The Merry Anne

In the hush of an early summer dawn on Lake Michigan, a lone blue‑painted schooner named the Merry Anne drifts into view, her red‑shirted captain at the wheel. The narrative opens with two lifelong friends recalling their lakeside childhoods—mist‑shrouded steamboats, daring dories, and the restless spirit that only the Great Lakes can summon. As the story unfolds, we meet Dick Smiley, the charismatic skipper who keeps his vessel perpetually fresh, and the youthful crew who labor beneath his swagger, each holding their own hopes and grudges.

Through vivid, almost tactile descriptions of the harbor at Manistee, the clamor of rivermen, and the stubborn tugboats battling the wind, the tale captures the raw energy of a working‑boat community. Listeners are drawn into the rhythm of deck work, the banter between seasoned hands and a seventeen‑year‑old apprentice, and the looming promise of a sunrise departure that could set the Merry Anne on a new, uncertain course.