Grosse Ile: Island Life

For 20 years, Leonard and Donna Garbacz have sailed into the Ford Yacht Club on idyllic Grosse Ile island and tied their skiff along the reaching row of boats that angle their way in to moor here.

But in 2009, the Waterford couple motored their way aboard their gleaming “Time Enough” Tiara, trading their sailing days for voyages at higher speeds.

“Once we got into our 70s, we figured we should stop running around on tilted decks,” laughed Leonard, on a late summer afternoon at the 340-slip marina on the island’s west coast.

While their mode of transportation has changed, the Garbaczes’ destination has not. They still prefer to putter around the Grosse Ile area to take in its scenery and activities, only now they’ll be observing the regular sailboat races rather than racing buoys.

But that’s OK with them, because there’s plenty more to do and see when you’re out on the water around Michigan’s southeastern border. Cedar Point is about 40 miles away in Ohio, along with the party-prone Put-In Bay and Geneva on the Lake. The Detroit Yacht Club, the Grosse Pointes, Lake St. Clair and Canada are even closer jaunts for a day trip launching from one of the several yacht clubs and marinas, both private and public, which encircle Grosse Ile.

The waterscape here from a boating perspective is dramatic in its excesses. On one side of Grosse Ile, long-abandoned factories and the remnants of Detroit’s gritty automotive heydays provide a looming backdrop across the Trenton Channel.

On the island’s southern side, the Grosse Ile Naval Air Station stood poised in defense for 40 years while serving as a key military flight training location. Today, it is the site of the municipal airport, primarily used for general aviation and as landing space for the aircraft that arrive for annual events.

Over on the island’s east side, the wide and swift Detroit River separates Grosse Ile and Michigan’s eastern seaboard from Canada, and watching the freighters navigate the watery expanse is a mesmerizing pastime itself, whether on land or dwarfed beside them on the river.

Taking a boat trip around Grosse Ile is also time well spent; the stunning and exquisite estates on this long-established, exclusive enclave for the well-to-do gives further meaning to pleasure boating.

Together, it’s enough to keep boaters like the Garbaczes busy on warm summer weekends. “Now that we have the powerboat,” says Leonard, “we’re just going to hang around for a change.”

About Grosse Ile and downriver Detroit

Grosse Ile is both an island and a township in Wayne County and it encompasses several islands, the largest of which is referred to as Grosse Ile (from the French, meaning “Big Island”).

The year-round population on the 18.3-square-mile island is about 10,500. Those year-rounders are accustomed to the boating lifestyle, particularly since almost 9 square miles within the island’s borders are water. Throughout the inland areas, small canals and lakes criss-cross the landscape, providing opportunities for smaller boats, canoes, kayaks and water sports aplenty.

Along the Detroit River, Grosse Ile is the largest island, and its 12 associated islands make for fun day-trips for the boating crowd. Technically, the main island is actually two: the “main” northern section, called Hennepen Point, is uninhabited and separated by a non-navigable canal. The southern section is where the action is, with several tony yacht and golf clubs, those beautiful homes and access via bridges back to mainland Michigan.

Small bridges connect the southern end to islands including Elba, Upper Hickory, Hickory and Swan, which are inhabited and home to the Elba-Mar Yacht Club and the Grosse Ile Yacht Club.

The other islands surrounding Grosse Ile in the Trenton Channel and the Detroit River are Calf, Celeron, Dynamite, Fox, Stony and Sugar islands, all of which are uninhabited and a few of which provide a natural playground for boaters who anchor here.

In this populous southernmost section of Michigan, finding such pristine parks and recreation areas is rarer than in the less-populated regions of the state. It’s been an important goal of the state of Michigan and local residents to keep the lands that way; Stony and Celeron islands are owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Calf Island is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The other islands are privately owned.

MBIA members near Grosse Ile:

Hurst Marine Contractors and Salvage, (Boat Hoist USA), 24119 W. River Road, Grosse Ile, (734) 676-6944
Humbug Marina Inc., 13400 Middle Gibraltar Road, Gibraltar, (734) 676-6633
Damark Marine Specialties Inc., 29021 Wilson Ave., Gibraltar, (734) 676-2880
Gibraltar Boat Yard Inc., 23731 N. Gibraltar Road, Gibraltar, (734) 676-3177
Pier 500 Marina, 525 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte, (734) 283-3941
Bob’s Indoor Boat Storage, 7 St. Johns, Wyandotte, (734) 324-7000

 

Yacht clubs, marinas:

Elba-Mar, 28817 E. River Road, (734) 692-2633, elba-mar.com
Ford Yacht Club, 29500 South Pointe Road, (734) 676-8422, fordyachtclub.com
Grosse Ile Yacht Club, 29677 E. River Road, 734 676-0211, giyc.com
Water’s Edge Municipal Marina, 25215 W. River Road, (734) 675-3920, grosseile.com

 

Catch the IslandFest

A weekend of fun for families, boaters, residents and visitors is held each June, and in 2010 IslandFest is scheduled for June 5-7. Events, a parade, amusement rides and more take place around the Grosse Ile Municipal Airport on the island’s southern point. www.grosseile.com.

Michigan Boating 2010 » Grosse Ile: Island Life