We're Heading Out!

The weather is finally decent for leaving harbor. Winds are light, although they are expected to build again this afternoon. Still, we don't plan to travel too far, as one of our favorite anchorages is only 12 miles away. It's well protected, so even if the winds blow this evening, we'll be safe.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

We are STILL in Blind River. Last night, just as we were turning in, several wild thunderstorms (including hail!) passed through with plenty of noise and occasional heavy rain, but not a lot of wind. Today we awoke to sunny skies, but more wind than any of us could possibly want. And it's only gotten worse as the afternoon wears on.

Sitting down below watching the wind meter (and this is actual wind at the dock, not apparent wind which increases with our boat speed) we've been seeing steady readings over 30 with occasional gusts over 40 knots! At one point I even saw 47.4, although we aren't sure how trustworthy our gauge is when we see something like that. Needless to say we decided not to leave today. We are eager to get to a nice anchorage, but today we are glad to be safely tied up in port, not worrying about our anchor dragging.

The marina is protected from the west (the direction the wind is blowing from) by a point of land, yet still there are whitecaps blowing down the fairways between docks. And the noise of the wind in other boats' rigging is almost deafening. Not to mention halyards slapping against masts. We are grateful for our free-standing mast. No side stays, forestay or backstay for the winds to howl through.

I hope the picture shows how the boats are being blown (the masts should be upright, but they all are leaning to the east). You should also be able to see the wavelets breaking on the hulls of the westernmost boats.

Such are the joys of cruising. Some days you move, some days you stay put.

We are here, at last

Even though we're in a marina again tonight (one that has wireless internet!), we got our first taste of anchoring today en route from Thessalon to Blind River. Four years ago we tried to anchor overnight at East Grant Island, because each time we pass it on our way to and from the North Channel we see lots of loons. That time, however, the predicted "light and variable" breezes were actually 20 knot winds from the west, the one direction from which the anchorage is not protected. So we hauled up our anchor and motored into a rough chop all the way to Thessalon (we were on our way home). Today, though, there was no wind, so we dropped our anchor and had a bite of lunch in the cockpit before heading on to Blind River. In the half hour or so we were there, we did catch sight of one loon, at least. We might have stayed there overnight, but our neighbors in Thessalon had told us that was their plan, and etiquette dictated that we let them have it to themselves.

Blind River is much as we remembered it, as a good place to buy provisions and get ready to head out into the wilderness. The major difference we've found (besides the internet access) is that our favorite restaurant has changed hands and no longer offers pick up service at the marina.

There's been a big change in the weather, too. The cold, cloudy, windy days have given way to warm sunshine. Our sailing breezes are gone, at least for now, but as we have arrived in the land of beautiful islands and pretty anchorages, we won't complain too loudly.

Oh, Canada! How we love your pea meal bacon!

(For those of you who haven't discovered this already, you can make any photo larger by clicking on it. Enjoy!)

After a lazy day in harbor in DeTour on Monday, we decided to make a run for Thessalon, Ontario. It's only 22 miles, so we didn't hurry to leave, spending the morning at a local restaurant having breakfast and using the only wireless internet connection in town. Then, around 12:30, we cast off our lines and headed out into 15-20 knot winds from the northwest, perfect to push us along northeast past several small islands and across the line into Canada.

Surprisingly the waves were only about a foot high, quite tolerable to my inner ear. We hoisted the sail with a reef, as 20 knots is a bit much for full canvas. By 2 pm the winds had increased to a pretty steady 25, so we took in a second reef. Waves were beginning to build, but didn't get too uncomfortable, as we had some slight protection from the islands. And a loon landed on the water just off our starboard quarter to distract me from my discomfort. Things got worse, however, after we passed out of the lee of Serpent Island. By the end of the afternoon we were rolling in combers breaking on our port beam and the wind meter was reading over 30 at times. Yikes! We had a short respite as we passed east of Thessalon Island, and we both breathed a sigh of relief once we cleared Thessalon Point and headed for the harbor.

