Lake Charlevoix

This place is like something out of a fairy tail. Massive boats! You can't even find Surona amongst these boats! Parking my boat is like driving between the office buildings in downtown Toronto. Nothing but white fiberglass on each side. The big one on the end of the dock has bumpers the size of a big dingy. I'm pretty sure I saw someone inside waiving me in but they didn't come out on deck so I guess they were too shy.

The weather is really hot! Nice breeze but we could handle some air conditioning on this boat. We got some great pictures of some incredible "fairy tale hobbit like homes"...flowers everywhere, of course the lady of the house obviously takes her gardening seriously, not just leaving it for her husband to do.

We are still waiting for the next day we can stick Surona's nose out into Lake Michigan. Whoever said that the prevailing winds here come out of the southwest wasn't kidding! Those five footers just keep on pounding the shoreline.

Have to go, it's happy hour on the air conditioned trawler. Remember Peter walk slowly, don't look too eager!

Petrosky to Lake Charlevoix

I would say "on the road again"; however it would be inaccurate - we're on the water again.

Another bright sunny day and a great day to be on the water. Arrived Charlevoix about 3:30pm. We made it in time for the bridge so we did not have to wait, powered right thru. We were able to get dock space beside Selah and Trusty III.

The docks here are much lower; more like our docks; however they still have these posts along them which make it more of a challenge to get docked. Because the docks were lower we invited everyone to join us for cocktails on our boat. Peter took them out for a sail on Lake Charlevoix. Very light winds made for a very pleasant sail.

Returned to our dock. Met another couple who are traveling on a 36 foot Catalina I think they said. Also met up again with Steve and Linda from Yesterdays Dream and will join them for breakfast tomorrow.

Peter says " Mercy sakes alive, it looks like we've got us convoy!"

Till tomorrow.

Mackinaw City to Petrosky

Up at 6:00 am and on our way. What a beautiful morning. We first got some wonderful pictures of the Mackinaw Bridge with the night lights till shining. Once under and passed the bridge we got another photo of the bridge against a beautiful sunrise.

We made good time on the first leg of the trip about 6.5 k for the first 2 hours plus, then it was time to turn south down Lake Michigan through Greys Reef Passage the wind had built up a bit and the forecasted 2 foot waves had somehow grown to 4 feet with the odd one even higher. these were coming straight on the bow and really slowed us down to about 4 k for at least an hour. Once we were able to turn down to the east shore of the mainland our speed picked up by a full knot. Before too long we were just in big rollers. And what a terrific day. Full sunshine. And we got to see the sandy shore of eastern Lake Michigan that everyone has told us about. Mile after mile of sandy beaches. We even had all of the sails up on the approach to Petrosky and enjoyed some peace and quiet without the diesel noise.

We got into Petrosky shortly after 3:00. Peter had some boat maintenance to do and once that was complete we took a walked up to the main street. On our return we met up with Jim and Linda from Selah who were wanting to eat out and asked us to join them. We had the best pizza I have ever tasted. It could have been that we were all very very tired, hot and hungry. It really doesn't matter..... to sit in an air conditioned restaurant and eat pizza was delightful.

Returned and showered,. At 8:30 pm it is still very hot and not a breath of air.

Well we will see what tomorrow will bring.

Mackinaw City Still Still

This is Saturday August 28th. Well we are still here for another day. Can't complain the marina facility is beautiful, outstanding washrooms, and we are at the base if the main street. We have terrific neighbours - Selah and Trusty III.

Still having trouble getting my communications working the way I would like. Got hooked up onto skype so we can telephone home whenever we want. The telephone we to the other day can now go back to Walmart. I can receive calls and text from Canada but cannot call or text to Canada. Thats no good. Skype will work much better.

I still am struggling with getting my emails on the computer. A little more work there.

