Toledo, Ohio to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I warn you that this is going to be a long post as we began our cruising in Canada and were without phone or internet connections for quite some time. I didn’t get this posted until about the 20th of August in Milwaukee. We were exploring Milwaukee by bicycle and trying to find a library or someplace we could connect to the web.We were turned down everywhere. Riding through a random residential neighborhood we came upon an ’Authorized Apple Dealer’ and they let us plug into their fax line. Gotta love those Apple folks. . .
August 1, 1999 N 45 55.9 W 81 45.0
Haywood Island, North Channel, Ontario, Canada
A lot has happened since we last sent out these ramblings and as I write this I really don't know just when I will be able to send it. We are heading for a small town on Manitoulin Island called Little Current and are hoping to find a phone line there. We are in a very remote area of Canada called the North Channel. It is a prime cruising ground full of remote islands and the most beautiful scenery. Our cell phone hasn't worked in over a week; there aren't any cell towers up here so communication with family and friends has ended for a while. We figure that we have at least another week before things begin to work again.
Toledo Light house as we were leaving the channel
So let's catch up on what has happened since Toledo. The refrigeration guy did show up and he recharged the system and it hasn't shut off since, literally. So now we have to really watch the battery level. Just a little something to worry about. (I have found that I am a constant worrier about these things) So we said good bye to Toledo and began our trek to Detroit. Actually we went to the north end of Lake St. Claire just above Detroit and anchored in Metro Park.
Carol and I in the dinghy, at anchor in Metro Park.
It was a long day of motoring as we left at 7:00 and didn't anchor until about 5:30 pm - we made over 75 miles that day. Of course the wind was on our nose, the water was shallow and the current swift against us, but this was offset by the hazy foggiest visibility. All in all a good cruise. It was interesting going through the Detroit River with its industrial surroundings. We found a Motown radio station to listen to and really did enjoy the trip. As we neared Lake St. Claire our ever present traveling companions aboard La Ti Da scooted on ahead to scout the anchorage and to contact friends in Detroit.
WHAT FRIENDS THEY WERE! These folks were likely the funniest people we have ever met. For the next three days we laughed from morning to night as we partied at private pools, toured the Spirit of Ford museum, celebrated a birthday, did laundry and shopping and went for Greek food in GreekTown. They opened their home and lives to us and were the most delightful people. We will always remember the kindness' of Dottie and Betty, of Detroit.
Visiting the Spirit of Ford with the ladies, what a fun day this was.
Me with Betty and Dottie heading for the boats.
We also met a woman named Diane who let us tie up our dinghy in her back yard while at anchor in Metro Park, who was even funnier than Dottie and Betty. We returned late one night and realized we hadn't left our anchor lights on and it was very dark, but it worked out, we found the boats on good order. The next day when I mentioned this to Diane, her comment was, " Even F*ckin' Motel 6 leaves a light on, and you knuckleheads think you can cruise around America." What a riot. Leaving our newly made friends was a sad occasion, we had our drinks and good-byes on the flybridge before dinghying them ashore. Early Monday morning we left for another long day underway. We had only about 42 miles to go but going up through the St. Claire River with it strong currents was slow going. We made one stop in Port Huron for fuel, and paid a steep price for it, before moving across the river to Sarnia, Ontario and Canada one again. We checked in with Canadian Customs via telephone. Our slip for the night was at the Ontario Provincial Police dock and in front of us was a huge ore boat tied empty to the wall and it's bow loomed over our little boats.
Sometimes you feel really small.
Again La Ti Da and Vera Segunda were tied side by side. We had dinner and drinks and made travel plans for the next day. Tuesday morning as we left the calm harbor we turned into the full force of the final three miles of the St. Claire River and a current that took our speed down to three knots. Slowly we 'climbed' into Lake Huron and open water once again. We cruised through a clear day and four-foot gentle sea. Late afternoon brought us into Goderich, Ontario, an industrial port that is the home of the world's largest salt mine. We docked at the town dock and walked around the area taking in the sights. Later in the day Cindy and I walked into the center of town which was some distance from the boats and up a very steep and rugged hill, but the view of the harbor was well worth the climb. The Town Square of Goderich was a snapshot of any small town, complete with a line at the movie theatre, but we couldn't find ice cream, much to everyone's disappointment.
Our view of Goderich harbor from the dock, looking as salt and grain storage, I think.
