August 2-6, 2016: Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Traverse City MI

Left the dock in St. Ignace at 6:25 AM just as the sun rose over the lake - beautiful. Took about 30 minutes to clear the harbor and turn to the bridge - quite an eye opener!  We headed west about 20 miles before turning south another 35 miles along the coast of Michigan to Little Traverse Bay. Our friends Mike and Lois left Mackinaw Island about 45 minutes later with a fleet of 9 other looper boats and we spent the day watching them get closer and closer. It looked like a fleet of Warships all in a line preparing for an invasion. We all arrived about the same time and the marina did a good job of sorting us all out and getting us to the right slips. Spent the afternoon getting to know folks  and having a few "docktails" to celebrate the trip.

Still a little pink in the sky from the early morning light.

The wind was up, so the next day Mike rented a car and the 4 of us toured Charlevoix some 17 miles away. Very pretty tourist town with great shops, restaurants and a busy marina/harbor. Had lunch, walked around town and drove the neighborhoods where we discovered houses that look like mushrooms - really!

Charlevoix Habror

Waterfront home on inland Lake near downtown.

Our little hobbit and her new home in the shire!

The following day we drove thru Kalkaska and into Traverse City. Ger had vacationed with family here as a small boy by visiting relatives. Did not seem to have changed much except some new stores in Kalkaska and new resorts in Traverse City. Did stop at a small roadside market and picked up the worlds best cherry pie and some berries to snack on. This part of Michigan in famous for cherries.

July 26 - August 2, 2016: Mackinac Island and the Big Soo

The Trip: Our trip from DeTour Village to St. Ignace Village Marina was an interesting day. We left early and the first two hours were kind of "lumpy" with leftover wind swells from the day before, but after 2 hours they disappeared. We encountered two large ships, one going in each direction. They are big, but the wake is not that bad - no worse than some of the power boats. At one point we were watching two sailboats in the far distance - after noticing they did not move, Judie discovered they were the towers on the Mackinac Bridge 20 miles away! As we passed Mackinac Harbor on the south side of the island we spent  45 minutes dodging the tour boats and trying to escape their wakes. We swear they aimed for us and veered away at the last minute - playing chicken! Kind of a boaters nightmare. We chose to stay at St. Ignace (three miles away) because the Chicago-Mac race had just finished and the place was packed with sailboats and we needed some of the landside services offered in St. Ignace.

Mackinac Island: The next morning we took a 2 minute walk to the  neighboring ferry dock and caught the 8:30 boat to the Island. A short 20 minute ride and we were in another world. We walked the main street to the carriage rides and caught the 9:05 trip. It is a nice ride around town and into the sparsely populated interior of the island. We stopped at the carriage museum, Arch Rock, the Fort, and the Grand Hotel. Since there are no cars/trucks on the Island, the carriage museum offered a chance to see the many different types of carriages used  - Funeral, work, party, wedding, and fire. Arch rock is a neat "Hole" that shows the power of glaciers and the beauty of the area (see photo). We hopped off the carriage at the fort and took a leisurely self-guided tour. This is, by far, the nicest assignment any military person could get. Nice accommodations, a recreation building, fully equipped hospital, schoolhouse for children and enlisted men, and a small jail; not to  mention the views, but a little chili in the winter. Anyway, a well restored fort well worth the time. We also had lunch on the patio overlooking the harbor! Next stop was the grand hotel - where the only access for non-guests is the main lobby and concourse for a small fee of $10. We felt overcharged and under impressed. When we left, we gave our tickets to another couple in line so as not to waste their money also. (the views expressed herein about the hotel are those of the author and may not represent the entire crew). Walked around town, bought some fudge from one of the 16 fudge shops, got T-shirts, stopped for a margarita, and caught the 4:00 ferry home. Nice day!

Sailboats after finishing the race.

the Grand Hotel.

Fire engine!

View of the harbor from the fort.

Arch Rock.

Funeral Carriage.

Ferry with a "tail". One without.

Carriage house for the Grand Hotel.

No riding allowed.

"Private residence!"

Petoskey Steel Drum Band in concert at our marina.