We were introduced to "pasties". Basically it is a meat and vegetable pie base wrapped in a flaky pastry. We had these for a very late lunch. On returning to the boat Trusty III invited us for a pot luck dinner on their boat with Selah. We couldn't possibly eat another meal so soon; but said we would join them for cocktails. Shortly after 9:00 pm we were ever so kindly asked to leave because we have a very early start tomorrow. This is going to be the day that we leave Mackinaw City to make the long trek to Harbour Springs. The weather stations are giving us good reports; this is the day we have been waiting for. We hope to be up and leaving by 6 :00 am About a 50 mile trip and will be a very long day - close to 10 hours. This will still be shorter than our day from Hope Island to Killarney.

Will get tucked in for the night to be ready and rested.

Till tomorrow.

Mackinaw City Still

Well we had another layover day in Mackinaw City. Hope we can get out of here soon before they start to charge us property taxes. You can look at 3 or 4 different marine weather sites for northern Lake Michigan and get a different report from each one. Frustrating. The talk now is to choose which site you like the forecast best from and go with it.

Apparently in this region the winds change about the middle of August and stay for quite awhile. There will be days that are better than others. Peter is thinking that perhaps Sunday has the best outlook.

Selah and Trusty III are here with us and another looper boat joined this afternoon.

We had happy hour on Selah and looked at the confusing computer weather forecasts.

Peter regrets not having me with him this afternoon. He had to carry two cans of diesel fuel all by himself for about a quarter of a mile. His only consolation was that this is Corvette weekend in Mackinaw City so he had to stop every so often and put the fuel cans down as he looked at another Corvette.

400 bucks worth of technology later

So you may have noticed a lapse in publishing. No we do not have writers block. This marina is supposed to have wifi but when we went to send nothing happened. We thought we would need to get on the Verizon platform at some time, might as well bite the bullet and do it now. Down the road to Cheboygan, the nearest (20 miles) Walmart where we got reunited with the digital universe. Cheryl breathed a sigh of relief like a sailor after passing a medical when she was once again in touch with her life line.

We are docked between two big trawlers, one from Montreal (french) and one from South Carolina (american). At our first communal Happy hour I was able to make fun of the Americans by doing a little Cable guy jokes but I had to come home before I could get into my French Catholic slander. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

Mackinaw City

Wednesday. Lay over day in Mackinaw. The next leg of our journey is about 60 miles to Lake Charlevoux. We are told by skipper Bob to wait for a light air day. Today calls for winds up between 20 to 25.

We went to the local IGA for needed groceries.

The main street is very much a tourist port. Ice cream, fudge, and sweat shirts. One sweat shirt said "If you mess with me, you mess with the whole trailer park" A sign on a store window said,"If we are closed, just push your money under the door."

The main street is unique. It is extremely wide. It has parking on the sides and also in the middle.

Good day to do the laundry and some boat cleaning.

The forecast looks like tomorrow may be a layover day also.

Drummond Island to Mackinack (Mackinaw) City

I went for a walk on Drummond Island before we left. I would have liked to spent some time in their museum but it didn,t open til 1pm. However I did find a plaque honouring the memory of an old woman who was the first woman inhabitant here in the early 1800,s. Her husband died and she self schooled her 11 children with the same values she had carried with her from her CANADIAN background.

Nothing too exciting happened today. I felt I should run into something just to have something to report! We left Drummond Island down through Detour Channel, hung a right at the light and headed over toward Mackinack City where we hoped to stay while some bad weather passed. Around 5pm we needed an Ice Cream fix so we stopped off at Mackinack Island. This place never ceases to amaze me...after an Ice Cream cone, some low cal fudge and the smell of fresh horseshit on our shoes we were back on the boat, heading for Mackinack City five miles away.

Mackinack Marina employees directed us to tie up at dock 56 right nest to some other Loopers we had met near Macrea Lake with Brian and Carolyn a couple of weeks prior. Small world.

The wind is starting to howl. I will check the ropes and crawl in the sack with old dead eye and see what tomorrow brings.

Blind river to Drummond Island

The weatherman still says this heavy overcast is sunshine. I hate to see what partly cloudy or mild diahrrea means to him.

