Great Lakes Marauders 8-10-11

I’ve been doing a lot of entries lately about the beauty of the North Channel of Lake Huron, and you are probably wondering where is the drama, everything can’t be so great. You are right--I have not been totally honest with you, my faithful readers.

There is a lurking presence that stalks us by night and dares us to find it amongst the hundreds of hidey holes on the boat. It leaves a spun dream catcher the next morning but is long gone. It knows that we can’t use pesticides this year as we have a puppy, and sometimes I expect that they are scouting out Mollie, too.

We try to make a truce with them by suggesting that they stay outside and help themselves to all the flies and mosquitoes that they can catch, but leave us in peace inside the cabin. Sounds like a fair deal but they are not to be trusted and quickly renege on the deal and surreptitiously outflank us night after night.

We’ve picked up boatloads of these pests from Michigan to Canada. Sometimes we feel that we are running a cruise ship for them as they party night after night and are not even interested in catching a good share of the bountiful flies and mosquitoes.

Their absolutely favorite haunt is the bow pulpit and anchor locker which is located right over our bed. No wonder I go to bed at night with a flashlight to check if I am having company. Bob, was that you tickling my leg???????

Calm at the End of the Storm 8-10-11

The day started pretty meekly with 10 knots of wind and partly sunny skies. Environment Canada (Canada’s national weather service) was forecasting 30 knots by the afternoon with water spouts, but hard to believe when things look so calm. Many a captain ventured out today, even a little trailer sailor family with a reluctant wife and 2 kids under age 5. Then the wind and rain hit with a one/two punch at 3p.m. howling out of the west with 25-30-35 knots of wind. The North Channel is more protected than open Lake Huron, but even the Channel was showing 6+ foot waves at the buoy.

The marine radio was alive with broadcasts of a sailboat going aground, anchors dragging in island anchorages and a powerboat hitting a reef. Canadian Coast Guard was sorting all of this out, and luckily boaters were helping other boaters. It is a small community and every boater knows that the next time it could be them in an emergency situation.

These are the same winds that we had 7/17 in Government Bay when our anchor dragged 200 feet on a very stormy, scary night. Today was a different story as we took shelter in the Spanish marina as we were betting that the EC forecast was correct. Hearing that banshee wind howling goes to your core wherever you are, but today all we had to do was take down our bimini top so that it would not get bent.

At the end of the storm, Mother Nature offers a bit of an apology by displaying a fantastic rainbow.

John Harbour 8-8-11

We weighed anchor at 11a.m. on 8/6 to head east back through the Whalesback Channel for 6 miles to John Harbour, formed by Gowan, Dewdney and John Islands. The Great Lakes Cruising Club (GLCC) rates anchorages and this one gets the designation of “beautiful anchorage” and we would definitely agree. It has 2 deep-water anchorages, is very well-protected, and even has a fully enclosed cove (Cleary) for shallow draft boats.

Each anchorage has its own unique personality and feel. John Harbour stretches long and elegantly through higher rock cliffs, covered by a deep pine forest that hides blueberry patches and mushrooms. During our 2 nights here, there were only 7 other boats anchored, spread out over 2 miles so each had a more solitary experience.

Our bodies and minds are really unwinding after 3 weeks up here in the North Channel. I cannot remember a time in my adult life when I’ve been this relaxed. It’s like going back to care-free childhood days filled with swimming, reading, playing games and making new friends. Life is good.

Turnbull and Sanford Islands and Blind River 8-6-11

With a forecast of rain for all day on 8/3, we decided to head further west past the end of the Whaleback Channel to the Town of Blind River. Rainy days are good for getting boating tasks done in port (provisioning, laundry, pump-outs, etc.) as well as a chance to get Wi-Fi, catch-up with boaters we’ve met at various anchorages and stretch our legs with long walks and bike rides. Blind River Marina is relatively new with floating docks and a very helpful staff who helped us dock in 15 knot winds. The marina also provides loaner bikes with big baskets which came in handy for the 2 mile trek to town. There is an M&M Meat Shop here which carries a catalog full of frozen meats—just perfect for packing our tiny freezer in our small fridge.