We got tied up just before a rain shower passed through, leaving behind a beautiful rainbow. Needless to say, we are glad to be here. Thessalon is not a metropolis by any stretch, but they do have a good grocery store, made even better by the fact that they sell pea meal bacon! We think this is what the people who invented "Canadian bacon" had in mind, but our U.S. version is a poor imitation. Pea meal bacon seems to be a North Channel delicacy, as we have been unable to find it in other parts of Canada. But we had to have some for our first breakfast after crossing the border.

Our next stop, when weather permits, will be Blind River. After that we will be within reach of the beautiful anchorages this area is known for. In the words of

Garrison Keillor, we're "happy to be here."

We're in Loon Land!

Roger just reported hearing a loon calling in flight, so we know we're in the north country!

After a pleasant Sunday in harbor at St. Ignace, we set out for DeTour, at the eastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on Monday. The forecast was for winds from the WNW at 15 and waves 1-2 feet, which sounded ideal. What we hadn't bargained for were the cold temperatures! It IS July, after all! We brought our thermometer out into the cockpit and found the air temperature barely reached 63 degrees. Most of the day it hovered around 60. Add the wind chill with a gusty (at times over 20 knots) breeze, and you get the idea that we were COLD. Fortunately we brought lots of clothing, and we wore most of it yesterday. Hooded sweatshirts, fleeces AND windbreakers!

Our boat is equipped with a gimballed stove so we can heat things even when the boat is heeling. Mid-morning we enjoyed hot cocoa and for lunch a bowl of steaming clam chowder. Cooking it was an eerie experience, as I hope my photo shows. It looked like the pot should slide to the back of the stove when, in fact, the stove was level and the boat surrounding it was tipping. My knees got a workout keeping me level while stirring.

It was an exhilarating day, as the wind was strong enough to push us along at top speed, although we did supplement at times with the engine. The power boost from the engine allows us to let the autopilot to do the steering without draining our battery.

De Tour is a great place for freighter watching, as all the boats heading to and from Lake Superior go through here. We followed one into the channel on our arrival past the DeTour lighthouse.

Today is still chilly, but the wind and waves are good for a run to Thessalon, Ontario, some 22 nautical miles away (or three and a half to four hours), so this afternoon we are Canada bound!

Independence at last!

We are finally free from Charlevoix and are on our way to the North Channel! After an early breakfast we set out at the 7:00 bridge opening. Winds were light on the first leg, so we motored, but after a six mile detour to get close to and photograph the lovely candy-striped lighthouse marking White Shoal, we enjoyed a wonderful sail east to the Mackinac Bridge. Winds were from the WSW at 15, just as requested! We sailed on a beam reach at speeds averaging 6 knots. We passed under the bridge just after a nice-looking east-bound freighter.

Usually the Gray's Reef Passage is crowded with powerboats (we find Sea Rays in particular seem to travel in packs), but this Fourth of July they all stayed in harbor to drink beer and watch fireworks. We had the lake practically to ourselves. That just made our day even more perfect.

As the afternoon progressed, winds became stronger and more northerly, making our arrival at St Ignace exciting. At the end of a 55-mile day, we were glad to be in harbor, and tied up safely just before 5:00 p.m.

The forecast looks good for a run under sail to DeTour on Monday. A few showers, but ideal winds. It's nice to be cruising again.

(I don't understand html, so I don't know why the text is underlined. I must've hit some button by accident and I can't figure out how to correct it. Sorry. Next entry will be better, I promise).

Always bring a sweater and a pair of shorts

The weather in northern Michigan is certainly unpredictable. When we came up to prepare Cattitude for launch in mid-June, we were expecting cool weather, so we brought long pants and sweaters. Naturally, temperatures soared, thanks to a bright blue sky and lots of sun. Nothing to complain about, but a challenge to our wardrobe.

After a two-week stint at home to meet up with relatives and contractors, we are back on board and ready (nearly) to go cruising, and the weather, of course, is cool and blustery. Yesterday was spent in preparation; installing a new toilet (important to have one that works properly!), pumping up the dinghy, and buying provisions. We are now playing the waiting game, hoping for a perfect day to make the long trip through the Straights of Mackinac to St. Ignace. Too much wind means fighting big, uncomfortable waves; too little means lots of motoring with the diesel engine. Is it too much to ask for a day of west winds at 15 knots with 1-to-2-foot waves?