Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City, MI

Monday, July 28, 2014

The wind was blowing when we got up Monday morning so we were not in a hurry to leave for the short jaunt across the lake to Mackinac Island (both Mackinac and Mackinaw are pronounced with the sound of "w" at the end). We borrowed two bikes from the marina and rode to the grocery store to pick up a few things and when we got back we decided it was time to get underway.
After stopping at the gas dock to take on fuel we tried to time our departure so we wouldn’t run into any of the ferry boats leaving St. Ignace. The water was a little rough between the wind and the wakes but it was only an hour to get into the harbor at Mackinac Island and when we got there the sun was shining and we were ready to be tourists.

Fort Mackinac
 

From the boat, the first thing we could see was historic Fort Mackinac where the cannon was fired almost every hour and a bugler played reveille each morning and taps in the evening.  Just a short jaunt from the harbor put us on Main Street – the sidewalks were filled with people and the street was filled with bicycles and horse drawn carts. There are no cars on the island. We had been told by friends that it would smell like horses and fudge – and they were right! Every other store seemed to have fudge and ice cream and the rest of the stores sold t-shirts and souvenirs.

There were bikers of every age and size
 

This photo only hints at the numbers of tourists, bikers and horse drawn carriages that were making their way along Main Street.

Horse and carriage on one of the side streets

Most of the homes were beautiful painted ladies with lots of flowers
 

Many of the homes were inns and bed and breakfasts but there were also private homes and mansions. We saw the Grand Hotel which the island is famous for but didn't do the tour. We also watched a tall ship that we had seen at St. Ignace pull into the harbor and struggle to maneuver up to the pier. A dinghy had to help push it into place.

Tall ship making it's way into the harbor

The tall ship was open for deck tours
 

Captain’s Log: July 28, 2014
Departed: St. Ignace Marina, MI 12:05 p.m.
Engine hours: 1 hr. – 5.31 nautical miles
Actual hours: 1
Arrived: Mackinac Island Harbor 1:05 p.m.
Wx: winds N at 15-20 kt. A little rough on crossing

Tuesday & Wednesday, July 29 & 30, 2014

We were able to stay on Mackinac Island for two full days and we happily joined in on the walking and biking and shopping for t-shirts. We had lunch one day at the Pink Pony which was highly recommended and worth the visit. We were glad when some fellow loopers arrived - Burke and Stel on Estrellita, their Monk 42, and Meg and Jim on Sanctuary. The next day we greeted David and Margo on their catamaran, CatCall.
Burke and Stel celebrated an anniversary on the 30th so we had  hors d'œuvres and a champagne toast for them on our boat. Loopers don't need any excuse to get together for "docktails" but it is always fun to have a special occasion. We also toasted Jim and Meg who were about to make the last leg of their  Great Loop journey the next day when they would arrive at their home port Harbor Springs, MI.

Kathy with Margo, Meg and Jim

Burke and Stel

The anniversary couple donned their "glad rags" to go out to their anniversary dinner. I recently read that glad rags was a term used to describe the attire of a sailor of the 1800s on liberty to go ashore, when he always dressed in his best and brightest clothes. Seamen had to be skillful in needle work and in off time they would adorn their clothes with colorful decorations. Interesting how the term is still used today, but I don't think Burke and Stel sewed their own clothes.

Thursday, July 31

We were ready to be on our way and because it was forecast to be windy we just made the short journey from the island to Mackinaw City. It only took us about an hour and we had time to take a walk and window shop at even more touristy shops with fudge and t-shirts... minus the smell of the horses. We did find a sweatshirt and long sleeve t-shirt to add to our wardrobes. The days have been unusually cool and if the trend continues we will need some extra layers. We hope as we cruise south along Lake Michigan things will warm up a bit!

A last look at the Grand Hotel as we were leaving the island -
it is said to have the longest porch in the world

Relaxing at the outdoor mall in Mackinaw while doing a little retail therapy

 

Captain’s Log: July 31, 2014

Departed: Mackinac Harbor 9:45 a.m.
Engine hours: 1.4
Actual hours: 1 hrs. 30 min
Nautical miles covered: 6.5
Arrived: Mackinaw City Marina, MI 11:15 a.m.
Wx: Clear, winds WSW at 5 -10 kt. 

 

Out of Canada

Friday, July 25, 2014

We got up and left early while the winds were still calm – didn’t need a repeat of yesterday’s rollers and taking waves over the bow. Today was much nicer but still cool so we were in the cabin with John driving at the lower helm for most of the trip. The one exciting thing that happened is that we turned over a 1000 miles for this trip. No mean feat since our speed is an average of 7 1/2 MPH and we only travel a few hours a day!

