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.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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!!!
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!!!
Friday, August 7, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Very Close
Only 22 days to go before we go. The boat is ready to go and we are almost ready to go. The magic date is August 3rd. The skipper is chomping at the bit and the admiral has feelings of trepidation but says she will fine after we get underway. Gill has a really bad case of Grannyitis and will miss the grandkids as will I.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Almost Ready
Periwinkle was launched for the season on May third. Since then she has been scrubbed and polished, her mast has been put up, and her new refrigeration has been installed. Next Periwinkle gets her new solar panel to help charge the batteries. We are waiting for the stainless steel tubing we'll use for the panel support to arrive. Another task to master is learning how to use the new chartplotter. It's a Raymarine C80. We now have all the charts for the Great Loop and are experimenting with the plotter on short local trips. We really are impressed with the C80's features especially the radar overlay. Boys and their toys!
In our attempt to get loose ends taken care of before we go, we've been to our optometrist, our dentist, and our family doctor. Our physicals with the family doctor and trip to the dentist went well but not so with the optometrist. He discovered that I have a cataract in my left eye and Gill has the beginnings of glaucoma. Fortunately, we have appointments with a specialist in Orangeville on June 18. We are very optimistic that we are still a go to leave as scheduled the first week of August.
Our friends, Paul and Sue Butcher have decided to come with us. We are very excited about this. We have known they were coming for a while now but I'm just getting around to mentioning it. This will be their first big cruise. The Butcher's sail a 33 foot Prout catamaran called Twice 's Nice.
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