North Channel - Rocktails

Cruising is an adventure but is it also a social experience.  When we first reached The North Channel in 2011, anchoring in the cove between the Benjamin Islands, boats that were on the Loop began arriving.  By late afternoon, eight other Loopers were in the Benjamin anchorage, way too many people to fit on a boat for cocktails and conversation.  Everyone wanted to share conversation, meet new people, and talk about plans for continuing the cruise towards Chicago.  A large, smooth, pink granite rock lines the inner portion of the harbor and seemed to be a perfect spot for a party, which was dubbed "Rocks on the Rock."  Nine dinghies which transported the crews to the rock are pictured above.

A great time was had by all.  Friendships were formed, which continue to this day.

This blog has focused on the Great Loop by serving as a travelogue, painting the scene of many of the interesting and beautiful places along the Loop, in the hope to be helpful to others who will be traveling to these locations, and to those who will not have the opportunity to travel themselves, but enjoy sharing the experience and beauty vicariously.

This nod toward writing a post on the social side of cruising was spurred by comments on the American Great Loop Forum, where a number of experienced and knowledgeable members argued that to gain the benefit of meeting people it is necessary to always stop at a marina; anchoring is for the antisocial.  Always spending the night in a marina eliminates experiences in many beautiful places on the Loop, nowhere more true than in The North Channel.

One of the first North Channel anchorages for Last Dance in 2017 was Long Point Cove.  A few friends made in previous years were in the anchorage.  Wanting to get together with friends, but not wanting to leave others out, a dinghy ride to each boat was made, inviting the crews to join the Rocktails.  Everyone came, with drinks and munchies.

A good time was had by all.  The people gathered in an anchorage invariably come from many different areas of the world and from many different backgrounds and experiences.  There is always much to learn and enjoy.

The term, "Rocktails," was coined from the boating term of "Docktails" - the practice of meeting other boaters on the marina dock in the afternoon, sharing beverages, munchies, and conversation -with the fact that the location is on the rocks.

The Benjamin Islands were again the scene of another spontaneous Rocktails.

The Benjamin anchorage is large, and so was the party.  It seems one always meets interesting and friendly people around boats.

The other side of the cove, on a rock known as "The Ski Slope," was the location for the event.  There is even a ring of flat-topped rocks that served well as tables for all the food that was brought.  The crew of the boat, Hunky Dory, anchored here next to The Ski Slope, were the organizers of this Rocktails.

Bob and Karen, the Hunky Dory crew, led a hike to the top of South Benjamin the next day, in search of those special places that hold blueberry bushes.

Bob is an avid and successful fisherman, heading out onto the waters most days.  He is always interested in company and shares his fishing techniques.  Rarely does he return without some fish.  Bass. like the ones he has here, are his favorite for lunch.  Rocktails are not the only social activity among those at anchor.

While on a hike along the ridge in Covered Portage Cove, three trawlers, flying Great Loop burgees, came in and anchored.  Of course, after the Last Dance crew completed the hike and returned to lake level (the waters here are 575 feet above sea level), they were invited for Rocktails.

A large, flat-topped rock lies at the base of the cove, perfect for chairs and hosting a gathering.  And, a great time was had by all.

It is possible to be at anchor and still participate in Docktails.  A nice cove along Hotham Island has a house along the shore.  The owners invite the crews from all the boats at anchor to come to their home, gather on the dock, bringing beverages and o'devours, meeting the other boaters, sharing stories and tales.

This Docktail party occurs every afternoon, all summer long.  A good time was had by all.

A Canadian couple we meet at an anchorage a few years ago, leading to a close friendship, invited the Last Dance crew to Rocktails at Mary Ann Cove, a beautiful spot along Baie Finn.  Canadians, it seems, always have a fire when they go ashore, which does add a bit of atmosphere and the smoke keeps their large mosquitoes at bay.

This was a group was comprised of Canadians who keep their sailboats in Georgian Bay, cruising Georgian Bay and North Channel every summer.  Generous, as always, they included the foreigners from the country to the south in their celebration of another great day on the water.

This version of Rocktails even included live music.

And, a good time was had by all.























