Week of July 23 - July30, 2011

7/23/2011; O545 I was up and getting ready for another challenging day on the Great Loop. The Star Point Marina at Port Severn is five minutes to Lock #45 and then out onto Port Severn Bay. This is my 40^th day of great cursing weather and today I have a mild chop coming out of the NW. I passed through Lock #45, the last lock on the Trent-Severn at 0900 and headed North on the Georgian Bay on the small boat channel to Honey Bay. 

Today’s cruse can be summed up as one challenging moment after another. Right off the bat we headed into NW winds that created a medium chop, that’s#3 out of #5...  The channel marker sticks were there at the beginning but became few and far between as I cursed north. My GPS only shows the shore contour lines and some of the major islands but not all of the smaller islands that were out there.

About ½ hour into the curse, the GPS and shore line told me I should be turning NE but there were no sticks to follow. I stuck with the GPS and made the move and within five minutes my first red stick came into view.

The Georgian Bay Small Boat Channel takes you through many small barrier island passes and up several long channels and it keeps you off the main bay which can be and was very choppy. The small boat channel takes you through a carbon copy of the 1000 islands but this area is called the land of 30,000 islands and a wonder of scenic beauty.  Ontario has two major island areas to cruse on and this one is the super star! The channel markers take you in and around the islands and into major channels and then smaller channels and its like boating on a serpentine highway leading north.  After passing Honey Bay, I got in line with five larger boats and followed the leader up the channel through the heavy chop.  At one point I could see at least eight larger boats all lined up like ducks in a row following each other up the channel and creating a smoother passage.

In the smaller channel areas I passed the larger boats and made greater time. At one point I ran out of markers and headed left but a larger boat headed right. I came around a smaller island and in doing so saw many very large boulders in the water and realized, oops, I should be over with the larger boat.  The Pontoon has such a shallow draft that I went over the rocks with room to spare and brought the engine up.

I passed Perry Harbor around 1300 and decided to make it to Sturgeon Harbor before tying up.  I was passing through such beautiful waterways and the weather was all in my favor so I kept heading north.  I made it to Ojibway Resort in the Sturgeon Harbor channel at 1630 and pulled in for fuel.  I was advised by the attendant that I could stay on the other side of the island where the staff parks their boats.  Yes, the staff here comes to work by boat.

The mooring was a fantastic slip on the lee side of the island and looked like I was parking on a small lake in the Adirondacks.  Chase and I went for a short walk through the woods and a staff member came up to us and advised me that I may see Black Bear, Moose and deer on the island.  Well, no such luck but we kept our eyes open.  We had a picnic dinner and were in bed early after a long curse. At around 2200 hours I was awakened by a violent wind storm coming straight at my stern.  I was up in a flash to check my mooring lines for the boat and dock was in a rock and roll dance. I went back to bed and put up with the rock and roll until around 0300. The morning news stated we had wind gusts up to 40 mph.

7/24/2011; after a not so good sleep last night, I was up at 0600 and wondering what the day would bring me out on the water.  The skies were clearing up and the sun rise was out of this world.  We shoved of into mildly choppy waters and came back into the small boat channel where the waters calmed down to glass.

At 0900 I followed the markers back out to Georgian Bay and felt this couldn’t be right.  Well as it turned out, the markers take you to the bay or if you turn right around a sharp rock turn you stay in the channel.  I looked back and saw several markers headed north in the channel and turned back and got on course again. At 1130 this happened again but I couldn’t find the inter channel markers so I stayed on the bay for about a mile and then saw markers leading me back inland. I got into the channel and no more markers!  I pulled up to a cabin and asked where the channel went.  Some very nice person named Bill got into his small fishing boat and lead me through a very small channel that only a small fishing boat and a pontoon boat could make it through to the larger channel about 300 yards away.  At one point, the water was so shallow and the sides of the passage so narrow that I had about a foot on each side of the boat and two foot under the boat. The water was super clear and you could see your way all the way through.

I entered the larger channel and followed the markers until, yes; you guessed it, no more markers.  This time I stopped and waited for a larger boat that was behind me to come through and I followed him up the channel back towards the bay where the channel turned right and headed north again. 

I made it to the French River and went up and down stream for several miles each way but no more small boat channel heading north.  I then made it out to the bay and went a mile off shore with a mild chop and the winds at my stern and headed to the North Georgian Bay about 25 miles away.  Along the way, even off shore this far, I still passed over large boulders and twice with the engine up I slightly touched a couple of rocks. 

I set my GPS for the Little Current Marina and instead pulled into the Harbor Vue Marina because of the red metal roofs.  I made it to the Marina around 1730 through a mild rain shower and was immediately invited to a pot luck dinner. This has to be my day because, believe it or not, my host Bob and his friend Bob said they seen my boat out of Sanibel and Pine Island in April, and they are from Charlotte Harbor and at the dinner I met several Loopers and other boaters from Ft Myers and Cape Coral.

All the boaters at the dinner were all extremely friendly and the pot luck dinner was out of this world. Bob advised me to stay in the Harbor Vue Marina and his friend Stan; the manager would take good care of me in the morning.  Bob also went over some North Bay charts and my GPS to show me the best way to get across.  He also advised me on US Customs where I have to pass through upon reentering the USA. Chase and I were in bed by 2100 hrs and slept like babies until 0630.

