Upon arrival at Manitowoc, we were told to go to slip A41. I told Ben we wouldn't fit and he said the same. A guy in a sailboat on the slip next to that asked our beam and he told the dockhands we definitely won't fit there, so they moved us to the fuel dock for the night. This seems to be a pattern for us in Lake Michigan marinas! I guess they have mostly monohulls.
The couple in the other slip came to welcome us to Manitowoc and said they'd seen us on the AGLCA Forum and Facebook group. I still think it's so funny when our reputation/being proceeds us. They told us they are starting their loop in the fall on their other boat, not their sailboat. They told us where to find the maritime museum, a sand sculpture event, and said we could borrow one of their 2 cars if needed.
We set off, on foot, to the Wisconsin Maritime Musuem. It always feels good to stretch our legs and move a bit, but being offered free transportation is a plus as well.
This was an incredible maritime museum with a variety of exhibits. They are the only known museum with a Great Loop exhibit. It was really cool to see where we've been and where we're going in a museum!
They also had a tank of several sea lampreys and the kids have a lot of knowledge (and fear?) of these fish, so they were beyond thrilled to see them in person. If you don't know what these are, look them up. They are equal parts ugly and creepy, accompanied by nightmarish stories.
There was a kid water section with toy boats people could put in water. Exploring how running boat toys behind a stream of air demonstrated the effect of wind on water and boats. Small-scale locks going up and down a river were cool to play with, as we have done so many locks this leg of our trip, and each time I think about how they operate, my mind is just blown by the logistics of it all. There was also a place to show how river water can irrigate crops in farm areas. Other hands-on exhibits included experimenting with currents, maximizing cargo, water pumps, and water power. All of this was so cool to see, make sense of, and play with! I've never been more impressed by a hands-on (kids) exhibit!
Manitowoc used to build submarines, and there were 28 submarines built here for WWII and only 4 of those 28 didn't make it.
The USS Cobia is behind the museum, so we got to walk through it after the other exhibits. It was very similar to the USS Becuna, the submarine we toured last summer in Philadelphia. Turns out they were built by the same company a year apart.
From the museum, it would've been another 1.5 miles to get to the sand sculptures and everyone was hungry, so we went back to the boat for the night. I later saw that the Sputnik IV crash site from 1962 was just a few blocks from the marina, but we ran out of time for that. That would've been cool to see, for sure!
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