That little speck in the lower left corner is our boat on the chart plotter.
 

We arrived at our destination and hardly anyone else was there. Meldrum Bay Marina had nice docks, but that was about it, with a small building housing the office and the washrooms. We walked down the road in one direction and stopped in the old and quaint country store and browsed through a very rustic museum. The town does have an inn which offers rooms and meals, and with just a couple of houses we didn’t see much of a town.

Marina office on left, inn and store. Rain was threatening for the evening
 

John remarked, “I think we have reached the end of the earth.” It was the end of Manitoulin Island, anyway! They did have some ice cream at the store, however, so all was not lost.

Captain’s Log: July 25, 2014

Departed: Gore Bay Marina 6:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 5.1
Actual hours: 4 hrs. 50 min
Arrived: Meldrum Bay Marina 1:45 p.m.
Wx: Clear, SW winds 5-10 kt. No problems, comfortable cruise

Saturday, July 26, 2014

The forecast was for rain but the winds were calm so we both woke up at 5 a.m. and got ready to go. It was overcast, misty and the dawn was barely breaking when we pushed off. We did catch a glimpse of the rising sun later as it peeked through a break in the clouds, looking red as if in warning.
 

Sunrise over Georgian Bay

Our highlight for the day was reaching the United States on Drummond Island, MI and going through customs. The agent who cleared us was very nice and since we didn't have any illegal drugs, citrus fruit, red peppers or onions on board she gave us our approval and sent us on our way. We motored over to DeTour Village, MI to the state operated marina there where we spent the night.

John was excited to spot US land in the distance!
 

Our experience in Canada has been wonderful. All the people we met there were so friendly and helpful and we couldn't help but enjoy their sense of humor. The water in the North Channel is crystal clear - we were amazed at how we could see the bottom even at the end of the dock - and have seen rocks impressive enough to write home about.

Captain’s Log: July 26, 2014
Departed: Meldrum Bay Marina, 5:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 6.8 hrs.
Actual hours: 6 hrs. 50 min
Nautical miles covered: 42.76
Arrived: DeTour Marina, DeTour Village, Michigan 1:30 p.m.
Wx: Overcast, mist, winds SE at 5 kt.  Smooth ride, no rain

 Sunday, July 27, 2014

The early morning in DeTour was very foggy and we could hear the fog horns from two tankers that were making their way to Sault Ste. Marie. The forecast called for rain and possible thunderstorms. Thinking that we would spend a weather day in DeTour, I did a load of laundry and was ready to walk through the little village.
However, John was talking to a Michigan boater on the Mainship, Bellissimo, next to us and they decided that with the calm winds and no imminent threat of severe storms it would be a good weather window to make the fairly long run over toward Mackinac. We untied and off we went, following Bellissimo since they had made this trip several times before.
We traveled through clear skies, into a fog bank, then into a light rain shower but the water and winds cooperated.

DeTour Point Lighthouse
 

The first landmark we passed was the DeTour Point Lighthouse. You can see the fog bank behind it obscuring the land. This lighthouse was actually manned and we are not sure if the little boat in front had just dropped off the lighthouse keeper for the changing of the guard or not, but I was able to zoom in and see him clearly.

Lighthouse keeper looking out over Lake Huron and
perhaps wondering what to do all day
 

We had made reservations at Mackinac Island for the next day so we proceeded to St. Ignace which was nearby on the Upper Peninsula, or UP, of Michigan. We were glad to enter their protected harbor and make a brief stop where the residents of the UP or Yoopers (rhymes with Loopers) proudly call home. The town is a launching pad for some of the ferries that cross over to Mackinac Island all day long so it was a good introduction to our much anticipated next stop.

Ferryboat with it's rooster tail plume
 

At the end of 8 weeks of cruising we have traveled over a thousand miles, that's a total of 976.2 nautical miles, maneuvered through 83 locks, taken on 411 gallons of fuel and made countless new friends. We have great memories to carry with us as we travel on.

Captain’s Log: July 27, 2014

Departed: DeTour Marina 10:55
Engine hours: 5.7 hrs.
Actual hours: 6 hrs.  25 min.
Nautical miles covered: 38.61
Arrived: St. Ignace, MI
Wx: winds calm to NW 5 kt. Fog, rain north and south of us but just experienced a light shower

 

Water Fallin' in Kagawong and on to Gore Bay

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

We spent another day in Little Current, which should be named Big Wind because it didn’t stop blowing all day following a restless night with waves slapping and lines stretched and groaning. We kept setting a deadline that we could leave if the wind calmed a bit, but the flags and pennants were straight out all day and each deadline passed until we finally knew we would be here another night; it's not such a bad place to be.