The next day brought us to Port Elgin, where carol's cousins, Tom and Lorna live. Another family visit was in order and did we ever have a good time Tom gave us a tour of the farm and his latest endeavor, pigs. He has set up a pig barn operation, which has decreased his popularity in town, but we suspect this is temporary. Tom and Lorna set a big supper for the four of us and we all swapped stories into the night, finishing the evening with beers at a local pub.
Tied to the wall in Port Elgin, Ontario
The next day we were given the truck to do chores which was a real treat. We picked up motor oil and post cards and all the cruising essentials. Lunch was back at the farm and then off for an auto tour of the site of their next pig barn and neighboring towns.
Tom and Lorna met us at the dock.
Being the cheap buggers that we have become, we pulled away from the dock late that afternoon and dropped anchor at Chantry Island, three miles north, saving us the dockage fee for the night and getting Tom away from the dock for the first time this year. They came for coffee the next morning aboard their boat "The Back 40" and tied along side. More sad good-byes and we turned north once again and into a gathering fog.
Saying good-by to Tom and Lorna on ‘The Back Forty’
The day was spent watching radar and fighting a large sea, but it was on the nose so it wasn't too uncomfortable. We found shelter 30 miles north at an island called Lyal. We crept to the shore through the fog to anchor in nine feet of beautifully clear water. We explored the shore of the island to find the shore to be solid rock cut into bizarre patterns by the action of Lake Huron.
Riding at anchor off Lyal Island, Ontario
The radio forecast bad weather for the following day so we decided to just move the boats over to Stokes Bay just two mile off, but offering better shelter. Carol and I went on a hike into town - one store, a bait shop and a restaurant. We did find ice, which is always in demand. Late that afternoon we were hit by a dramatic storm. We watched its approach as we were walking back to the dock where we had left our dinghy. By the time we had the dinghy secured the first drops began to fall. Within ten minutes from the first rain drop the wind picked up to almost 35 to 40 knots and completely boxed the compass. Both La Ti Da and Vera II swung full circle and La Ti Da began to drag her anchor and head toward shore. All ended well as Cindy and Robin dropped their hook again in deep water. The next morning we made our way to the entrance of Georgian Bay and the town of Tobermorey, which has quite a reputation as the place to be on Georgian Bay. We could not find an anchorage and people were waiting in lines to tie up at any available dock space which as far as we could tell was non existent. We elected to find another place at one of the many nearby islands. We motored out past an island called Flowerpot and say the natural rock formations that gave it its name. The wind and waves had created what appeared to be flowerpots for giants. We photographed and videotaped as we cruised past this natural phenomena.
Cruising past Flower Pot Island, one of the many “flower pots”
We found an anchorage in Tecumseh Cove on Cove Island that was a total distance of three miles from Tobermorey, and had it to our selves. We dinghied swan and dived on a sunken ship and didn't see another sole. We mixed drinks that were the same blue green as the water. It is amazing how secluded we were when so many people were crazed to get into the marinas just a few short miles away. The night was perfect, and we watched raccoon's fish along the shore.
Drinks the color of the water - Surge and Blue Curacao, mmmmmmm
In the morning we headed due north to Killarney, where we thought we would pick up fuel. Six hours after we left our secluded little anchorage we found ourselves in an even larger traffic jam as the whole world was in Killarney looking for fuel and lodging and dockage and repairs. We did make a quick stop at the local grocery store. Cindy and I shopped for groceries, Carol ran to the liquor store and Robin shot off to the Post Office. Within a short while we had gotten rid of our trash and replenished our cabinets and lockers with the necessities of life.
A very busy day in Killarney, this is the main channel, and the only one.
We found another quiet cove just another three or four miles away. We stayed here for three days. On our first full day at anchor in a while we did our routine maintenance. Fresh oil and filters to make the engine happy and a scrub down below the waterline to make the hull happy.
At anchor in Portage Cove, a few miles from Killarney
We did however make the mistake of taking LouAnn, La Ti Da's cat, ashore in the dinghy. She ran off into the woods. LouAnn has been living aboard for eight years and always comes back. She did make an appearance that evening around 9 PM but that was the last we saw of her and she was frightened away by the dinghy when Cindy tried to retrieve her. The next day was filled with anxiety as we searched the woods for LouAnn to no avail. That evening we all toasted LouAnn and wished her well in her new life. LouAnn, cat of the north.
