We went to the Keg on Tuesday night to celebrate the new props with Tim and Suzie. On our way back to the marina, we saw this cruise ship docked in the harbour.

On Wednesday morning we  headed out towards  Rossport.   We went the 100 miles, and arrived at 4:00, just in time for Andy’s virtual doctor’s appointment.  Once it was complete, Andy did the usually engine and fuel checks.  He noticed three things of concern,  there was a diesel fuel smell, he had encountered a few issues with steering, while we were enroute and noticed the transmission fluid on the Port engine was low.  He also noticed that we had used more fuel than was typical with the old props. We had a sleepless night, and in the morning, started to make a few inquiries.  The additional fuel usage, was due to the slightly different sized props.  So, we called ahead to Wawa, to find out if we could get diesel there, as we had in 2019.  Andy learned that the Michipicoten river was very silted this year, as there was no spring run-off—so obtaining fuel there was not an option. Andy called Chris, who lives in Rossport, and was the person that pulled us off the shoal on August 7^th, Chris agreed to take Andy to Schreiber to get some more transmission fluid.  We also called McKellar marine in Thunder Bay to find out if there was an option to be pulled out there for the winter.  After much discussion, we decided that this was likely our best option.  Around 1:00 , we decided to start heading back to Thunder Bay again. We had completed all but 70 miles of the circle tour– just couldn’t get passed Rossport.

We were amongst islands, so were fairly sheltered, but as we got into more open water, we found that there were 3 foot plus waves, hitting us on the beam.  We went about 12 miles and pulled into a secure anchorage on Simpson Island- called Woodbine harbour. 

We joined another  boat that was already anchored there.    On Friday morning, we left the anchorage and returned to the open water,  but it had not settled at all,  there were still 3 to 5 foot waves- so we returned back into the anchorage.  We spent part of the day, adding a tinting film to the front wind shield sections.

We also began packing up items, that needed to be put away for the winter or taken back to Winnipeg. On Saturday, the wind and waves had subsided, we ventured out, continuing our trip westward.  We had first thought we would anchor in the Loon Islands, but continued on  and ended up at Tee Harbour, which is part of Sibley peninsula (the sleeping giant), having gone 70 miles.  We tied off to a Mooring Ball.  We thought we would be protected as south winds were predicted, but once again we were bounced a little by swells. The cruise ship which we had seen earlier in the week, was still in the area- taking people to Silver islet, which was nearby.

On Sunday we left Tee harbour and travelled 20 miles to Prince Arthur Landing.  We tied up in Tim’s spot, as we knew he was away at Thompson Island.

On Monday morning, we contacted McKellar marine and found out that we couldn’t actually stay on the boat there—so we decided to stay at the Landing one more night in order to pack up everything before moving the boat there.  We also moved up our rental car to Tuesday at noon, from Wednesday.   Since Tim was returning, we asked to stay another night, and  had to move to Pier 2.  When we plugged in there, we kept tripping the breaker, so yet another issue.  We hadn’t had this problem at any of the 4 other slips we had stayed at in this marina, so we are hoping it’s a marina issue and not our boat’s issue—yet something else for McKellar’s to look at.

On Tuesday, August 20^th, we left Port Arthur Landing and travelled to  the McKellar River and to the boat yard. 

Due to silting in the river, there were spots, where we had less than 4 feet,  but the channel was very well marked.  We arrived at 10:30 and were tied up.  We met with the owner, and technician.    Around 11:00, Tim arrived and drove us to Enterprise to pick up our rental.

By 1:30, we had packed everything we needed to take back to Winnipeg, as well as the damaged props into the Ford Escape.  We then went to Teresa and Maureen’s place, where we were going to spend the night.  We arrived at their place before they did, as they were on their way back from Ottawa.  We decided to leave a box of chemicals and cleaning products along with another bag in their basement, to be retrieved in the spring.  We also left a plug in freezer with the contents of our boat freezer, which we will pick up on our return trip.  Andy cooked up some pickerel and it was enjoyed by everyone.  In the morning, we left and headed East.  We need to take the props to Kawartha props in Buckhorn for repair, and also retrieve our car which we left there in early June. 

We drove as far as Sault Ste Marie, and booked into the Water Tower hotel.  We met Pat and Marcia there for dinner and drinks in the bar as well as a visit. The next day we continued Eastward, arriving  at Buckhorn Yacht Harbour just before 3:00.  The props were dropped off and the car retrieved.  I was now given the task of driving—something I had done very little of in the past, as the Captain prefers to drive.  We left and headed up to Bancroft to spend a couple nights with Brian and Helen.  And yes, we did have Kawartha Ice Cream—can’t miss out on that opportunity!  On Saturday morning, we started back in a Westward direction, with Andy in the lead in the rental, and me following in our car. 

