Drummond Island, MI to Holland, MI

Hey everyone. Sorry it’s been a while since the last update. I’ve been procrastinating, which is sad considering the amount of free time I have… Also, thanks to everyone who commented. It's nice to know people are reading this!

I’m working on uploading pictures, but the internet connection at each harbour has been really slow. I do however have some pictures of the boat uploaded. Here is the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/110754350354756451675/AtLastTheBoat

Monday, August 22—Drummond Island, MI to Mackinac Island, MI

            The US Customs officers arrived at 11:30, telling us that they had waited an extra half hour in Sault Ste. Marie for our cruising permit, but hadn’t received it. We were disappointed to be stuck on Drummond Island for another day, as the most exciting event there each day was the sunset (you’ll notice how many pictures I took of the sunset on each of our three nights there once I get all the pictures posted). Luckily, around 1:30, the customs officers told us they could give us a temporary copy of our cruising permit and mail the real one to a destination further down Lake Michigan. We were soon on our way!

            Coming down from the top of Drummond Island, we headed south through DeTour Passage, running into our first freighter of the trip. The weather was fine until we reached the open waters of Lake Huron. The winds were coming from the west, so it was right on our nose. Besides the rough waters, however, the trip was mostly uneventful. A freighter ran alongside us the entire way, and we reached Mackinac Island by about 6 pm. We didn’t feel like cooking, so we went out for dinner (we both had fish and chips), walked around the island, and went to bed fairly early.

           

Tuesday, August 23 and Wednesday, August 24—Mackinac Island, MI

            The history buff in me couldn’t be happy unless we spent some time on Mackinac Island, and since the weather forecast didn’t look too great for the next few days, we decided this was a good place to wait it out. Soon after waking up on Tuesday, we decided to move the boat from a stern-in to a bow-in docking position, as the wind was supposed to shift and the harbour wasn’t overly protected. We were happy we did, and once tied back up, we headed out for a day of sightseeing.

I’m going to assume that at least one person reading this doesn’t know much about Mackinac Island, so I’ll try to include a brief history lesson (paraphrased mostly from the brochures I picked up). Believed to be sacred by the Natives, Mackinac Island became a commercial depot for fur trappers and traders during the colonial period. Our first stop of the day was Fort Mackinac, which dominates the southern bluff overlooking the Straights of Mackinac. The British moved the fort from what is now Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island in 1780, and the Americans took control in 1796. In July 1812, the British re-captured the fort in the first land engagement on United States territory of the War of 1812. It was returned to the United States after the war, and it remained active until 1895. It was during this time that Mackinac Island was transformed from a center of the fur trade to a major summer resort.

No motor vehicles are permitted on the island, and the first thing we had noticed upon arrival in the harbour was the horse-drawn carriages. After finishing our tour of the Fort, we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage tour with ‘Mackinac Island Carriage Tours,’ which claims to be the world’s largest, oldest, and continually operated horse and buggy livery, with approximately 100 freight and passenger carriages and over 400 horses. Carriagemen officially began providing tours of the Island in 1869 when the first city carriage license was issued, and it was the carriagemen who petitioned the Village of Mackinac Island to ban the automobile as it startled the horses. Our tour led us past the Grand Hotel (which features the world’s longest veranda) to Arch Rock (a natural limestone formation with a 30-foot-wide hole), before ending at the Governor’s Mansion. It was a great day and we soon headed back to the boat for dinner.

It was raining and very windy on Wednesday, so we just hung around on the boat, and when the weather cleared up for a few hours, we walked around the village and browsed through some of the stores. It was overall just a quiet day.

Thursday, August 25—Mackinac Island, MI to Charlevoix, MI

            We left Mackinac Island around 9 a.m. and headed over to St. Ignace to get some fuel (they don’t have any on Mackinac Island). We were re-fueled by 11, and soon crossed under the Mackinac Bridge (it connects Mackinaw City with St. Ignace across the Straights of Mackinac). We were now entering Lake Michigan! Once again, the winds were from the west and blowing at about 20-25 knots, so the 5-6-foot waves were right on our nose as we made our way out of the Straights of Mackinac. I tried to read to pass the time, but I guess this put me beyond my seasickness limits. I’m not going to claim to be the best traveling companion, so I headed down below, and the previously nausea-inducing waves rocked me to sleep for a few hours (I'm very good at sleeping through rough weather!) I woke up and we were out of the Straights and the sun was shining. The waves had even calmed down somewhat.

