[PyrateJim]

Detroit Freedom Fireworks is wednesday, June 25 with the rain date being the 26th.

This is our first year of attempting it by boat. Actually, this is our first time going south of a Gull Island to Cut-Off Canal line.

Anyone else gone there by boat?
Any tips of what NOT to do? or where NOT to go?
What is a good time to get there and get anchored?
Anyone else planning on going?

 

[BoatChic]

Isn't this the same day as CK's Jacks Tiki party?
If so, i'll just watch the fireworks from land there.

Anyhow, it's not easy to anchor in the current of the river. Also watch out for others that think they're anchor is set and are drifting towards you.

Captnpegleg will have an anchor story to share if he see's this post, he had to cut his anchor line and leave it behind one year cause it got caught under a cable or rock!

Good luck, it really can be a good time

 

[JABBERJAWZ]

OK. First I leave at 6 pm and head down. Then I go just past the Belle Isle bridge and anchor at the southern most tip by Belle Isle. It's kinda shallow and you still get a great view. After the Grand Finale you can just sit in your boat, have a beer, relax, and watch all the crazies race by you to go home. Then after they have all left, you can cruise home. I have been going down there for 5 years now. I have done it all different ways and this is the best way I have found to do it. Last year Convincor and I tied off. If you wanna join, you are more than welcome.
Jabber

 

[INSTIGATOR]

I've been going down by boat for 20+ years & JABBERJAWZ is right. Get there EARLY & stay until all the crazies have left. I would change the location to as close as you can get to the fireworks. Otherwise, you'll have all the IDIOTS (and there a LOTS OF THEM DOWN THERE!) rocking your world!!

 

[PyrateJim]

Not sure about making CK's party

as we will have some little peeps onboard, but will be doing the fireworks by boat this year. Will probably leave HCN around 6p and start heading south. Lots of first's with this outing.........

First full season with a boat large enough to handle LSC & rivers.

First time going to the fireworks, by land or by sea.

First time going south of 14 mile by boat. (always been metro/anchor bay/gull/algonac)

I was just planning on going south till I hit the shipping channal and taking that into the Detroit river and anchoring somewhere close in. The kids would rather be closer to the barges and I agreee about all the crazy zipping by and rocking my world. Might even be able to leave a little sooner as we would already be on the tail end getting out verses waiting for all the krazy's to pass by.

 

[Guest]

We went down 2 years ago and did exactly what Jabberjawz says to do. Anchor in the shallower water at the end of Belle Isle, wait for the yahoos to clear, etc. That was the first time we went and I was a little unimpressed with how far away we were. We used to go to Labor Day fireworks in Cinci and you could anchor really close to them, and they had a far better show. It's set to cool music, they incorporate the bridges, and it's really well coreographed. Not 3 barges sending up the exact same thing at the same time. The Detroit show could be much better if they put some more thought into it.

If that night is the first time you will be heading down there, why not scope it out this weekend or next? That way you'll know what to look for...

 

[Guest]

One other tip - If you pass Belle Isle on the US side, stick to the marked channel because you don't want to be running over the Scott Middle Ground. I did once because I didn't check the chart, only to look down over the side of the boat and see weeds and the bottom of the river only a few feet below. Luckily the water was higher then. Look at a chart and you'll see what I'm talking about...

 

[PyrateJim]

We may do a wet run friday afternoon/evening, just depends on the weather and what else may be going on on the lake.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[MoreDefiant]

PyrateJim - As people have mentioned, the river is very fast. I would anchor near Belle, which I usually do. If you are going to anchor in the river, make sure you let out plenty of line and power set the anchor.

 

[JABBERJAWZ]

QUOTE(MoreDefiant @ Jun 12 2003, 07:16 PM)PyrateJim - As people have mentioned, the river is very fast. I would anchor near Belle, which I usually do. If you are going to anchor in the river, make sure you let out plenty of line and power set the anchor.
After the show you may lose your anchor out there too. I had to cut one loose a couple of years ago out there.

