Traveling up the east coast of Lake Superior has an issue of few places to park the boat. The first few anchorages are 50 miles apart. So, once on the lake, you are on the lake for a long time, no matter the changes in weather.
Fifty miles up the coast, there was a choice of two anchorages. Batchawana Bay offers an island to hide behind, potentially bringing calm waters no matter the wind speed or direction. A bit farther up the lake is another anchorage, Pancake Bay. It is not a recommended anchorage since it is open 180 degrees to the south and west. The image above is of Last Dance, anchored in Pancake Bay. That is Lake Superior in the background and the next land in that direction is at the point of a peninsula at Copper Harbor, Michigan, 133 miles away - essentially no protection. However, the wind forecast was for NW winds, which proved to be correct, and a calm night at anchor occurred.
The waterfront is mostly part of a Provincial Park, so access to shore was available. And, the shore was beach! White sand beach, nice for dinghy landing and walking. Looking in the distance, Last Dance can be seen - far from shore. According to the charts, Last Dance was too close to shore for the necessary depth to anchor. However, checking the depth on the dinghy ride to shore found much deeper water than charted. The first experience of Lake Superior charts not being accurate.
Not all of the beach was white sand. Toward the point of land on the northwest shore that creates the bay, the shore was covered in rocks . . . rocks that had been tumbled smooth through centuries of pounding by the waves of Lake Superior. Not as nice a walking surface, but a more colorful and interesting beach, at least to these two beachcombers.
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| Pancake Point |