           

           We started heading south, but the winds picked up and the waves pounded us hard on our starboard side. It was a very bumpy ride, and everything that wasn’t bolted down in the cabin went flying. After a somewhat unpleasant afternoon, we arrived in Charlevoix around 6. We were told by people who had been stuck there for the day by the weather that they were surprised we had made it. My dad sure is happy with our Hatteras! Charlevoix has a really nice town marina, and there was a band from Sault Ste. Marie playing at the band-shell a few hundred feet from the boat. We even ran into someone who had read this blog! I decided to check out the town, so I went for a walk and ended up on the shore of Lake Charlevoix, which is an inland lake about 11 miles long that connects to Lake Michigan via Round Lake. Lake Charlevoix has a hilly shoreline, and is filled with Victorian summer mansions in exclusive neighborhoods (that don’t seem to think there is so a thing as too many private signs). I made it back to the boat by around 8:30, we had dinner, and hoped for better weather for the next day. 

Friday, August 26—Charlevoix, MI to Leland, MI

            We left Charlevoix just before 10 to catch the opening of the swing bridge that opens every half hour. The weather was pleasant at first, with a bit of a westerly wind on our beam. The winds soon picked up, however, and we were happy to reach Leland around 3:30. According to one of our guidebooks, Leland is known as “one of the most picturesque stopovers” on northern Lake Michigan. It is a small town, but right beside the harbour is the National Landmark District, “Fish Town,” where old ice and fish shanties and docks house an operating fish house and specialty shops (apparently reminiscent of life and commercial fishing 100 years ago). We walked around town, got groceries, and headed back to the boat for a relaxing night.

           

Saturday, August 27—Leland, MI

            Two other looper boats tried to head out early in the morning, but turned back around after a few miles due to bad weather. Fed up with rough waters, we decided to spend the day in Leland and do some work on the boat and relax.

Sunday, August 28—Leland, MI to Pentwater, MI

            We decided to leave at first light when the lake is usually the calmest. We woke up at 6:30, and were out of the harbour by 7, just in time to see the sun rise above the horizon behind us! We enjoyed the calm morning waters as we made our way past Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Park, which has 480-foot-high sand dunes, white beaches, and a backdrop of forests. After about an hour, I decided to go back to sleep for a bit (again, I’m not the best traveling companion!). The winds were fairly strong, but they were from the north. It was a perfect day for heading south, and we traveled over 100 miles to Pentwater!

            We arrived in Pentwater around 5:30, and the only place for us to dock was along the north wall of Snug Harbor Marina. The Marina put out 3 fenders for us, and in combination with three of our fenders, the boat was well protected! We met some other loopers (who had stayed in Pentwater for the day due to the weather, and were disappointed to hear what a good day for traveling it was, despite the larger waves), and I went for a walk exploring the town. Pentwater is located on the fringes of a series of large beach dunes, so I walked to the beach before making my way back to the boat to meet my dad who had been having a drink with the other loopers. 

Monday, August 29—Pentwater, MI to Holland, MI

            Realizing the advantage of an early start, we were back on the water by 8 a.m. It was again a beautiful morning. The sun was shining and the lake was calm! There were a lot of fishing boats out (my dad estimates over 100), but we weaved past them and continued south. Mid-afternoon, the winds shifted to the south-west, but the lake was still relatively calm (at least in comparison to what we had been traveling in for the past week!). It was a great traveling day, and we made it to Holland around 5:30 and refueled. Holland is 80 miles from Chicago, so we are making good time (our plan has been to make it there before Labour Day weekend). We are staying at Eldean Shipyard, and although it is a nice place with a pool, it is several miles from downtown Holland (located farther in on Lake Macatawa). So there won’t be too much exploring to do tonight, which is why I’m updating the blog!

            I probably won’t update the blog again for at least a week or two. We are hoping to be in Chicago by Wednesday, and my dad is going to head back to London until September 14th. I’m going to be staying with a friend in Chicago, sightseeing, and attending North Coast Music Festival. After that, we will finally be off the Great Lakes and will continue our journey down the the river system!

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

Update Coming Soon

My plan was to write a detailed update tonight, but I didn't get around to it. I'll type it up tomorrow (when I don't have free WiFI to distract me) and post it as soon as we have internet again. I'll also most likely be posting a link to more of our pictures.

We had great weather yesterday for our trip up from Bayfield to Tobermory, but ran into squall warnings and thunderstorms today. Although our original plan was to anchor out tonight, we decided to stay at the town docks in Little Current instead. I'll have more trip details later. 

                                                                                                                             -James

                                                                                                                             

Three weeks until we cast off the lines

Well, its been a while since the last post. Time has flown by as we have been getting the boat ready for the adventure. The electronics, engines and mechanical systems are good to go, and I have learned how to rebuild the head (toilet for those not familiar with boating terms) and it now works great. We pulled all the carpet out of the interior and put down teak and holly flooring so no more damp carpets to worry about. My long "to do" list is now getting very short.

My oldest son Rob is getting married to Megan this coming weekend which is an awesome event for the Mencel family. My son James who will be travelling with me to the Florida Keys is Rob's "best man" and he too is getting excited.

