Our Summer Cruise 2016

Monday, May 16

Lindsay arrived promptly at 7:00 am to find us with the car loaded and running in the driveway. A couple of hours later found us at Whitehall with a howling wind, mid 40 deg. temps and the floating dock moving up and down a foot. Needless to say, we rushed to get the car unloaded on to the boat - not because we wanted to leave quickly but because our hands were numb.

The heater soon warmed the boat up and we spent the rest of the morning putting stuff away and taking care of some boat jobs, the major one being the final install of the induction cooktop.

New Cooktop

About noon the wind just died away and the forcast looked very promising. We were going!

Just after we had made the decision and completed the preps for departure, a boat came down the lake so we hailed them on the VHF radio to find out what they had seen on the big lake. Nasty with 6 footers was the response, so the power cords were plugged in and we settled in to do a few more jobs.

By 8:00 pm, there was no wind at all and Tuesday is very promising with very light North winds forecast so we should have better luck in making for Pentwater. Enjoyed a good night's sleep with our new heated mattress pad - will get a good workout this season as the water is only in the mid 40s.

Tuesday, May 17

Today's Route - Whithall to Frankfort 86nm

Up early to get a good start and we decided to try to make Frankfort so we could spent some time there before meeting up with our son, Barry, and his wife, Nichole and the grandsons, Elliot and Cormac.

Weather appeared good with light winds from the North and the worst waves forecast at 2' or less as we left the White Lake Channel past the famous lighthouse.

We made good progress at around 8.5 kts under clear skies to Pentwater where the wind increased and the waves followed suit. By now, we were up to good 2s on the bow - not too uncomfortable at all though and it was good to be out on the water once again as we followed the shoreline past Little Sable and Big Sable Points.

Little Sable Lighthouse

 

Big Sable Light

Just past the Point, the waves started to pick up in height although the wind remained the same. Soon we were in 2-3s and then 2-4s increasing to 3-5s. NOAA lied to us on our first day on the water - how unkind! The distance (or period) between the waves is a big factor in how a boat feels and today it was short, around 2-3 seconds. A period of 10-15 seconds is not uncommon on the ocean and the boat rises and falls over this time so the action is not too bad. On Lake Michigan, the wave period is usually very short (2 to 4 seconds) so the boat rises and falls very quickly often going into a wave before its finished going down the back of the last one. This tends to slam the bow creating some spectacular spray. Nordic Tugs are not a particularly "dry" boat, in fact the opposite seems to be true as we can make good spray in 3s.

We were definitely making spray today and one of the solutions is to run the boat faster to get the bow to rise and greet the waves at a better angle. At 10.5 kts, the boat action smoothed out quite a bit but when we did catch bigger waves, spray went over the pilot house to land in the back of the boat. The remaining time to Frankfort was not really enjoyable but we knew we had a day off coming that helped.

The boat ran well but we had a few issues along the way. A very small drip of water was coming from a screw in the headliner. We had seen a couple of drops of water at the corner of the hatch in the pilothouse on Monday but thought that it may have been from the gasket. A job for Frankfort. Also, our inverter that takes 12v voltage from our batteries and boosts it to 120v decided it didn't want to do its job. Not critical on this day as we typically only use it for charging the phones and laptop while underway. We do use it to charge our batteries at the dock and to run 120v appliances for short durations. Another job for Frankfort tomorrow. Lastly, our new weather station which had been working fine stopped giving us any data. It's going to be a busy day!

The Frankfort breakwater finally appeared on the horizon and we soon entered the calm of the channel to be met at the City Marina by the new manager, Mark. Judy made a perfect landing at the dock - the first landing this year and mark was truly impressed! There were only three other boats in the slips and only one other transient.

Many of the docks were still on shore waiting to be installed. It was a long 10hrs and sleep came early after a long hot shower.

Wednesday, May 18

Planned for a relaxing day but, as usual, not quite the way it worked out after finding a few jobs yesterday. Only two trips to the hardware store with a detour to the Methodist church just off the Main street.

Forgive the Street Lamp (didn't feel like Photoshopping it out)

The hatch was easily resolved by pulling out the hatch to find a very narrow break in the caulking that has probably been there from new - the black in the photo below shows the water entry path. Cleaning the caulk off and adding a good bead should cure the problem.