Boardwalk along the harbor - we were on a long dock
 

Lots of loopers were here, including this catamaran named CatCall

 

This work boat was parked near us - love the name John D'Eau -
or in the US it would be John Doe

 The two days we were there gave us such a great opportunity to get to know other folks who were doing the loop. We met at 6 each evening to share stories and talk about where we were going to go next.



John sits between Sue and John from Thanks Dad and across from
Margot and David from Cat Call



  

Burke and Stel from Estrellita with Kathy

 On a little side note - we had been seeing rocks piled up in the figure of a man ever since we had reached the stony areas of the Canadian Shield. I finally looked them up and found that they were called an inukshuk which were originally built by the Inuit people to guide travelers. I never got a good picture of one but there was a small example in the window of the Anchor Inn and the gift shops have all kinds of replicas. If this looks familiar, the inukshuk was the logo of the winter Olympics recently held here in Canada.

 

Small inukshuk at the Anchor Inn marking the way to the bar

 

 Thursday, July 24, 2014

 Finally, the winds died down enough for us to be on our way again. Today we made the trip to Gore Bay with a stop at Kagawong at the south tip of Mudge Bay. This is a small town on the same island of Manitoulin which is mostly known for the lovely Bridal Veil Falls.
Another looper boat, Estrellita, with Burke and Stel aboard,  joined us there at the Kagawong public docks. Our first stop was the almost 120 year old Anglican Church, a tribute to the sailing history of the area.

Burke, John and Stel checking out the Anglican Church

 

The pulpit is made from an actual bow of a wooden boat
 

Standing behind Bridal Veil Falls
 

 It was a short walk through a trail in the woods to the falls - they were higher than I thought from the pictures I had seen.

Snapping a photo of Burke and Stel

We were not properly prepared to visit these falls - almost everyone else had bathing suits on under their clothes. We watched a mother of two boys with their grandmother all go in for a dip and they had a wonderful time!

How long has this tree with gnarled roots been here at the top of the falls?

 We stopped for a light lunch at a little Kagawong café and wandered  back through town but we needed to be on our way to get to Gore Bay. We headed west when we left but Estrellita turned north to visit the Benjamin Islands. It was a bumpy ride, but we must be getting used to it!

Captain’s Log: July 24, 2014

Departed: Little Current 7:40 a.m.
Engine hours: 5.1 hrs.
Actual hours: 7 hrs.  50 min. (includes stop for walk and lunch in Kagawong)
Nautical miles covered: 32.54
Arrived: Gore Bay Marina 3:30 p.m.
Wx: Winds west 10-15 kts. 3-4 ft. waves on bow – crew was calm, cool and collected

 

Reflections on Baie Fine

Reflections on Baie Fine

Sunday, July 20, 2014

One of the most highly recommended visits in the North Channel is the trip up Baie Fin (pronounced Bay Fin) to the Pool. This is a 9 mile long fresh water fjord, one of the few in the world.  It was about a two hour cruise from Killarney to get there and the waters were calm and winds favorable. As we entered the bay there were a few rocks and marked channels to go through, but then we were in the wide quiet of the fjord with white quartz rocks and trees lining the way.

We anchored in the Pool at the end for the night and some other looper boats, Lindy and Sanctuary, were already there. Their crews came by in their dinghy to say hello for a minute. What a beautiful place to be anchored for the night! I realized that I hadn’t picked up the camera all day. We are at the northernmost point of our trip and are at the western side of the Easter Time Zone so the evening are still very long and it didn't get dark until almost 10 at night.

Captain’s Log: July 20, 2014

Departed: Sportsman’s Club Marina, Killarney 10:10 a.m.
Engine hours: 3.8 hrs.
Actual hours: 3 hrs.  50 min.
Nautical miles covered: 22.75
Arrived: Anchorage in the Pool at the end of Baie Fine 2:00 p.m.
Wx: Wind calm, cool – overcast, fog reported in Baie Fine but burned off as temps rose, nice cruise, no issues

Monday, July 21, 2014

What a beautiful place we are in as we look out over the Pool in the morning.

Mist rising over the pool

Water, rocks and trees - but beautiful at sunrise!
 