The Soo: AKA Sault Sainte Marie Michigan. In planning our trip, we transferred our medical prescriptions to Walmart as they are easy to find just about anywhere - except St. Ignace, where you have to rent a car and drive an hour north to a "big" city.  So we did and arrived at in town and started with a visit to the locks to Lake Superior just as a large freighter was locking thru. There is a very nice visitors center and a good film on the history of the locks, and a viewing platform that gives lots of folks room to see what is happening. Down-bound ships (headed east out of Lake Superior) drop 21 feet in one of four parallel locks. Judie had never been here and Ger was here as a small boy on family vacations. After lunch, we picked up our prescriptions and stocked up on food and drinks. Did some sight-seeing on the way back and after arriving in St. Ignace before turning in the car.

Veiwing platform at the locks.

Empty lock and ship entering a lock.

Tour boat in a lock

Hard to see the ship after it is lowered the 21 feet. Look close!

The next few days we spent on getting this blog caught up, cleaning the boat and, most importantly, waiting for our friends Mike and Lois to catch up. We plan to cruise to Chicago with them and on to their home port of Pickwick Lake in northern Mississippi where they will complete their "Loop".

July 16-25, 2016: The North Channel, Ontario CA.

Killarney: Killarney is the transition between the Georgian Bay and the North Channel - with both groups wanting to claim it. Our trip from Wright's Marina on the Byng Inlet was mostly over the open waters of the North Georgian Bay - 40 of the 46 miles. The wind was generally on our nose and grew steadily from 4 knots to 8 as the day went on. We were able to use the charts that were given to us by Carol and Susan of "Why Knot" (the 38' catamaran). A big help. We had a slip at Sportsman's Inn reserved and took one on the "Island Side" across the channel from the mainland as it was quieter, less subject to the weather and easier in and out. They operate a pontoon boat to ferry you across from 7:00 in the morning until about midnight. We were in a big (relative) city so we had phone service - but no wifi. We watched a Fleming 55 powerboat tow a stranded vessel into port and later in the afternoon met the crew - Rod and Susie of "Bee Haven" - and together with Tom and Linda of "Mollie B" the towed boat - went to dinner at Herbert's Fisheries. More great white fish and fries. Next day we toured the town. there is a nice little Museum there with some things neither of us had seen, like a hand operated variable angle drill press and an old cast iron cook stove operated with individual kerosene burners. Han a nice lunch at "The Mountain Lodge" and returned to the boat to wait out the wind and rain. Next day was still windy and had lunch again at Herbert's and met Mark and Becka of "Melodie", a classic 60 foot 1978  Hatteras Sport Fisher. Great folks!

Neat church window.

Old stove with 4 burners.

The Mountain Lodge

the neat old church

Herbert's Fisheries

Sportsman's Inn.

Judie and Ger

Gore Bay: Finally able to leave, we were planning to stop in Little Current after about 25 miles, but it was early in spite of missing the 10:00 bridge opening by 5 minutes; that we decided to go an additional 30 mile to Gore Bay. The morning cruise was beautiful on a long stretch between two islands followed by some open water. The afternoon was all open water but went well as the winds stayed at about 6 knots. Gore Bay is a very nice marina full with lots of boats there on a permanent basis. We asked for an "easy in - easy out" slip and were given a 65 foot slip next to a "Florida Bay Coaster" - perfect. After checking in, we frequented the local pub- "Buoys Eatery" for a couple cold ones and some food. Great little place and the key lime pie with white chocolate shavings on top is fantastic. Chef Richard came out to ask how we liked it - as we were the first serving of his newest desert created by a local friend.

The "Florida Bay Coaster"

Meldrum Bay; We started the day about 7:00 by backing easily out of that 65' slip. The day was all big, wide water but at least light winds and a pretty day. We finished our 34 miles by noon and "feasted" on leftover salmon patties, fried potatoes and corn for lunch. The afternoon was a nap and visiting with the CA customs agents that stopped by along with the boaters who stopped to clear customs going into CA waters. We went to dinner at the Meldrum Bay Inn for some great tasting ribs that were a bit of work to get off of the bone. The wine and desert along with the great hostess who loves US politics made for a great evening. Next day, Thursday, was heavy rain about mid day followed by more in the evening and overnight. Friday we were still having big winds so we stayed put and from 2:00 until 3:30 helped the harbor master dock 13 boats that showed up - many on the return leg after finishing the Port Huron to Mackinac sailboat race. Ger was helping to have something fun to do, and to keep from getting another boat behind us that would hem us in. That was all fine until about 7:30 when a late straggler showed up and no place to go but behind us. Oh well!