Keeping Water Out is a Never Ending Battle

The other problem with the inverter was also a quick fix - a failed fuse. Better yet, I had a spare. That was the second trip to the hardware store for a replacement where they laughed when I asked them if they had a 400A fuse. Not the typical household item unless you have an electric chair in the back room. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime who promised to deliver 2 fuses to Charlevoix, Next Day, for $6. Isn't the Internet wonderful?

The weather station fired up just fine today so another problem may be resolved!

Our son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons showed up in the late afternoon and it was great to see them again and we enjoyed a very good meal with them at the Storm Cloud Brewery in Frankfort. Highly recommended pizzas and salads. If beer is your thing, you can't go wrong!!

The Kurt E. Leudtke - Newly Painted!

Cormac Getting Ready for the Engine Room Check With Earmuffs

Like Herding Cats!

Better!

Thursday, May 19

Today's Route - Frankfort to Charlevoix 66nm

Up at the crack of dawn for a short trip to the fuel dock. It was coool but sunny this morning with a thin layer of ice on the foredeck as I unhooked the shore power cords. Frankfort usually has close to the cheapest fuel on Lake MI but this year was exceptional at $2.05 a gallon for diesel with a 10c discount for 200+ gallons - just made the discount! The pump out was $5, another bargain.

The trip north was just perfect, sunny, blue sky, and barely a ripple on the water.

Frankfort Light

Just a great day to travel with only a couple of boats out and plenty to do rebuilding the website which died when I updated it for our new blog.

We were soon approaching Charlevoix, timing the bridge opening to the minute, and tied up alongside "Wings" (Bob and Jan). Good to meet up with them again!

Bob, Jan, and Wings

We had collected an amazing number of mosquito-like bugs along the way, particularly in the shade, so we had to do a quick hose-down before doing a quick load of washing and dinner with Bob and Jan at the Village Inn. Enjoyed my last good burger for a few months as they are not allowed to do anything but well done in Canadian restaurants.

 

Sir Tugley Blue and Wings

Friday, May 20

Today's Route - Charlevoix to St. Ignace 59nm

Great day! Breakfast at the Harbor Grille Cafe and made the bridge opening at 9:00am. Dead flat ride following "Wings" at around 7.5 kts all the way. (for non boaters - 8.6 mph)

"Wings" Going Ahead

Until the mid-19th century, vessel speed at sea was measured using a chip log. This consisted of a wooden panel, attached by line to a reel, and weighted on one edge to float perpendicularly to the water surface and thus present substantial resistance to the water moving around it. The chip log was "cast" over the stern of the moving vessel and the line allowed to pay out. Knots placed at a distance of 8 fathoms - 47 feet 3 inches from each other, passed through a sailor's fingers, while another sailor used a 30-second sand-glass to time the operation. The knot count would be reported and used in the sailing master's dead reckoning and navigation. 1 knot = 1.15 mph. Knots are still used in the aviation and marine area as 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour.

As we approached the abandoned lighthouse at Waugochance Point, the water was so calm and clear we could see bottom at over 20'.

Abandoned Waugochance Lighthouse

 

"Pure Michigan"

It would have been a perfect day on the water but the bugs started to arrive.

At this time of the year, bug eggs laid in the water some time ago will hatch and the bugs make their way to the surface where they breed and die in a few days. Normally the water is cold enough that the hatches are a little later but they were in full attack mode. Within an hour the boat was totally covered with the shady areas the worst. The photo below may gross you out, but it does show what we would be faced with later. Thank goodness we were not in a sailboat!

Yuuukkkk!!

Notwithstanding the bugs, the rest of the day was close to perfect passing under the Big Mac around 4:00 pm. We saw our first boat of the day, the Edgar B. Speer, one of the 13 largest supercarriers hauling iron ore pellets from Lake Superior.

Big Mac With an Interesting Lens "Correction"

 

Edgar B. Speer (1004' long by 105')

It was an ugly job going outside but someone had to do it and it was not going to be Judy who gets freaked by lots of bugs together. Must have been the horror movies as a young child!

I have seen a lot of hatches but this beat them all, they were piled up 1/2" deep in places.

Bob and I attempted to hose them off for over an hour and, while many washed overboard, we were barely making a dent as reinforcements kept arriving to do battle with us. We waved the white flag, gave up our hose pipes to the conquerors, and retreated to the Mackinac Grille to lick our wounds. Maybe they will die overnight and we can wash them off in the morning before we leave.

 

Saturday, May 21

St. Ignace to Thessalon (Canada) - 60 nm

Rough night as my sister, Julie, accidently called me at 3:30 am from Geneva but hung up before I could get to the phone and spent the next 15 minutes trying to call her and other family in the UK to see if there was some type of emergency with no luck. Just got back to sleep, when Julie sent me a text to apologize for calling me.