Fog engulfed us the next morning, but lifted by 11 a.m. so we cast-off for Turnbull Island, east about 8 miles. The u-shaped harbor is formed by Turnbull/Bassett Islands to the north, east and southeast, and a bracelet of unnamed islands fill in the west to give full protection with a mud bottom and plenty of depth.

Here’s a picture of Baby Grand at anchor. You’ll notice our riding sail which keeps us pointed into the wind and we swing less back and forth. If you zoom in, you can see our blue aft awning which we can set-up in 10 minutes with a front track, a rear pole, and side bungees. It has flaps all around that can be raised or lowered. This awning has really kept us cool all summer. Baby Grand is an 1985 boat without tinted windows but we cut the heat down by adding phifertex sunscreens. All of these, as well as our flybridge bimini, were made by Jim Wilinski of Ship Shape Products in Duluth, MN and we highly recommend him.

This small archipelago of islands is another great place for dinghy exploration. We’re told it’s a pretty good place to fish for pike and bass. GLCC developed a campsite just perfect for going ashore and having a campfire. Here we are on Sanford (“Clara”) Island looking for interesting rocks. The island was habited by a gang of marauding boars in the 1980’s but no sightings today.

Beardrop Harbour 8-2-11

We decided to head west from Spanish along the beautiful Whaleback Channel, 12 miles to Beardrop Harbour. It is a mile long stretch framed by 2 unnamed islands to the south and the Ontario mainland to the north. It is entered along a course of rocky island outcroppings but with depths of 8-12 feet. Beardrop is a fully protected anchorage with a mud bottom, depths of 8-15’ and room for a dozen+ boats. The mainland is owned by the Serpent River First Nation and going ashore is okay as long as the land is respected and kept clean.

This is an island paradise complete with a loon soundtrack and eagles soaring above. There are pink bluffs and tiny coves to explore by dinghy. I need to get a 10-11 foot kayak to explore here next year so I can quietly thread through the lily pads. There is a small sandy beach to go ashore. There are dozens of small deserted islands nearby so if the weather is good, you can find a place to go ashore and explore.

We spent 4 wonderful days here filled with exploring, swimming, aqua jogging, reading, and visiting with neighboring boaters. We even had a visit from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, not on a horse, but a Titan dinghy, launched from their 74 foot mother ship in Whaleback Channel. RCMP does homeland security for Canada. We were not boarded as we had all the required Canadian CBSA Report numbers. It also helps to have a cute dog onboard.

I can report that this anchorage is solid, having been tested by a 2 a.m. t-storm, another day of 20 knot winds, and one day of solid rain. We are switching to island time as we notice ourselves unwinding and attuning to a more natural clock.

Spanish 7-30-11

We intended to island hop a few more days before coming into port for a pump-out, but the darn holding tank was surprisingly full. We don’t have a holding tank gauge and use a low tech system of simply counting flushes. This led to a lively discussion of “Did you…I did” so we concluded that the holding tank trolls were at it again, and that we probably did not get a complete pump-out last time.

We set a course for the closest town, Spanish, 12 miles away and through Little Detroit Narrows. The approach to Spanish is a bit tricky as there is a 4.5 foot section between the first and second set of buoys so this discourages most boats with 5 foot+ drafts.

The harbor today was filled with trailer sailors ending their 2 week cruise of the North Channel. Spanish is a great place to launch as their ramp is deep and the marina even has a gin pole to help lift heavier masts. The trailer sailor boats are 10-26’ in length, have dagger or center boards which lift easily to beach, have iceboxes, 10 gallon holding tanks and extend their 5’ headroom with pop-ups. This is boat camping at its best. This group was affiliated with Trailer Sailor Association (http://www.trailersailors.org/ ) which had arranged potlucks at Spanish, pancake breakfast at Croacker Island, Happy Hour in their dinghies and lots of games. Camaraderie and looking out for each other is their hallmark. This was especially important when 1 boater got separated from the group for a few days, did not answer his radio, so the Ontario Provincial Police was contacted, dispatched a patrol boat and found the sailor who was having engine problems as a line was wrapped around his prop.

