Dear Pete:

I fly a Cirrus SR22, that is based out of the Chicagoland area. I could save about 20-40 minutes depending on the direction of travel if I elect to fly across Lake Michigan but, the ditching possibility always prevented me from doing so.
I remember that many years ago, on an August day, I went into the lake just off of Montrose Harbor but, when it got knee deep I could not take the cold anymore and ran out. Based on that limited experience, I developed a lot of respect toward the Lake.
I got the message that the raft is the right solution.

Thanks for all the input,