Back in Michigan, After a Great Summer and lots of memories

Left Hilton Beach on Monday, August 14th, to return to US territory and motored almost 25 nautical miles to Detour Village, Michigan.  On the way there, once in US waters I checked in with US Customs and cleared to come home.

Detour is a jumping off point for heading either direction, so visited with boats on the dock and then had dinner with John and Bobbie from ANDRALUS.  

Underway across Lake Huron a little before 8 a.m. -- at first there were some rolling seas, but within a few miles of shore it settled down for the 37 nautical mile trip to Cheboygan, Michigan and Duncan Bay Boat Club.  I'll stay here until some day this weekend, and then find that weather window which will allow me to motor to Charlevoix.

In the interim, there is time for visiting, reading, a little painting, and just sort of settling back into a mostly shore based routine.

But there are some pictures that I just down loaded that I must share from earlier this summer:

From blueberry hill at Usual Reason Cove, looking down on Sonador at the second anchorage

A little more perspective of the same, that's THYME HYSSOP WRY and FAIRY TALE

Sophie, resting in the blueberries -- a quart collected in less than an hour!

Pictures the End of July and First of AugustI

INUKSUK at Eagle Island

Sophie patiently waiting for Mom to get the motor started for our trip to shore

Hotham Island harbor

Mt. McBean at the other end of Hotham harbor

Heading West if the Winds Will Cooperate

As planned headed out on Monday morning to join CLASS ACT and FAIRY TALE at Aikens Island -- my first time in this anchorage which is just east of John Island and south of the Whales Back Channel (15.67 nautical miles).  It is open to the south east, but a pleasant place to sit for a couple of days and explore the area.  We dinghied into Moiles Harbor which is just around the corner, a beautiful location but notorious for the number of dead heads which are lying in wait to snag an anchor and chain.  NO THANK YOU -- I did that two years ago and don't need to go through that again. First evening happy hour on FAIRY TALE, second on SONADOR.  

Then on Wednesday, August 9th, we lifted anchor to begin heading west with our destination being Long Point Cove.  High winds were predicted for the next couple of days, and it is well protected.  Ran south of John Island to a passage north near La Seur Island, and then into Long Point Cove (11.89 nautical miles)  FAIRY TALE hosted happy hour for several GLCC boats in the harbor, and then had to pull up anchor the next morning to head back toward Little Current (their home port.)  CLASS ACT and SONADOR stayed one more day, hoping to stretch it to two -- but the weather promised to get nasty.

So, on Friday morning we raised anchor to begin the 40 nautical mile trek to Thessalon Marina.  Now, the winds were supposed to be light out of the north west.  They were, in fact, strong out of the east -- and, since we're heading west we were "thrilled" to have following seas.  NOT!  I traveled the most erratic route possible, surfing off one wave to the south, then wallowing up the next to the north.  For two plus hours I had to hand steer standing at the helm.  At least Sophie seemed to be satisfied, for she stayed plastered to the bed the whole way.  A little over half way there, the waves settled down somewhat, the winds definitely quieted down, and we were treated to an auto pilot ride into Thessalon harbor.  Had dinner in the marina lounge (cooked by CLASS ACT and SONADOR) and planned on leaving the next morning after breakfast.

Met the most interesting Australian man at Thessalon -- single handing the Loop in an Island Packet (mast was stepped in NY and shipped to Mobile, AL).  After getting to the east coast of Florida next spring, he's shipping the boat to the Med where he will take the rivers and canals of Europe for two years up through France, to Paris, onto Amsterdam, then east and south on the Rhine and Danube and ending up in the Black Sea.  Then, undaunted he plans to sail to the coast of Africa, cross the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, and back to Australia.  Now that is an ADVENTURE!!

We departed Thessalon as planned on Friday the 11th heading west toward St. Joseph's Island and the harbor of Hilton Beach (about 16 nautical miles).  The winds were gusty but on the forward quarter and bow, so SONADOR had a very smooth ride all the way in.  Friends on BASIC BOAT live in the community, so we wanted to visit with Ann and Jorma (who a week ago had a knee replaced) and I had never been to this side of the island.  This is a very nice marina and small community.  Staying here until Monday (at least that's the plan now) when the winds are supposed to calm down for a couple of days.  Then, I'll head to DeTour to make the jump back across Lake Huron and into Cheboygan.

July Into August -- the adventure continues

Lest I forget that into each adventure a little challenge must fall, as I was backing out of Little Current on July 27th the young dock hand blithely tossed my stern dock line into the water.  Now, I have line cutters which worked perfectly but because I had to head back into the slip under power I now had a line wrapped around my prop.

Boo Hiss!!

I informed the other boats of my little flotilla (SPIRIT and CLASS and THYME) that I'd be a while.  Overheard on the VHF by Alan Jackson of ENCORE who came to my rescue.  ENCORE was heading toward Little Current for the evening, so they came a little faster than planned and Alan dove on the prop.  I now have a memento of the event and am more convinced than ever that Little Current just isn't a destination that I favor.

So I followed THYME out of town to the nearby anchorage of Rous Island -- a well protected bay only 4 nautical miles from the docks at Little Current.   We were joined by LEADING EDGE and GUNKHOLER -- getting together on the latter for happy hour.

The next morning, LEADING EDGE and THYME HYSSOP WRY and SONADOR all headed north east to back to Sturgeon Cove.  Found it virtually empty, so dropped the hook and planned on a peaceful couple of days.  With, of course, more blueberry picking.  I now have more than two quarts even with lacing my breakfast yogurt with them.  One of the great advantages of travelling with THYME is that Ron is an avid fisherman -- so dinner that evening consisted of fresh bass cooked to perfection by JoEllen and consumed with relish by Rod, Alison, and myself.

