Virginia to Cheboygan, MI to Mackinac Island

We took a week to drive to Cheboygan, Michigan (about 1,100 miles).  We went through New Jersey to visit the Suttons, Syracuse to visit cousin Mary Lou, Toronto for two days of sight seeing (and Alan's birthday), Port Huron to visit our brother Mike (who was trucking in Michigan), and then to Cheboygan via Frankenmuth, Michigan (google it).  The road less traveled.

It is cold in Michigan in June (surprise).  Haven't used the air conditioning at all yet.

It took us five days in Cheboygan to fill up the boat with stuff, go sight seeing, hit a winery, tour downtown Cheboygan (very nice, but doesn't take long), and wait for the fog to go away.  It was a good five days and Walstrom's Marina let us stay on their dock until we were ready to go.  The boat was in good shape and everything (knock on wood) seems to be working.  Storing the boat in Michigan only gives you 3 months in the summer (or 2 warm months), but storing it in a heated building is the way to go.  Fairways was clean, floating in the water, and ready to go when we got here.

We left on June 9th for Mackinac Island, 15 miles away.  Fog has been the main concern.  Finding a day with no fog and low wind is a challenge.  Plus we're being picky this summer.  If it's not good weather, we're not going.

We like Mackinac Island.  Plenty of tourists, horses and fudge.  It's the Disneyland of Michigan.  The marina is in the center of it, but we can sit on the boat and watch the activity from a safe distance.  It's a good contrast to the quiet spots on the North Channel.

Next we're going to Beaver Island (weather permitting).

September 10 – Friends along the way

We’re waiting in Cheboygan, Michigan to be hauled out later this week.  Then we’ll pick up a rental car and make our way back to Virginia.  It has been over three months since we have driven a car, so we’re hoping it’s like riding a bike.

When we started this trip Patti said that we’re going to meet our new best friends this summer.  And we did.  Here is the list:

·         Wade and Suzie on “Shady Lady” in Chesapeake City, Maryland

      ·         C.A. and Sandy on their Monk 36 – “Refuge” in Cape May, NJ
      ·         Paul, Nancy, Ed, Bobi, Larry, Joan our Cape May County best friends
      ·         Don and Connie on their Monk - “Shiffli” from Kingston, NY to Oswego, NY
      ·         Steve on “Miss Hadley” from Waterford, NY to Orillia, Ontario
      ·         Russ and Elaine on “Twelve Stones” also from Waterford, NY to Orillia, Ontario
      ·         Tim on his kayak in Ilion, NY – Tim was traveling the great loop in a kayak
      ·         Curt and Marilyn on “Castaway II” in Minetto, NY
      ·         Judy and Bruce – the harbor/park masters in Minetto, NY
      ·         John and Susan on “Nuclear Fishin” in Oswego, NY
      ·         Don and Kathleen on “John B” on the Trent Severn waterway
      ·         Mike and Laurie on “Green Eyed Lady” on the Trent Severn
      ·         Bruce and Anne on “Happy Hour”
      ·         John on “Endeavour” in Orillia, Ontario
      ·         Larry and Flora on their Manatee – “Panda Bear” our traveling companions from Orillia to Cheboygan
      ·         Harry and Carolyn on “Pour House” (soon to be renamed “Poor House”) on Lock 43
      ·         Bill and Lannie on their Monk 36 – “Seafarer” on Beausolleil Island in the Georgian Bay
      ·         Tom and Barbara on their Monk 36 at their Georgian Bay island
      ·         Jeff and Susan on “Gran Vida” in Little Current
      ·         Kip and Linda on “Rascal” in Little Current
      ·         Harvey and Judy on EOS in Thesallon, Ontario
      ·         Kat and Court on Alaya in Mackinac Island

And many more.  It is the people met along the way that make cruising, and maybe life, that much richer and worthwhile.

Thank you

Last Port of Call For 2014... Bois Blanc Island

We couldn't bring ourselves to end the trip any sooner than we had to, so we stopped at Bois Blanc Island just 5 miles from Fairways' Winter home in Cheboygan.

Only a dirt road, a few homes, a restaurant, an airstrip, & a ferry along with a bare bones marina. That means great biking, woodsy smell & a place to get a head start Winterizing the boat.  And to clean up the boat.

In reflecting on how the trip compared to our expectations: it was more social with almost no career, TV or political discussions which were replaced with tales of adventure, boating strategies, weather & destinations. Very easy to get up a pot luck supper or happy hour. The terrain & boating conditions changed from salt to fresh water, tides to wind driven water levels, sand to rocks, rocks, rocks, placid open water to the swirling water of dam turbulence. Spectacular scenery.

Best of all were the new friends we made & plan to see again this Winter or again next Summer! The beautiful ship's log given to us by our friends from work is chock full of boat cards, cruising data & wonderful memories we hope to repeat.