The Marina Office and Inn in the background.

The way it looked at 1:59 pm.

The way it looked at 3:31 pm.

De Tour Village: Another day on the open water with not much to see or do. The wind was a little "snotty" early on  but settled in after a couple hours to a nice 4 knots. We stopped after 37 miles at Drummond Island - the first US Customs stop - to clear in . Yea! Back in the USA! A simple process that took all of 10 minutes after we tied up to the dock. We then went another 9 miles to the De Tour Village Marina and stopped to get our waste tank pumped out before heading to the slip. It is another small town with good phone service, but with no wifi. We stayed three days to wait out the weather. Ger visited the local beauty shop for a haircut and Judie kept the local grocery store in business. Met a nice couple just getting into cruising that were headed into the area we just left, so we gave them the charts that we received from "Why Knot" to help them out, as we did not need them any longer.

July 4-16, 2016: Georgian Bay, Ontario CA

Subtitle: The Land of the Sick People. I'll explain as we go.

Parry Sound: We actually drove to Parry Sound before leaving Port Severn while we still had the rental car we used to take Cathryn to the airport. Nice small town with everything you need including a Walmart! The downtown is near the docks and is well-established and well-kept. There is a nice public marina with gift shops and an Ice Arena that includes a Hall-of-Fame for Bobby Orr - the great hockey player and native son of Parry Sound. Since we had left Port Severn before breakfast, we stopped at the Orr Family Diner for brunch - it does not get more down-home that that!

Local Native American War hero.

Orr Family Diner

Bobby Orr hall of fame.

Honey Harbor: We started our day by passing thru the last Trent-Severn lock, number 45 - the 51st of the year and the last until we get to Chicago. Our next 12 miles were a tough introduction to the Georgian Bay: narrow channels and hard turns requiring use of the thruster to stay within the buoys. Beautiful scenery (exposed rock, cottages, islands and clear water), but you really need to pay attention to all of the exposed rock and watch the water for all the rocks you cannot see just below  the water surface. We only went 12 miles today and stopped at Paragon Marina near the small town of Honey Harbor. We then walked about a mile into the town center and had lunch at a little sandwich shop that also served kale chips with the sandwich -interesting. Nice walk thru the trees and then next to the main road, but on the way back Judie started to feel tired and had a bit of a sore throat - yep, the saga begins. We took naps and Ger moved his sleeping gear to the front v-berth to give Judie a better night sleep.

Frying Pan Island: What a difference a day makes - few narrow channels, a lot less boats and clear water to 12 feet down that is a beautiful shade of dark green. We stopped after 30 miles at Henry's Fish Restaurant and secured a slip for the evening. The restaurant is very good and specializes in fresh fish. The portions were so large that we had the leftovers for dinner. They have a sea-plane dock - we saw three come in for lunch or dinner; and a certified hele-pad and we saw 2 of them come in - one private and another a medivac to transport someone to a hospital. It was a beautiful day, Judie still ill  - but functioning.

Typical Island with house/cottage.

Lots of rock.

Henry's - For fresh fish.

One of three!

St. Aubyn Bay: Next day was another short one of 17 Miles to Killbear Marina at the north end of St. Aubyn's Bay. The day was spent enjoying some nice open water followed by 90 degree turns and narrow channels. A nice Marina with small general store, small restaurant, small marine supplies store and our second day of no wifi, phone, or television. We are cruising in the middle of nowhere. A very pretty nowhere. Judie not doing too well so she took a three and a half hour nap and then went to bed at 8:00 after a light dinner. We tried to move on the next morning. It was sunshine and blue sky's when we left at 7:00 and 20 minutes later we were watching the fog roll in and returning to our slip. Spent another day taking naps and doing small chores.

