Frankfort, MI

Day 29, August 31, 2009

Lovely clear morning, very little wind and flat water!!! Set off at 9:00 a.m. with the main up but motoring into the light wind. Quiet day as we hugged the shoreline going south. Beautiful sand dunes of the Bear Bluff. Sometimes as high as 400ft. Lovely beaches but very few people around. Came into Frankfort at 4:00 p.m. and anchored in a great spot close to shore. Went walking in the little town. Very nice town with everything at hand. Able to find buttons for Katie's sweater - thrilled about this! I've been looking for buttons for the last three towns - nobody seems to sew or knit around here!!! We had an ice cream in the town and walked up Main St to the public beach and back again to the dinghy. Almost wish the weather would turn bad again so we could stay a bit longer. However, all looks good for tomorrow so we'll move on to the town of Manistee. If the weather holds out we should reach Chicago in about a week.

Went back to the boat to barbecue pork chops for supper. Afterwards brought the computer out here to the library which is right beside the marina. They even have an electrical outlet on the outside of the building so we can plug in and use their free Wifi!!! We've been sitting out here in the dark for at least an hour and a half but were delighted to speak to some of our family on skype. Thank you Frankfort!!!

Leland - Fishtown!! MI

Day 27, August 29, 2009
Fairly lazy morning with scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast! Listened to the Canadian news on the radio and read our books. Afterwards it was time to go out for a walk. Fortunately the pouring rain had let up a bit by then. Lovely little town. Used to be a fishing village but all the little old buildings have been converted to gift shops, deli shops, candy/ice cream shops. All very picturesque. Lovely little library where we checked our e-mail with the free wifi. Ate a scrumptious sandwich from the Cheese shop on "pretzel bread", very yummy. John and Paul walked up to the marine store after lunch and both bought a couple of little bits - spare spark plugs for the outboards. The wind started getting stronger in the afternoon and continued through the evening with pouring rain on and off. We were glad we weren't on the lake. Paul and Sue invited us to supper on Twice 's Nice - spaghetti with birthday brownies for dessert to celebrate Paul's 57th birthday!!!! Then we had fun playing Euchre, Paul and I against Sue and John. Both teams each one a game which was a laugh!

Day 28th, August 30
Bit of a noisy night! Wind crashing through the marina - halliard's flapping and banging. We were both up once trying to tie them up. Wasn't much use as we determined it was something in the mast banging away and there was nothing we could do about it! Anyway, woke up to blue sky; the wind was still strong but at least it was clear. After breakfast we installed another filter on the water intake to the diesel engine. We have been told that the water in the rivers is really full of sediment which can cause problems. This filter is effective and easy to clean so should help down the road. After lunch on board we went walking over to the beach to watch the kite boarders. Wow that looks fun! Its a great little sand beach there and with the high winds there was lots of surf. The young people were having lots of fun. It looks hard on the legs and the arms though! After an ice cream cone in Fishtown, it was time to go to a Loopers get together on one of the trawlers. This nice older gentleman had noticed all the looper flags on the boats in the marina, and having done the Great Loop with his wife two years ago, they decided to get us all together to offer some tips about Lake Michigan and the river system.
There were 6 boats represented including his. All good stuff about good places to stop, where you can anchor, where the best marinas were, where to get cheap diesel, where to stop in Chicago etc. etc. Very useful. We're now sitting outside the library tapping into their wifi. Have tried to call the kids on skype but they're not home. Caught up on the e-mails. Keep writing everybody. We love to hear from you!!!! Weather looks like it should be okay for the next few days so will hopefully push on tomorrow!

Alls Well!

Day 24, August 26,2009
On Wednesday we were not allowed to touch the boat at all until lunch time, to allow 24 hours for the 5200 to dry. Then "Bill" got busy again fairing the keel joint. We were getting antsy!!!
It was a great yard and Charlesvoix is a pretty place but we were getting so anxious to get her back in the water! Sue and Paul were absolutely so kind to put us up for the week! And the boat yard were kind in allowing them to stay up on the hard without any cost!!! In the afternoon while Bill was busy at the keel joint, John took the opportunity to install a new depth sounder which had quit the previous week!! I was twiddling my thumbs!!!

