Our 2008 cruise actually started in 2007 when we bought the boat in Waukegan Illinois. We had looked at boats from Puget Sound to Boston and found the best deal in Waukegan intending to immediately ship the boat to Seattle. But, what the heck, the boat was ready to go in an area we had never cruised so we may as well test the waters before shipment. It was late in the season and taking far too long because of various delays, we finally got underway with a shakedown cruise to an overnight stop at Milwaukee then across Lake Michigan to White Lake, Michigan near Muskegon where the boat was shrink-wrapped to spend the winter in a boat yard while we went home to Idaho.
The weather was not the best during our cruise. The small-craft warnings were up with waves forecast to be 4-5 feet to Milwaukee and 5-6 feet the next day going to White Lake. This keeps all the lake sailors in the harbor but we are salt water sailors and more familiar with that kind of action so away we went. The forecast turned out to be accurate. In that 140 mile cruise we never saw another boat except one of those huge lake freighters. The boat performed well and the waves came from the best direction for comfort but it was a long hard trip.
The boat was winterized and put to bed until next year. In the Great Lakes all boats are hauled at the end of summer and then launched again in late spring when the ice breaks up. This makes used lake boats desirable because they are operated in fresh water and are stored on dry land during a long winter.
The following season we were ready to explore the lakes. Our grand plan was no plan at all. We would be directed by whim with no schedule. We wouldn't know where we were going until we got there, leisurely drifting along at hull speed and enjoying the scenery.
Michigan's western shore has many excellent harbors where we anchored and spent one or more days in pleasant weather. One of the nicest was Charlevoix with spectacular homes in idyllic settings. Another unusual feature in the area is a group of "Mushroom Houses" imaginatively built in a fairy tale style. As one guidebook puts it, "Think about the digs of Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood's grandma."
Weeds were found to be a problem anchoring in depths less than 14 feet. Sometimes we couldn't find deeper water where we wanted to spend the night so we retired our Danforth anchor in favor of a Delta plow style which reduced the problem considerably but not entirely.
Some islands off the northwest shore were quite good anchorages but our ashore excursions were plagued by swarms of biting flies. The First Mate hates bugs and these were especially ornery.
We visited Mackinac Island for a few days and used a marina moorage for the first time because that is the best way to see the many attractions that can be reached by a short walk or a from the marina. On Mackinac you either walk or ride a horse drawn cart, the only mechanized conveyance is the fire engine and the trash man.
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are actually one large lake with the lobe east of Mackinac Straights called Huron. The north and east shores of Huron are very rocky with large bodies of protected waters. The two largest bays are called North Channel and Georgian Bay. These are considered the premium cruising grounds of the Great Lakes.
Heading into North Channel we stopped at De Tour Village for the last gas at US prices and charts for the Canadian coast. No charts. Well we could certainly get them at Thessalon, Ontario that advertises itself as, "The gateway to the North Channel." It is only a few hours cruise in comfortably deep water relatively safe from hazard to the Thessalon marina. Can you guess that there were no charts available there? The only chart we had was one of the entire Lake Huron, great for planning but without the detail for shoal water navigation.
With one eye constantly on the depth sounder, we tippy-toed down the shoreline into appropriately named Blind River. A printed harbor guide told us there was good anchorage in a small bay across from the marina. As we entered the small bay we heard frantic shouting from the marina. Seems that contrary to the harbor guide the bay is loaded with hazards just below the surface left there after the demolition of a mill. The next decent anchorage is quite a distance away and it's getting late so we spend another night or two in a marina. The marina sells charts but they have run out of the important local ones but we are assured they can be obtained down the coast a few miles at the town of Spanish. It was true. We stopped long enough to buy the essential paper and continued on our way.
With chart guidance it was much more comfortable making way to the town wall at the pleasant town of Little Current, Ontario. We spent some time enjoying the area, restocking our provisions, buying charts for the cruise the Small Boat Route through very sparsely inhabited but exceptionally buoyed granite islands.
According to the guide book, the Small Boat Route (SBR) was originally pioneered by canoe. Over the years the route was improved with the help of explosives to accommodate boats of up to the recommended maximum of 40 feet in length (we are just under that). A 6 foot draft will rub the bottom in places. There are alternate routes in places and side routes all well marked with buoys. Thousands of buoys. At times it seems there may be millions of buoys. And it also seems that there are almost as many islands as there are buoys. A spectacular cruising area. Good anchorages everywhere. One must pay attention to the navigation, however. The daily weather reports carried the Hazards To Navigation advisory that always included more than one reported grounding. If you look closely at the Georgian Bay area using Google Earth, you'll appreciate the situation.
A suspicious swelling of the captain's hand caused a back-tracking to the only hospital at Perry Sound where, after a four hour wait in the emergency room, a doctor assured us it was not a toxic insect bite and we were charged $550 by the hospital and a small bit for the doctor. Our advice is, don't get sick in Canada lest you drop dead waiting for attention.
We saw very few other boats enroute but this changed as we closed in on the southern part of Georgian Bay. There were boats all over the place down there. Finding a very friendly boat yard (rather than a marina) the boat was hauled, winterized, shrink-wrapped and bedded down for the long winter in Ontario. The captain and first mate returned home after almost 3 months afloat.
A quite outstanding cruise. The Small Craft Route is not to be missed.
