The trip was the last scheduled trip for the Phoenix that year, since the winter was already setting in. The Phoenix would take the passengers to Milwaukee and Chicago.

On November 11, 1847 the Phoenix took of. No problems occurred the first two days, but on November 13, captain Benjamin Sweet fell on deck and hurt his ankle. First he denied the pain, but the ankle got inflamed so he was confined to his cabin from November 16 on. The rest of the crew took over his duties.

The weather was good the first couple of days, but after the Street of Mackinac it turned bad. The had to wait a few days and also found shelter in Manitowoc Bay. The vessel had to be refueled there as well. Using the unexpected break, the crew visited some Manitowoc bars. The weather improved and around one o’clock at night of November 21, 1847 the Phoenix left for its next stop, Sheboygan, about 25 miles south of Manitowoc.