Spanish has a great nature trail high above the harbor with a great view. The grocery store is a mile down the road, but the Le Bel Abri B&B was not open for breakfast.

Hotham Island, Oak Bay 7-27-11

It was a calm, sunny, 70 degree day when we left Gore Bay headed for Hotham Island, Oak Bay. It is an easy 12 mile cruise up through the McBean Channel with an easy entrance between Oak Point and the west end of Hotham Island. This 5-mile long island has 3 well-defined large bays with good depths, mud bottom, room to swing at anchor and protection from all wind directions.

I wish I had more pictures, but I often forget my camera as my pockets are now filled with litter bags and dog treats. Exploring by dinghy is always fun especially for checking out tuck-away gunkholes. I barely had this picture taken when Mollie almost scrambled over the side of the dinghy after a seagull.

Here’s a picture of Mount McBean on a cloudy day. We would love to climb it but were told that the surrounding land is owned by the Sagamok First Nation and a few cottagers who do not allow trespassing on their land. Lack of legal shore access could be a big problem with a dog onboard, but our little Mollie is litter box trained. The breeder started her and we’ve continued this skill, using a boot tray filled with wood pellets used for wood stoves. It does the job, smells pretty good and eliminates those early morning and late night jaunts to shore in rain and fog.

Roy Eaton in Little Current hosts the Cruisers’ Net on Channel 71 every morning at 9a.m. You can hear the weather, news, sports, local happenings and boat check-in. Since we had a pretty good radio signal, we called in that Baby Grand was in Oak Bay. It helps build a sense of community amongst boaters and is also good in emergency situations.

Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island, North Channel 7-25-11

We arrived here on Wednesday, 7/20 surrounded by heat and humidity that just would not let go, so we decided to take the weekly rate option of $7.60 per foot. As attractive as the island anchorages are to us, it is more important right now to have electricity to blow 3 fans around to catch a breeze. The marina was recently refurbished with wide floating docks and a spacious bathhouse and HE laundry facility so we settled in quite nicely.

Gore Bay is a great town to visit with so much going on. There’s the Farmers’ Market on Friday and the weekend was filled with events (fish fry, rock concert) for the Mackinac-Manitoulin (MacMan) sailboat race. We attended a first rate production by the Gore Bay Summer Theatre of the Norm Foster play, Looking, which kept us laughing for days. We love going for long walks and here is a picture of the Gore Bay harbor from the East Bluff Overlook. You can also bike or walk about 2 miles on Lighthouse Road to the Janet Head Lighthouse. Jan Fletcher will regale you with tales about the keepers and how the whole Fletcher family adopted this lighthouse and has kept it going for 3 generations. The Gore Bay Museum is also worth a visit and don’t miss the air-conditioned art gallery. There was an Ecumenical service on Sunday which featured “ol’ time religion” music and camaraderie with a potluck lunch. I just love the hospitality of small towns in Canada. Even Mollie found a friend—here she is doing her puppy moves with Spike, an absolutely incredible German Shepherd/Husky mix who allowed Mollie to climb all over him.

We proudly fly our GLCC and Looper burgees and have met so many boaters though this. All are eager to share information about their favorite anchorages and tricky passages. This is a great place to reprovision at the ValuMart grocery store, the hardware store, 2 drug stores and pick up your needed charts at CYC Charters.