Day 25, August 27, 2009
Fairing was dry and Bill got busy first thing in the morning sanding and painting the bottom coat. Oh - it is a thing of beauty!!! Smooth as a baby's bottom and solid as a house!!! John got up in the boat and wired the depth sounder as far as he could without bugging Bill! I did laundry and then one of our neighbours, Linda, in the yard offered Sue and I a ride to the grocery store in her little yellow jeep. We stocked up! By the time we got back to the yard, Twice 's Nice was already in the water and Bill was doing the finishing touches. She was launched at lunch time!!!
After the guys had had their lunch the mast was put back on and we moved her over to a dock for the night. We rerigged that afternoon and in between helping John I scrubbed and cleaned and reorganized. It felt good! She was a sailboat again!!! Sue and Paul joined us on our boat for supper. John and I went for a drink in the evening with a couple from Colorado. They've just bought this beautiful trawler and hope to do some cruising. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the boat.

Day 26, August 28, 2009
Got up early shortly after 6:00 and were able to hook up the dinghy to the dinghy tow for the first time in 3 weeks!!! All beautifully reinforced and strong now. After breakfast we left at 7:30 ready for the bridge opening at 8:00. Lake Michigan was flat and good to travel!!! The wind was light, so we motor sailed all the way to Leland, MI. Arrived around 2:00 p.m. and took a slip as there's no where here to anchor. Fortunately for us they are renovating their marina facilities but haven't finished yet - so only charging half the usual rate!!! Actually, I was exhausted by the time we arrived. I'd been sleeping very poorly since the beach event and a headache was brewing. So I took two pills and went to bed. I had a good nap and read my book for half an hour. Felt much better when I got up. John went with Sue and Paul and walked around town and reported what a lovely little place it is. Quiet evening "at home". Weather forecast is bad for the weekend so it looks as if I will have a good opportunity to look at everything tomorrow!

The Keel Is On

Day 23, August 25, 2009

Bill the repair guy re bedded the keel this morning. Yay!!! He put tons of sealant (5200) on the top of the keel, lowered the boat unto the keel, tightened the keel bolts, and cleaned up all the 5200 that squeezed out. Now it has to sit for another 24 hours for the sealant to set.
Paul and I took the opportunity to repair our dinghy seat which Gill broke while we were at Beaver Island. Gill says that I broke it but she was just sitting on it at the time.
It started to rain off and on in the afternoon but we still walked to the local pizza joint for supper. While we were there, we met a Charlevoix Police officer/auctioneer/ blacksmith who demonstrated the use of his Tazer (not on us thank goodness). I have to sign off now because Paul is in bed with his teddy bear and Miss Snow Carnival. More on that in the near future.

Catch-up Day

Day 22, August 24, 2009
We used today to catch up on little things we wanted to get done. Paul and I walked up to the hardware store to get a few bits while the girls took the dinghy to the fish market to get some supper. Gill and Sue bought some really nice perch and boy did they taste good.
Bill the repair guy worked on the keel in the morning then it had to sit for 24 hours while the epoxy sets. Tomorrow the keel goes back on.

A Day Off

Day 21, August 23, 2009
Sunday!!! No work being done on the boat today. We had a lazy day today. Paul made the pancakes and I did the bacon and we enjoyed banana pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Gill, Sue, and I walked to the drug store and to K-Mart late in the morning while Paul had a nap at home.
We were all sitting around enjoying the quiet Sunday afternoon when we heard this loud bang. We looked up and saw a forty foot ketch bounce off a docked sailboat and planted its bow about a foot into the grass at the end of the slips. Paul and I ran over to see if we could help. We managed to push the boat out of the dirt and warped it to an empty slip nearby. It appears that there was something wrong with his transmission and every time he tried to put it in reverse, the engine would stall and he lost control of the boat. ( That's his story and he's sticking to it.) Surprisingly there was no damage to the ketch but the boat he hit had the stern rail bent, the stern ladder twisted, and the outboard that was on the stern rail was sheared off just leaving the clamping mechanism behind. Paul and I borrowed a grappling hook from one of the boaters and went fishing for the motor. We had it near the surface about a half dozen times but it kept slipping off. One of the fellows from the yard said not to worry that they would hire a diver to get it. We said okay. ( ching-ching and CHING-CHING).
We had an early supper of spaghetti that Sue had made, then got a ride with Jim and Sue Fish from the catamaran Fish Tales downtown for a free concert at the band shell. It was great fun especially for the kids. After we walk back to the marina quite exhausted.