While cruising on a boat is about the wonderful places one can experience, from the natural beauty of The North Channel to the history, architecture, and food of a place like Chicago, meeting the people around boats will always be one of the joys and of what many memories are made of.  Cruising, an adventure on the water among interesting people.

The North Channel

After leaving Lake Superior and before returning to Charlevoix, Michigan, Last Dance completed a circumnavigation of The North Channel.  It is really a large bay on the north side of Lake Huron, formed by a series of major islands to the south and the Canadian mainland to the north.  Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world.  The North Channel arguably has more high-quality, beautiful, protected anchorages per mile of any cruising area in North America.  Some argue that the achorages are the best in the world.

North Channel Reports 2016

North Channel Reports 2014

North Channel Reports 2011

The above links are to reports made in our blogs on previous visits to The North Channel.  As you should be able to deduce from the large number of posts, this is the most favorite cruising ground for us, and many other cruisers.  This 2017 report will continue the normal travelogue type of post that is custom for the blog, focusing on places not visited before, sharing interesting photos of previously visited spots, and take a quick look at the social aspects of cruising.

The 2017 trip included many of the beautiful anchorages for which North Channel is famous, but also included more ports than traditionally visited, including Bruce Mines, Blind River, Spanish, Little Current, Killarney, Kagawon, Meldrum Bay, Drummond Island, and Detour Village.  The map above depicts the lap around the Channel.

Lake Superior - Miscellaneous Ramblings

As you enter Lake Superior from the southeast, leaving the large area known as Whitefish Bay, an object appears on the horizon that at first looks like the stern of a freighter.   When closer, it becomes apparent that the object is not moving.

Well, it is shaped somewhat like a freighter, only very short.  It is the Gros Point Light, a lighthouse sitting about a mile offshore.  The deck on the back, much like a roof structure on a sundeck boat, is a helicopter landing pad so that the lighthouse can be serviced in the winter when only icebreakers and large freighter ply these waters.

It is constructed with a bow to cut through the waves.  Now, it is sitting still, not moving through the waves as a ship would, but the waves come to it.  The bow points northwest, the direction of the most fetch and the highest of the probable waves.

The Gros Point Light lies just north of the Canada/US border.  It was being serviced by a Canadian Coast Guard ship during one of Last Dance's passes by this point.

Navigation can be a challenge on Lake Superior.  The Last Dance crew prefers to have paper charts for planning and redundancy.  Paper charts normally have more detail and can be scanned in detail over a large area quickly.  Not so in Superior.  The above chart, from the Richardson's Chartbook, regarded as the best in the Lakes, is the most detailed view of the northern shore west of the corner at Wawa.  There are a number of harbors along this stretch suitable for anchoring, four visited by Last Dance - Pilot Harbor, Pointe la Canadienne, Otter Cove, and Old Dave's Harbor.  It is difficult to even find these harbors on the chart, much less find your way into one without winding up on the rocks.  The chart does have a detailed view of the Michipicoten River, not much help to Last Dance as the river is only 3 feet deep and Last Dance draws 4.5 feet in fresh water.

Fortunately, two other paper resources were obtained for navigation help.  One is the Great Lakes Cruising Club, which publishes Harbor Reports, detailing harbors throughout the Great Lakes.  The Harbor Reports often include hand-drawn charts, photos, detailed descriptions, and personal experiences.  The Harbor Report for Old Dave's Harbor had a description of a rock that lies in the entrance, described by some cruisers who found it by running hard aground on top of it.  The other resource is Bonnie Dahl's book, Superior Way.  It is the cruising bible for Lake Superior.  Bonnie and her husband, both teachers, spent many a summer cruising Lake Superior, taking their experiences, and those of their friends, to create a detailed guide to these treacherous waters.

The hand-drawn charts have the necessary detail to navigate into the harbors and suggest possible places to anchor.  But, even Bonnie is not so bold as to actually indicate depths on the chart.  The guides also list the interesting aspects of each harbor.

Weather is an important factor in cruising on Lake Superior.  One does not want to be out on the Lake in a storm or high winds.   Waves can become huge on this inland sea; large enough to sink ships, such as the 728 foot long Edmund Fitzgerald.  A 40 foot boat would not stand much of a chance.  Gordon Lightfoot reminds us of that fact in his song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Lake Gitche Gumee can become very angry.

