A Quaint Cove
Windjammer Marina: 100+ years on Crooked Lake
The view from Del Mecum’s back deck probably didn’t look too much different 100 years ago than it does today. Except there wasn’t his back deck.
But there was the same serene expanse of tree-lined lakeshore across barely-rippled waters, the dramatic hills that still look remote and untouched, and a quiet
lagoon off one of Northern Michigan’s most undiscovered lakes, Crooked Lake.
This is not a place to see or be seen; it is, instead, a piece of peace.
In recent years, a stretch of six pastel colored boathouse condominiums, Woodruff Cottages, has been tucked into the quiet inlet at the 100-plus year old Windjammer Cove, one of the longest-operating marinas in Michigan and the oldest on the pristine Inland Waterway.
“I actually wasn’t looking for a condo,” said Mecum, a Bloomfield Hills resident who found Windjammer when a good friend bought a condo nearby at another development. “But I saw it and I fell in love with it. Plus, I ski and do everything outside all winter, so I use it all year.”
Fishing is a summer love, and having a boathouse to tie-up his 21-foot Everglades “Boston Whaler on steroids” is pure convenience, he said. The only thing missing from his condo, he laughed, is a ship’s wheel on the upper balcony off the master bedroom.
You really do feel that close to the water at Windjammer, which is appropriate since the marina has lapped the lakeshore since 1904. At that time, it was a hub of activity for resorters who arrived mainly by train into Oden. They relied on their boats for transportation then, and while U.S. 31 travels past the property today, the significance of the waterways around the property still runs deep.
In 1991, Harold “Woody” Woodruff purchased the marina business, and in 2000 he bought the land. He and his business partner, brother Paul Woodruff, envision developing communities of 30 more tidy condos and boathouses to set beside the existing condos, boat store (ice cream, spirits, snacks, clothes, gear, etc.), gas and pump-outs, docking and bathroom facilities and more for travelers taking advantage of the marina’s position along the famous Inland Waterway.
The waterway starts in Crooked Lake and travels northeasterly through the Crooked River and ultimately to Lake Huron, about a six-hour boat trip one-way away. “One of the biggest advantages for us is the access to the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterway,” Woodruff said.
The historic property will continue to maintain the features that have long defined it as development progress, he added. “Our vision is to have this be a landmark on the lake and a little fishing village community,” Woodruff said.
Part of the charm of this peaceful cove is the calmness of Crooked Lake here. The water glistens more than it moves, which is just the way Mecum prefers it. His boathouse/condo and the others were designed by architect Damian Farrell of the Hobbs & Black firm in Ann Arbor with a look of early boathouse design and summer-cottage architecture. The units boast two-boat, two-car garages, with contemporary living spaces above.
The three-story condos are up to 2,000 square feet, with open living room and dining/kitchen floorplan. Mecum’s condo presents a modern look on the historic lake, with nautical touches and color palette that blends into the lake out his windows.
The floorplan capitalizes on use of space, including a living room on the main level that converts to sleeping space, with a full-bath across the hall, and a loft area between bedrooms and bathrooms on the upper level, again providing more room for Northern Michigan fair-weather crashers.
“Sometimes I have a real gang here,” added Mecum, who has 10 grandkids, “so the space works out well.” HL