Leaving Baie Fine

 

Such a beautiful place - no bugs, no noise, no cell, no internet - but it did have a very grassy bottom where our anchor was sitting. We had watched the day before as the boat Sanctuary pulled up it's anchor and their friends on Lindy came over with their dinghy as they went through the laborious process of clearing all the build up of grass off their chain. Now it was our turn.

John got in our dinghy and I pulled him around to the anchor chain, making sure he was secured to the boat. I used the winch to pull up the chain little by little as he pulled off the grass in huge clumps. It took about a half an hour to complete the job. Fortunately there was no wind so we didn't drift as our anchor came off the bottom. We were soon on our way as we went back into the North Channel - destination: Port of Little Current on Manitoulin Island.

Captain’s Log: July 21, 2014

Departed: The Pool at Baie Fine, 8:30 a.m.
Engine hours: 4 hrs.
Actual hours: 4 hrs.
Nautical miles covered: 22.06
Arrived: Little Current, Downtown Docks 12:30 p.m.
Wx: Clear, light south winds

Tuesday, July 22

There were several other looper boats here in Little Current when we arrived yesterday, including Thanks Dad which we had not seen since Trenton, a month ago. Some of us got together for cocktails last evening and most of the group was up early this morning to attend a "Cruriser Net" broadcast over the VHF radio that boaters listen to. It was interesting to hear all of the boats in the area give their names and location as they checked in with the commentator. At least 115 boats checked in this morning.
They also read the forecast and it was not promising for today with high winds and thunderstorms moving across the area. Everyone agreed that it was a good day to stay in port which gave us a chance to get groceries and explore some of the little shops along the main street.

photos of Little Current to come... picture a small town harbor front with a wide boardwalk, lots of boats that have come in because of the weather, the usual ice cream and fish fry stand, a laundry and post office. The internet connection here is sketchy, weather is still nasty as of Wednesday morning and we are not sure when we will be departing.

 

We can't believe it's not Georgian Bay!

Friday, July 18, 2014

After topping off at the gas dock at St. Amant's  the next morning we made our way back out Byng inlet and into the small craft channel. This was full of more rocks and twists and turns, but the channel was well marked and there were only a couple of 90 degree turns.

St. Amant's - one stop shopping!

The rocks are getting bigger. My sister Mary,
the amateur geologist,  would have a field day here!

Whale shaped rock
 

For several days I have been noticing that the rocks near the more open water resemble huge whales, with their backs just above the surface. One of the Canadian boaters we met said, "There are 30,000 islands above the water and 30,000 more just one foot below the surface." Fortunately for us the channels are well marked!

We then entered the open bay on our way to the Bustard Islands. The waves were much calmer and the  five mile ride was fairly smooth. Not much to see, the islands were mostly uninhabited, more rocks and trees, and didn’t seem to call to us so we went back out to the open water.

Lighthouses on the west end of the Bustard Islands
 

We wanted to make good use of the relatively calm seas for several more miles before turning into Beaverton Bay where we followed the channel to Collins Inlet.

One exciting moment of the day was when we recognized a bald eagle flying overhead. I followed it with the binoculars for a while – what a graceful bird with a long wingspan.

Our anchorage was on Mill Lake which was very quiet with just our boat and one cabin on the far shore. John took the time to get the dinghy down and try out our new motor for the first time.

The motor actually works!

 

Captain’s Log: July 18, 2014

Departed: St. Amant’s Marina, Byng Inlet, 8:15 a.m.
Engine hours: 7.4 hrs.
Actual hours: 7 hrs.  30 min.
Nautical miles covered: 45.99
Arrived: Anchorage in Mill Lake off Collins Inlet  3:45 p.m.
Wx: Winds forecast to be S 5-10, open bay had one foot waves, much smoother ride than yesterday. Temps cool

 Saturday, July 19, 2014

Another successful night on the hook. We evaded the mosquitoes but were covered with other flying bugs in the morning. John got up and took a photo of the mist rising off the water.

The water was calm and flat in the early morning
 

Collins Inlet is a natural waterway and the 12 mile section we cruised along today was absolutely beautiful. The sides were mostly tall rocky cliffs with vegetation growing out of many nooks and crannies. With no locks, buoys, or narrow channels, this was one of our favorite parts of the cruise so far.

 

Mother Nature does a wonderful job of designing
a rock garden
 

We had a short run across the open bay to get to our destination – Killarney, Ontario.



Killarney, Ontario

Killarney is on a small channel leading from Georgian Bay to the North Channel. It is a small resort town with a cruise-in general store, famous fish and chips and several marinas. We certainly covered some territory over the past few days with another leg of our journey behind us!