Repairs Continue

Day 20, August 22, 2009

While Bill the repair guy was waiting for the epoxy on the keel to set, he and his helper did the transom repairs for the Dinghy-Tow. They don't fool around and things are moving along very quickly. While all this was going on, the four of us went for a walk downtown to check things out. After we got back to the marina, we had stew that Gill made and corn that we bought from one of the girls in the marina office for supper.

Repairs Begun

Day 19, August 21,2009

The Marine Surveyor arrived on time at 0900. He, Skip, the service manager, Bill, the guy doing the work, and I went over everything and it was decided that the keel should come off, cleaned and re bedded (ching-ching). The mast had to come off because the forward keel bolt is under the compression post (ching-ching). After the mast was removed, they moved Periwinkle into their paint shop so they wouldn't have any delays because of the weather and they started work right away. Because we couldn't sleep on the boat while the work was being done, we moved in with Paul and Sue on Twice 's' Nice. Wouldn't you know it but the weather turned nice and we could have moved on. Had Chinese food for supper at restaurant nearby.

More Delays

Day 18, August 20, 2009
An almost disaster has struck! Gill and I were anchored for the night off a nice beach close to where Paul and Sue were having their boat repaired. A little after midnight on the morning of the 20th a storm came up with high winds and waves. Periwinkle was bouncing quite badly and we were concerned that we might drag our anchor and end up on the beach. There is a little harbour near by called Round Lake that is quite protected, so we decided to move the boat so that we could sleep more comfortably. Unfortunately when the anchor came up at 0100, we were pushed unto the sand before we could get the boat underway properly. We were stuck fast and couldn't power off. Periwinkle was sitting on her keel, listing about 20 degrees with the waves causing the rudder to bang on the bottom. We called the U.S. Coast Guard and after they very efficiently collected all sorts of information, asked us if we wanted a tug to pull us off. We replied that we were members BoatUS and would they call TowboatUS for the tow. The towboat arrived at 0300 and one can appreciate we were a little stressed out by then. It took the towboat about half an hour to get us off and they pulled us into the Irish Boat Works yard at 0400. After we slept for a few hours, I dove on the boat to check for rudder damage. the rudder was okay but I discovered hunks of fairing had come off the keel at the join. we decided to have the boat hauled to have the keel repaired. The boatyard was very good and hauled Periwinkle right away and after looking at it suggested we hire a Marine Surveyor to look at it before they did any work. We called a Surveyor, Mike Ballard, and he agreed to meet us in the morning at 0900 (Friday August 21). After all this, we went to bed on Periwinkle happily suspended in the travel-lift.

Charlevoix Michigan

Day 17, August 19th
If you have to get held up, Charlesvoix is the place to be!!! What a lovely day we've had today! This morning we had a kind of quiet morning. I finished my book and also finished knitting the 2nd sleeve for Katie's sweater. Then John and I found out how to add photos to our Blog which was kind of fun and hopefully will jazz it up a bit!! Around lunch time we dinghied over to where Paul and Sue are at the boat yard. I got dropped off while John and Paul went off to buy diesel and gas and stuff! Sue and I walked around the Irish Boat Yard where they are getting the repair done. Big place and very well kept. There's a huge 70ft sail boat in the enormous hanger which just got hauled out. This boat apparently just won the Mackinaw Race. Its owned by somebody who is the 2nd highest tax payer in Michigan. Now that he's done the race the boat will go away. He has other boats so not to worry!!! When John and Paul got back we went over to meet "Jim Fish". Paul had met him briefly yesterday and he invited us all to go sailing on his 34ft Gemini 105 Catamaran this afternoon. It was lovely. Comfortable and spacious!!! The winds were very light but we had the spinnaker up for a bit. Paul and Sue were very interested to see how he had it rigged because they have a spinnaker but have never had it flying yet.
It was really a great day.