Last weekend Megan's dad Pat and I took AT LAST out for a bit of a shakedown cruise on Lake Huron and all went well. Here's a picture of the view from the navigation station. Note the America's Great Loop Cruisers Association burgee on the bow. This identifies us as "loop" boat, and we'll see lots of others also flying this flag on our trip. New friends await !!

I am still trying to figure out this blog and how best to post pictures etc, but rest assured, it will improve over time. I plan to take some pics of the boat prior to departure so those who are interested can see the interior etc. Stay tuned ... our adventure begins shortly !
John

A brief itinerary

Rene has asked for some additional information, so here's a brief itinerary for the trip, subject of course to lots of changes and side trips (see map at bottom of this page) Note that loopers always travel the circle in a counter-clockwise direction primarily due to the direction currents flow in the inland river system. Going with the current is much more pleasant than against it !

By the way, my son James who has just finished his 4th year at Queens University will be joining me for the first portion of the adventure taking us from Bayfield, Ontario to the Florida Keys. He plans on staying on board until around Christmas. James has cruised extensively with me in the North Channel on our former sail boat, he loves exploring and adventure, and we will have a wonderful father/son time together.

GREAT LAKES (August)

We plan leaving Bayfield, Ontario  mid August, heading up Lake Huron, through the Straits of Mackinaw, and then down Lake Michigan on the Michigan side.. Plans are to be in Chicago around Labour Day weekend,  figuring it will take 2 to 3 weeks to get from Bayfield to Chicago ... we will be travelling slowly (fuel consumption considerations) . We are also hoping to stop at Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan to attend a Hatteras owners rendezvous during this segment..

CHICAGO TO MOBILE (Sept/Oct/Nov)

From there we're heading down the inland river system during the months of Sept and Oct. This will be a leisurely cruise likely averaging 50 miles per day, travelling perhaps four days out of very week. We are hoping to spend evenings roughly 50/50 between anchoring and staying at marinas. We won’t be travelling in bad weather (rain/fog), so we could get stuck somewhere for a bit of time. This part of the trip will be through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. Near the end of October there is a Great Loop Association Rendezvous in Northern Alabama (not too far from the Huntsville Alabama Space Center) which we plan to attend. Assuming the hurricane season is quiet by then, we'll then head down to the Gulf of Mexico to Mobile Al, and hang out for a bit in the Orange Beach Alabama / Pensacola Florida area.

MOBILE TO SOUTHERN FLORIDA and WINTER (Dec/Jan/Feb)

We'll start the trip across the big bend of Florida (upper Florida gulf coast) around the beginning of December and work our way down to southern Florida (Ft Meyers / Marco Island / Naples / Florida Keys and hang out there likely until Feb. Some place with a beach / pool nearby and lots of palm trees swaying in the warm tropical breezes would suit us just fine.

FLORIDA EAST COAST (March)

During March we'll then spend some time along the Miami / Fort Lauderdale / Palm Beach / Daytona Beach side of Florida (and maybe a trip to the Bahamas), working our way up to Northern Florida by early April.

NORTHERN FLORIDA TO NEW YORK (April / May)

Come April, we'll  be heading north with the warm weather on the Intercoastal Waterway, along Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia etc, planning to be in New York City in early May and then up the Hudson into the New York canal system.

TRENT SEVERN / GREAT LAKES (May/June)

Six thousand miles later we'll  likely "cross our wake" and  be home sometime in late June, unless we get side tracked by a leisurely cruise through the Trent-Severn canal system to come out in Georgian Bay. We're not sure yet if we will take the Trent Severn through to Georgian Bay and home, or take the Erie Canal to Lake Erie and up through Detroit / Lake St. Clair. If we have a cool spring / cool early summer we'll likely head through the Trent Severn.

BTW its really nice to see some friends who have already expressed interest in following our adventure. Next blog ... maybe I'll talk a bit about the boat and why I chose the Hatteras for a trip of this kind, and some of the preparation we have done.

John

getting ready

Well, here it is Easter weekend at the cottage. The sun is out and the blue waters of Lake Huron beckon for the adventure to begin in 3 short months. There's still lots to do to get the Hatteras ready for the trip and hopefully the weather will co-operate to permit getting the bottom painted, the zincs replaced, everything cleaned and waxed, and then time to work on installing a new head, new flooring in the salon (the moisture holding carpet simply has to go !) and lots more. Next week I pick up my first mate (James) in Kingston as he finishes his final year at Queens.

BTW this is a new blog I set up just for our adventure. Feel free to check in frequently if you are interested in what we are up to !  Once we get rolling in mid August 2011 we hope to post lots of pictures and stories about our 6000 mile journey ... be an armchair cruiser with us !!! And.. if you have a question ... just ask !