At the Bad River for one night only

Gary successfully took care of all his affairs in Killarney and we were on our way just before 11AM and had a perfect day to head out into Georgian Bay before making our way into the Bad River channel and tonight's anchorage. Later in the afternoon our fiends George and Loraine from Blind River showed up and after a quick cocktail we took our dinghies back in the area with rapids to show them what it looked like as they had not been here before. They also let me lead the way so I could find all the rocks which I did. Once above the navigable passages we explored a bit and then shot the much less intense Devil's Door chute and back to the boat for a well deserved steak dinner.

Tomorrow we will head off to Baie Fin and one of our favorite spots in Marianne Cove to meet up with more folks we have met along the way a few years back.

Left Little Current on our way to the Bad River.........

Gary and I made the 11AM bridge opening in Little Current and headed off for a couple of nights at the Bad River anchorage. It's a very unique spot in that there are rapids flowing into the bay from a multitude of streams and rivers in the French River Provincial Park.

About a third of the way, and because of some important personal business that Gary had in Seattle requiring a fax and notary services, we had to make a diversion to the only civilization east of Little Current and that would be our planned Tuesday destination of Killarney. I thought that having Internet coverage afloat was enough but apparently I need to become a notary and bring a scanner next year.

In any case we spent a relaxing afternoon at the dock and will hope that we can take care of the administrative stuff in the morning and get out of here.

A new cruise chapter begins

Gary and I shoved off just before 8AM headed all the way across the North Channel to the bustling metropolis of Little Current, ON. We had an uneventful trip over including taking an alternate route around the south side of Drummond Island and then entering the North Channel from Lake Huron via False De Tour Passage. I'm not sure if it saved us any time but it was a simpler route than winding through the islands north of Drummond.We had following seas and enough of a breeze to keep the flies at bay. We arrived in Little Current at 7:15PM and had a quick meal of Italian sausage, corn and a salad before settling in and check email (how sad). We will be off mid-morning tomorrow and will be making our way to the Bad River area so that Gary can see the coolest anchorage in this area.

There was  a nice sunset that put a pretty red glow on the Little Current swing bridge this evening.

Swing Bridge at sunset

Little Current waterfront

New crew arrives today

Dave and I cleared customs at Drummond Island on Thursday afternoon and made the short hop back over to De Tour Village to service the boat and meet Al's Seattle boating friend Gary on Friday at the bustling Chippewa International Airport up in the Soo (as they say around here). Dave and I have a side bet to see if he arrives at Gate 1 or 2. On Friday, I washed the boat and Dave, like a true gentleman, took care of the inside (in the air conditioning). We headed up to Sault Ste. Marie around 4PM and and started our visit at the Soo Locks and museum. After reading every exhibit at the museum we grabbed a bite to eat at the VFW Friday all-u-can-eat fish fry and then head off to Walmart before making our way to the airport.

Gary was right on time and after the hour's drive back to De Tour, Dave started heading home after he dropped us off at the boat. The next leg of the journey will begin early Saturday morning with Gary and I making the 85 mile trek to Little Current.

Happy July the 5th!!!

Route followed with Dave

Since so much happened on July the 4th I'll save some for today. Dave and I left Longpoint Cove around 11AM and headed over to the North Channel Yacht Club (sounds fancy, huh) to see what it was all about. Apparently it's a great and close spot to pick up fuel and ice as well as get a pump out. It sits on the Serpent River and is near the town of Spragge. As yacht clubs go it won't rival those in more populated areas but was a nice return to civilization and the staff was very friendly. One interesting feature of this port is the system they have to launch and retrieve boats that are kept there in storage. Since they don't have a travel-lift they use a criss-cross rail system to maneuver the boats on their individual cradles in and out of the water as shown below.

After picking up some ice we headed over to our next anchorage at Beardrop Harbor. When we arrived there were only a few boats in this large harbor so we had our pick of spots to drop the hook. After lunch, standard afternoon nap, and another great dinner we headed out in the dinghy to explore the area. While we were out Dave said he would like to know how it feels to be alone on an island so I obliged and granted his wish. I'll pick him up this morning on my way out (just kidding).

The Slot

Dave's Rock

During Dave's tenure on the boat he had the job of anchor deployment and retrieval. Following my commands, he did a masterful job. In the pictures he can be seen man-handling the anchor and then signaling back to the bridge that everything was OK.

Today we're headed back to De Tour village where the crew change will take place.

Happy July the 4th!!!

Just as I was getting over Canada Day, here it is July the 4th. We are not expecting the same level of entertainment as we had Sunday, however.

Dave and I left Turnbull on Tuesday morning and made the short hop over to Longpoint Cove where we found more powerboats than sailboats. We deployed the anchor and set off on our afternoon naps as there was not much else to do. After enjoying another great meal at sea (hamburgers) we went on an extended dinghy ride to see the local sites which coincidentally look a lot like the last place we were at. Some sandhill cranes were spotted walking around an island at the harbor entrance but that was all the wildlife that was to be seen.

Today we will be off to a new spot at Beardrop Harbor and then back to base on Friday. Here are a few pictures.

Outside looking in

The Cut

Moon rising

Sea Y'all at anchor

Happy Canada Day!!!

It's July 1st and you know what that means........... It's Canada Day!!!! Things are really hopping up here in Blind River with gala celebrations, parades, fireworks, etc. Actually, the word is that it will be pretty low key and the fireworks is expected to be a fizzle. Unfortunately, we will be at anchor when the main celebrations begin so I guess we will just have to miss it.

Surprise!! We had fireworks provided by the folks in the anchorage. At sundown we (crew from five boats) all gathered on the beach at the head of the bay, sat around the campfire, and watch some exciting fireworks and no casualties as they were launched.