7/25/2011; Chase and I were up at 0630 and help Bob make ready for his curse today.  He pulled out, in very calm waters, at 0745 and I waited for Stan to open the marina shop.  At 0800 Stan and his crew arrived and I sat down with them for coffee and discussed what I needed done to the boat.  At 0845 the Patriot was pulled out of the water and into the shop bay for her 300 hour oil and gear lube change and by 1000 hrs we were back into the water fueled up and ready to go. In recognition for my efforts they gave me 1^st class service and a very nice discount on the fuel and oil change.  Truly, its guys like this that makes the world a better place. 

I shoved off at 1030 right into a NW wind with a very heavy chop which caused me to pull off the Bay, much like what happened to my on the Chesapeake Bay at Kent Island. I pulled into the Little Current Marina where I had the pot luck dinner last night, sit this one out.  The weather is absolutely gorgeous but the NW wind is something else and strong enough to have the main marker buoy leaning over at 45 degrees. . 

7/26/2011; Wow, another wind storm last night much like the one I had at my stern two nights ago. The weather man was telling us relatively calm seas but around 2230 hrs a big blow came in and I was up checking the mooring lines and rolling up the canvas to allow the wind to pass through. Its 0845 and I am sitting on the Little Current Yacht Club patio looking out at the water and all I can see is little white caps dancing on the water and wind gusts about 10-15 mph.  We are advised by the weather channel that the winds will die down by noon time. Seeing is believing but I will keep the faith.  The winds died down at 1700 and the night was a perfect calm. I hope it holds this way until the morning and then I will shove off.

7/27/2011: We awoke to a perfectly calm bay and channel that was like a mirror. You really appreciate the reprieve you get when you come into calm bays or canals after crossing the rough waters. And sitting out high winds for a day or two is like a Minnie vacation off the water.  We shoved off at 0645 for I didn’t want to miss any of this calm weather after the two days of wind that we have had.

I made it into the small bay and headed to the North Channel and the Benjamin Islands where I hope it will remain calm. Lucky for me I followed two sail and one power boats up the channel because there were no markers.  I was told the channel was well marked but couldn’t find any of them. After going around a few of the many rocky islands, I found markers and headed NW for the Spanish River. 

The water was very calm as we navigated around the rocky islands which were to many to count.  At 1000 I passed through the Spanish River bay and headed north to Blind River. At one point I started heading around one large island to the Port side and saw a sail and power boat go around the starboard side. I followed them and yes, there was the green marker just out of my sight. The channel opened up quite a bite and the waterway became the size of Cayuga Lake. At 1200 I passed Blind River and headed north for Thessalon Harbor where I plan to spend the night.

I then took a final bearing for the Thessalon Harbor and looked across the N Georgian Bay at Drummond Island and the USA and found that it was the same distance.  I shot an azimuth for Drummond which was 26 miles away and made the decision to go for it.  The distance and my speed of 12-14mph would allow me to make the island in 2.5 hrs. I had a slight wind coming from my stern and there was only a mild chop on the water.

I made my heading adjustments and headed SOUTH, yes, I was at the Apex of my curse in N Georgian Bay and all my headings will be down hill from now on!

At 1600 I was pulling into Yacht Haven, the major marina on the island and the US Customs office.  The customs officer went through his check list and then asked me for an ID. I showed him my FL driver’s license and he said that would not do and wanted a birth certificate or passport.  Well I had the passport and advised him that coming and going through Canada only required my driver’s license and it is the new enhanced license.  He looked at the license once again and said, yes that would do but the passport was better.

I topped off with gas, 24 gal, fed and walked Chase, rented a pickup truck for $12 and headed into town to celebrate my crossing of Canada and return to the USA!

7/28/2011; 0600 the weather and winds are calm but look iffy!  I will be seating my heading for Mackinaw Island Michigan which I understand no cars are allowed.

I headed out across Sturgeon Bay from Yacht Haven and into the De Tour passage towards Lake Huron about a 12 mile curse.  As I entered Lake Huron I came into my first fog bank and it stayed with me for the next 1.5 hrs.  I made it around the main channel point and headed out for Martin Reef about eight miles into the lake and 4 miles off shore.  The fog bank lifted a few miles from the reef and it was clear sailing to Mackinaw Is some 20 miles away.  The humidity was at least 95% and I felt damp most the way across N. Lake Huron.  The water on the lake were rolling swells of .5 to 1.5 feet high, coming out of the SE and pushing me all the way across.  It was quite a thrill pontoon surfing down the swells and at times I would go from 10 to 15 mph on the down side surf.

The sky remained high over cast and the temp. stayed around 75-80 degrees all day.  I made it to Mackinaw Is. Around 1200 and passed a trawler that had left Yacht Haven two hours before me.  The lake remained calm with a minor chop all day.  When I was out there, I could just imagine how rough this lake passage could be and say my blessings for the way I have had it for this crossing.

I passed under the Mackinaw Bridge and headed for the N Michigan coast.  What I didn’t count on was that the coast line goes out some 12 miles on a barrier reef before you can turn down the main coast line.  That equates to 12 miles out and some 15 miles back in and across the bay. I continued down N Lake Michigan to Little Traverse Bay, some 45 miles away.  The lake had a slight chop and the winds were coming out of the SW.  I made it to Traverse Bay and had to cross the bay and down the coast line another 12 miles to Charleviox, MI where I pulled in for fuel and to tie up for the evening. Today we did 105 miles in very calm seas and I feel awesomely blessed by the weather and waves and wind conditions.  I hope to shove off early in the AM. Chicago is still a little over 200 miles away.