We would recommend Café on the Bay for lunch, but don’t even try to go to Gordon’s Lodge even though it is recommended in the Ports book and GLCC Harbor Reports. We walked over there with other boaters to inquire about dinner that evening and were met by a screaming, hysterical woman owner who demanded that we leave the property or she would call the police. Her demand was accented by a guy behind her, swinging a cane. Jack Nicholson in The Shining gave a warmer reception than we received here, and apparently the problems started when new owners took over the restaurant and resort. Just avoid Gordon’s and your visit to Gore Bay will be absolutely wonderful.

Meldrum Bay, North Channel, Lake Huron, Canada 7-19-11

We left DeTour Village on Tuesday, 7/19 on a very easy 40 mile cruise to Canada and phone customs check-in at Meldrum Bay on Manitoulin Island. We subsequently learned that you can apply for a Can Pass for Remote Area Border Crossing at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca but there is a fee.

We are now in the western edge of the North Channel, which is framed by large Manitoulin Island on the south and the mainland of Ontario Province on the south with hundreds of islands sandwiched between. Meldrum Bay is the tiniest little hamlet with a newly constructed breakwater and a marina office and showers downstairs and comfortable boaters lounge upstairs. The docks are scheduled for an overhaul late this year, but until then, the harbormaster, Peggy, and her crew will get you securely tied-up to the old long pier docks.

Have lunch or dinner at the Meldrum Bay Inn where you will see this doll house garden. The Grover family also operates the General Store and if you’re lucky, fresh croissants may be available.

Les Cheneaux Islands, Lake Huron 7-17-11

There is only one picture but a story to tell. We left Mackinaw City on Sunday, 7/17 to continue through the Straits of Mackinac to Lake Huron and Government Island in the Cheneaux (aka the Snows) Islands. It was an easy 21 mile course on this hot, humid and windless day. Government Bay was recommended to us by a number of boaters as it has 4 sided protection, mud holding ground and a beach with a campsite. We are members of the Great Lakes Cruising Club (GLCC) and membership provides charts and harbor reports and Government Bay looked pretty good. We dropped in 13 feet with good holding, deep to shore, no rocks and a mile to the west shore—pretty perfect conditions.

Mollie loved the dinghy ride and had a great time at the beach retrieving sticks with a Springer spaniel. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon of reading, jumping into the 60 degree water as well as a delicious trout dinner.

We turned in early, but were awakened by a deep rumbling of thunder and a Marine Warning on our GPS. It indicated a wide band of T-storms with 30-40mph headed our way. We checked our anchor line which was solid and let out 20 more feet of scope for extra safety for an 8:1 scope. We readied our emergency equipment (headlamps, headsets, rain gear) and talked about strategies if our anchor broke free.

By 11pm, the sky was ablaze with lightening all around us, the winds began to howl and the thunder monster was getting closer. We had 2 powerboats anchored, 1 was 200 feet to port and the other, 300 feet to starboard, and all boaters were on deck in ready mode. The west wind built 20-25-30 mph accompanied by horizontal, torrential rain. We were glued to our GPS Anchor Watch, compass and wind meter and shuttered when at 33 mph and a wind lurch, our anchor dragged 80 feet!

Bob started the engine to keep us in place and be ready to reset the anchor, but not in building 40 mph winds at midnight in a bay we did not know. We danced with the savage wind for an hour with Bob going slowly forward with each wind thrust backwards. The powerboat to port broke free of its anchor and was drifting perilously close to us as the boaters struggled to get up their anchor rode and lash their anchor and finally, after Herculean effort, pulled away.

Bob maintained a steady hand on the wheel ever mindful of the danger of the anchor rode getting tangled around our propeller if he went too far forward. We continued to drag a total of 200 feet, but by 1am, our anchor had reset in 12 feet of water as the wind started to die back down to 35-30-25-20-15. We breathed a sigh of relief, tested our anchor line and it was solid. We went to bed but not really to sleep just waiting for more to come. We learned later that the Chicago-Mackinac sailing racers were caught in the very same storm with one boat capsizing, killing two sailors and we pause to remember them.

And how did Mollie do during the storm? Mollie slept in her crate and did not even stir. What a great boating dog!!!!