August 20-21
We keep feeling the effects of the current running counter clockwise
in Lake Superior and thank goodness that is the direction we are going. At our normal speed of 1700 RPM, we are now
getting 9 MPH instead of 8 MPH.
A little more than six hours from Superior, WI and we
arrived in Cornucopia. What is there not
to like about Cornucopia? It is a small
village with the best general store ever.
The store is sectioned off in departments with the typical departments
such as painting, fasteners, electrical, plumbing. There is also a grocery section, a meat
section, a deli section and a pizza making station on Wed-Sun nights. There is a coffee shop that serves a very decent
latte. Along the waterfront is a group
of weather beaten buildings that offer gifts, pottery and other curiosities. The marina is small and is lovingly maintained
by a husband and wife team.
The weather kicked up so we stayed two days. Rusty took the opportunity to paint part of
the engine room walls with paint purchased at the general store. Memphis ribs (from Superior Meats) for
dinner. Excellent.
August 22-23
It was a leisurely departure (10:15 am) to the Apostle
Islands. On the way we cruised by the
sea caves, a local tourist attraction that has spawned a kayaking business in
Cornucopia. The past winter the water
froze in the caves bringing tourists even in the cold weather.
Our destination was Raspberry Island to see the lighthouse
and stay on the dock overnight. However
it was too rolly and we then headed for Stockton. Stockton is one of the most popular islands
and we were prepared to anchor but we lucked out. There was space on the dock. The ranger was welcoming and even helped us
with our lines as we moved into a more secure spot on the wall. That evening we attended the “Ranger Talk”
along with 10-15 campers. It was on the
Web of Life. We will never forget how
important all the pieces of nature fit together and how things do not work well
when some of the pieces are missing.
Again the weather kicked up and we ended spending two
days. There was no cellular or wifi but
TV reception was excellent. We took a
very nice walk along one of the trails.
Rusty is getting antsy about getting out of Lake Superior by Labor
Day. We counted the days and the
distances we could travel each day and there was not enough time to do more
touring of the Apostles.
August 24
It was only a 5 hour cruise but the waves were kicking up at
times and it seemed like the wind and the waves were going in different
directions. We were going slower than 8
MPH. Our destination was Black River
Harbor. There were no reviews on Active
Captain and some of the other information we had was contradictory. No one answered our VHF calls. Finally we were at the mouth of the harbor
and a fishing boat came out. They
confirmed we would have no problems with depths and told us where the transient
dock was located.
The dock is owned by the National Parks Service. There is a small concession stand (ice, ice
cream, unhealthy and healthy snacks (her words)). The fee was a reasonable $10 because Rusty
has a Senior’s Pass with the Parks Service. And that included power! We took an amazing walk across the suspension
bridge, along a beautiful trail in the woods to the Rainbow Falls.
That night, after midnight, the storm of storms
erupted. Rain blasted straight
down. Our rain meter registered 8 inches
but town maintenance workers thought only 5 inches fell during the night. At times the boat rocked side to side as if
it was being rolled. The lightning kept
flashing it seemed for a couple hours.
Gigi snuggled up in my arms the entire time. Rusty worried about rising waters.
The next morning it was peaceful and the only evidence of
the storm was the runoff. The water was
brown.
August 25 -26
We couldn’t decide whether or not to stay an extra day in
Black River or continue on to Ontonagon.
Neither of us had slept well. By
the time we had breakfast and had taken a walk, we felt better.
Again the winds and waves were with us and we made good
time. We contacted the harbormaster by
phone and he told us the visitor slips were marked with white poles. The entrance to the marina is narrow but we
had no problems.
The town is across the river so we tucked Gigi into her
stroller and went off to explore. It was
a long walk, and we saw at least five churches to match the five bars, and the
five cafes.
The harbormaster welcomed us later that day with a
hospitality bag put together by his wife.
It was full of foodie products from Wisconsin, anchored by a bottle of
champagne. WOW!
Cellular is good here and we found out that some nasty waves
(3-6 feet) were expected tomorrow so we are staying an extra day. There is an On Tran service here. It is like a private taxi service funded by
some government organization. You call,
they come in about 15 min., you pay $1.50 (or $.75 if you are a senior)
August 27--Houghton
We are now feeling we need to be off the Lake. Not because the weather is lousy but that it
could get lousy and then we would be stuck for a while.
