Into Michigan

Friday, 2 August – Blind River to Drummond Island – 42 mi., 3035 cum mi.

Calm, partly cloudy, 56 degrees. We cruised calm open seas, passing some islands, including Propeller Island which we dared not get near (for obvious reasons). It started raining as we approached Drummond Island. We entered the USA at 10:20 AM. Although we enjoyed Canada and her people, it was
just a good feeling to be back in the USA. Back to unlimited cell phone data and normal minutes without the huge surcharges. When we arrived at the Drummond Island fuel dock, a customs officer boarded the boat (no pictures allowed), asked some questions, and took away 3 clementines and a lime. He was not very friendly. We heard later that he was the only border officer there who isn’t friendly, but we didn’t have any problems – just his attitude needed a little adjustment. We loaded up with the least expensive fuel we’ve seen since leaving New York. And we took down the courtesy Canadian flag we
were flying. Later we met some kids who were checking out the boats at the marina. They were attending a sailing camp and had just arrived.  We eventually recognized one of them as Jacob from Jericho, VT – who went to nursery school with our granddaughter, Chloe. We couldn’t believe how we bumped into someone we knew!

Saturday, 3 August – Drummond Island to DeTour – 6 mi., 3041 cum mi.

Clear, breezy, 57 degrees. We got an early start toward Mackinac Island, but the winds got too rough, and they issued a small craft advisory, so we spun around and sought refuge at DeTour Harbor Marina. We were followed by several other boats seeking refuge from the winds, including Mooring Dove (Galen and Becky)

– gold loopers on their second time around. DeTour turned out to be
a jewel. The IGA grocery also sold liquor – so cool after all the provincial LCBO stores in Ontario. We discovered a
local hangout with the greatest wet burritos. And they had a concert
in the park next to the marina- a great band and lots of fun-loving people on ATVs, bikes, including a couple who just bought a Nordic Tug and were planning on doing the loop next year.

Sunday, 4 August – Detour to Mackinac Island – 37 mi., 3078 cum mi.

Blue sky, breezy, but not windy, 59 degrees. What a difference a day makes! The winds calmed down, so the cruise to Mackinac Island was so much more pleasant today. The island is a tourist mecca. Parasails in outside the harbor, lots of boat traffic, including at least three ferries coming from different Michigan towns across the Straits, horse-drawn carriages, and lots of tourists on foot or bicycles (no cars are allowed on the island), and a busy marina, including kayakers.

 We docked next to another looper boat –
JimKat – with really nice folks – Jim and Kathy from Cincinnati.

We biked around the 8-mile circumference of the island, including
past Arch Rock and through the state park. Beachcombers were piling up rocks into cairns - don't know why. We dined with Jim and Kathy at the Pink Pony – great food on a deck overlooking the hotel’s hot tub and our marina.

Monday, 5 August – Mackinac Island to Beaver Island – 43 mi., 3121 cum mi.

Beautiful day, 60 degrees.  We left with our new friends on JimKat.

The lighthouses and the Mackinac
bridge were our landmarks through the Straits of Mackinac. And the ferries were already bringing more tourists to the island, some of them were turbos – like jet skis – no props, but a lot of water squirting out behind the boat. As we went further west, it turned cloudy and windy, especially across the open water

toward Beaver Island. Then it rained, but that didn’t keep us from enjoying dinner with Jim and Kathy.

Tuesday, 6 August – Beaver Island to Harbor Springs – 35 mi., 3121 cum mi.

Mostly cloudy, breezy, 66 degrees. The south winds were not calming down as predicted, and we hesitated in cruising in the 2-4 ft seas, but we did – at an angle - and we survived, with an occasional
6 footer that gave us a roller coaster ride.  We headed for the Irish Boat Shop for service, including a haul out and prop repair (remember when we grazed a rock in Roger’s Gut in the North Channel?). And we met more loopers. We docked next to Mooring Dove who was in for similar repairs.

Canadian Hospitality

 Thursday, 1 August – Blind River Marine Park

Partly cloudy, 60 degrees. Pretty calm in the morning (turned into nice day, but quite windy in the

afternoon). We planned to leave early to take advantage of the calm morning breeze. But the adventure started when the port engine would not start. Not even a click. Starboard engine started up without a hitch, but the port was definitely dead. I started troubleshooting, looking for a simple explanation. Battery was OK. Ignition switch worked yesterday, besides why would both upper and lower helms suddenly have bad ignition switches? I soon had my voltmeter out and the DC distribution panel apart. I waited for the marina to open to seek help. Daryl came over with his probe. We probed, measured, traced wires, to no avail. I called my friend, Ron – an electrician – and went through some good troubleshooting suggestions. Nothing seemed to explain the strange behavior. I went to the marine shop to see if they had a mechanic who could help. Their senior mechanic was on holiday until next Tuesday. While at the counter lamenting my predicament, I met Roger buying spark plugs for his outboard. “What’s wrong? he asked. “Do you want me to look at it?” After producing cards showing

he was a certified heavy machinery mechanic, I took him up on his offer. He was in town shopping with his wife, Brenda. While Charli took Brenda on a tour of the boat, Roger was methodically tracing the wiring from the battery to the ignition breakers, while I held a flashlight and voltmeter. Hard to believe how he fit between the boat wall and the port engine to get to all the wiring. Bottom line – Roger found that the cable coming from the battery to the starter was loose. Tightening that connection solved the problem. My hero! He wanted no compensation, taking joy in helping a stranded American. I talked
them into going to lunch – my treat – the least I could do. Thank you Roger! A great example of Canadian hospitality and generosity. Later, when we returned to the marina, we met Murray and Leslie on Big Blue, another Mainship 400 trawler.  Murray was from Waterloo, ON, and we were surprised to learn that he knew Barry (who will be renting our beach house this winter) from minor league baseball in Waterloo. Small world. And they gave us some clips that we were looking for – that fit on our 1.25 inch rails. Very gracious. On our last night in Canada over a glass of wine at sunset, we reflected on the nice folks we met in Canada – Peggy and her baked
goods and pictures, Roger and his eagerness to solve our problem, Murray and Leslie and their generosity, all the loopers, and all the docktail parties we shared with our new found Canadian friends. Thank you all! Life is good.