He also says we will get 15k winds out of the east. These will propel us westerly at a comfortable five or six knots toward Drummond Island. If we leave at around 10am we should cover the forty plus miles in six or seven hours landing us on Drummond around five to clear customs. Great plan. We slowly pulled out from the dock with classic dexterity that would make any sailor envious. With a smug slam of the gearshift and a resounding surge forward we lunged from the protection of the breakwall smack into some unknown underwater obstruction. Maybe it was dense acumulation of partly cloudy. It certainly stopped us in our tracks. Cheryl as always trying to get in on the drama smashed her head into the companionway raising a considerable bruise above her left eye. Thats my story and... The wind did not come up so we motored for forty plus miles and arrived at Drummond Island around five. Just in time for the huge cloud bank to roll away to the south and the sun to come streaming thru.

The customs people let Cheryl bring too much cigarettes and booze into the US out of pitty.It is becoming obvious that she has been abused.

Blind River

Woke, showered and had breakfast at the cafe at the Marina with Steve and Linda from Yesterdays Dream. How civilized.

Cast off for our new destination - Blind River. We had a cloudy overcast sky, but the sun was to peak thru. Winds N NE 15K. Great winds for us to sail. We did some more dredging on our way out - again between the first and second red marks. Same dredging area as on the way in. Took us about 15 minutes to get clear.

We sailed the Whalesback Channel from Spanish to Blind River. Water, Rocks, and Trees. Scenery that the North Channel is renowned for. A great day for sailing - the only thing that was missing was the sunshine.

Enroute we were passed by Attii, another GBSR competitor. They are travelling with Tom's Treat also from the GBSR; destined for Blind River.

After arriving we walked into town and found what maybe our last Tim Horton's for awhile.

Spanish Marina, North Channel

This blogging is a responsibility. Miss a day and then the email comes in. Where are you.

Some anchorages don't have coverage for the mobile stick.

After Covered Portage we went back into Killarney to pump out and get fuel and water. Were successful with the fuel and pump out, but got busy talking to friends Bob and Carol Booth off of Crackerjack and completely forgot about the water. We have raced against Crackerjack in the GBSR for many, many years. They are always great competition and a lot of fun. They had spent time in the North Channel and were waiting to go back home. Sadly they said they had participated in their last regatta. But then they said that last year too.

Had to go for the famous fish and chips and ice cream cone. The Killarney tradition.

Left Killarney to overnight at Heywood Island. A beautiful anchorage and great nights sleep.

Then we were off for Little Current to catch the 10:0 am bridge opening. They do not leave the bridge open for 15 minutes if you are not sitting right in front of them. We were approaching and could have made it if they waited the 15 minutes. But it was not to be. Waited for the 11:00 am opening.

We were off for the North Channel. Where to go. We decided on Croker Island as a protected anchorage from the expected SE winds and a thunderstorm overnight. There were 23 boats in the anchorage. It was quite congested in the area we wanted to be so we anchored out a bit.

Well at midnight the storm woke us from a sound sleep as it moved through. Winds were from the north. What the ..... Croker is a great anchorage for all wind directions except the north.

The storm passed very quickly and by 12:30 it was only rain.

From here on we are sailing in virgin territory to us. All of the new navigational systems Peter worked so hard on are making sailing life a breeze. We are delighted with the chart plotter; it displays where everything is relative to the boat. So much easier than reading charts and hoping that you are where you think you are or sometimes hope you are.

Peter has often talked about Spanish and wanting to go there. So off we go. It is an overcast day with chances of rain and a thunderstorm overnight. A marina tie up and shower will be most appreciated. The channel to Spanish is buoyed and is quite shallow. Sand bottom. We helped them dredge a bit on the way in. Got stuck on some of the sand bottom; but skipper Pete and his mighty diesel pushed thru'. A really nice marina, with good docks, and yes those promised showers.

Day 4 - What a Great Day!!!

We laid over for 2 days waiting for a good weather day. The weather was to change around midnight with the winds decreasing from 20 to 10. Got up at 1:30 am. I made coffee while Peter got his toys aligned and setup. We needed to take advantage of the window of opportunity that the weatherman said was at hand.

We had till noon to get to Wingfield Basin.

