June 28, 2015

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Met Dave on his 40 foot Beneteau with three other divers. Today I'm heading out as boat operator and diver support while the guys look for a wreck and dive another. The first spot was just off shore and has not been dove on yet or officially discovered. Dave located it with a side scanner last year and this is his second dive looking for it. It is dark and cold at 146' and they were not able to see it. The second stop was a known ship wreck where all four men went in. It was only 64' down but in the middle of the shipping lanes. I got a little worried with four men on the bottom and a freighter bearing down on us, so I called out security radio message and it went around us. It was a fun group to hang out with. They dive at a way higher level then I've seen before- very interesting. 

I have a couple  more days here before Joann and  Andrew show up, so it's cleaning, laundry and scouting the cruising guides for the the best places to go on the next leg of our adventure. I have borrowed a mountain bike so it's off to the park tomorrow.

Doug

Thursday, June 25

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Up at 6:30 so we could clear Canadian Customs and go through the locks on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie before 4pm. This was the first of about 50 locks we will have to negotiate on this trip to the east coast. 

Friday, June 26th

This is end of our first leg and Darrell was able to get a flight home while Keith and I enjoyed the first lay day since we left Winnipeg. We checked out the art gallery and walked around town and out to the Fort Creek Conservation area for a short hike. On our way along the board walk, I stopped to talk to a tugboat captain tied up at the pier. He invited us on for a ride. Turns out there was a tugboat parade and party that night. Too much fun!

Our captain Cliff McKay bought the second tug of his fleet of three in Selkirk, Manitoba and made a trip to Gimli when he was up there. Small world. 

Saturday , Keith flies out and I need a nap. Then another ride on Captian Cliff's tugboat "Decelles".  And he   stop to pick up more people to enjoy their first tug ride. This time it's a race, which he won by a few feet with the waters churning all around. 

Doug

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II

Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II
Latitude:46.50812
Longitude:-84.33593
GPS location Date/Time:06/25/2015 14:42:31 CDT

Message:We are across Superior and in the Sault.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/OVKqt/46.50812N/84.33593W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=46.50812,-84.33593&ll=46.50812,-84.33593&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II

Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II
Latitude:46.67350
Longitude:-85.98343
GPS location Date/Time:06/23/2015 19:45:13 CDT

Message:I have made it to a port and am safe and sound at these coordinates:)

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/OS8HA/46.67350N/85.98343W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=46.67350,-85.98343&ll=46.67350,-85.98343&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Canadian Seascape with Summer Wine II

Tuesday June 23, 2015

Tuesday June 23, 2015

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Waited out a storm that was in the neighbourhood until 2:00 pm, which would have been our cut off time for the 40 miles to Grand Marais Harbour. The waves had died down from 9 feet to 4 and wind was down to 15 knots. Once we rounded Grand Island we found no wind and 4 feet of converging wave, not good for sailing or motoring, but off we went anyways. We ate under way and were able to visit the Grand Marais Brewing Company for a few beers and some great hospitality by the bar owner and staff and friends........

Wednesday the winds were light but we could make 5 knots with the spinnaker up until we got fogged in to 75' and the wind fell off. With the cold air even the lifelines were covered in condensation in minutes. At about 4:00p.m., Keith tore a gash in the skin on top of his head, which gave us quite a scare, but we able to get the bleeding under control.

We got into Whitefish point about 4:30 and headed to the Shipwreck museum. After leaving there, we were feeling lucky we made safe passage across Superior. There are some 500 shipwrecks off Whitefish Point , including the Edmund Fitzgerald! The waves in this corner build fast and steep, throw in fog and poor seamanship and you are going down. 

Doug

Monday, June 22

Up early to beat some heavy weather, we were able to "sail" to Munising. It was double reefed early and great to sail for the day. The fish nets aren't marked like home so we had to be extra cautious.   Made it in by 2:30 and had time to pick up fuel and cookies. We fixed the main sheet traveller and the sliding hatch cover. There is often little things that require attention and if you don't stay on top of them they can bite you in the ass later. We had dinner on the boat then went for a round of pool at the Barge Inn. 

Doug

Sunday, June 21

Left at 7:30 AM and motored down the Keweenaw waterway and stopped at the mouth for pancakes and Father's Day phone calls home. Misty and cold, no wind again. After breakfast the sun came out and it was quite nice. Keith even had his shorts on for two hours. We were making good time and decided to skip Reed Point and carry on to Presque Isle Marina in Marquette, eating dinner along the way. This is the longest day of the year and from what we could see, this is a very popular place to watch the sunset so we walked to the west side of the island to enjoy the moment. 