By the time we got back, the repair was finished and all they had to do was put a coat of paint over the patch. Looks very good. We were hoping to move on South tomorrow but we hear the weather is meant to be miserable. We're going to listen to the forecast at 0800 and make up our minds whether to wait or go. This is such a lovely spot, it will not be a hardship to wait around right here!

Short Delay

Day 16, August 18, 2009
Left Beaver Island at 0700 hoping to get to Leland Michigan by 1600 (47 nm). After about 10 miles, the waves and wind was much higher than forecast. The waves were forecast as 2 feet but were five and the wind was forecast at 5-10 knots but were over 20 (40kph). the ride was very uncomfortable so we decided to divert to Charlevoix 18nm away. Unfortunately as they were entering the channel into Charlevoix, Twice 's Nice hit a rock and took a hunk of fiberglass out of one of their hulls. Paul and Sue were able to find a yard that would do the repairs right away and the boat was hauled out and the repairs were started. As a consequence, we won't be able to move on until Thursday morning. All this did not dampen our spirits and the four of us went out for fish n chips (whitefish and walleye) and beer, very good.

More History

Day 14, August 16th
Well we pulled the anchor up at 0800 and surprise, surprise, the wind was in our favor. We had the most fantastic sail all day on the same tack all 8 hours to Beaver Island. Did put the motor on briefly while we went under the Mackinaw Bridge, but that was all. It was absolutely gorgeous. Between 5 and 6 knots all the way!!!

Arriving in St.James Bay, Beaver Island, was a little tricky. A sudden gust came up, must have been about 30 knots, just as we were arriving. Decided to take the sails in, but the furler drum jammed when we tried to roll up the jib. It was a little hairy for a few minutes. Dropped the main, couldn't get the drum unjammed so motored into the bay while dropping the jib completely. Anchored safely and then John had quite a job to unjam the drum. Finally managed it and then we got the jib back up and furled again!!!! The wind didn't seem to ease up at all throughout all this. Set the anchor with 120ft of rode, but hung on!!! It was quite the night with the wind howling and the boat shaking and rolling with the wind but the anchor held tight and we woke up to a beautiful calm morning.

Day 15, August 17th
Have spent a really pleasant day in this nice little town on Beaver Island. Got the laundry done this morning. This afternoon as visited a couple of their little museums. Quite thehistory here!
Apparently a James Jesse Strang set up a community of Mormons here back in the 1840s. Unfortunately he got too big for his boots, and set up himself as King. Things seemed to get a little out of hand apparently and 2 disgruntled members gunned him down. He didn't die right away but that was the end of his reign and then the Irish came and threw out all the Mormons!!!
Anyway, we've had a lovely day looking around. We've restocked, got a pump out at the little marina and are all ready to leave early in the morning for Leland, on the east coast of Michigan, we hope.

A Little History!!

Day 11, August 13th
From Harbor Island we did quite a short hop to Government Island at Les Cheneaux or "The Snows" The wind was pretty good while we tacked straight down the Detour Channel but then petered out and we were motoring again. Lovely anchorage at Govt. Island. Beautiful day so had a drink together, swam and fished from the boat. Still nothing but it was lovely sitting on the bow!!!

Day 12, August 14th
Got up early and brought the anchor up at 8:00. (That was a job! Stuck fast!!!) No wind at all as we motored over to Mackinac Island about 5 miles from the Mackinaw Bridge. Arrived to find a good mooring field. Spoke to someone on his boat and he kindly gave us the number of someone who would rent us a mooring ball. Also found one for Twice 's Nice. This was great since people reckoned you had to book a week in advance to get into the marina. Anchoring wasn't recommended because of the ferries who go in and out every 10 minutes!!! We were all settled by noon and dinghied into the town for the afternoon. Quite the place - all cars are banned, people get about by horse drawn cart or bikes. Beautiful old town with gorgeous old homes and flowers everywhere. John and I took a tour in the afternoon on a horse drawn cart - it was lovely and then we walked around the town. During the night we had thunder storms and torrential rain. Didn't sleep that well but all was good in the morning.