After 2 hours of preparation the radar was on and we set out in the dark. It seems like the waves were just as high as the previous day but we could not see them so we proceeded. What we originally thought was some kind of beacon light on Hope Island, was flares over the western shore somewhere. We were entertained by the flares for the first 2 hours of our trip.

I let down my guard for a mere half hour and got some sleep, and woke to find our new destination was Heywood Island in the Killarney/Manitoulin area. A mere 77 miles more. We should get there by 5 or 6 pm. Peter has always talked about an overnight trip to Killarney for fish and chips.

What a romp. The weatherman said the wave height would be 1 meter or less. Someone should get the weatherman a new measuring tape. One of those 1 meter waves splashed over the cockpit. It was a great day. The sun was shining, and we were sailing up the center of Georgian Bay on our way to Killarney. It doesn't get any better than this. We couldn't have chose a better day if we had planned this for a lifetime. Waves and wind on the beam and then falling to the back corner of the boat. 5 hours in; auto was doing a mighty fine job - only 1/3 of a mile off, course. Technology is wonderful.

As we approached Manitoulin, but still 3 hours out, the waves and wind began to change and come more forward of beam and the wind was picking up 25 plus. The rail was in the water more often, and the ride was not as comfortable. My skipper agreed to furl some of the sail and approach closer to Manitoulin. He is trying to keep the cook happy. He will have to spend a lot of time with me and it is more fun when I am not terrified.

On a wild chance we radioed for friends George and Dorothy on Lucretia. They had spent the summer in the North Channel. We didn't expect a response. To our surprise, they were sailing on the south side of Badgely Island within sight and planning to spend the night with friends at Covered Portage. We joined them. Harold and Sue Darch on Vision; Rod and Marcy Miller on Windmiller; Quintessence all from the Midland Bay Sailing Club.

Arrived about 6:30pm Visited, had dinner and now time to tuck in for the night.

Day 3, Tuesday

Sure hope this is not a sign of things to come. This morning left Methodist Bay and attempted to cross to Wingfield Basin. High winds and high seas turned us back to Hope Island. 10 hours of pounding and stress didn't seem like a good way to start our vacation. Peter is talking about trying a night crossing if the winds die down. Otherwise there is always tomorrow.

Day Two

Only twenty miles out and already we are waiting for better weather. We will spend the day here at Methodist Bay bouncing around on the anchor listening to the weather reports trying to master all this technology I installed. So far I have a great map of the weather systems resident in Ohio....great. We are watching many other brave souls fighting the elements out on the open bay. With 40 or so miles to go to Cabot Head I think we can pick a better day.

Keep your bumpers dry.

Pete

Getting Away

What a send off!!! Thanks to Brian and Carolyn for hosting. Everyone enjoyed great snacks and multiple drinks. Thanks to all for coming out to wish us well and give us a terrific send off. As it came time to be off; Carolyn read an Irish poem and Brian read a poem he created and then we all had a champagne toast. We were escorted out Midland Bay. Brian said that was so we didn't change our minds.

Hope no one was stopped by the police on their way home.

We sailed to Methodist Bay near Awenda Park and stayed for the first night. We had a swim to cool down, in fact it was a two swim night.

We are still trying to find a home in the boat for everything that we brought. I think it is going to take awhile to get everything organized. We seem to have time to do it now.

Good night. Till the next blog.

Only 4 More Sleeps

We are down to the short strokes now. Everything is coming together unexpectedly well.
The plan is to leave shortly after Noon on Sunday August 15th.
Excited and sad at the same time. Looking forward to the experience and sad to think we will be away from everyone for such a long time.
Now all we need to do is get the boat provisioned. Decide on what clothes we will need.
Still making arrangements with a trucking company to truck the mast from Chicago to Mobile. Hopefully this will be finalized today.
Today is planned to be the last day in our offices. Will use Thursday Friday and Saturday to get the boat settled.
WOW! This is really going to happen. It no longer is a dream, a wish, or something that we will get around to. Soon we will be able to stroke this one off our Bucket List.