Residents, Shop Owners Part of Cherished Memories
To the Editor:

My wife and I have fully embraced the island's culture, their residents, and have a love and respect for the Island and the many businesses and people that transcends our physical distance here in Indianapolis. While we were engaged to be married, I told my wife about Mackinac Island and its "magic" of being nothing like the present world below, with its quaint shops, very caring people, and beautiful homes and landscape. We watched the movie, "Somewhere In Time," together and cried not only due to the story-line, but also the sheer beauty of the area. Grand Hotel, to us, was a major "character" in the movie, with its magnificent structure and well trained staff always ready to welcome citybusy people to a quiet retreat.

I like to write poetry and on our wedding day, I read my beautiful bride a poem that reflected on her and Mackinac Island and, of course, parts of "Somewhere In Time."

We have enjoyed four lovely visits to the Island since 2004 and each visit is better than the previous one. We can't say enough how much we appreciate the many residents and shop wooden ships and boats.

After some 14 years of laying here and there, being refitted and restored, the Welcome has been out under sail and completed her sea trials in late August. For the first time since 1983, her square rig was filled with a stiff southwest wind as I was privileged to be part of the crew that day.

As the captain allowed me to take her helm, I knew what the early voyagers must have known-life under sail is like no other.

The museum is in Traverse City on 6th Street and is open noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday year-around. We are a volunteer and nonprofit organization and are always looking for persons willing to donate old boats for restoration, or help us refinish them. The sloop Welcome is at the energy dock of M-22 with her sister ship, the schooner Madeline, is returning from a tour around Lake Michigan this summer.

Happy sailing to my friends on Mackinac.

Captain David North

Traverse City