The runs each day are dictated by the distance to the next
harbor. There are no intermediate stops
and it is either a 40-50 mile trip each day or a stretch of 80-90 miles
Houghton is located on the 25 mile Keweenaw Waterway also
referred to as Portage River. We stayed
on the town wall located next to the downtown.
While there were no amenities the only other option would have been the
marina across the river necessitating a long walk across the bridge. We could have stayed an extra day to enjoy
the town and hope we get another chance to do so.
August 28
It was a pleasant run to the mouth of the lower Portage
River and we took note of the areas that one could anchor or stop. Today we were on the water for seven hours
arriving at the Big Bay municipal wall at 2:15.
We decided this stop would be ok if one needed a harbor of refuge.
August 29-29
It was only 4.5 hours to Marquette. What a great place! It is a college town so has all the requisite
foodie and artsy shops. We had an
excellent meal at a fairly new German restaurant, Aus Steinhaus. It rained off and on for the two days we were
there.
August 31-Sept 1
We stayed two days in Munising Cinder Pond marina. The trip took 5.5 hours. The marina is well run. Rusty took the opportunity to clean the decks
and to throw out the plants. No
geraniums in the future as the petals stain the deck. Great laundry in town.
Sept 2
Five hours and we were in Grand Marais. This is another harbor of refuge places
only. Not much going on in town. It was Rusty’s birthday and we went to the
top rated restaurant per trip advisor (there are only four). Rusty has started not to feel well again . It was a rather modest celebration both in
the choice and quality of dinner.
Sept 3
Long, long day today. Started at 7:15 am and reached Sault
Ste Marie at 6:30 pm. We were concerned
that we might get stuck on Whitefish Point if we made an intermediary
stop. The radar showed some weather
coming overnight and increased wave heights the following day. Recreational boats generally use the Canadian
lock in the Soo and they closed at 4:30. And we would not make it. We called the American lockmaster and were
warmly invited to go through whenever we got there. We put on a show for the spectators (in a good
way, meaning no probems). The George
Kemp marina is next to the lock and there we stayed the night.
Sept 4-5
We were tired from the previous day but with a weather
window of six hours opening up we decided to make a run to De Tour at 9:45 am. We made it by 3 pm and an hour later a storm
blew through with wind gusts of 40 MPH.
It blew much of the night. We heard later that a 1000 ft. freighter was
blown off course near the Straits of Mackinaw and grounded.
We stayed two days because of weather. De Tour is a small village with a few local
type restaurants, a great gift shop, a reasonable grocery store, a hardware
store, post office, and a coffee shop that has been closed for some years (in
case anyone reading is wanting to start up a café in Detour). The marina was beautiful.
Sept 6
Five and a half hours, with 3-4 ft. (predictions were 2) waves
brought us to Mackinaw City Straits State Marina, a beautiful facility. There were only four boats. No explanation why the older next door
municipal marina was full. Mackinaw City has 20 fudge and popcorn shops, 20
sweatshirt shops, 20 restaurants, and 20 souvenir shops. Enough said.
Done that. No need to return.
Sept 7
Today was the worse cruising day of the entire trip. Eight
hours of waves starting at 2 ft and increasing to 3-4 to 4-6. Predictions were 2-3 ft. We had to change our heading a few times to
get a more comfortable ride. The
auto-pilot stopped working underway so Rusty really had a workout with the
steering. We reached Charlevoix, MI
about 3 pm. It was sunny and rather
pleasant. We actually felt ourselves
warming up for the first time in over two months.
Sept 8 -10
Although exhausted we headed for our final destination,
Northport, MI, a 3 hour run. Rusty asked
me to pilot. He is not feeling well at
all.
We are readying the boat for haul-out next Monday.
We decided to head home this Friday and should be there by
Sunday, The boatyard will collect the boat at the marina on Monday, a service
they regularly provide so we are ok on it.
It is always nice to be able to inspect the bottom of the boat but that
will not happen this year at least not by us.
Summary:
Health issue aside, the boating has been wonderful. Three distinct areas (26 days on Trent-Severn
waterway, 25 days on Georgian Bay/North Channel/St. Mary’s River, 54 days on Lake
Superior) and we enjoyed them all.