We  used the headphones/wife-savers which we typically use on the boat for communicating when docking.  We chose to take the northern route, going through North Bay, as the highway is divided for more of the trip with very little  construction.  We passed through Sudbury and Nairn Centre, and then were brought to an abrupt stoppage in traffic.  There was an accident somewhere near McKerrow, in 1 ½ hours we moved a total of 5 Km.  Once we got to Jacklin Road, we were able to detour around the accident site.  We arrived in the Sault  just before 6 pm and checked into our hotel.  On checking the 511 website, we learned that the highway had not re-opened until 5:45,  so we were very glad that we had found the detour. After eating we watched football on TV. 

In the morning, we left and gassed up before heading out for Thunder Bay.  Highways in north western Ontario, have lots of hills and curves—at times it felt like I was on a roller coaster—very different being a passenger vs the driver—but I survived.  Thankfully there were lots of passing lanes, and I had the captain leading the way.  We arrived at our hotel around 3:00—we had originally planned to stay with Teresa and Maureen, however they  were ill with Covid.

On Monday morning, we returned the rental and I gladly turned over driving the car to Andy.  We went out to McKellar’s Marine Centre, and Andy talked to Jeff the mechanic. 

The boat was still in the water, Jeff thought he had found the source of the diesel smell- as there  was a crack in the exhaust pipe.  We picked out a couple of items we had forgot on the boat.  I included the picture of the conservation boat for Jack– who wants to be a conservation officer– look what you could be driving! We stopped at Teresa’s, wearing masks and picked up the items that we had left there.  Then we hit the road headed for Manitoba and home.  There was a fair bit of traffic on the road, and several accidents—we saw 2 semis in the ditch , as well as a couple other vehicles.  I was happy to not be driving.   We arrived home around 4:00, and unloaded the car.  

Since being home, we have gone golfing, resumed apartment activities, like crochet group and games night.  We are now planning for our trip to Ireland next month.  We will drive back to Toronto to catch our flight, so that we can pick up our refurbished props and return them to Thunder Bay to be put on the boat before the spring launch.

We will get to spend some more time on the Canadian side of Lake Superior, before completing our circle tour next summer.

So, we are going to the lake that the Ojibwe call Gitche Gumee, which means big sea or huge water. Here’s a few facts:

• Lake Superior contains 10% of the planet’s fresh surface water.
• It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.
• It covers 82,000 sq km (31,700 sq mi) with an average depth of 147 metres or 483 feet.
• The deepest point in the lake is 405 metres or 1,333 feet.
• There have been about 350 shipwrecks  recorded in Lake Superior and Lake Superior is known to never give up her dead.
• Some of the world’s oldest rocks, formed 2.7 billion years ago can be found on the Ontario shore
• The lake rarely freezes over completely. The average temp of the Lake is  2 C.

Why are we doing this trip?  It is on Andy’s bucket list, as he was born on the north shore of Lake Superior.  We had a sampling of the Lake in 2019, when we went as far as Marathon on the Canadian shore. 

Andy called the Border patrol agent at 6:00a.m., and we made an appointment to meet them at George Kemp marina at 7:15.  So Andy started the engines at 6:50, and we left Canada and entered the state of Michigan in the  U.S.A.  The border patrol person looked at our passports, asked some questions about the boat.  He said I could keep my garden, but in future no plants can be brought into the U.S.A. I was happy about this as I have several cherry tomatoes that are getting quite big. After the patrol agent left, Andy called the lockmaster to request locking.  He replied that the McArthur  lock was ready, so we hustled over there, and immediately  got the green light,  entered the lock and two lines were thrown down to us.  We were joined by a work boat.

  We were out of the lock by 8:00, and then followed the channel markers to leave the Soo.  The winds were light, as were the waves, as we were sheltered in the channel.  Once we got into Whitefish bay, the waves increased, as did the wind.  Around noon we made it to Whitefish Point harbour, The area can only be described as rustic—wooden docks with cleats and posts, and not in great repair.  Many of the eight slips were occupied by fishing boats—we tied up in slip 5.  We are now in the U.P. Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

In the afternoon, we walked about a mile to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  We walked around the grounds, and checked out the lighthouse keeper’s house.  The lighthouse at this location has been operating since 1861, one of the oldest lighthouses on Lake Superior. We also watched a video on the Edmond Fitzgerald sinking, which we both found to be very interesting. The Edmond Fitzgerald wreck was found  about 17 miles from Whitefish point. More than 300 ships have sunk in Lake Superior, more than 100 near  Whitefish Bay, or along  the shipwreck coast, which runs from whitefish point to grand Marais.  In  the museum Shipwreck gallery, there was the stories for more than a dozen ships and their fate.  The original Edmund Fitzgerald bell is also on display here. We were told that more than 100,00 people visit this site each year.