Our little paradise was shattered the next morning when three smaller power boats tied to shore decided to crank up the music on their radios and began to party long before noon.  Now it is understandable that this is their water territory, but the level was just annoying.  I was nominated to be the ambassador to request politely if they could turn it down -- the blunt answer was NO, and WHAT DID I NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT NO.  So, plan B.  We raised anchor and went to the other end of the Cove where we thankfully could hear nothing above the lapping of waves and the wind in the trees.

Happy hour on LEADING EDGE with some of their friends, and plans to leave early the next morning heading west.  As I raised the anchor I was treated to the sight of a young deer wading in the water about two hundred feet from me -- she wasn't even disturbed by the dinghy motor as I took Sophie ashore at the other end of the Cove.

We settled on Eagle as our destination, joining CLASS ACT and ENCORE -- SPIRIT OF ALOHA had decided to  head home so they were making tacks back to Harbor Island, MI.  I hosted happy hour on SONADOR after some very strong thunder storms headed north and south of Eagle but left us in bright sunshine.  Dinghy explorations the next day with Mel and Susan, and a swim in the brisk (probably low 70) water, followed by happy hour on CLASS ACT.

The next morning, the first of August we lifted anchor and headed north into the McBean Channel and around into Hotham Island.  A secure anchorage at the west end, and a couple of days of simply relaxing with Sophie able to go ashore close to my location.  And, of course, more blueberries -- not many but enough to replenish my larder.

On the third, we came into Gore Bay -- through rough quartering seas and winds that didn't die as predicted.  But, here safely with CLASS ACT, FAIRY TALE, and THYME.  Dinner at Buoy's, farmers' market on Friday morning, dinner at BJ's, more staying put as Saturday turned into a test of high winds and scattered rain, and dinner at Buoy's again. 

As I write this on Sunday, the others have all headed out and are already anchored.  I'm staying until tomorrow morning getting last minute provisions done, paying bills, and generally just relaxing.  Sophie has had some stomach problems, but I talked with her vet this morning and I'm to put her on a diet of rice for the next five days then slowly introduce her regular food.  We'll see how that works.

Pictures later -- assuming I have some interesting ones.  And, probably at least a week or ten days before the next entry as we work our way west,

Pictures after Gore Bay 2

Looking east across Usual Reason Cove from one of the blueberry expeditions

Sophie resting after hiking the portage to Baie Finn

Baie Finn and the gang after the hike

Second anchor in Usual Reason -- it's deep all the way up to that rock face

Looking back over the anchorage toward the west

Pictures after Gore BayL

Looking out on Sturgeon Cove from the point

Sophie believes that shade and grass are made just for her

Taken from the same point of land that the top picture was, this looks out over the entrance to Sturgeon Cove toward the La Cloche Mountains

After Gore Bay

Sat out winds and rain at Gore Bay for almost a full week, but on the 17th of July the sun came out, the winds died, and it was time to go.

Traveled north east up to Sturgeon Cove -- a well protected anchorage that runs along the north side of Great La Cloche Island.  From the anchorage, you can look north to the La Cloche Mountains -- and, if you are lucky you can see eagles and bears.  I saw the former, not the latter.  It is tricky to get in, but a good holding bottom and plenty of room for lots of boats.  And, a good place for both blueberry picking and dog running.  What could be better!

I now have about a quart of small, delicious blueberries picked from various locations -- and consumed with a creamy yogurt and granola for breakfast many a morning.  

After three days in Sturgeon, we decided to head up into McGregor Bay -- the most remote of the anchorages that I'll see this summer.  The Bay is north of the Killarney Mountain range, and is sided by a provincial park (think bears, wolves, and other critters of the north).  There are no marks on the channels, just rocks everywhere that one learns to recognize from year to year -- thank goodness for modern technology.  So with a chart plotter and "tracks" created where ever one has successfully transited a difficult spot it's relatively easy to get back to Usual Reason Cove on a clear day.

There are a few cottages in McGregor, but only a couple can be seen across the water from Usual Reason.  More blueberry picking, and time ashore.  We went about two miles west in dinghies to a "portage" which links McGregor with Baie Finn -- hiking across with Sophie leading the way.  Then turned around, and headed back.  On the way there, the winds were in our face so we got relatively wet but on the way back the winds had died somewhat and were behind us.  I moved Sonador to another, more protected, area of Usual Reason before the big storms hit on Saturday.  Lightning, thunder, winds gusting into the upper twenties, and plenty of anxious moments when you hope the anchor will hold.  It did, we survived, and enjoyed an evening with friends aboard FAIRY TALE.  

Our last day there, we climbed the nearby rocks to pick more blueberries -- they were so thick that even from several yards away the low bushes were blue.  YUM.

Then on the 25th we moved into Little Current in anticipation of more strong winds and rain.  Little Current is the oxymoron of the North Channel, very seldom is the current much below three knots -- which may not seem like much except when you are trying to hold your position while the swing bridge opens to let the traffic thru.

On the 25th the Cruisers' Net hosted a talk on the fossils of Manitoulin Island (which some hundreds of millions of years ago was actually somewhere near the equator) and then a pot luck dinner in the pavilion at the Little Current Town Docks.  As predicted, the 26th was a washout -- but a ride to the grocery store, and dinner at the Anchor Inn made for an enjoyable day.  

Right now, I am waiting for word from one of the local boat shops on the fate of my dinghy outboard which is giving me fits again.  I'll borrow a "spare" from Bill Matley (SPIRIT of ALOHA) while mine is either being repaired or is condemned to being junked.

Later this morning, we'll leave (SPIRIT, CLASS ACT, SONADOR) for South Benjamin.  To hopefully be joined by LEADING EDGE and THYME HYSSOP WRY.

Pictures in separate postings.