Dave and I successfully launched and recovered the new outboard using the setup previously described and it worked flawlessly. We've been in Turnbull a couple of nights and will move on to Longpoint Cove and then to Beardrop before return to the US for the next crew change.

Underway again with a new outboard

My buddy Dave and I finally departed port on Saturday and headed off for a short week of anchoring in the the same area as Sheri and I visited a week earlier. The ride over to our usual first stop in Blind River was nice although it became very windy towards the end and we were glad to be at the safety of a dock once again.

One noteworthy item on this segment of our summer adventure was the acquisition of a new outboard for the new inflatable tender we added this season. Wanting to be more capable while at anchor, we decided to upgrade our aging Zodiac with a new hard bottom inflatable which we did while still in Florida. As you may recall it was transported up here on top of the car and successfully attached to the back of our boat like the old one while we are underway. After launching the dingy for the first time and attaching our existing 6HP outboard, it was quickly apparent that it was just not powerful enough to move the new boat along at any reasonable speed. A new motor had been considered while still in Florida but we felt like giving the old one a try before moving up. I called the dealer in Florida and asked what he had to offer and he indicated that the motor I was interested in was in short supply and that it could be a few months before he could get one. As it turns out, I remembered seeing a Mercury dealer the day before when we were over in nearby Cedarville for dinner and went back there on Tuesday to see what they had. Well, lo and behold, he had exactly the motor I was looking for and made me an exceptional deal including a generous trade in on my old motor. He had to perform some prep work and had it ready for us on Thursday to pick up.

And now for the rest of the story. The new motor is a 9.9HP Mercury 4 Stroke and even though it's only 60% more powerful, it is much more than that including an extra 25 pounds heavier. The old motor at 57 pounds was manageable when attaching to to the dinghy but the new one was just too heavy to manipulate by hand. It just so happens that the original owner had a similar size outboard and had mounted a small hoist that could be used to lift the motor on and off the boat when the tender was launched. The hoist had been stowed in a locker for all the years we have owned the boat so it was a welcome relief knowing that we had a solution to handling the heavier motor. The other piece to this challenge was getting a lifting harness that attaches the motor to the hoist and keeps the motor in an upright position when it is being handled. A suitable harness was ordered and luckily arrived Friday before we left. We tested everything out except actually putting it on the dinghy while at anchor which will be our "moment of truth". Here's what the setup looks like.

Stay tuned.

New grandson has arrived!!!

Eric and Katie blessed us with a beautiful new grandson….Gavin Eric Fredrick.  He arrived today at 1:41pm weighing 7 lbs. and 20”. 

First and second picture….Big sister, Kaylee (age 3), about ready to give her baby brother a kiss and take his picture!

Third picture….What can I say, a VERY proud Grandma!!!!

 

I arrived in Ohio on Wed. so Gavin waited for me!  I’ll be here helping them out until July 21st….what joys!!!

And sorry….but more pictures will undoubtedly follow!   Hopefully, they’ll be home on Sunday.  Fun having little Kaylee to myself for a couple of days!

Love to all…..  and a Happy Fourth!

Want to see what 2100 horsepower looks like?

US Customs and Border Protection on the Great Lakes. Each of these outboards list for about $23K each. Your tax dollars at work.

Toilet fixed

Shortly after Sheri headed out this morning I started the task to replace the defective toilet pump that had been an issue since we launched two weeks ago. All in all it was far easier than expected and only took about an hour and went without a hitch.

The marina we are at for a few days sits on the St. Marys River which connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron and beyond. This being the case, we are treated to a parade of all the ships that are going up and down that waterway. Here's view from our stern.

My buddy Dave should be arriving at any moment and will have a few Costco supplies in tow. We will hang out here another day and head out on Friday for Canada and some anchoring.

Back at a dock for a few days

Our trip back to Drummond was much smoother than expected but due to their continued lack of dock space due to dredging we decided to make the short hop over to DeTour Village and stay there for a few days at a nice dock. One unfortunate surprise was that our car battery was dead due to an interior light that was left on while we were away. Fortunately we were able to get a jump start and all was good. Sheri took the car and I took the boat and we met at the Detour Marina an hour later. we decided to grab a quick bite at a new place so we drove to the quaint village of Hessel about 20 miles away and found what we were looking for.
Having Sheri on the mainland side of the ferry will give her an hours head start on Wednesday when the splits for Ohio to attend to a new grandchild. Al's friend Dave arrives Wednesday and they will be off for another week before the next crew change occurs. The planned itinerary will be much the same as we just finished.

As we sit at the dock in De Tour Village Marina we are continuously entertained by the large ore carriers passing to and from the Soo Locks. Last night we saw the freighter Paul R Tregurtha that was shown on Season 2 of the Discovery series "Mighty Ships". It's one of the 1000' lakers that ply these waters between Duluth and Detroit.

Heading back to Drummond a day early

With the first scheduled crew change coming Wednesday we decided to head back to Drummond Island a day early so Sheri could get ready to leave for Ohio on Wednesday where she can help with the new family arrival. In the meantime Al's friend Dave from Chicago will arrive on Wednesday and join him until 7/6 when the next crew change happens. The itinerary for Dave will be similar to what we've been covering the last 10 days along the near north shore.

While we've been at anchor in Turnbull we've had much socializing with old and new acquaintances from the Blind River area. One couple we met lives in Traverse City but bases out of Blind River. Coincidentally, they also lived and boated in Seattle a number of years so Al had some reminiscing to do.

We had some great sumsets and a few interesting bird shots but nothing spectacular. We also had a first yesterday and that was a hail storm that was accompanied by some heavy rain and high winds and lasted about 30 minutes. We're expecting a bumpy ride back to Drummond but we've done that before.