Best Sailing Location (Detroit, Bay City, Port Huron: to rent, crime, refinance)

[xcalgal]

Hi Friends,
My husband and I are still thinking about what to do if we should sell our home in Washington State. Our plan was to move to Michigan, but we have not found our ideal next home yet. We know there are areas of Detroit which are quite nice (st. clair shores for example?). What do you think will happen to these places as this economy grows worse?

Hubby wants to be on a beautiful lake and own a sailboat: Lake Huron, Bay City, Port Huron, Lake Michigan, (Traverse City too far from everything).

I would like to be near an airport so that is the draw of Detroit. If we live on Lake Michigan, how long would it take to get to a moderately sized airport from the city you suggest? Chicago might be the best, I would think as you could fly anywhere without changing planes.

Okay, I know you insiders have the keys to finding our next home. If I had my druthers, politically, it would not have any extremists in any direction. Asking for miracles?

[Coldjensens]

Buchanan maybe?

[Anthera]

Saugatuck

[mazenblue]

You might want to look to Grosse Ile. Lots of sailing done on Lake Erie. I believe there are 2 yacht clubs on the island. Approx.45 - 1 hour drive to Detroit Metro Airport.

[Coldjensens]

Grosse Ile is wonderful for a suburb. Great community, great schools, lots of woods and wildlife (and of course water everywhere). Waterfront homes are incredibly cheap right now (I know because I am trying to refinance mine). Homes that were a million or more are now in the middle $400s or less. Canal homes are considerably cheaper (i.e. $250k maybe less for some of them). If you are going to sail, you want to make sure that you are not between the bridges. Otherwise they have to open the bridge for you to get anywhere. There are three yacht clubs plus a marina owned by the township. About half of the residents have some sort of water access and even if you are not on the water, you can usually find a dock to rent for a cheap price once you get to know some people.

We are actually about 1/2 hour from the airport, but I usually leave 45 minutes to be safe. I fly out of DTW about 20 plus times a year, but usually early in the morning (thus there is no traffic). that time depends in part on how far away your are from he bridges. Hickory island adds another ten minutes (but it is the perfect place to raise kids if you can afford it). We are also half an hour from downtown except for not with the 75 closed it takes 47 minutes.

Grosse Ile is on the Detroit River and partially in Lake Erie. The water is pretty clean (look up the information on the INTERNET. It is one of the cleanest rivers in any major municipality - believe it or not). You have access to the River, Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. It is a sailors Paradise. (Note one Olympic sailing winner was/is a member of one of the Yacht clubs. I cannot remember her name).

However if you do not need to be near Detroit or DTW, the West side of Michigan is beyond compare for beautiful lakefront areas both inland lakes and Lake Michigan.

[trinkit]

Coldjensens: Are you thinking of Dawn Riley? She was/is an America's Cup sailor.

[xcalgal]

Thanks all.

[Coldjensens]

There was some gal who just won a gold medal for saling in the olympics.

[djones87]

You should definetly make Grosse Ile your top choice. Excellent sailing all around - the GI Yacht Club has races all summer. Schools are great and crime is nonexistent. Airport is 30mins max.

[trinkit]

Originally Posted by xcalgal

Hi Friends,
My husband and I are still thinking about what to do if we should sell our home in Washington State. Our plan was to move to Michigan, but we have not found our ideal next home yet. We know there are areas of Detroit which are quite nice (st. clair shores for example?). What do you think will happen to these places as this economy grows worse?

Hubby wants to be on a beautiful lake and own a sailboat: Lake Huron, Bay City, Port Huron, Lake Michigan, (Traverse City too far from everything).

I would like to be near an airport so that is the draw of Detroit. If we live on Lake Michigan, how long would it take to get to a moderately sized airport from the city you suggest? Chicago might be the best, I would think as you could fly anywhere without changing planes.

Okay, I know you insiders have the keys to finding our next home. If I had my druthers, politically, it would not have any extremists in any direction. Asking for miracles?

I owned a 37-foot Morgan 1T and kept it at various marinas around Lake St. Clair for several years. Although Lake St. Clair appears to be just a wide spot in the Detroit River and pretty shallow with an average depth of about 16 feet (the freighter channel is dredged out), there were plenty of places to sail into -- from the Clinton River at Anchor Bay down to the the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle IF you watch your charts.

When I moved the boat from Lake St. Clair down to Lake Erie there were only 2 places in Michigan that I could take the boat (she drew 6-1/2 feet), Toledo Beach Marina and Bolles Harbor. It was tricky to put into Grosse Isle, although there are MANY sailboats there. I just never enjoyed sailing Lake Erie as much as I did Lake St. Clair.

I also never got used to BIG difference in the water depth in the spring vs the fall. While in Lake St. Clair we would typically sail from March all the way thru to the 1st of December. Most marinas could take the boat out with the mast still up. (Taking a 55-foot mast down that is stepped on the keel is a MAJOR undertaking.) I never dreamed that I would have trouble taking the boat out in October. In the spring all the water in Lake Erie flows into the west end, however, just the opposite happens in the fall. My boat was, at one point in time, sitting in 3 feet of water! My sailing partner and I were down at the marina 3 times a day taking readings and had a ONE HOUR window in which to move her out of her slip at Bolles Harbor to her winter storage at Toledo Beach.

Just things to think about when choosing a marina in the Detroit metropolitan area.