 

[Tango 7]

Jim, Don’t forget about the no wake from the pumping station to the bridge. As others have said take a look at the chart and stay clear of Scotts middle ground. We anchor the rescues boat there for the Thunderfest and it was around two feet last year. The worst time I was ever on a boat was trying to leave from the fireworks when everyone else did. Sit back wait for the people that have no business driving a boat to leave, then enjoy the ride back with the family.

 

[JABBERJAWZ]

QUOTE(brinik @ Jun 12 2003, 08:22 PM)Jim, Don't forget about the no wake from the pumping station to the bridge. As others have said take a look at the chart and stay clear of Scotts middle ground. We anchor the rescues boat there for the Thunderfest and it was around two feet last year. The worst time I was ever on a boat was trying to leave from the fireworks when everyone else did. Sit back wait for the people that have no business driving a boat to leave, then enjoy the ride back with the family.
Agreed.....There's no rush to get back.

 

[PyrateJim]

Just got off the phone witht he Coast Guard on Belle Isle. They are closing the Detroit River to all traffic from 8pm until midnight for the fireworks.

Only question I have is what about leaving before midnight. Do you have to sit and wait until they say you can leave or is it just for downbound traffic at this point of the river?

Not that I was going to rush out of there. But if I can get out at 11:30pm, do I have to wait?

 

[mcdougal34]

how long does it take to get down to belle isle crusing around 30-35 mph...and where are they closing the detroit river at?

 

[Guest]

Where are you starting??

 

[PyrateJim]

All depends where you are coming from. Travel time will be a lot less coming from 9/Jefferson than from New Baltimore.

Coast Guard informed me the river will be closed from the Ambassador Bridge to the southern tip of Belle Isle, (end of Island closest to the Ambassador bridge, just down river from the Belle Isle bridge). It will remain closed till midnight, but you can leave the area sooner as long as you are headed back into the lake and do not attempt to transverse the river. They do suggest that if you plan on leaving before midnight, to anchor further to the back, up river, as it will be EXTREMELY crowded.

Weather forcast for wed., 6/25 is mostly sunny with a high of 82 and a low of 59. Wednesday evening is partly cloudy.

 

[mcdougal34]

sorry about that...i plan on leaving from clinton river

 

[PyrateJim]

With flat water and little traffic getting into the Detroit river, I would guess about an hour. We are leaving from HCN, just south of 16 mile, and never having made the run before, I'm planning on about 45 mins to an hour.

Being that this is our first season with this boat and never having been anchored for more than a couple of hours at a time, I have an unproven fear of anchoring for the 6 or 7 hours total and then going to start up the boat ony to learn my batteries are dead. The only things I can see us running are cabin/cockpit lights (as it gets dark), fridge, vhf radio and stereo. We have 3 batteries that were bought new last oct. Do I have anything to dread? How do you peeps do it when you anchor at Gull/moot/strawberry for the day. First time gitters I guess.

 

[Guest]

Figure 22 miles or so from the Clinton River. Also plan on it taking longer on the way home. Night driving takes a lot of attention and if visibility is good, usually the fastest I'll run is my minimum planning speed. There will also be a lot of inexperienced boaters out, so know the rules of the road, don't expect everyone else to know them, and drive very defensively.

As for anchoring, 'they' recommend 7 feet of line for every foot of depth. If you're in the shallows around the island, there usually isn't a problem, but if you are in 35-40' in the river current, you should have 250 - 300 feet of line out. I once tried to anchor a 21' with 150' for a Red Wings parade, and it wouldn't hold.

I'm not familiar with how 3 batteries are hooked up, but if you can turn your starting battery(s) off and just use your house battery while you're anchored, you should be fine. To test it, try starting the boat with only one or two batteries switched on. If it starts, just make sure you have those batteries turned off while you are anchored. I'm assuming the biggest drain on your system will be the fridge, so you might want to turn that off and pack a cooler instead.

 

[PyrateJim]

Okay, so far it looks like we have:
Jabberjawz,
Instigator,
McDougal34,
PyrateJim,
going to the fireworks by boat. Anyone want to try and put this all together, at least for the ride down, and we all cruise together. Maybe even raft up? We'll have a 7 and a 4 year old with us and possible a few other's.
We plan on leaving HCN between 6 and 6:30pm.