The North Channel

Day thirteen (6th September) we finally left Thessalon and are heading to Meldrum Bay under overcast skies and light winds out of the southeast, which is the direction we want to go. We motor sailed until we had cleared Bigsby Island then the wind picked up and shifted and we shutdown the engine and were able to sail again. We ended up tacking into the bay along with another sailboat. This is the first boat we have seen traveling other than fishing boats. Meldrum Bay is very small with three long piers and the area has campsites and a boat launch. There is a general store, which was closed but is under new management and will reopen in a few months. Also there is an inn with a restaurant that had only a few selections on the menu and the food was excellent. The whitefish is fresh caught the day before and is brought into the docks right here by the fishery.

Day fourteen (7th September) we woke to overcast skies and winds 15 to 20 knots out of the south. These would carry us swiftly to Gore Bay our next stop. We needed to turn the boat around in the slip to get out because of obstructions at the end of the docks, which were the pilings that the docks were anchored. They were leaning into our exit path. After we got turned around with help it started to rain, we canceled our departure because this became a pattern all day. A squall line would come thru every hour or so.

Day Fifteen (8th September) we woke to clear skies and after breakfast set off for Gore Bay. Once we got out side the bay the wind was on our bow again with two-foot waves so we motored all the way. This was a very picturesque harbor with the town and homes starting at the waters edge and sweeping up the side of the hills to the bluffs about two hundred feet above. The bay is “V” shaped and somewhat narrow with bluffs lining the shore with pines and rock outcrops along the edges and a meadow at the inner most part. There are several bed and breakfasts and inns around the bay. New docks now take up most of the anchorage area, yet there is still enough room to swing at anchor if you choose.

Day Sixteen (9th September) we woke to a beautiful day and setout towards Clapperton Channel, which is full of rocky shoals. Although the channel is marked it looks hard to negotiate from the chart view because of the shallow water. After motor sailing again with the wind on the bow we cleared the shoals and set course towards Little Current. It seems like the wind is funneling around all the island and channels so it keeps changing direction on us, which is usually where we want to go. We docked in Little Current and walked around town, which is right along the waterfront. It was Sunday and most of the shops were closed or going to close. There was a nice restaurant open that had free WiFi. There were many people in there having dinner and using their laptop computers. This by far is the most populated town we have been in and many of the people are locals not visitors like us. Most of the towns it seemed like the visitors outnumbered the local residents.
Day Seventeen (10th September) we got ready early so we could make the 0900 bridge opening. There is a swinging bridge that opens hourly on the hour so our next opportunity would be 1000AM. We made the opening and went thru with two other sailboats. Once on the thru we set sail and were off at a fast pace heading for the Lansdowne Channel which I was certain we would be motoring up to get to Kallarny. Kallarny is in a river or channel that is very narrow between it and Georges Island. The only way to get on Georges Island is by boat or you could swim the 100 yards or so across the river. We had fish and chips at the famous Herbert’s Fisheries bus. We met the dock master at the Mountain Lodge and discover that he and his wife come here to work in the summer and have a boat in Florida where they winter. They also know the previous owners of my boat. We got a lot of good tips from them about sailing down in the Bahamas.

Start of The Adventure 8/26/07 to 9/5/07

Well my trip has finally started. There were many false starts but finally after several weather delays I untied the dock lines from Montrose Harbor for the last time this year. I also waited on a friend of mine Dick who has the boat next to me to go along until Detroit.
First day out (25th August) we finally got under way 1645 hours (4:45PM) and motor sailed to Waukegan. There was very little to no wind all day and we tied up at 2130 hours. It was hard leaving Montrose because many people came by to say good-by and as we left the harbor friends from other boats waved and wished us a safe trip.
Day Two 26 August. The next morning we had breakfast with another friend Ed who drove up and visited for a while and my friend Linda also came up. We prepared to leave in the afternoon and this time got out at 1600 hours to ESE winds at 12 knots. This gave us a great ride across the lake all night with an almost full moon to Muskegon Michigan. We laid over a day here running errands and lounging around cleaning up the boat.
Day four (28th August) we awoke to wind out of the south at 15 knots so we had breakfast and prepared to leave. At 1040 in the morning we sailed off the dock and were off at a great pace. When we cleared the channel we set course for Ludington Michigan and we sailed wing and wing all the way into Ludington then reached into the harbor. We laid over here an extra day and met many boaters and got some great cruising information about east coast places to visit. The weather was threatening to rain with heavily overcast skis. There were many boats doing the great loop. This is a circle tour that takes boaters thru the great lakes down the river system via the Illinois Waterway to the Mississippi river the Ten Tom waterway to Mobile bay. From there you sail around the state of Florida up the east coast to the Hudson River to the Erie Canal and back to the great lakes. This is some trip and there are boaters that are doing this year after year.
Day six (30 August) we had breakfast with Graham and topped off our fuel and departed at 1035 hours. We sailed to Frankfort on a reach with winds out of the NE 12 to 15 knots. I set up the Monitor vane gear to steer us along and it carried us all the way there. We called ahead to get a dock before they closed for the night and arrived just at sunset outside the harbor. When we attempted to dock we ran aground in the mud only five feet into the slip so we tied to the gas dock for the night.
Day seven (31 August) we left early for Charlevoix with almost no wind and flat seas so we motored all the way. When we arrived the harbormaster was gone for the night so we anchored in the inner lake for the night. This is a very nice anchorage with homes and boathouses all around the lake and very courteous boaters leaving no wake when motoring through to lake Charlevoix from lake Michigan.
Day eight (1 September) we motor sailed from Charlevoix to St. Ignace. We had light winds all the way to Gray’s Reef then the winds picked up enough to sail towards the Mackinac Bridge running wing and wing then we reached into St. Ignace with increasing winds. Nice town with a lot of activity until Labor Day and everyone had left. We stayed over another day here because the winds increased to 10 to 20 with gusts to 40 knots in the harbor. We could not get out of the dock because the winds were on our stern blowing us into the dock. So day nine was another layover day to relax and do some projects. We explored the town some more.
Day ten (3rd September) we motored from St. Ignace to Detour Village with no wind almost the whole way. Just west of Detour Pass the wind picked up and we motor sailed into the pass until the wind switched directly out of the pass where we needed to go. We met the mayor of Detour who owns a restaurant and bar near the harbor, they were having a year end party. Everything in town closed early because of Labor Day holiday.
Day eleven (4th September) we got up showered had breakfast and went to the grocery store to a few things. We then motored all the way to Thessalon Ontario Canada. The wind was very light when we started and picked up along the way but we did not raise any sails because of many course changes around islands and reefs. We got to the harbor and the office had a sign on it that said it was closed. We cleared customs and checked in with the harbormaster via phone and he came out to do the paperwork. Dick and I walked into town and picked up some fruit, which the last store, did not have and had pizzas for dinner. We came back and did laundry read and planed our next stops. We also went to the library and used the computers to check email.

Day tweleve (5th September) we awoke to rain and strong winds right out of the direction we wanted to go so we are having another layover day. This afternoon late the sun is shining again I hope tomorrow is the same. The winds have moderated and are supposed to switch to the southwest which will give us a reach to the next harbors. I have been doing maintanince to day and trying to update this blog. So for all you with charts and those without we are sitting at 083 degrees 33.088 minutes west, and 46 degrees 15.256 minutes west. We have covered 396 nautical miles as of today.
I’ll try to get some pictures up here soon also or a link to them too.