However, at about nine PM that second evening, there was LouAnn sitting on a rock saying, "Hey, come get the cat!" Everyone was so happy that she was home safely. The following day we did go back to Killarney and get in line for fuel before continuing. We chugged in and around the islands and cruised to a well known (Some say the Jewel of the North) place called "the Pool".
At anchor in “The Pool”
The pool is at the end of Bae Fine, a nine-mile fiord. The entrance to the pool is a two-mile stretch not much more than 150 feet wide with tree lined rock walls. The scenery here is reminiscent of Maine and the ladies say it is like the Pacific Northwest. Very rugged and scenic. The pool is a small natural basin not more than a quarter mile long by even less wide. We stern tied the boats to the shore and anchored the bows out, as we had done at our last anchorage. We spent a great evening there at the pool and began a cribbage tournament, which is still ongoing.
Cruising out of Bae Fine, heading toward Heywood Island
From the Pool we went to Haywood Island where I started this letter this morning. We spent two nights there. Our first night (or early morning) brought a storm of fierce wind and sideways rain. Vera's anchor dragged and we came down on La TI Da only to dislodge her anchor as well. Luckily I had been up and had the engine running. As the boats touched, we pushed off from one another and motored to deep water maintaining our bows into the wind. Carol took the helm and I manned the foredeck. We found another spot, the depth sounder said we had eleven feet of water and through the lightning we could see that we were clear of the other boats in the anchorage. La Ti Da cruised around behind us for a while before setting her anchor again. The storm lasted just over an hour and as dawn began to lighten the day we could see a powerboat on the rocks not too far off. Cindy and I took the dinghy over to offer assistance. We got them off the rocks by resetting their anchor and using the dinghy after rocking them free. (My body weight finally comes in handy). Yesterday was all rain.
Our anchorage at Heywood Island, before the storm
We have landed today in a town called Little Current and have paid for dockage. It is the Hawberry Festival! (Whatever a Hawberry is) But today we watched a parade, had sausages at the firehouse and heard a choir singing on the waterfront. Tonight we get fireworks! And we are going to get to do laundry and shopping again. These are the real pleasures of cruising.
Sunset in Little Current -there was dancing in the street that night, at the Hawberry Festival
We are now at the point of no return. When we travel west from here we are committed to our journey around the country. I mention this because we had been considering changing our plans to shorten the trip, returning via the Trent-Severn Waterway. However, we have elected to continue and hope to be in Illinois by mid August.
La Coche, we found blackberries in the hills
Friday, August 6th Meldrum Bay, Manitoulin Island As you may have guessed we did not get the opportunity to send this off in Little Current, as it turned out, that Monday was a 'Civic Day" which meant that all businesses were closed and we couldn't find a place open to connect to a phone line. The fireworks were great and the also had a parade of boats , all lit up and cruising right past us while we were sitting on the flybridge watching the show. On Monday morning we got our laundry done, it was just about the only place in town that was open. Later we cruised to Croker Island and anchored. We experienced a fantastic storm in the early morning hours, around 5 Am Tuesday which caused us to drag our anchor I had been up for a while and we were experiencing high winds and lightning with rain coming in sideways. I had the engine running when we broke our hold on Mother Earth. We immediately dragged back onto La Ti Da who was close at hand, although we barely touched I felt the embarrassment of having dragged onto a fellow traveler. We re-anchored by the light of the lightning, and fought the wind the whole time. After about an hour it began to let up and we could see another boat which had washed up on the rocks. The owner was trying to rock it loose so Cindy and I took off in the dinghy to see if we could assist. After a while, through rocking and setting their anchor off the beam and tugging with the dinghy we got it free from the grip of the shore and safely into deep water. Another day on the water.
Tuesday morning we set off to La Coche and found a beautiful island of smooth red granite and pine. We hiked and found blackberries and bayberries and grasshoppers and we watched a muskrat swimming. This was a good spot and we all swam as well. Wednesday we spent the night behind Hotham Island hiding from more wind and thunderstorms. We had chosen our spot well and safely watched the storms pass and enjoyed the rainbows that they left in their wake. We had cribbage games and had a jigsaw puzzle competition. Last night we spent in a very small and safe harbor called Cleary Bay in Dewdney Island. The entrance to the bay was not much wider than Vera II, maybe by 10 feet at the most. The bottom was rocky and only a few inches deeper than our keel. We crept in with Carol on a bow watch and me at the flybridge helm. We followed a couple of other cruiser through the channel. They had come out to meet us in their dinghy and lead the way in. We did run aground momentarily once inside, and onto a sandy bottom. No harm done. We anchored fore and aft and sat through another storm last night.
