Year 2 Day 138

Today is Sunday, August 12th and we're currently in Charlevoix, Michigan having finally left Mackinac Island this morning at 7:30.  We had intended to leave on Thursday but had to wait 3 more days due to high winds.  Even today once we were in Lake Michigan the waves were high enough to cause us an uncomfortable trip.

Leaving Mackinac Island

This lighthouse was featured

in "Somewhere in Time". 

Approaching the 5 mile long

Mackinac Bridge

Closer shot of the Mackinac Bridge

It wasn't difficult to stay at Mackinac as it's such a fun place.  There are lots of people vacationing on the island including lots of day visitors from St. Ignace and Mackinac City.  There were other "loopers" at the marina and we enjoyed their company.

The only negative thing that happened is that Friday night about 2:30 AM there was a loud commotion at the end of the dock.  We heard yelling and splashing like people were drunk and jumping in the water.  It was very annoying and I was wishing somebody would say something to them.  Eventually I went back to sleep.  Unfortunately, the next morning they discovered a dead body in the water right at the end of the dock.  It was a young man who worked on the island.  Mike gave a statement to the police about what he heard and we both were upset that we didn't get up and attempt to quiet things down.  Apparently he drowned.

Anyway on a positive note, we arrived here at Charlevoix and have to change marinas tomorrow as we couldn't get into the city marina yesterday.  We spent the afternoon doing laundry and resting.  We hear there's a lot to do here and we're looking forward to seeing it.

Year 2 Day 134

Today is Wednesday, August 8th and we've been on Mackinac Island since Monday afternoon.  We left DeTour early on Monday morning and unfortunately we had the worst water crossing we've had since we began cruising.  We had considered turning around and going back but it would have been difficult even to turn around in those waves.

Waves hitting the bow

 We finally made it safely here at Mackinac and have been enjoying it so much the last couple of days.  We traveled with our friends Carl and Ricky on their boat Quest and when we arrived we ran into Joe and Ede on their boat Seaquel who had been here for two days.

On Mackinac there are no motorized vehicles except for emergency fire and ambulance so everybody either rides a bike or takes a horse drawn carriage.  Monday night the six of us took a carriage to the top of the island through the woods and as Mike said, "it was magical".  The setting and the restaurant were beautiful.

One of the carriages

 

Dressed and ready to go to the

Grand Hotel for dinner

Front of the Grand Hotel

On the porch

View of the 5 mile long

Mackinac Bridge from the porch

(We'll be cruising under this bridge

when we leave Mackinac)

Ede had found a hair salon on the island and I called immediately and was able to get an appointment Tuesday afternoon for me and Mike since we hadn't had a haircut for a couple of months.  We went to the Grand Hotel for dinner and celebrated an early anniversary.  In order to eat dinner in their restaurant, women are required to wear dresses so I had to shop.

 The experience was wonderful and it was so neat to walk through the hotel and see photos of Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour as they looked in 1979 when they filmed "Somewhere in Time".  Just to walk on that long front porch was a thrill.

Today we took a horse and carriage ride around the island stopping at Fort Mackinac and taking a tour - very interesting.  We had lunch on the patio overlooking the harbor.  Mike went back to the boat and I walked the town checking out all the shops.

View of the harbor from

Fort Mackinac

I love Mackinac Island and hope to return again someday.  There are about 450 permanant residents on the island and the rest are seasonal workers and tourists but it's an incredible place to visit.  Due to the northern climate, the season is very short.

Our plan was to stay one more day and leave Friday morning heading to Beaver Island but due to weather again, we may have to change our plans.  We'll update the situation later.

Year 2 Day 131

Today is Sunday, August 5th and we're happy to be back in the good old USA!  We spent 2 days in Blind River, Ontario due to the weather (high winds) and we're stuck here in DeTour, Michigan for the same reason.  Blind River was a depressing, dying little town with nothing there.  We did manage to find a pretty decent restaurant and the six of us (we've been cruising with two other boats) called a cab and had a nice dinner.  The only negative was the fact that there was only one waitress and it was her first day there!  Considering everything, she did a pretty good job.

We left Friday morning and it was about a 6 hour cruise here where we had to call and clear customs.

The first thing we saw when entering

United States waters!  Yea!!

The water here in DeTour is really beautiful - blue/green like the Caribbean and see-through.  I wish my photos would do it justice.

Beautiful water

Whitecaps on the water today

Yesterday we rode bikes into town and visited the botanical garden, local library, gift shop, farmers market and the Presbyterian Church which was having a craft show and salad lunch.  We ate lunch there which consisted of many salads and was great.  Mike went to church last night and went with me again this morning.  The church had a lunch after services so we went again and had left over salads and they were still great.  We spent a lot of time talking with an older woman who offered us produce from her garden which we're eating tonight with dinner.

Tomorrow we leave for Mackinac Island for 3 days and I'm really looking forward to that as I've wanted to visit there since seeing the Christopher Reeve movie in the eighties - "Somewhere in Time".  We checked into staying one night at the Grand Hotel but it was $655 so we decided to stay aboard the boat.   Hopefully the weather cooperate with us as it's a 5 hour cruise in open water.

Year 2 Day 127

Today is Wednesday, August lst and we're in Blind River, Ontario.  We left Killarney on Monday and cruised to Little Current where we enjoyed dinner on board with our friends, Carl and Ricky on their boat Quest.  We left Tuesday morning and the current was so strong that we crashed into the boat next to us damaging one of their stanchions which is one of the stainless steel rods along the side of the boat.  We had no less than 10 people trying to help us get out of there and the current was more than all of us could handle!  Finally we were able to get out of the slip and alongside the fuel dock and then after talking to the owner whose boat was damaged, we were on our way.

