Easy cruising sites abound along Wisconsin shore

The author of this article, Lou Bruska, is a 20+ year member of the GLCC. He and his wife, Laurel, may be the most experienced cruisers on Lake Michigan. Lou was also the Harbor Reports editor for many years. In this article, Lou gives his unique and knowledgeable take on such “ports less traveled” on the Wisconsin shore as Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Port Washington.  

– Commodore Doug Jackson

By Lou Bruska

After leaving the 2024 Escanaba Rendezvous and returning to our home port of Holland, Mich., we decided to take a route less traveled, at least for us.

We wanted to stop at some ports on the Wisconsin shore that we haven't visited for a long time. We skipped over two small communities, Two Rivers and Algoma. These towns were either too close to the destination towns to warrant a 2-day stay or had limited facilities.

As an aside, did you know there are pelicans Up North? In Green Bay and down the Wisconsin shore, we saw flocks of white pelicans. They’re swimmers when feeding, not plungers like their brown pelican cousins.

A Fishing Town

After departing Green Bay through the ship canal from Sturgeon Bay, we sailed to Kewaunee, Wis., about 27 nautical miles south. We set two goals for our return to home base:

1. Keep days and distances short, generally under 30 nm. and

2. Spend two days at each port, allowing a leisurely “lay day’ to explore our destination.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and were told we would have to tie up to the seawall that night. I was a little peeved as we made reservations eight days prior. On the wall, it is a straight shot to Lake Michigan and could be a bumpy night if there was rough water on the big lake.

We did have power and water at our location. The seawall is part of a busy little strolling park. We had a chance to talk with some locals and asked for restaurant recommendations. We weren’t let down.

We made reservations for The Ballering restaurant. It was a short walk to that corner bar with a nicer menu than most, and reasonable prices. Across the street, in the bandshell, a couple of old guys were doing ’60s and ’70s oldies. The restaurant kept the doors open so the music could be heard while we dined.

The next day we were given a slip amid a mass of fishing boats. One other sailboat was there, a tired-looking 30-footer.

The onshore boater’s lounge had a complete kitchen. I mean complete: stove, microwave, pizza oven, coffee pot and even dishes, along with a refrigerator and double sink to do the dishes. The fish-cleaning station was near the grilling area. Across from the parking lot was a classic neighborhood bar.

A restful port

Twenty-eight miles to the south is Manitowoc. On our way to the Rendezvous, we crossed over to Manitowoc and spent two nights there after our lake crossing. We decided one night would do fine for us on our way south.

I like the peaceful vibe of the marina. It has all the amenities you’d like, and the town is a short walk from the marina. Of course, there is the Maritime Museum. Submarines were manufactured in Manitowoc during World War II. It is a large museum with a WWII-era submarine on site. We grilled at the boater lounge and turned in early.

A major marina

It was a short, 23 nm sail to our next port, Sheboygan. We have been there several times. Our most recent visit was in 2017, on our way to the Sturgeon Bay Rendezvous. This time it seemed different. Mostly it was the marina itself. It seems the marina owners and town had some dispute and the town took over the marina.

The negative results were the closing of the pool, snack bar and store on the marina grounds. I can’t tell if that alone contributed to a feeling of emptiness, but it didn’t help that about a third of the slips were empty.

We walked into town. (Have you ever noticed that after leaving the boat, everything is uphill?) We ate at the Black Pig.  Nice restaurant with a huge wine list, but it would help if you had someone else’s wallet with you. There are bottles of wine with an $800 price tag. We used the lay day for laundry and grocery shopping.

The times they Are a-changin’

Port Washington was 26 nm south. I wanted to extend the trip to “The Port” for old times’ sake. While we never cruised there, we raced there a half dozen times from Muskegon in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This would be our first visit in more than 20 years.

Wow, what a difference two decades makes. The waterfront is now made up of condos and parking lots.

The transient basins outside the marina have power and water and seemed to be filled with more permanently docked boats. There is a nice walkway around the water and several restaurants and bars on the water. There is a large brewery/pub that takes up about a block of the waterfront.

We asked the locals, folks we met and business owners, what they thought. Most were not happy with the changes. Some thought, OK, it’s done, get over it and carry on. Others thought parking is an issue and the cost is prohibitive for the locals, particularly for those in the service businesses.

There needs to be infrastructure improvements, they said. Why bring this up? Our trip to Port Washington was supposed to be a walk down memory lane, but many of the old haunts were gone, replaced by shops. A couple remained, but they too were changed.

It appears Port Washington has transformed from a small-town north of Milwaukee to a northern bedroom community with vacation condos.

The next morning, we got up early and crossed Lake Michigan. Our time at the

Rendezvous, Green Bay and Wisconsin shore ended.

The wrap-up

What conclusions did we draw from our trip down the lesser traveled ports? For the cruiser, the distances are perfect for lazy meandering up or down the Wisconsin shore. Even if you skip over one or more ports, the travel distances are nice for a day’s run. 

All the ports had good boating facilities and the towns they service are nearby; Wisconsin drivers were exceptionally courteous to pedestrians on our trip.

A final thought: Fishermen leave too early in the morning. Between their conversations that carried in the still morning air and the roar of the engines starting, we were generally up with them at 4:30 or 5 a.m., way too early for us.