Bayfield, ON to Drummond Island, MI

Hey everyone... This is my first attempt at blogging, so if anyone has any suggestions for format changes or any other information about our trip that they would like me to include, let me know! I'm also going to be posting a link to a photo sharing website in the near future to share the rest of our pictures. I've been having some fun playing around with my camera, so hopefully I'll have some good pictures to include. 

So here goes... 

Tuesday, August 16—Bayfield to Tobermory

            Eager to get an early start, we were off to the gas docks by 8 am to load up on fuel for our trip up to Tobermory (109 nautical miles). I guess we were a little too eager, however, as no one was at the fuel pumps yet (they open at 8). No gas attendant meant we were on our own to dock the boat, and while in my mind I executed the perfect tuck-and-roll landing after leaping from the bow to the low-lying docks, my landing probably looked more like a land-and-crumple to any outside observer. We were quickly tied up though and soon found the gas attendant, and by 9 am, our journey on the Great Loop had begun!

            It was a beautiful day on Lake Huron, although the wind was coming from the North so it was right on our nose. Once well on our way, I decided to try out the shower on board (the ultimate test of balance). Once back on deck, my dad and I decided that we were impatient and decided to speed up to 12-13 knots. When we reached Tobermory around 5:30 and checked the fuel gage, however, we realized just how much increasing speed also increases fuel consumption! No more going faster than 7.5-8 knots for the remainder of the trip…

            For anyone who hadn’t been to Tobermory, it is a great little tourist town (pop. 1500). It attracts boaters, hikers, and divers, many of whom are visiting Fathom Five National Marine Park, Canada’s first national marine park, known for its good visibility and many shipwrecks of vessels that fell victim to the area’s islands and shoals. Many people also come to Tobermory to take the Chi-Cheemaun (Ojibwa for “big canoe”), a ferry that runs between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island (the largest fresh-water island in the world).

            We met up with some family and I had a great time exploring the area with my cousins Desirae and Connor, as well as with Connor’s girlfriend Karli. We drove to a beach (Singing Sands) where we could walk really far into the water without it even reaching our waists, and we watched the sunset from some rocks across from the Tobermory lighthouse. I only wish I hadn’t forgotten my camera!

Wednesday, August 17—Tobermory to Little Current

            With the weather forecast predicting some nasty weather, we left Tobermory around 7:30, making our way across Georgian Bay at a comfortable 7.5 knots. For anyone who imagines that living on a boat must be tough, once we were underway, my dad went down below and made us some bacon and eggs for breakfast! Our original plan was to anchor out somewhere for the night, but a few hours into our trip, Environment Canada issued a squall warning. Not wanting to deal with that for our first anchorage experience, we decided to continue on to Little Current (pop. 1500—the largest town on Manitoulin Island). Estimating from our radar that we only had a couple hours to reach Little Current before being hit by the oncoming storm, we doubled our speed to about 15 knots, which is definitely one of the benefits of a powerboat versus a sailboat (but so much for conserving fuel!). Our timing was perfect and we reached the Little Current swing bridge about 3 minutes before its hourly opening (the bridge provides the only land access to Manitoulin Island, with Chi-Cheemaun providing the only other access to vehicles).

            Once securely tied up to the Town Docks, we were able to get some groceries and alcohol before heading back to the boat to watch the storm come in. It was pretty intense, and we were happy with our decision against anchoring out. Little Current, called Baiwejewung by the natives (“where the water begins to flow”), is where the waters of the North Channel are funneled into a passage about 100 yards wide creating heavy currents. The storm made the water rush by even faster!

Thursday, August 18—Little Current to Vidal Bay

            Sleeping in, we left Little Current around 10:30. It was a mostly uneventful trip, but the sun was shining and the scenery was beautiful. In fact, one of our books says that the North Channel is second only to the Greek Isles as a destination for cruisers. For anyone who doesn’t know, the North Channel is the long strip of water between Manitoulin Island and the mainland to the north, and it is filled with islands providing scenic places to anchor out. Having been to the North Channel numerous times in the past, however, we decided to keep heading west. We reached Gore Bay (pop. 900) by about 3:30 to refuel and fill the water tank. Gore Bay is a nice little town on the northern shore of Manitoulin Island at the end of a V-shaped 2-mile deep inlet. As we had stayed there before, however, we decided to keep going west and find a place to anchor out for the night. We were now in completely new territory, and our adventure had really begun!

            We decided to head to Vidal Bay, also on the north shore of Manitoulin Island. It is a completely isolated bay with no cottages on the shore and no other boats to be seen! After a quick swim in the cold water, we barbequed some steaks and potatoes and went to sleep fairly early. Thankfully, our anchor set well and we stayed securely in place for the entire night. The sky was incredibly clear at night, filled with stars and a bright orange moon. The night sky is definitely one of the best parts of traveling in the North Channel.

Friday, August 19—Vidal Bay to Drummond Island

            Having anchored out for the first time, we woke up to the challenge of pulling the anchor back up for the first time. Of course, once you start using your boat the first time, you are bound to find some little problems. While there is a windlass to help pull the anchor up, the fuse quickly burnt out and I had a bit of a morning workout pulling the anchor up by hand (a little uncomfortable since my dad left the gloves at home!). We later learned that the 100amp fuse was not strong enough for that type of pull, and we will need to replace it with at least a 150amp fuse sometime soon. We had also realized the day before that we were leaking fuel, so once underway, my dad went down to the engine room to try and figure out the problem. Turning off one of the engines (the boat has twin engines) to isolate the leak meant no autopilot. Realizing that the fuel was leaking from one of the injectors, he tried to tighten it without a proper wrench and was only able to slow the leak. We continued on to Drummond Island, reaching Yacht Haven Marina around 4:30. We were able to get a mechanic to come aboard the next morning, who tightened the leak, as well as found another leak from one of the other fuel injectors. Problem solved.

            Drummond Island is our port of entry into the United States. Having called Sault Ste. Marie a month before, we were told that it wouldn’t be a problem to get our US Cruising Permit overnight. However, when we pulled it, we were told that it could be up to a week before we get it. So we are just sitting tight until the paperwork goes through.

            It is a small marina (and tiny village), but they had a car we could rent to get groceries, and there was a really nice sunset on Friday night. My dad can get WiFi on his computer, but I can’t get it on mine. We spend Saturday relaxing on the boat and cleaning it up/scrubbing the decks. Hopefully we can get our permit by early next week so we can continue on toward Lake Michigan. 

           There have been a few other loopers in Drummond, and its clear that we are definitely going to meet some interesting people along the way!  

                                                                                                                   --James