The Star of Saugatuck cruises the waters of the Kalamazoo River and Lake Kalamazoo, an inland lake or swell of the river that the shores of Douglas and Saugatuck share. The Kalamazoo River is approximately 130 miles in length. The mouth of the river is at Lake Michigan and it runs almost the entire width of the southern portion of Lower Michigan. The river has a rich history of being used for transportation, trade, fishing and recreation.
The Star will also go out on Lake Michigan at the Captain’s discretion based on weather conditions. Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes located wholly within the United States. It is surrounded by Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. It was discovered accidentally in 1634 by Jean Nicolett. By volume, Lake Michigan is second only to Lake Superior as being the largest of the Great Lakes. The northern part of the lake is in the colder, less-developed upper Great Lakes region which is also home to many ship wrecks. It is sparsely populated and is primarily covered with mixed wood forest. The more temperate southern basin of Lake Michigan is the most urbanized area in the Great Lakes system; it contains the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan areas.
Lake Michigan’s average depth is 279 feet, its maximum depth is 925 feet. It is also 22,300 square miles of fresh water, its volume is 1,180 cubic miles and has 1,638 miles of shore for us to enjoy.
While enjoying a stroll along the lakeshore you may lucky enough to find a Petoskey stone, found only around the Great Lakes.