We came in here yesterday, and Susan left this morning to fly home to Toronto and I’ve done some provisioning and maintenance today.
It’s been lovely relaxed cruising the last few days. I’m hoping that Susan will post more pics once she sorts through them.
I’m beelining back to Chicago from here. Weather continues to be spectacularly nice – sunny and calm – so it looks like no issues getting down the lake. I’ll take the MI side down. Tomorrow I’ll head out early.
Here are the few pics I took since leaving two weeks ago. Mostly boats. That’s an old C&C Redline. Saw lots of Ensigns around Cedarville.
It’s Susan writing again. It’s Tuesday night, and Jeff and I are anchored here in a quiet spot, looking forward to watching the presidential debate tonight.
It’s been a couple of days since my last guest post. Here’s my update on #boatlife on Escapade.
If the Calumet River was all about the herons (great blues and egrets abound), then these past few days travelling from Sturgeon Bay have been all about the Great Lake lighthouses. They are quite beautiful but are also a visceral reminder of how treacherous these waters can and have been.
Although I have an illness that causes anxiety, I have been remarkably relaxed. Part of it is the sheer joy I have gotten from watching the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets every day, but really, it’s because of Jeff.
First of all, Jeff has logged more than 30,000 km on Escapade. Secondly he has years of experience studying winds and waves. Most importantly he has been checking in with me to make sure I’m good on a regular basis.
So we safely navigated Lake Michigan and crossed the Straits of Mackinac yesterday. We anchored last night off Mackinac island, a quaint car free island. This morning we went ashore to explore the island. We climbed the stairs to have an amazing vista of the lake including the bridge, and see the Grand Hotel. After lunch and a very brief dip into cold water, we made our way here.
We’re heading for Canada tomorrow and will noodle our way to the Sault….
It’s Friday night and we are in Sturgeon Bay, having arrived about 5:30 yesterday. From the outset, we planned to stay here two nights due to unfavourable winds (an excellent call).
We watched 2 club races last night – courtesy of the Sturgeon Bay Thursday night sailing club – from a great vantage point at anchor.
As might be expected, I took lots of photos, and made a point during one race to capture each of the 7 boats as they rounded the second mark.
One of the boats was a gorgeous wooden Dragon whose lines appealed to me. It turns out this particular boat was built in 1958 in Norway. How do I know this? While Jeff and I were out earlier today, the Dragon racers left a note asking us to share our photos of them. They even provided freshly made ‘Door County’ scones. I had already sent 25 photos to the yacht club’s FB page, but sent them 4 shots of them racing as requested.
The windlass failed as we were leaving Manitowoc. Jeff manually retrieved the anchor and subsequently took the windlass apart. He successfully diagnosed the problem and fortunately a local machine shop was able to provide the new part today.
The weather looks good for our departure tomorrow as planned. We head for Bailey’s Bay, although we may go further if inclined.
Here’s some pics from the last 2 days. Lots and lots of amazing low lying clouds…
It’s been smooth sailing. Last night we stopped in Racine, and tonight it’s Manitowoc. Tomorrow we’ll get up to Sturgeon Bay before a small weather system comes through.
Here’s a selection of photos in chronological order.
As planned, I’m back aboard Escapade for a few weeks. Susan and I drove to Chicago on Sunday, and Monday we stocked up and headed out. Yesterday was a bit rough on the lake, so we headed in the Calumet River and up to the Ship and Sanitary Canal. Last night we anchored just north of Midway Airport, and this morning came through downtown to the lake and headed north.
We’re headed for Door County WI. Weather looks great for the next couple of days. From there we’ll work our way over to Lake Huron and up the St Mary’s River.
Susan flies out of Sault Ste Marie in two weeks, then I’ll head back to Chicago.
Susan as usual has been taking gazillions of pictures. I’ll try to post daily selections.
I left Escapade ashore at Crowley’s for a survey and some glass/paint repairs on deck.
My plan is to store there this winter, but I inadvertently checked in to the US on last year’s cruising permit. So my plan is to launch in late August and head back to Canada for a brief fall cruise.
In the meantime I’m writing this from the cockpit of Narwhal V in Bedford NS. It’s like jumping back 38 years in time. Or 19, as David reminded me that we last raced this boat in Chester in 2005, 19 years ago. Time flies. Now David’s son Allister is spearheading the program.
Tuesday I’m sailing this boat down to Chester with Allister, then I’ll be racing Weds – Sat in Chester Race Week. I’m racing aboard a Viking 28 with old friends Liz and Charlene and crew. I had fun in 2021 with them playing support boat with Escapade.
Today the weather was beautiful, and it looks fair through the week. I drove today from Antigonish down to the eastern shore then up the coast. The more I see of the eastern shore the more it appeals to me. I stopped to take a few boat pics.
I got to Crowley’s Saturday evening. It was a very uneventful trip – calm the whole way. Six days to travel 600 miles with 78 hours operating time. I stopped to sleep in South Baymouth, Charlevoix, Frankfort and Saugatuck. Didn’t get off the boat.
It’s good to be here. Have been cleaning up and meeting old friends. I need to arrange an insurance survey while here.
Escapade will stay here for a few weeks while I’m back in Canada. Then it looks like we’ll head north in September.
I’m just passing Grand Haven. Tonight I’ll stay in Saugatuck, and will head across the lake to Calumet tomorrow.
It’s been perfect trawlering weather. No wind, no waves. Today is the first time I’ve seen any breeze, and it’s light and behind me. So I’ve been laying down the miles.
I had a nice break from the boat in southern Ontario. When I got back in late May I was ready for one.
Now we’re underway again. I left Wiarton yesterday bound for Chicago. As I write this I’m following the south shore of Manitoulin Island, heading for the Straits of Mackinac. It’s been calm since I left, with good motoring weather forecast for the next couple of days. Smooth sailing.
Not much else to report. I saw a smaller version of Escapade in Wiarton, a boat named Saugeen Queen. I’d be curious to find out more of the boat’s history.
I’ll leave Escapade in Chicago for a couple of weeks while I go to Nova Scotia – I’m racing in Chester Race Week – then back to do some fall cruising on the rivers or Lake Michigan.
Mike and I had a nice trip. Colin joined us at Big Chute on Saturday, and on Sunday we headed up the small boat route to San Souci. Had dinner at Henry’s then came across the lake today. Smooth sailing.
We’ll be racing the Snipe here this weekend.
Here’s a selection of Mike’s pictures as well as a few taken of us on the railway by Colin’s wife Sue.
Boating Adventures 