Day 13, August 15th,
Sue and Paul met us just after 1000 and we went into town together. Bought a $10.50 ticket each and went touring all the historical sites. The old fort was great fun, the young people doing reenactments of various stuff i.e. a court martial, gun firings, military music and rifle drill.
It was really good. After pizza for lunch we did the old houses in town. Lovely!!! Hot and Sunny!!! Now sitting at a picnic table on the water front watching everybody go by with the clip clop of the horse carts on the road behind us.
Will move on tomorrow - not quite sure where yet. Will meet up with Sue and Paul after supper and decide.

New Waters

Day 6, August 8th
Left Little Current with Twice 's Nice and Sheer Connection after doing the laundry in the morning. Arrived in the Benjamins in the middle of the afternoon. It was a great sail over there with the wind behind us. The sun disappeared and it got windy and rainy too, but oh it was a sweet sail! Sheer Connection and Periwinkle II battled it out and we were so delighted to finally get ahead of Jimmy and Wanda at the last minute. It may be the first and only "race" Periwinkle has ever won!!!! Thanks Jimmy!! We had planned to anchor in the South Benjamins but felt it was exposed to the south winds and so motored around to the North anchorage. Its a gorgeous spot.

Day 7, August 9th
The following day we stayed put - went for a hike, did a little fishing (no luck!), and swam. There was a good crowd there and we ended up talking to several other boaters.
Paul and Sue and John and I were invited aboard "Falkor", a 32' Grand Banks trawler owned by Al and Gayle from Burlington Yacht Club in Hamilton. They are doing the Great Loop for the 3rd time. They shared loads of tips with us, recommending anchorages etc. to get us safely down to Chicago. We hope to meet up with them en route again.

In the evening we were delighted to see two Brigantines come to anchor in our little bay.
These are two training ships, crewed by young people between the ages of 13 and 18. They did a fantastic job, bringing the boats in and anchoring up to the rocks with stern anchors out and the bows tied to trees on shore. The kids had great fun swimming and whooping it up that evening. What a great thing to do!!

Day 8, August 10th
Our three boats pulled the anchors up at 0800 and we set off further west. Wind was light and on the nose but it was beautiful as we travelled up McBean Channel, through "Little Detroit" where you have to radio a warning to boats approaching from the other direction as there's only room for one boat to pass through between rocky cliffs. From Little Detroit, we did sail for a short while up the Whalesback Channel, but again the wind was on the nose and progress was slow tacking back and forth. Sheer Connection points so much better than Periwinkle and he was already ahead of us when we put the motors back on and chugged along to the Otter Islands where Periwinkle set the anchor and Twice 's Nice and Sheer Connection rafted beside us and came on board for a shared lunch. It was good to have a last meal together before saying goodbye, "See you next year!!!", to Sheer Connection. While Sheer Connection went back east, Periwinkle and Twice 's Nice got going west again! That night we stopped at Turnbull Island, further up the Whalesback. It had started off a cloudy day but ended with lovely warm sunshine.

Day 9, August 11th
Wind on the nose all day, tried to sail for a bit but it was so slow. Travelled from Turnbull to Thessalon. Brooding clouds overhead with quite a wind when we arrived. Decided to take a slip at the marina since the recommended anchorage on the chart was very exposed. As luck would have it the wind died down nicely and the clouds blew over. However, it was a lovely spot just 5 minutes walk from the little town. Stocked up at the grocery store and cooked a good supper. Paul and Sue made contact with some friends there and they came down to visit at the marina after closing their store.