We left Whitefish point at 7:45, waves didn’t seem to be too bad, until we turned past the point, and started following the shipwreck coast.  Waves were about 2 foot plus, but it was the swells that kept hitting us, that were torture.  The depth running a few miles out from shore, varied from 60 feet to 300 feet, and with the wind blowing, we were both freezing.   

After a few hours of the swells hitting the boat,  the Admiral and her morning coffee parted ways.  We arrived in Grand Marais, 6 hours after departing, and had gone 52 miles.  We tied up at the Burt Township Marina, and relaxed.  For supper we walked into Grand Marais and stopped at the Lake Superior Brewing company,  I had a Blueberry wheat beer and Andy tried the Granite Brown.  Very good as was the  food. We met the crew on the R/V David Boyd, shipwreck museum  research boat back at the marina, as they had come in from Copper Harbour, where they had been doing some diving at a wreck site.  Interesting Marina, they also have a fish cleaning station here, and boat launch, which starts getting busy before 6am.

On Friday morning, we got up and learned that a small craft warning was being issued for our area, and that rain would start in the early afternoon.  We decided to leave immediately, staying close to shore, where the waves would be in the 2 foot range.  We passed by the Grand Sable dunes, that ran for miles outside of Grand Marais, we then went by the au sable light station, which was built in 1874 and is 86 feet tall.  After a couple  hours we could see the beginning of the Pictured rocks. These rocks are brilliantly colored sandstone, cliffs, sea caves as well as beaches. 

We  travelled along the east side of Grand Island, and were sheltered a little from the winds.  We arrived at Bayshore Marina in Munising at 11:15, and happily tied up.  At the marina there are a number of tour boats, some taking people to the pictured rocks, or glass bottom boats that take you on a shipwreck tour.  Busy place.   By 2:00, the rain had started, the wind picked up and thick fog rolled in so that Grand Island was no longer visible.  In the evening, we added an additional line to the boat, as the wind was continuing to increase.

In the morning, it was very calm, and we contemplated leaving, however we had read that Munising harbour is very sheltered because of the size of Grand Island, and it can give a false sense of what the conditions are on the lake.  We decided to stay put for the day, and walked up to the dollar store, which was nearby looking for some provisions. Andy worked on some of his wood projects, and I did some cleaning.

During the morning a small craft warning was issued that expires Sunday morning at 10AM. Northwest winds 15 to 25 kt with gusts to 30 Kt (>55Km/hr) and waves of 5 to 8 feet are  expected, as well a Beach warning was issued – dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high wave action and strong rip currents.  We may have missed this weather- if we had left at 6AM  but I’m glad we didn’t find out.  The sun shone for most of the morning, and winds in the harbour were light. We had a squall go through at 2 pm, and followed by some fog.  The winds started to pick up around 5PM and blew all night.  We put all our fenders on the starboard side of the boat, to keep us from banging into the dock.  With the wind howling, and the continuous banging, neither of us slept much.

There was a Marathon going on in Munising on Sunday morning, and the start and finish line was at the marina, so we saw lots of people participating.  Around 2 pm, when the waves had died down, we left the dock and went about 5 miles to Murray Bay near Grand Island and anchored.  It was relatively calm, except for when the tour boats came by  to look at a shipwreck which was near Muskrat point.  The sun was shining and we had very little wind.  I decided because of all the beating that our fenders had taken over night, that I should likely pump them up and changed their covers.

In the morning, we woke up to single digit temperature—very cool on the boat, as our hull is in water that is likely in the single digits as well. We had a peaceful night.  The lake was calm, and we departed for Marquette at 8 am.  I crocheted a couple of poppies enroute.  We arrived at Cinder Pond marina at 12:30 and tied up, having gone 39 miles.  I did some laundry and then we walked to the Marquette Coop to buy a few things, enroute, we met a couple, who actually gave us a ride to the store, so we only had to walk the mile back.   Andy called the next marina to book a slip for tomorrow, and to find out the depth, as we had read that it was prone to silting in.  The person he talked to couldn’t answer either of those questions, we will likely take our chances and go there early in the morning, as the winds are supposed to pick up near noon. We want to keep moving as getting a slip during the July 4th holiday weekend, will be next to impossible. Lake Superior’s weather/waves have not been to our liking– hope we get more weather like we had today! Happy Canada Day Everyone!