have a slip at East Chicago Pastrick Marina. Not much to look at, but the price is reasonable. I pay $2,030 for the season for a 30-foot slip. Another $1,000 for winter storage (outside).

Hammond Marina is closer to Chicago, nicer amenities, but also a bit more expensive (but cheaper than Chicago marinas.

Greg

quadrille38 · Jul 22, 2016

Marina on the Michigan side tend to be much less expensive than the Illinois or Wisconsin side although it would be longer drive for you.

In general you will find that the shore on Illinois / Wisconsin is more rocky and the harbors are often man made in the lake. On the Michigan side you will see more sandy shoreline and the harbors are rivers or lakes connected to the lake by channels with piers (although some people call them jettys in other places). We get a lot of people who come across the cruise the Michigan side because of the plentiful and well developed recreational harbors. The State of Michigan has in the past collected a dedicated tax on marine fuel which is used to fund harbor development. There is a harbor generally space at least every 30 miles or less in many cases.

As far as sailing, we get waves whereas on the ocean you get swells. The waves will have shorter periods and can sometimes be steep. There are some previous threads on the site that talk about sailing on the lake. You might find them useful

Dalliance · Jul 22, 2016

Kito,

Interesting....Amtrak to Union Station and a short walk, bus, taxi or uber to one of the three downtown Chicago harbors -- Dusable, Monroe or Burnham -- would actually be pretty convenient. Rates for those harbors range from $49/ft to $120/ft depending on Harbor and choice of mooring, stardock or gated dock with utilities. There is a 25% surcharge for non-city residents. Sorry about that. No doubt more expensive than other Lake Michigan harbors but you may find yourself weighing the lower cost of more remote harbors against convenience and travel time vs sail time. You can get harbor information, rates, applications, etc at www.chicagoharbors.info. There are other harbors in the city as low as $36/ft for a mooring, but they may not be the best choice for you. PM me for more specifics.

As for sailing Lake Michigan, what may be different for you is:
1) The waves and their frequency, as quardrille38 mentioned.
2) Volatile, fast moving weather systems. Conditions can change surprisingly fast.
3) Cold water - dangerously cold early in the season.
4) No hard growth on the bottom - just slime - and green fuzz if left too long.

quadrille38 · Jul 23, 2016

kito said:
Thank you all for your input. I guess the dollar per foot is not monthly but a 6 months fee? All boats need to be hauled out and has a lower rate for the remaining 6 months?

Yes rates are typically seasonal. You will pay a summer slip rental, then a haul out charge and a winter storage rate (we pay around $18 a lineal foot for mast up outside winter storage). That includes haul out, power washing the hull, and spring launch).

Dalliance · Jul 23, 2016

kito said:
Thank you all for your input. I guess the dollar per foot is not monthly but a 6 months fee? All boats need to be hauled out and has a lower rate for the remaining 6 months?

Yes, the numbers I gave you are for the season; May 1 to Oct 31. Winter storage is available at a few of the Chicago Harbors on the harbor parking lots, but most go to private facilities on the Chicago and Calumet Rivers or other locations around the lake.
I pay about $3,300 for my slip in Burnham (As a non-resident it would cost you around $4,100.) and about $1,800 for winter storage at Canal Street Marina, on the Chicago River. There are cheaper storage options farther away, but Canal St is about 12 minutes from my office, 25 minutes from home, and I willingly pay for that convenience.
I think a mooring in Burnham or Monroe would run you a little over $2k for the season.

Daveinet · Jul 23, 2016

OK, I'm really scratching my head here. Why in the world do you want to put your boat in Lake Michigan when there is a great lake well known for good winds, not far from where you live. I should think 26,000 acres should be plenty big enough for your 30 footer. The lake is 2 -3 miles wide and 8 miles from one end to the other. The lake is loaded with other sailboats, has organized races Wednesday nights and Saturdays. Very few power boats, except for the fishing boats along the shore lines.
Look up Carlyle Reservoir.

Daveinet · Jul 23, 2016

Never been to Rend Lake, but I can see it is smaller because it is divided by a causeway. From a blog I read, it has more power boats,

Siamese · Jul 24, 2016

You'd most likely find that you'll do a lot more sailing if you sail one of the large lakes closer to you.

I'm in Muskegon, Michigan and here we have the option of sailing Muskegon Lake, or Lake Michigan, depending on conditions. Lake Michigan sailing is awesome. There's plenty to like about it.

Here's why I question the idea of taking the train to a boat kept in Chicago. Weather. You're going to spend a lot of time traveling only to get to your boat and find there's no wind, too much wind, or thunderstorms. The other thing that'll happen is you'll look at the weather forecast, see that it looks a little iffy, and not go. Only to find out later that between 11a.m. and 8:00pm the sailing was perfect. And you missed it.

Sure, we take our Catalina 28 north, and visit other ports for vacations. That's a lot of fun. I've been doing that my whole life, and is why I now live next door to the marina. However, most of the time, we daysail. Back out of the slip, make a beeline for the channel to Lake Michigan, then sail ten miles out and ten miles back. Return to slip. How is that different from sailing in circles? Not much.

If you want to experience the Lake Michigan thing, PM me and get yourself up to Muskegon and I'll get you out for the day on Straycat.

Daveinet · Jul 24, 2016

kito said:
Daveinet, about what would I be looking at for slip fees on Carlyle?

I camp there, so I don't use a slip, but a quick look online shows $6.25 per ft per month, not great but certainly cheaper than Chicago. I keep telling myself I want to move there.