Day 10, August 12th
Borrowed two curtesy bikes after breakfast and biked up to the library. Able to hook onto their non secure wifi while sitting on the bench outside! Caught up with e-mails etc. Set off around 1030 heading due South!!! Beautiful hot day with very little wind. Didn't take long to cross the open water to Drummond Island. Came into Drummond marina 1430 and were met by the Customs Officer. He was friendly and brief and it seemed to take no time at all before we had officially arrived in the U.S. and were able to put up our "Stars & Stripes"curtesy flag. Motored just 1.5 miles from there to this gorgeous anchorage at Harbour Island. Paul and Sue came on board and we celebrated our arrival with a can of beer!!! Its all south from here!!!!
I tried fishing again - better luck this time - a wee pickerel about 3" long!!!! I was so hoping for fish for supper but it was barbecued steak instead. Yummy though!!! Gorgeous weather, water warm!!! This is the life!!!

We're Off!!

Day One (August 3, 2009)
We left Collingwood at 1000 August 3rd with friends and family waving good-bye on the dock. We were accompanied by Paul and Sue Butcher on their 33 foot catamaran, Twice 's Nice, who are doing the trip with us and Jim and Wanda Ree on their C&C 30, Sheer Connection. Jim and Wanda are travelling as far as the Benjamin Islands in the North Channel. We arrived at Little Port Elgin at 1800 after enjoying a great beam and broad reach with winds 10-15 knots. The only incident was that we noticed that our Windex was loose. I told Gill that I would go up the mast and fix it when we stop for the night. Unfortunately somewhere along the line, it blew off completely. Had sundowners on Twice 's Nice and later went to bed very tried.

Day Two (August 4, 2009)
Left Little Port Elgin at 0800 with the winds still out of the southwest 10-15 knots and the water was just a little lumpy. Part way through the day, I happened to notice that the Dinghy-Tow was putting a lot of stress on the transom and it looked like the port backing plate was going to pull through the back of the boat. We stopped to check things out and decided to tow the dinghy until we can get that area of the transom reinforced. We arrived at Wingfield Basin at 1500 and anchored right in the middle. Everyone came over to Periwinkle for sundowners with wind howling. While we were imbibing, we noticed that Twice 's Nice was dragging so the guys jumped their dinghies and rushed to save the day (and the boat). Twice 's Nice anchor was reset and all ended well.

Day Three (August 5, 2009)
Were going to head for Heywood Island but the forecast was for 20 knot winds gusting to 30 with waves two metres. We decided to stay put for the day. It turned out to be a good decision as we saw three boats come during the day that were bounced around pretty badly. We got some jobs done around the boat including changing the speed transducer which had failed just before we left on the cruise. Sundowners on Sheer Connection.

Day Four (August 6, 2009)
Left Wingfield Basin at 0530 thinking the winds and sea state would be better at sunrise. WRONG!! The wind was out of the northwest 16 knots and the waves were one to two metres. Decided to head for Killarney instead of Heywood Island to get a better angle on the wind and arrived in Killarney at 1430. Pumped out and refuelled at Sportsman Inn and moved on to Covered Portage for the night. We decided to take the dinghies back to Killarney (normally a ten minute ride) for fish & chips. The water was rough and we all got soaked there and back but the fish & chips were great. Gill and I changed into dry clothes and went to visit Sharpie's Dream which also anchored in Covered Portage. Pat and Dianne Sharpe are fellow Thunder Bay boaters who now live in Sudbury and sail out of the North Channel Yacht Club in Sprague. We were delighted to hear that they too are doing the Great Loop and were going to be about a week or two behind us. We were hoping to meet up in Chicago. Sundowners on Sharpie's Dream.

Day Five (August 7, 2009)
Left Covered Portage at 1000 and had a nice lazy sail down Lansdown Channel. Light winds, flat water, and sunny skies. FINALLY!! Arrived in Little Current at 1400 and tied up at the Municipal Docks for the night. Everyone took advantage of the showers. Met up with Ray and Cheryl Girard sailing Perfect Peace. Another pair of former Thunder Bay boaters. We sailed with them in Florida and the Bahamas in 2006. Ray is the Commodore of the North Channel Yacht Club. Gill and I then went shopping for groceries and rum (found both). Went to a reception at the Anchor Inn hosted by Roy Eaton, the fellow that does the Little Current Cruisers' Net. Got to talk to other boaters that are doing or have done the Loop. Sundowners on Periwinkle II.