Through the North Channel

Monday, 29 July – Brett to Killarney, ON – 60 mi. 2916 cum mi.

Stopped raining, 51 degrees, a little foggy, but it lifted as we left Byng Inlet. It was the best of times, it

was the worst of times. The best was the nice, narrow, rocky channels, the steep rocky sides on Collins Inlet, the anchorages in the
little harbors, the lighthouses, and all the names for the rocky islands. The worst part was when we hit another rock. Very narrow, winding channel and rocks everywhere. Don’t know how we could have avoided it, since we were in the channel, and we were very careful and driving slowly. The
vibration is not as bad as last time, but quite noticeable. At the Sportsmans Inn Marina in Killarney, we met up with Dave and Bev who had left Britt earlier, anchored out, but found the weather less than ideal. Killarney isn’t really a town – it’s just a collection of six
marinas with their general stores and shops. The restaurants were good, though. They even had a “float-in movie” screen on the hillside across the narrow channel.

Tuesday, 30 July – Killarney to Little Current, ON – 21 mi., 2937 cum mi.

Beautiful day, 68 degrees. Three families docked beside us – nice folks, all Canadians from different

cities, cruising together, planning to anchor in interesting gunkholes and party together. They helped us spin around and launch, since one of their boats was blocking us in. The seas were calm, the trip was mostly open seas between islands. We discovered that the Manitoulin Island swing bridge turned 100 years old this year. It had an 18 ft clearance, so with our mast down, we did not have to wait for the
hourly opening. The bridge provides the only road access to the island. Little Current is where the waters of the North Channel are funnelled into a passage only 100 yards wide, creating stiff currents as they empty into Georgian Bay. It's the largest town on the Island, and it has a Chinese restaurant that delivers right to the boats in the marina.

Wednesday, 31 July – Little Current to Blind River Marine Park – 56 mi., 2993 cum mi.

Mostly cloudy, 62 degrees. We left early, so we would catch the calm seas in the morning. our treat was a nice sunrise. Today we saw some of the most scenic islands in the North Channel. All the rock islands have names, like Turtle Rock or Berrypicker Rock.  Nice lighthouses marked the inlets. We squeezed through one of the narrowest channels between rocks - Little Detroit Narrows – we had to announce our entry into the channel on the VHF. 

At Blind River, we reached the northernmost point on the great loop and about half way around the loop, after accumulating nearly 3,000 miles. And this was our last full cruising day in Canada. After tonight's rain storm, and when the winds calm in the morning, we will head for Dummond Island, Michigan.

 

Parry Sound to Britt

Thurdsay, 25 July – Parry Sound to Britt – 60 mi., 2856 cum mi.

Nice and calm, but cool 60 degrees. This was a beautiful cruising day! Winds were calm, sea was calm, and the scenery was magnificent. The small craft channel is not unlike the ICW, well marked and meandering through the islands near the north shore. We also ventured “outside” into Georgian Bay for about 15 miles to cruise a little faster. We saw lighthouses, rock formations (some man-made), sailboats, nice cottages, water toys (like slides and inflatable gym sets), folks water skiing, and, of course, lots of

lawn chairs.

We docked at Wright’s Marina in Britt, up the Byng Inlet. The marina is sheltered from the winds that picked up again. We were hoping to get to Killarney by the weekend, but all the marinas there were completely full. It was their annual fish fry weekend – a fundraiser for the fire department. So we stayed in Britt and helped contribute to their economy. Our neighbors were Bev and Dave on Dot.calm – not on
the loop, but cruising Georgian Bay. They told us about another marina option in Killarney (but they were also full). And, at the best restaurant in town – the Britt Inn, we taught Cherelle how to make a manhattan while getting the Britt low-down from Brits from Britt, Harry and Mary – locals and daily regulars at happy hour
(Harry was a former Buckingham Palace guard). Britt is a very rural community. When looking for an ATM, we discovered the closest bank was in Parry Sound. The biggest attractions were Grundy Lake Provincial Park and the cute Ice Cream on the Rocks shed. We borrowed a car from the marina and drove to the park. There were several camping areas around the lakes. We hiked the Gut Lake trail which was very nice - through the dense woods and on smooth boulders along the lake much of the way.  Folks were kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and, on the other side of the lake, the campers were jumping into the water off the cliffs, reminding us of how much we
enjoy camping and exploring. On the way home, we stopped at the Britt Inn for dinner and found Harry and Mary again at happy hour. (we met through Geoff and Patty on Osprey in Parry Sound) joined us for dinner. The next day, Osprey pulled into the town dock – it was like a Parry Sound reunion. While waiting for the winds to subside, the rain to stop, and a slip to open up at Killarney, we also caught up with some boat chores, like attaching the washer door (that’s another story), and we had a chance to enjoy sleeping in and feasting on real leisurely breakfasts (not to mention the bloody
marys). Over dinner we learned that Bob and Mary were opting out of the loop for other adventures. We couldn’t convince them otherwise. They live near  Picton, so they didn’t have far to go home. We wish them well.