July 11 – Gigi went for her grooming appointment in the
morning . Her top knot got
slaughtered. I didn’t see it until we
got back to the boat. It is a mess. Different lengths. Part of it was cut off. The worst job ever in 4.5 years. Methinks someone started to cut it off and
then tried to disguise it when she realized the top knot should stay. The good thing is that Gigi’s hair will grow
back.
We decided to stay in the Soo another night. By the time we were finishing with the
grooming, the sky was dark and winds had picked up although the weather reports
did not indicate a problem. So we went
shopping and bought new pots and pans and cutlery and bins and thermal wear for
those cold nights on Lake Superior.
July 12 – We were a little apprehensive about starting the
trek into Lake Superior. We had received
a number of cautions about the Lady and her tantrums. Both of us did not sleep well and by 5 am got
up and had coffee and breakfast.
It was 9:45 when we exited the Canadian lock in the Soo and
by 4:30 we were tied up at the government dock in Corbeil Point near the
entrance of Batchawana Bay. The water
was like glass most of the way. Winds
were light or non-existent. We crossed
in and out of US waters and were able to pick up AT&T for a few hours.
The government dock was replaced about two years ago and it
is wide and sturdy. Depths were 13’ on the
outer T. We met a few families who were fishing on the
dock and got a warm welcome. Some of the
kids were even swimming. BRRR. The
community has about 100 residents and the closest place to get groceries is 40
miles away.
Rusty tried his hand at fishing, having purchased a license
in Sault Ste Marie. No one was catching.
We had stuffed pork chops for dinner.
The view from the boat is beautiful. If we can keep out of weather trouble and
based on our first day, we are in for a real treat. (Rogers works well here)
July 13 – 20 MPH winds were coming from the west which means
beam seas. That and a bank of fog which
crept in during the morning helped make the decision to stay put. Things started to get better late
afternoon. Kids came out to play and
swim.
At one point a pack of dogs approached the boat just as we
were going to take Gigi for a walk. They
expressed interest in our little girl.
One of the boys asked if she was in heat, and if not, the pack would be
ok. The dogs looked like Rottweiler Pit
Bull mixes. We stayed on board.
July 14 – We rechecked the weather reports online as well as
those broadcast by Environmental Canada on VHF in the morning. Everything looked good except for a small
rain system coming through. By 9 am it
was clearing and we were off. The swells
were about 2-3 feet but gentle. After an
hour we changed course and the water was calmer so all in all it was a pleasant
cruise.
We only had a 2.5 hr trip today. Mamainse Harbor has a government dock leased
to fishermen and their tugs. One
happened to be away for a few days and we were able to stay for a
donation. The gentlemen in charge was
born in 1930 (that makes him 84) and he looks as fit as a fiddle. His dog is
named Cooper (same as our boat) and it could not leave Gigi alone. Poor girl.
Rusty bought some whitefish from the fish packing company
onsite. It was delicious. We walked and read and wished we had
continued further today. At the rate we
are going it will take us more than a month to get around Superior. Both of us agreed we would not take chances
with the weather though. There were predictions of winds building up in the
afternoon so we did make the right decision based on the information available,
even if the predictions did not pan out.
Another chilly night coming up. Grateful for the extra
blanket we bought a few days ago. We
tucked Gigi in her Minnie Mouse blanket at night and she did not budge until
the morning.
July 15 – all looks good for a run to Sinclair. We were able to pick up unsecured wifi with
our Alfa Network antennae. No cellular
here.
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