Day 2 - Harbor Island, MI to Meldrum Bay, ON

Day 2: Harbor Island, Mi to Meldrum Bay, ON - approx 35 miles

Weather: Rainy, choppy 1-2ft, SE winds

  Still anchored at Harbor Island, we made omelettes & toast for breakfast on the camp stove, and planned out our route (note: on the map we're pointing to Gore Bay, our intended destination)

 We followed the GLCC directions to get away from the islands and into the North Channel, soon crossing into Canada! Winds were out of the southeast and were often gusty, especially near the False Detour & Mississagi channels. Waves at this point were approx. 3ft and we slowed our cruise down.

 Once the winds slowed down a bit, we got back on plane only to have the boat abruptly stop as we looked at eachother in shock. We tried starting back up and checked everything out, but the engine had died and we were floating just north of Meldrum Bay & Vidal Island. We have tow insurance through Boat US, but they don't have anyone in Canada to tow, so we would have to pay out of pocket (possibly in the thousands) and get reimbursed when we returned. This wasn't really an option for us, so we called the Canadian Coast Guard (out of Thunder Bay) on the radio. The woman who responded was super-friendly and helpful, and issued an alert to boaters that we needed assistance.

 And so Seapickle began her first tow experience, when we were aided by Tom & Elaine on "Boundless" out of Sarasota, FL. They were approx. 4 miles east when they heard the call, and were headed to Meldrum Bay for the night, so they were happy to help and we were extremely grateful! They towed us into Meldrum Bay Marina and we tied up at the fuel dock, aided by harbor master Peggy who enlisted the help of a dingy to get us into a slip for the night (and possibly longer). Ben had to stay on the boat for a bit while I checked into Canadian Customs using the phone inside the marina office, but we were quickly cleared and settled in to figure out our situation.

Ben was able to narrow the problem down to the ignition coil, and given that it was Saturday evening, we had no choice but to enjoy our stay in Meldrum Bay and make the best of it! Our best bet at this point was to see if we could borrow someone's car on Monday and head into Gore Bay to look for parts. It didn't help that we had NO phone signal or internet access, and the nearest town was 30 miles away! 

Since we decided to make the best of things, Tom & Elaine were generous to invite us for cocktails on their boat "Boundless" (pictured above) and to dinner at the Meldrum Bay Inn down the street! Dinner was wonderful, and we were feeling that maybe everything would be ok after all.

But all in all, Meldrum Bay was not a bad place to be "stuck."

North Channel Cruise 2012 - Day 1 Home to Harbor Island, MI

Day 1: Portage, IN trailer to DeTour, MI - approx. 430 miles (9 hours)

           DeTour, MI boat to Harbor Island, MI - approx 5 miles

Weather: Sunny & Hot, light southwest winds

After all the planning & preparation, and on about 2 hours of sleep, we woke up the first day of our North Channel trip at 3am to get ready to trailer Seapickle 430 miles to DeTour, Michigan to begin our adventure! We left the house at about 4am, and had the trailer hooked up and were on the road by 5:30am. The tow went very smoothly and besides being very tired, we arrived safely in DeTour Village at about 2:30pm EST. 

The best part of the tow was crossing the Mackinac Bridge. We went under the bridge on Seapickle back in 2010, so it was very exciting to see it from another vantage point towing Seapickle behind us! Ben was a little nervous about this portion of the tow, but it ended up being no big deal.

Soon after we pulled into the DeTour boat launch, Todd from Passage Boat Works (where we would be storing our truck & trailer) arrived and helped us to launch, and then drove the truck over to store indoors at his shop! This might have been one of the easiest launches we've had yet! 

After a quick stop for ice & water at the DeTour Village Marina, we took off for our first anchorage- Harbor Island, MI. Just about 5 miles North of DeTour.

Using the GLCC directions & harbor report, we were able to locate the anchorage very easily.

Captain Ben chose a cozy little anchorage protected from the south winds in about 4 ft of water with a seaweed & mud bottom. We spent a little while relaxing and organizing the boat, and then Ben made a delicious dinner of filet mignon, grilled mushrooms & teriyaki noodles. We enjoyed our first dinner of vacation with our North Channel drink "Captain's Cream Soda."

After dinner we explored the island in the kayak, hiking a bit onshore and checking out the rocks on fossil beach. We followed an arrow made of rocks up into the island for a ways, but had to turn back because it was close to sunset and we had heard stories of the awful mosquitos in the North Channel! 

Back at the boat we tried to stay up late to watch the stars come out, but when it still wasn't fully dark at 10:30pm, we gave in and went to bed! We still couldn't believe we had made it to the North Channel after so long of dreaming of it!

Lake Shelbyville, Southern Illinois

A few weeks ago we made plans with our friends Dennis and Christa to visit them on Lake Shelbyville in Southern Illinois. Dennis was even nice enough to mail us a large waterproof map in advance, so we are really excited to see them and explore their lake! We told them we just wanted to experience their usual boating weekend, since inland lake boating was completely foreign to us. It turned out to be one of the most relaxing boating weekends we have ever had!

I guess Dennis wasn't kidding when he told us the lake is way out in the country!

 Friday we loaded Seapickle up on the trailer around 12:30 and hit the road for a 4 hour tow to Findlay Marina where Dennis and Christa would be waiting to help us launch.

With no tie up dock having the extra help of Dennis and Christa made launching very easy

Once in the water we followed them to Eagle Creek Cove where their friends Gary and Brenda waited for us with their 60ft houseboat named Captain's Quarters!