Herbert Fish and Chips
 

Okay, this place doesn't look like much but we were told we had to go there! At lunch time the line was long to place orders and everyone was waiting patiently. We were not disappointed - the fish was good and the hand cut fries were almost as good as Al's French Frys (yes, that is how they spell it) back in Vermont.

Gnome Sweet Gnome -
a memorial garden along the main street

Trimming a chart down to size
 

Charts, charts and more charts! We handle several paper charts every day along with the electronic chart plotter, the Skipper Bob cruising guide and Active Captain on the internet which gives us up to date reports on where we are headed at the moment. We go over the charts for the next day's cruise every evening and today we looked at the North Channel, the very northwest tip of Lake Huron.

Captain’s Log: July 19, 2014

Departed: Anchorage at Mill Lake, 9:00 a.m.
Engine hours: 2.7 hrs.
Actual hours: 2 hrs.  25 min.
Nautical miles covered: 13.61
Arrived: Killarney – Sportsman's Inn
Wx: Warmer temps, winds light and variable, nice cruise

Parry Sound to Byng Inlet

Wednesday, July 16

With hopes that the winds would continue to calm we left the Big Sound Marina and went out the west entrance to Parry Sound which was fairly open and wide.

Our view was mostly water, rocks, trees and sky with an occasional
house or marker

 We passed Killbear Point, and went into the small craft channel and passed more rocks and more small homes on rocks.

Lighthouse at entrance to Parry Sound - no longer in use

  

With a cold wind blowing, John drove from the lower helm as we
entered the open waters of Georgian Bay

 

John's new table top
 

Over the winter John made a new table top for the salon. It is a combination of teak and maple and the sides fold in when we don't need them to give us more room, but are handy to open when spreading out charts. The arm of the sofa at the left gives the captain a perch while he is driving from the lower helm.  

   

Several other boats were already at anchorage when we entered
Hopewell Bay

 

A loon was there to greet us

  

There was a pair of loons getting ready to settle in for the night.
At sunset they were joined by another. We decided that this was
their teenage offspring and they all cavorted in the water together!

The water became very calm by sunset and that is when the mosquitoes came out to play! They clamored to be let in as they buzzed around our screens - unfortunately some did get in and we were slapping wildly as we tried to go to sleep. Finally we drifted off and we let them have their way with us.

Hopewell Bay at sunset. We are hoping for a good travel day tomorrow!

Captain’s Log: July 16, 2014

Departed: Big Sound Marina, Parry SoundEngine hours: 4.4 hrs.
Actual hours: 4 hrs.  25 min.
Nautical miles covered: 28.95
Arrived: Hopewell Bay anchorage at Shawanage Inlet
Wx: Clear, breezy cool northwest wind 10-15

Thursday, July 17, 2014

We saw the loon family one more time as we left Hopewell Bay early the next morning and stayed on the inside channel until we reached Point Au Baril Lighthouse, where we went out on open water. We bypassed the next small craft channel because it was reported to be very narrow and included many sharp turns.

Barrel at Pointe Au Baril

This barrel signifies safe passage from turbulent passage. We should have turned around there! The wind had stirred up the open water on Georgian Bay - the same size as Lake Ontario, and we hit choppy waters and large rolling waves. We hung onto any surface we could and anything that wasn't on the floor soon ended up there. Our Skipper Bob guide to the waterways got doused with water and it was not the most pleasant journey - with over ten miles to go in this condition, John upped the RPMs and sped up to 8 1/2 knots which helped to smooth out the ride and get us there quicker.
We were relieved to turn into the entrance to Byng Inlet, the waves were on our stern and finally quieted down as we got closer to shore.

A welcome sight - entrance to Byng Inlet

Sweet house - lots of gingerbread

Diminutive lighthouse marks this cottage

Before we knew it we were approaching St. Amant's Waterfront Inn and Marina which sounds like more that the one-stop building that was there. There was no town and the same store sold groceries, liquor, hardware and gas. The crew was welcoming and quite a few other boats followed us in seeking shelter from the winds, including Pat and Lon on CARIB II. We were glad to see them and later on we went to another gathering of loopers and other boaters.

Old boats at St. Amants Marina

Captain’s Log: July 17, 2014

Departed: Hopewell Bay anchorage 6:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 4.7 hrs.
Actual hours: 4 hrs.  45 min.
Nautical miles covered: 30.34
Arrived: St. Amant’s Marina, Byng Inlet 11:15  p.m.
Wx: wind west at 10kts – 2-3 ft. waves quartering on port bow. Rough ride