Waiting for this swing bridge to open - only

on the hour for 15 minutes

We cruised to North Benjamin Island where we anchored along with 29 other boats!  We took our dinghy over to shore and walked around awhile.  So gorgeous!

Granite formations on the shore

People actually snorkle in this freezing

water behind me

We met a new friend on shore - Max

Another shot of the rocks

Today we left the Benjamin Islands cruising to Blind River and saw a couple of boats out in the McLean Channel that we recognized so we contacted them on the VHF.  They were headed here also so we followed them in and had dinner in the very small town with them.  Tomorrow we plan to anchor out for the last time before leaving Canada.  We plan to be on Mackinac Island on Sunday as we have reservations at the marina there for 3 nights.  We wanted to stay one night at the Grand Hotel but the cost was $655 and even though that includes meals, we thought it was excessive so we'll stay aboard Queen Kathleen.

Canadian Coast Guard helicoper on

one of the islands we passed today



Year 2 Day 125

Today is Monday, August 30th and we're in Killarney, Ontario getting ready to leave heading into the North Channel.  We spent last night here at the Sportsman's Inn and the water is so blue it's almost like the Carribbean.  Prior to arriving here we anchored out in Bad River and it lived up to it's name because it took us 7 tries to get the anchor to hold.  We almost decided to leave and find another spot but are glad we stayed as we met a Canadian who led us into what's called Devil Door Rapids in our dinghy - incredible.
This area was discovered in the 1600s and it's still the same today.

Entrance to Devil Door Rapids

We hit the motor on rocks here.

Upstream

Channel marker - if you don't stay in

the channel, look what you'll hit.

Well, we're traveling with another couple over to Little Current and they're waiting, so i'll get back to the blog later.

Year 2, Day 122

Today is Friday, July 27th and we are at Wright's Marina in Britt, Ontario.  I haven't added to the blog for 8 days due to the fact that the air card we have with Sprint is maxed out on the megabites they sold us and they won't sell us any more!  I can only add to the blog when we're at a marina that has wi-fi.

We left Midland and proceeded to an anchorage off Bernadette Island which was so beautiful.  We actually went swimming in that freezing water!  There were two other trawlers anchored in the little cove, both Canadians, and one invited us over for a drink. 

Anchorage off Bernadette Island

Osprey nest with mama inside -

we could hear babies

We left Bernadette Island and were actually headed to another anchorage and were going to dinghy back to Henry's Fish Restaurant on Frying Pan Island but the wind picked up and we decided to dock at Henry's overnight.  We met 3 other boats of loopers there and had dinner with them.  There were float planes coming in and out all day as folks from all over the area come to Henry's to eat.  Unforutnately, the wind never died down and we had to spend another night on their docks.

Other loopers we met at Henry's

We all left about 8:00 AM and headed to Killbear Marina and arrived there about lunch time after which we were wondering why we decided to go there because it's out in the middle of nowhere and there's nothing to do.  On the way to Killbear we passed Kathleen Island. 

There was a restaurant there so all of us had dinner together again and in the morning they all left for Wright's Marina except for us as as we're a slow trawler and we wanted to anchor out another night.  We found an incredibly beautiful anchorage and arrived early again and were so excited because we were the only ones there.    Well, that didn't last long and before nightfall, there were 7 boats there!  Mike decided he wanted to fish so we took the dinghy out for a couple of hours and he fished in many different spots without any luck.  Finally, we went back to the boat and he tried off the side - well, he struck paydirt:

Mike and his Northern Pike

This fish was too big to keep and he released it but what a catch!  After a quiet night, we got up early and left for Wright's Marina.  We did hear the loons throughout the night and Mike thinks he heard a wolf.  The Georgian Bay is so full of rocks that you have to pay strict attention to the charts and the GPS or you could end up in serious trouble as some other boats have done with ruined props, etc.  It can be a little stressful at times.  It's a very rugged sort of beauty but truly amazing.

Our anchorage last night

We arrived here at Wright's Marina around noon and have spent the day doing laundry, grocery shopping, etc. and then went to dinner at the Britt Inn.  Tomorrow we head to another anchorage at Bad River which everybody tells us is some of the prettiest scenery yet.  I'll try to add to the blog whenever I have wi-fi access.

Year 2 Day 114 - Big Chute to Midland, Ontario

Well, we did it - We went up and over the Big Chute:

Kathy on the bow as we go

up and over!

About to reenter the water

on the other side

We saw more spectacular sights on our last leg of the Trent-Severn including a male and female swan with 5 babies.  I took a quick photo but it came out too fuzzy.  We went through our last lock and headed into the Georgian Bay which was a little stressful because we didn't have the right charts and there are so many rocks.  Once we got here to this marina in Midland, we purchased the charts we need and hopefully will be able to negotiate these waters without too much stress although we've heard there are rocks everywhere!

I figured we went through a total of 67 locks in the Erie Canal and the Trent-Severn Canal and this is a picture of the gloves I used and the shoes I wore for this process:

 

The locks did a job on these

gloves and shoes!

You can imagine what would have happened to my hands without these gloves!  I guess I'll get a new pair for the locks on the river system later this year.

We're staying at this marina another day to do laundry, cleaning, etc.  Tomorrow we head out for another adventure.