Dennis and Christa in their Four Winns 278 named "Wet Ink"

We planned to have both boats raft up to the side of Captain's Quarters for the night and have dinner on the top deck under the stars. Neither Dana nor I had been on a houseboat before and we were blown away by how cool it was! After tying up our boats, Gary fired up the grill and starting cooking an amazing dinner of bacon wrapped BBQ shrimp, bratwurst, corn, Brenda (baked) beans, and the "love em or hate em" BBQ chicken livers. 

Dining al fresco Captain's Quarters style!!

Looking out of Eagle Creek Cove at sunset

After dinner we poured some cold drinks and took in a sunset from the top deck, but the real show was about to start. Once dark the stars shone with brightness and intensity like we had never seen! The stars were so bright that when you looked down at the water you could easily pick out your favorite constellation! Dana and I were awestruck with the peacefulness and beauty of the night and quickly agreed this would be a trip to remember!

Saturday morning we decided to do a little exploring with our inflatable kayak, lil Pickle. In our short trip we saw deer, cranes, and some really pretty coves. One of coves we liked so much that we decided to stay the night in it. All the paddling worked up an appetite and since everyone was getting hungry, we decided to take a boat ride to a restaurant on the lake called Skeeter's. We all piled on Wet Ink and headed toward the marina to pick up another couple, Forrest and Cathy, on the way. With 8 people on board, Dana and Christa were glad to volunteer to ride up on the bow of the boat, with drink in hand, it turned out to be the most scenic spot to enjoy the ride!

The ride up front reminded Dana why she sometimes misses our old bowrider.

 Skeeter's was a cool little restaurant with a menu full of good boating food. The menus were printed on mini wooden paddle's and everything was nautical themed.

Skeeter's

After taking a slow cruise back to the cove to let our food digest, we decided it was a good time to do some swimming. Dana's first order of business was to find the highest point on Captain's Quarter's and jump off!

Dana finding the best spot to jump from

Ben opted for an easier way to get into the water and used the water slide, swam over to the nearby kayak and passed out for an afternoon siesta!

Life doesn't get more relaxing than this!

Saturday evening we split off from the departing Gary and Brenda since Gary had to work. We greatly appreciated their hospitality and were sad to see them go. We decided to head over to the cove we saw earlier in the day, and Dennis and Christa moved into the cove next to us. Dana and I spent the rest of the night listening to the cicadas and enjoying the peacefulness on the night. This was a lot different from our normal anchorage back home where there is constant sounds of nearby industry.

Sunday morning Wet Ink came to our cove to raft up and have breakfast burritos. 

Seapickle II and Wet Ink rafted together

View from kayak

After breakfast Dennis and Christa decided to take Lil Pickle for a cruise. They were naturals at it and were soon cruising all over Eagle Creek cove!

The crew of Wet Ink trying out the kayak.

With time starting to run short in the weekend we headed back to the marina and said goodbye to the cove we had spent a great weekend in. The fun wasn't over yet, since once we got back to the marina we hopped on a pair of Dennis and Christa's jet skis and hit the lake for one last tour!

Enjoying Lake Shelbyville by jet ski

One last look at Lake Shelbyville

With the long tow home looming, we decided we had better load up and head home. We are so appreciative of the hospitality shown to us by Dennis, Christa, Gary, and Brenda!! These guy's know how to relax and have a good time! Hope to see you again soon!

Weekend Michigan Get-Away Continued - White Lake & Muskegon

What we love about White Lake, Michigan is the quiet peacefulness found at the marina and around town. Everyone at the White Lake Municipal Marina is very friendly and laid-back, from the check-in process to loaning out the 2 bikes available to transient boaters to use to get around town.

We've met some really nice great-loopers both times we've been there, and this time were lucky to meet a sailing couple from Oklahoma (S/V Incipient) headed to the North Channel. It was great to have the opportunity to find out some of their favorite North Channel islands as well as some tips for anchoring out there. We also found out they will be in the North Channel at the same time as us, and are excited to possibly meet up while we're there!

After spending the morning lounging around the marina and talking with the other transient boaters (5 boats in all), we decided to walk over to neighboring Montague for the Farmer's & Artisan Market. We already had the boat pretty well stocked, so we settled on an apple pie from The Garden Shed to enjoy for breakfast.

Now if you've followed our 2010 Lake Michigan Trip, you may remember that we fought tough lake conditions pretty much the entire trip. And true to that history, while there were south winds and calm lake conditions at our home port, the ride over to Muskegon to visit friends on the beach gave us 3ft rollers the entire 11 mile trip. Once we arrived though, we anchored close to shore and enjoyed a few carefree hours on the beach with friends.

 

Our Muskegon friends invited us to Dockers Fish House for dinner and to see a band they really liked, Yard Sale Underwear (seriously, that was the name of the band). We were able to dock the boat right alongside of the restaurant, and someone from Dockers ran out to help us tie up. The place was packed both with those who arrived by boat and lots of locals who seemed to be regulars. Dinner, the music and the company was great, and we are really hoping to go back again to visit this summer! We had to be lame though and leave right before dusk (about 9:30pm) so that we could find a spot in Muskegon Lake to anchor for the night.

We found a secluded spot tucked away in "Snug Harbor" along the shore of the state park. Aside from the occasional fishing boat headed back to the launch, we were the only boat in sight most of the time we were there. We had a wonderful & relaxing night looking at the stars & identifying constellations while drinking some of the Traverse City Red wine I picked up in Montague.

It was so quiet there that we slept in a bit before waking up to enjoy our apple pie and coffee and preparing to boat back to White Lake to spend the rest of Sunday. Ben says waking up in this spot was the most relaxed he has been in a long time :-) I would have to agree!