Piper piping sunset in Meldrum Bay
Today we crossed the North Channel to arrive here at Meldrum Bay and we are safely tied to the dock. The crossing was exciting, we had a 4 and 5 foot chop the entire way, for over three hours, which made the crossing see long. But it is now "Happy Hour" so I must sign off and do my duty.
Bridges Passed Under/Through 29
Locks 43
Miles Traveled 1619
Average speed 7.1 mph
7 States 2 Countries
68 Days
Wednesday, August 18, 1999 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
When you last heard from the traveling Huffs, we were headed off for Happy Hour. We hiked into "town" and had local beers on the porch of the hotel, overlooking Meldrum Bay. That evening we had the pleasure of being entertained by a cruising minister who played the bagpipes as the sun set. We met a couple of folks on a sailboat who have been cruising for quite some time. Carol got on with them quite well and ended up with a good batch of locally picked blueberries and we also purchased baked goods from a gentleman who brings baked things down to the docks for sale. We "showered" by jumping off the back of the boat into crystal clear water once again. That evening we all watched videos of our progress, from the time of meeting La Ti Da to the present, and made copies for family. The video ran almost three hours. The next morning we had plans to motor in company with La Ti Da to a place called Harbor Island just north of the town of Drummond. This is where we would re-enter the USA! We all started our engines at eight and as we motored out of the bay La Ti Da found some one to chat with, they always chat. They didn't catch up with us for an hour.
Carol always decorates, water hyacinths found along the way.
The weather was supposed to take a turn for the worse, which is why we chose Harbor Island. It was a horseshoe shaped Island that has a reputation for being a good spot to hide from the weather. We anchored in about 8 feet of water and had a good mud bottom, which provided excellent holding. Well, good holding for us.Late into the night after the lightning began to light up the sky, I was awake and watching the storm and I could hear voices. La Ti Da began to drag and I could see her maneuvering around the anchorage trying to find another spot. I hailed her and offered assistance. I launched the dinghy, attached the motor, and helped them set out a second anchor. By the time we secured everything and had them anchored safely almost all the other boats in the harbor had their running lights on and were maneuvering. It was a busy night, but Vera Segunda stayed put, her anchor buried deeply in the mud. We stayed another day at anchor to let the weather pass and catch up on things. Monday the 9th took us to a town called DeTour (Michigan) where we took on fuel and water, off loaded trash, checked in with U.S. Customs and bought a great coffee mug which I have adopted as my own. Then off to Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw, and they will get testy if you say wrong) where we tied up at the marina for the rolliest stay to date.
Tourists on Mackinac Island
The ferries going to and from Mackinac Island keep the waves rolling in and kept Vera Segunda leaping about until very late into the evening. We did a foot tour of the town, had drinks over looking the water and did some provisioning; we even got an Internet hookup (which is where I sent the last note form). All in all it was a very interesting place. The houses were gingerbread and colonial and all were very well kept. The only form of transportation was horse carriages and bicycles. There are no cars on the island. We saw everything being delivered by carriage and wagon. One wagon that passed must have had a lot of stops to make as it was carrying parcels, lumber luggage and even a couple of Fed Ex packages. You just never know what you will find next when you travel. Morning brought more clouds and a slight chop, but it was coming onto our nose and Vera is a nice heavy boat so the ride was soft and comfortable. We passed under the spectacular Mackinaw Bridge, (5 miles long!) cruised west for several hours and turned south through the reef that extends westward from the tip of Michigan.