 Fairways and following seas. Stay tuned. :)

September 3 - Mackinac Island, Michigan

We left Thessalon, Ontario after spending three days there (something like the joke: "we spent a week there one night").  It rained for a couple of days, but we enjoyed it.  There were three other boats there (EOS, Panda Bear and Gran Vida).  We had a great time getting to know them, dinners together, etc.  And the people of Thessalon were very friendly, especially Ronnie who works part time at the marina & is a wealth of local knowledge.

We went to Drummond Island on Sunday to clear customs and then anchored out in Harbor Island.  It was a beautiful night to anchor out, with the full sky of stars and Milky Way.

From there we went to DeTour Village for one night, then to Mackinac Island yesterday.  If you haven't been to Mackinac Island in Michigan, it's a little out of the way, but worth a visit.  The downtown looks like Disneyworld's main street.  There are no cars.  Only horse manure, (a lot of) bicycles, plus horses.  We could smell the horse manure on the way in before we even reached the dock.

We're going to stay here two or three days to ride the bikes and explore the island. There is an 8 mile ring road & lots of park trails with elevation, views, gardens & rock formations.

This will probably be one of our last stops before we go to Cheboygan to start the process of cleaning up the boat and getting our stuff off.  And find a car to visit some of the people we met along the way, plus others we missed.

August 29 - Thessalon, Ontario

We left Little Current about four or five days ago.  The days seem to go quickly, even though we're moving slowly.  We have been at anchor for four days in some beautiful and different places.  Now in Thessalon we're at a dock and can get an internet connection at the local library.

We anchored in three different locations:
Croker Island (a tight anchorage with steep cliffs all around us; a bear came down to the water and checked us out, and a beaver swam around our boat, several times; and Patti baked blueberry scones and I delivered hot scones to our neighbors)

Eagle Island (a big wide anchorage with protection from the southwesterly winds; Panda Bear joined us for the evening)

and Beardrop Bay (beautiful scenery; Patti caught a fish (we think it was a Pickerel))

 

All were beautiful and remote.  The stars at night, are big and bright, and the Milky Way goes from horizon to horizon.  But no northern lights.  Each night at anchor there are no other lights in the area, except for a couple of other boats' anchor lights.

Yesterday we arrived in the Thessalon marina.  It's getting late in the season and fewer boaters are on the water.  We have the place to ourselves.

The US is beckoning, and we're only about 15 miles away.  As soon as the weather clears a little, we'll head south to the US.  It's been a good three months and we're getting itchy to get the boat tucked away in Cheboygan, Michigan for the winter and head home.

August 22 - Little Current (deja vue all over again)

We came back for the Cruisers Net pot luck dinner on Friday night.   They gave you a free night at the dock if you attended the pot luck.  Did I say "free"? Fifty one boats descended on Little Current despite Summer vacations winding down & most of the boats doing the great Loop having migrated out of the Great Lakes by now.

It's a really nice town and we enjoyed coming back to meet boat people of the North Channel.  They seem intent on convincing us to keep our boat up here and keep coming back every summer.

Yesterday Patti and I left "downtown" Kagawong and anchored in Clapperton Harbor.  Not a harbor really, but a large bay that is well protected from the wind.  This time we were alone.  No other boats, no houses or cabins on the shore.  And it was dark at night.

Patti insisted we go skinny dipping.  Normally I'm more reserved than that, but she convinced me.  Unfortunately we don't have any pictures.

Today we came back to Little Current and have a great spot on the "wall".  It's across from a flowerbed.  I'll attach pictures.  Soon.

Meanwhile, it's Friday night in Little Current!  Woo hoo! Sounds like a good excuse for ice cream. 

August 20 - Kagawong, Ontario (and rain, rain, rain)

You'll have to google Kagawong to find it.  You can't find it by car if you blink.  Very small and the main harbor is large enough for a half dozen boats.  But it is beautiful on the bottom of Mudge Bay.

Yesterday we left Little Current to come to Kagawong or to anchor out  (40% chance of rain predicted). Half way there the wind and rain picked up, then came lighting and thunder.  There are no tides or hurricanes here but waves can build in the wind across a long stretch of water, in this case West Bay. We were rolling in 3 to 4 foot waves on the beam, so we zig-zagged across the waves and opted for the safe harbor.  Not that we could see very far anyway to anchor.

We learned from the Kagawong museum that our route was the one where Daniel Dodge, the Dodge Motor heir, lost his life falling out of a boat in a storm. There was big drama for Kagawong when his switchboard operator bride of 13 days inherited millions & was suspected of foul play. But they had been on the way to Little Current for medical treatment after he & a friend blew themselves up playing with dynamite in the garage - the garage of the lake cottage sold to him by a Ford heiress for $1. Just when you think you are away from it all...

Today we woke up to more rain and decided to stay put.  When the rain finally stopped we walked up to the Bridal Veil Falls.  On the way we saw a salmon trying to get up stream to spawn.  This is early, they usually start moving up stream in the fall.  If you can see in the picture, this salmon has a Lamprey eel attached to him.  One of the reasons the Great Chute railway is operation - to keep Lampreys out of the Trent Severn system.

Finally the falls in the rain.  Nice spot for swiming if we weren't already a little wet.