Up at 6:30 to do battle again and it looked good with the midges appearing dead all over the boat. But, as soon as the water hit them, they took off to land again as soon as the spray moved on. Bob and I were smarter this time and surrendered in less than 10 minutes.

Dead calm day as we approached Martin Reef Lighthouse along the north shore of lake Huron.

In the 1920s, the Lighthouse Service began designing a permanent structure to replace the lightship originally located on Martin Reef during the shipping season, and the project was was completed in the summer of 1927. In 1939, electric generators were installed to power the light. At some point, the station was automated, and the original Fresnel lens was removed and replaced with a 7.9-inch acrylic optic. In 2000, the ownership of the light station was turned over to the Bureau of Indan Affairs.The lighthouse itself is a 25 feet square, white, three-story structure made of a skeletal steel frame covered with reinforced concrete and iron and sheathed with steel.

Made the turn at the Detour Reef Light with no traffic for a change.

Detour Reef Light

An uneventful ride up the Detour passage and we saw our first boat of the day, the Sam Laud, a 770 footer heading for Cleveland, before we wound our way through the small islands to the NW of Drummond Island to reach the open water of the North Channel.

At 1:58 pm we crossed into Canada heading to Thessalon 10nm away! By 3:30, we were tied up to the dock and legal visitors to Canada for the next four months.

Another long day - will sleep well tonight!

Sunday, May 22

Today's Route - Thessalon to Hotham Harbor 58 nm

Did sleep well last night with an early rising at 5:56 to see the sunrise. On our way by 7:30 with another long day to get to Hotham Harbor where we will anchor for the night and visit with some acquaintances, Norm and Elaine, who have a cottage on the water. Weather expected to be good with light winds and waves less than 1 foot.

"Wings" Just off Our Stern Quarter

Around noon, we entered the "real" North Channel passing by Clara and Turnbull Islands on our port side on an easterly course to pass John and Aird Islands.

A Typical North Channel Island

Today, we have some long legs between course changes and our autopilot is doing amazing work holding us within 15' of our intended track. Not much for us to do except look at a blank radar screen,put a crockpot of spaghetti on, do a bit of work on the website, and read.

Judy Loves her New Table!

 

Just heard one of the usual cruisers, "Still Cruising," on the VHF hailing someone so there are at least two other boats around besides us.

Last night, we activated our new Telus hotspot. This small device captures a cellular signal from the provider and broadcasts it to any of our other devices such as the computers, iPad and iPhones. After several years of trying to get reasonably priced Wi-Fi access up here from a Canadian provider we kept hitting a brick wall. The problem always came back to us not having a Canadian credit card so we could get a credit check done. We couldn't get a Canadian credit card as we didn't have a Canadian credit history. A real Catch-22! Secondary to some was the fact we didn't live in Canada.

Bob and Jan turned us on to Telus, quite a large Canadian provider, who sold them a hotspot. A few weeks ago, I drove two hours to Canada to the Telus store and bought the hotspot and signed up for their Flex Wi-Fi Plan that begins at 100mb for $10, 2gb for $45 and goes up in steps to 10gb for $85. You only pay for what you use. I spent almost two hours there, most of it getting the credit check via an intermediary company. In comparison, ATT, our US provider, charges $120 for 800mb which we can use in two weeks even being careful. Bob didn't activate his plan as he bought his hotspot earlier in the year and ran into issues activating it over the phone and ended up having to drive up to Sault St. Marie again to the Telus store to get the Plan activated.

So far the plan has been working fine with excellent coverage. If you decide to go this route, activate the Plan at the store.

Arrived into Hotham Harbor at 3:15 pm and were anchored at the far end near the cottage. Only snag was the anchor chain had bounced around and tangled so it took some untangling in the locker to get the 80' out we needed.

First Anchorage of the Season

Within a short time of arrival, Norm roared over in his runabout to greet us and invited us over to dinner. Norm and Elaine winter in Arizona and spend their summers at their cottage, below.

 

Most nights they invite boaters anchored in the bay over for a social hour. You bring your own drinks and hors d'oevres to share and spend a hour or so socializing with them and other boaters. They have rapidly become a North Channel institution. We were the first boaters anchored in the Bay in 2016 and enjoyed a great evening with them.

Bob, Jan, Judy, Dave, Norm, and Elaine