Going under the Mackinac Bridge
A few hours later we arrived in St. James Harbor, Beaver Island, Michigan. This island is in the 'middle' of Lake Michigan, and again we were listening intently to the weather. We anchored in sand this time and just off the docks, near to shore for protection. We dinghied to the beach and found a grocery store right in front of us. On the way we had chatted with some folks from Texas who are doing the loop. They spend most of their time cruising the south, but did the loop this year. They said that they are looking forward to getting back into the Tenn-Tom Waterway, they have cruised there so much they feel as though it is home. Carol and Robin walked the Main Street and Cindy and took the groceries back to the boats and then dinghied to the other side of the bay to pick up the walkers. That evening the cribbage tournament which had been going on for quite some time came to an end ad the Carol and Cindy team declared victory. 10 games to 4 ... seems close to me. From Beaver Island we had our longest day, 80 miles, crossing Lake Michigan and motoring into Wisconsin and Central Daylight Time. Now it gets dark very early, around 8:30, which means it gets light earlier as well, ugh! Our first stop in Wisconsin was Washington Island. La Ti Da needed to stop here as they are trying to sell their boat so they don't have to truck it back to the West Coast. There is a Sea Sport dealer on the island so we motored over across a very shallow bat to the dealer ship. As we were motoring with our depth alarms going off, trying to find deeper water in the channel and approaching the dock, my cell phone rings and I hear "Hi, Big Ed, whatcha doin?" It was my friend Jeffery, I had to chuckle, as this is the first time the phone has ringed in quite some time and we were very busy! I excused myself from Jeff and asked him to call back later, a quieter moment perhaps. We did talk later and it was good to chat with Jeff, as we haven't had the chance in a while. I listened to his bluegrass album later that evening. The dealer called a few people and told the girls he would be in touch, using our cell phone as a contact point. We left his dock and anchored out in the same shallow bay we had just crossed, and again with an approaching storm. But the weather passed and we spent a quiet night aboard. From Washington Island we traveled down inside Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay (the town) which has a canal cutting through the peninsula. We spent a couple of days here waiting for weather as well. We stayed at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club, which serves a great Scottish beer. We also visited a Grand Banks Dealership and ate at Perry's Cherry Diner famous for its malts and burgers. We had malts and burgers (Elvis's favorite meal). Mmmmmmmm! We also met a lot of nice folks at the yacht club and others who were also traveling.
Leaving the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club
The next stop was Manitowoc, where we paid for dockage (seems to be the way in Wisc) and did our laundry at the worst laundry yet... the dryers didn't dry! I chatted with another Grand Banks owner who got a 42 just a year ago, great boat! We also met an owner of a Nordic Tug, another of our favorite boats, who invited us aboard for a while to chat. We got home late for a late supper. Hiding from another storm and pulling into Port Washington we were greeted with "We don't want your kind here!" Some guy shouted from the dock. We couldn't imagine the rudeness of some people. However, no sooner than we had tied Vera Segunda up securely, the guy who shouted came over to apologize.. It seems as though they have friends with a Grand Banks as well and it was a case of mistaken identity. They turned out to be great folks and we have made friend once again with nice people. The next evening we had drinks and snacks aboard 'Kokopelli', their sailboat. Our first Wisconsin Cheese and smoked meats. What a fun evening. We made plans to meet them in Milwaukee the next day, as this was their home port and they were heading back as well.
Port Washington, Wisconsin - a patriotic group. . .
Yesterday brought us here to Milwaukee. As we left the harbor Carol videotaped La Ti Da shooting past at 20 knots and Kokopelli hoisting their sails. We all had plans to meet in the afternoon and tour the city. We tied alongside La TI Da at the Milwaukee Yacht Club, who had scooted ahead as we all pulled out of Port Washington. No one was aboard which we thought was strange; they had always been there to greet us. We checked in and the folks at the yacht club said that they had been talking about going to the museum or something. We thought it was strange but... so we went off to the museum, which was fantastic with a very diverse collection. We had called Bob and Carol on Kokopelli and made plans to meet later. When we returned from the museum there was still no sign of our friends on La Ti Da, stranger still. They knew of the plans we had made for the group and had even joked about how we would all fit in the car. We had a great evening with our newly made friends from Milwaukee. We had drinks on the river walk and a fantastic Mexican dinner, not to mention a wonderful driving tour of this fine city. We returned to the yacht club around nine to find La TI Da gone. They had retied Vera Segunda to the dock and left the briefest of notes saying they were moving on and that maybe we will see them in the rivers. We can only speculate at their decision to move and to their manner of leaving. It has saddened Carol and I and we really don't know what to make of it all.
We can only hope that everything is all right in their world. So it is on a sad note that these words arrive today, but tomorrow is another day and the sun will be out again.
Bridges Passed Under/Through 295
Locks 43
Miles Traveled 1977
Average speed 7 mph
8 States 2 Countries
80 Days
"Seafaring might be compared with a drug habit which obliges one to suffer at intervals in order to experience peaks of elation." W. A. Robinson