North Channel Highlights (2)

Coming west on the Whalesback Channel and sunrise and mist at Oak Bay. The countryside is BEAUTIFUL!

North Channel Highlights

Anchored at the Benjamin Islands -- rocky bottom and rocky shores, but just beautiful. With a visiting dog -- Cruiser the Dog -- adventures ashore were twice the fun. The dinghy picture is from Turnbull the first time thru

Oak Bay and Turnbull then Drummond Island

We stayed an extra day in Little Current -- winds and nasty forcastes kept us and almost everyone else at the dock. Yesterday an uneventful passage to Oak Bay where the loons and their haunting songs kept us all in reverent stillness. Today we came over to Turnbull Island for one last anchorage, and tomorrow we'll take a run to Drummond Island to clear customs and prepare for the run on Sunday to Mackinac Island.

While high wind warnings here are nothing like what our friends on the east coast are expecting, the forecast for Sunday and Monday is for strong winds out of the south. What better excuse than that for enjoying fudge on Mackinac.

Then back to Duncan Bay on Tuesday.

North Channel Redux

So, James, Ellen, CtD and I came to Turnbull for a couple of days in the North Channel -- then after two delightful days at anchor, we crossed the Channel to Gore Bay where Sophie demonstrated more of her adaptation to the life of cruising dog. Then, we went to the Benjamins where we anchored for three nights and enjoyed the beauty and solitude of the North Channel in late August. Now we are in Little Current for a couple of days -- and one more if the wind predictions hold -- before we begin to move west to Oak Bay and eventually to Mackinac Island at the end of the month.

Helping the Florida Economy

The front of my new home on Sunday, the 7th of August when Susan and I decided to take a look. By Thursday, most of the windows were in place and they were beginning to run the air conditioning vents.

Susan standing in the great room looking out on the lania -- in the background is the front door and the bright red car is parked in front of the garage.

Then, I had to purchase furniture to fill up all the empty spaces -- the Sarasota/Bradenton area must love people like me -- spending money like a drunken sailor!

Now, I'm back in Cheboygan MI awaiting the arrival of James and Ellen from Annapolis. Today has been cool and raining all day -- the area needs the rain but it makes for a lousy day to provision the boat for several more weeks on the North Channel. James/Ellen/CtD arrive tomorrow, we are planning on dinner with BD and Rick and then shoving off early on Monday weather permitting. The forecast is for light winds for most of the next week, so we should have a good crossing of Lake Huron.

Planning on meeting "the crazy Canadians" -- who are from Sarnia, Ontario and were my saviors last year when I decided to slice my ring finger almost to the bone. They celebrate one of their birthdays at Croker Island in the Benjamins every year -- Roy of the "cruisers net" even broadcasts a warning for those not ready to party to stay clear for a few days while Jimmy Buffet is introduced to Canadian waters. Then, who knows -- we will end up at Mackinac Island the end of the month before James and Ellen take off for the hinterlands of Canada and I wait for Susan's appearance in the upper lower part of Michigan.

All for now. Oh, except Sophie played the whole week I was gone and got picked up by Jay and Phillip who cleverly knew that my connections flying into Traverse City last evening were screwed up. She has settled back into her corner of the boat as if nothing ever happened.

A Different Type of Water

Standing in front of my future pool, looking out across the little pond behind the house in Lakewood Ranch!

Down here for the week to see the progress on my new home -- the studs are almost done, there is a beginning of the roof, and all is well. Except it really is HOT and MUGGY down here -- I will stop complaining about the heat up north.

In Cheboygan, and Up to Date

So, from Lime Island we motored back to Cheboygan on a glassy calm day -- almost fifty miles of quiet water with just a little haze in the middle of the lake.

Charlee left yesterday for a visit with her grand-daughter in Reno, and I tested out a doggy day care/boarding place for Sophie while I travel down to Sarasota to make some decisions on the house -- electrical walk thru to locate switches and plugs as well as overhead/recessed lights; meetings with landscapers re outside; meetings with granite people re kitchen etc; and meetings with interior designer to make purchase selections for at least the first few chairs. sofa, etc to move into the house when we are done.

Tonight is the Cheboygan Yacht Club weekly get together. And, I'll be back here by the 14th when James and Ellen arrive from Annapolis with Cruiser the dog to spend a couple of weeks back in the North Channel with me.

Lime Island

This pose on the part of Sophie may look familiar to those who knew Chessie -- find a place in the shade, on the deck where you can watch the world go by. The good news is that mom is getting more comfortable with allowing her to wander around the boat -- and Sophie is getting more comfortable with boating. By the end of the summer, she'll be an old hand at this.

Lime Island is a well protected harbor, but as you can see from this shot, the boat is well below the wall that you tie to. No problem for Sophie since we have a ramp that will hold a dog -- creaky, ole Melissa is another story -- we needed to tie near one of the large bollards, so a large line and a lot of huffing and puffing could bring me up on land. Once there, the exploration of the island and it's well manicured fields and well marked trails could begin.

Oak Bay

Taken from Hotham Island, we are at anchor in Oak Bay revisiting old -- at this point any anchorage where I've been a couple of times is "old" -- stomping grounds.

Charlee and I even found a handful of ripe blueberries to take back to the boat for breakfast cereal the next morning.

This is the type of anchorage where one can imagine staying for several days at a time -- simply enjoying the scenery, the security of a snug harbor, and perhaps even a swim -- although there are plenty of weeds to tickle your legs, but the water was warm and inviting.

Pictures at Long Last -- Turnbull Island

From Turnbull Island with Charlee -- still beautiful weather, and note that Sophie has returned to "her" island where mom feels safe to let her run -- and run she does.







Later, we walked across the island to the small beach on the eastern shore facing the Whalesback Channel, where Sophie, mom and Charlee all went for a deep wade, and then dried off on the rocks.