Hi,
We have
completed our first 10 days of travel at this point and are behind schedule due to
weather but that is the way it goes. Connectivity in the UP and northern LP of
Michigan has been spotty so updates have been infrequent.
We have had a
slow but eventful trip. We left Ashland late on September 3 headed for the
Keweenaw Waterway. About 9PM we got hit with a sudden squall which pushed us
around for about a half hour. The most annoying part was the 3 – 4 hours of
confused seas which made us feel like we were riding 2 -3 rides at Valley Fair
at the same time (a Holzerism). We had issues with our compass until it
occurred to me that the flashlight I was using had a magnet in its back. We
also developed a leak it our raw water pump which limited our engine speed in
the waterway. The next day our first cold front came through with 30 knot winds
so we took a weather day (05-Sep) and replaced the pump along with the forward
bilge pump that had also stopped pumping. So far this has been a trip of pump
hell – the pressure water pump, the fresh water and raw water pump and the
forward bilge pump all have been repaired or replaced this summer.
On Saturday
morning (06-Sep) we were back on the lake headed for the Soo. We flew along
most of the way (doing 7 – 8 knots is flying on our boat. The GPS recorded our
max speed at 8.5 knots). Our 1978 Benmar autopilot has made these passages so
much more comfortable as it can steer the boat much better in following seas
than we can. It may not be very smart but it works. Saturday night was cold
with the water temperature at 54F, the air temperature at about 50F and a 15
knot breeze blowing from the starboard quarter into the cockpit. Can you say
“wind chill”? It was a nice night otherwise with an almost full moon lighting
up the lake.
Sunday (07-Sep)
found us arriving at the Soo (Sault Saint Marie, MI) to lock through the large
Poe lock all by ourselves. The smaller Canadian lock is closed to sailboat
traffic as the rail bridge is in the closed position for maintenance. At this
point we have officially left Lake Superior behind us. We spent the night at
the Downtown Marina so we could provision, pump the heads and rest. (There is a
Super Walmart nearby.)
Monday (08-Sep)
we headed down the St. Mary’s river aided by the current and not much wind. We
met or were overtaken by several salties (ocean-going ships) and Lakers (lake
freighters). Two thousand footers passed about 200 feet to our port side in the
narrow channel. These are the biggest ships on the lakes – so large that we saw
the crew riding bicycles from the bow to the stern. Talk about feeling small!
We spent the night near Detour Village at the mouth of the river before
entering Lake Huron early on Tuesday (09-Sep). We motored across Lake Huron to
Presque Isle in lower MI in light SE winds and anchored to wait out an
approaching front. All day Wednesday (10-Sep) it rained and blew from the
south. The forecast was for the wind to eventually clock west but about midnight the wind went north and
started blowing at about 30 knots with 50 knot gusts thrown in for good
measure. Our anchor came loose and we started dragging quickly across the bay.
We were able to retrieve the anchor but there was no way to get to better
shelter in the dark so we spent the night motoring back and forth in the bay
until daylight. Tonight we are tied up in Presque Isle Marina where we spent
the day (11-Sep) resting, doing some laundry and waiting for the weather to
clear and winds to drop.
On Friday
morning (12-Sep) we left early and headed down Lake Huron towards the St. Clair
River. The forecast was for moderate northerly winds we made good progress
before the wind went east and to 20+ knots. We pulled into Harbor Beach Harbor
to escape the rough seas. The holding was poor but we spent the night. About
10am Saturday (13-Sep) the wind went around to the north and blew at about 25
to 30 knots most of the day. We moved into the marina, promptly getting stuck
in the narrow entrance but we were able to get free and are tied up to what
passes for a dock here. The next few days look to be better with more settled
weather so we should make Lake Erie by mid-next week.
So far snowmobile suits have been more appropriate than swim suits but we are hoping the cold weather will be replaced by some more seasonal temperatures soon.
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