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After leaving Stockton island Marina

After leaving Stockton Island Marina, we motored about 50 miles to Ontonagon. We had called in ahead and booked a slip at the marina where Tim met us on the dock and pointed us to a slip. Tim told us of the sights and restaurants and tried to call a cab for us to go to town.  The taxi service had finished working for the day, so Tim loaded up our jerrycan in his truck with Darrell and they went and got it filled. That was very nice of him and appreciated, but wait there is more. Tim then went home and got his van so we could all go for a ride. We picked up some food supplies, went out for dinner at Roxey's. He took us to Stubb's bar to see the decorations and have a ale, then back to the marina. The next morning Tim brought us ice at 7:00 AM. What a great in ambassador for the town!

From there another day with little wind, it rained most of the day off and on, mostly on, so we only had one person on deck at a time. We made the first 36 miles then the fog covered us and we navigated to the mouth of the Keweenaw Waterway by inavx. The trip down the waterway to the Houghton/Hancock area was lovely. It was well marked and had lots of cottages on each side. We radioed ahead and the bridge operated raised the bridge to 50 feet so we could pass under it. It was near rush hour and the operator announced over the PA system "Sailboat Lets Go". The marina downtown had a slip waiting for us. 

Turns out that the annual Bridge Days festival was on, so we took in the band and watched the fireworks.

Doug

Thursday June 18th, sailing day 2.

Summer Wine II set sail from Knife River at 8 a.m. The lake was deep blue and fairly smooth with long undulating waves. The lake water is pretty clear and we could see at least 15 feet down into the water and encountered depths of 500 feet or more. The shore areas we passed by on this sunny day were pristine and undisturbed. A tanker lake boat destined for Duluth was the only other traffic we observed. There was very little wind along this 50 mile leg of the journey, but we were able to hoist the sails and turn the motor off for about an hour and a half in mid afternoon. Once we arrived in the Apostle Islands the wind seemed to follow the channels between the islands and was right on the nose so we continued to motor to Stockton Island and moored 10 hours after leaving Knife River. The docks were formed by breakwater piers in this well sheltered marina. Apart from Summer Wine II there only two other boats, a Brady-white fishing boat with 300 horses hanging off its stern and a Hunter 33 sailboat. When we hiked along the shores we met some campers on the trails who arrived from Bayfield on a water taxi. The island had many trails through undisturbed forests and beaches. We returned to the boat and feasted on maple glazed salmon, chocolate rice, onion balsamic veggies, and chocolate pudding. We're not starving on this trip! Keith and I were a little skeptical when Doug suggested the chocolate rice but it turned out great. We turned in later after playing some crib.
Darrell

And we are off

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After a really fun week with family and friends, all wrapped up with Kayla and Spencer's wedding, we had a day to chill and throw our stuff together. Joann and I left our house early Tuesday morning on route to pick up Keith and Darrell with the hope of clearing the city by 7:00.

We made Superior / Duluth by 4:00. I had the guys do a scavenger hunt to find all the safety gear and through- hull locations to familiarize themselves with the boat. We did some last minute boat chores, tightened down the rigging, filled the water tank, and ran the jack lines.

     Then it was off to the restaurant for some wonderful short ribs. Then we grabbed a cab and went to the Anchor Bar, which was a "must see" according to our dinner waitress. The walls of this place were absolutely covered with nautical stuff. Very cool!!! 

Wednesday we picked up the groceries and ice. We left Barker's Marina at 2:00 pm heading to the Knife River Marina about 20 miles to the northeast. This will give us a better sailing angle and make the sail to the Apostle Islands a little shorter for tomorrow. Joann met us there with the truck and spent the night so she would be fresh for the drive home in the morning.     Doug

Ten More Sleeps

           With Summer Wine II in a berth in Duluth/Superior the prep work is winding down. Just a few details to work through and a few things to pick up. Menu planning is nearly completed for the first leg. Personal gear packing will be next. The water temperatures are still hovering around 36 degrees F and we will have to contend with the risk of hypothermia daily. It will be very important to stay warm and dry and have enough clothes for the different conditions. Toques, gloves, rubber boots and foul weather gear are essential on a body of water like Lake Superior. Storage space is at a premium on a 28 footer so everyone must pack smart.
            Next week promises to be a busy one.  With Spencer and Kayla's wedding next Saturday and out of town guests staying with us and lots of activities planned, the week will fly by, yet I'm still counting sleeps.
Doug