Milwaukee to Green Bay via Lake Michigan

[Scott Huse]

Need opinions, would a AR 195 be able to make the trip from Milwaukee to Green Bay on Lake Michigan. I would probably just follow the shoreline for the most part. Has anyone every tried it or a similar trip?

I know I would probably need to get fuel along the way, still don't know what my range is.

Any opinions would be welcomed and appreciated.

 

[Julian]

Totally depends on the weather....boated quite a bit on Lake Michigan as a teen, and the water was very unpredictable. Wave frequency was always the biggest problem we had....hammer the crap out of you. But somedays you could get out early and it would be glassy.

We would do many out and back trips down or up the lake. Not sure there is much to see between Mke and Green Bay. But the horn is something you need to watch out for....Porte des Morts, or as it's now called, Death's Door....its called that for a reason.

 

[BobJohnson]

Thats a looong run. Milwaukee to the turn into the bay is 160 miles (according to google maps)... 123 miles to the sturgeon bay ship canal, but don't know if that is open to pleasure boats. I've just boated on inland lakes, so a achievable bucket list item for me is to do Lake Michigan, which I plan to do this year. But somewhere in and between Chicago and Winthrop Harbor (il/wi boarder). If you end up doing this trip, please update us...

 

[RiverRat]

Sturgeon Bay is definitely used by boats of all
sizes. I've done a lot of work on the draw bridges up there over the years and have often caught myself daydreaming while watching all the lucky boaters go by.

I've got a little Lake Michigan experience, maybe a dozen times in my Yamaha, mostly running across the Milwaukee Harbor to and from the river mouth. Occasionally if the wind is out of the west I'll venture out of the breakwater a little. I did spend a little time out on a three Mast sailboat out there in Schooner School when I was 13 or 14. If you had a good stretch of little or no wind or light winds out of the west I could see it working out.

I did spend a day out of Sheboygan on a friends 14' Seadoo Speedster once with southeast winds. That was a blast! But I don't think I could take that kind of a beating anymore.