The beautiful morning when we tried to leave the first time.

Britt: We were able to leave on the 8th for Wright's Marina on the Byng Inlet near the town of Britt. The 50 mile cruise was perfect. The first half was fairly open water and just a few narrow channels. Beautiful rock formations and pretty white/red lighthouses. The second half of the trip was into the Georgian Bay and the water was smooth as glass and the autopilot worked it's magic for a few hours. The last 3 miles were in a fairly narrow channel with rock cliffs on either side and plenty of deep water for a change. Wright's Marina is a family run business and is well maintained, friendly, and no restaurant, grocery store, wifi, TV or phone. Judie was feeling a little better after her nap and we made pork chops and corn-on-the-cobb for dinner. Wind was up so we planned to stay another day. We needed to move the boat to allow a catamaran in front of us to leave, and halfway thru the event broke a hydraulic line for the stern thruster - exterior to the boat right as it gets to the thruster. Back into the slip and off to see the resident repair guy. Since it was a Saturday and no way to get a new set of cables until Monday, we sat. On Monday they pulled the boat out of the water, removed the old cables and Judie and I drove the marina car into Parry Sound (70 miles) for the replacements. Back on, touched up bottom paint and into the water by 5:00. Rain and wind the next day, so tried to leave on  Wednesday - still too much wind an we turned around after 4 miles. By now Judie is feeling a little better but Ger is sick as a dog. Went to the local clinic to see a nurse-practitioner who gave him a prescription and arranged for currier service to get it from Parry Sound that afternoon. Canadian healthcare working for it's international neighbors at no cost! Bad weather until Saturday, so it was Ger's turn at the 3 hour naps and eating light.

Byng Inlet Light House.

June 27-July 4, 2016: The Big Chute and Port Severn

Left the Port of Orillia about 8:00 and headed up the west side of Lake Couchiching instead of returning to the original track up the east side. Had a full lock at #43 with 5 boats. Some, anxious to make time, waked us pretty good as soon as we hit the small lake that follows the exit from the lock. Just like back home in FL. Again, lots of nice small lakes strung together by rocky channels. Made it to Lock 44 a little late and the group was just finishing loading, so we stood by the blue line. Not too long as the lock is deep (47 feet) but empties or fills in only 8 minutes.

Continued on to Big Chute Marina and tied up for the evening. Had some lunch and walked over to the Chute/Lock to watch others go thru. An amazing, yet simple, feat of engineering that lets boats cross over solid rock and a roadway - faster than a traditional lock and cheaper than the 2-3 traditional locks it would take do the same thing. Try watching the u-tube videos or just go to google and punch in Big Chute Ontario Canada. Returned to  the boat for some cheese, salami, crackers and adult beverages and an early sleep call.

Early version for carrying barges.

Todays model with lots of adjustments.

Small boats too!

32 foot boat being loaded at lower end of rail.

Held steady in slings.

Next morning we returned to the lock to watch a Catamaran go thru. It is owned by the guy we met when we were looking at boats. He remembered us and we all laughed about watching him go past.

The catamaran sitting proud.

Then it was our turn and all the watching paid off as we knew what to expect and what to do. All went very smooth. Yes. it was a little scary - but mostly just a weird sensation of riding in a big rail car type of thing,

As we approach

Cathryn taking a picture of Judie taking a picture of her taking a picture of........?!?

As we ride along. Too bad no pictures of us taken by someone watching.

Continued on to Starport Marina in Port Severn - 1000 yards from the last lock on the Trent-Severn waterway. Beautiful marina with very clean facilities and free laundry. This will make a great place to stay for a week and refresh/resupply before heading into Georgian Bay and then the North Channel. We got a rental car, and then went to dinner at a nice waterfront restaurant before calling it a day. Next day. Wednesday, we took Cathryn to the airport for her return to Homosassa FL. It was great having her on board and just spending some time together. Thursday was laundry, this blog, and the movie Independence Day. Friday (Canada Day) was rain, housecleaning and study of charts.

Starport boaters lounge with showers, laundry, lounge and kitchen and 17 BBQ grills.

Sitting comfortable at the docks.