Gordon Lightfoot Song

To ensure that accurate weather was available in Lake Superior, most of which has no communications, a subscription to XM Weather was made.  An expensive subscription.  XM Weather is a satellite-based weather system provided by Sirius/XM radio.  A satellite antenna wired to the chart plotter is required to receive the signal and display the information.  The information includes weather radar and forecasts for 36 hours, not very sophisticated in this era, but helpful information.  Helpful, this is, if it actually worked.  Once in Canada, it was obvious that the weather reports are not available for Canadian waters.  Money spent to provide security and safety which, in the end, only provided frustration.  Above is the weather report shown when Last Dance was near Hattie's Cove.  It is for Nantucket, over 1000 miles away, not much help when you need to determine the safety of heading out into the Big Lake.

Lake Superior - Nature's Landscaper

Nature fights hard to grow different flora, sometimes in the most uninhabitable places.  This piece of bare rock had turned into a garden of blue flowering plants, yellow flowering plants and orange liken.  The rock island protecting the mouth of Brule Harbor is often washed clean by storms pushing large waves of water over the island.  The plant environment fights back, growing a variety of plants where there is no soil.  And, arranges the plants in an attractive manner.  Such scenes were oft repeated.  Rather than long descriptions, some images of a few of the landscapes encountered are shared here.

Brule Harbor

Brule Harbor

Gargantua

Gargantua

Old Dave's

Old Dave's

Old Dave's

Old Dave's

Old Dave's

Pilot Harbor

Pilot Harbor

Pilot Harbor

Pilot Harbor

Pilot Harbor

Simon's Harbor

Simon's Harbor

Simon's Harbor

Simon's Harbor

Simon's Harbor

Lake Superior - Gargantua Harbor

Although the Canadian coast of Lake Superior lies in English-Speaking Ontario, many of the place names are of French origin.  So, the name of this harbor is pronounced Gar - gan' - twua.  English speakers tend to say Gar - gann - tu' - wa.  An important distinction when one looks at a chart where a land mass in the harbor looks much like a human anatomical part.  Gargantua, another harbor surrounded by a park, this time a Provincial Park.

One of the interesting aspects of Gargantua is the 115 foot long tugboat that resides there.  It sunk in 1915.  For being underwater for over 100 years, the boat is amazingly well preserved.  The higher lake water level in the summer of 2017 had the steam engine completely underwater, making it an unmarked navigational hazard as well as a point of interest.  The two-cylinder steam engine looks like it would not take much to have it running again.

The cold waters have even preserved the portion of the wooden hull that lies under the water.  Just one of the many interesting aspects of cruising Lake Superior.

Lake Superior - Pointe la Canadienne

Pointe la Canadienne is one of the most scenic of the harbors along Lake Superior's northern coast.  Ridges of colorful rock line the harbor.  There are small coves on the east and west ends of the harbor, providing anchoring options depending on wind direction.

The end of the western cove, where Last Dance was anchored, was circled by a rock beach over a half mile long.  Round rocks of differing colored granite are piled along the shore.

Makes for difficult walking, but makes for a beautiful setting.  The smooth rocks are evidence that the lake often brings rough waters into the cove, which have tumbled and polished the rocks.  It would not be good to visit here when the lake was angry.

The mouth of the harbor has a large opening to the lake.  A bit of a fog bank can be seen coming in off the lake, beginning to blanket the ridges at the east end of the harbor.

A Great Lakes fishing boat passes by the harbor.  Fishing was once one of the largest industries on the Great Lakes, but overfishing has reduced the fish population to the point that only a few commercial fishing boats ply these waters.

One part of this large harbor has a sand beach where a small creek empties into the lake.   A variety of landscapes inhabit Pointe la Canadienne.  The beach landing was appreciated more than a century ago when a logging camp was constructed here, housing 1500 men involved in harvesting trees for lumber.  Only one small, mostly fallen, log structure remains from that part of history.

Most of Point la Canadiene is part of a national park, protected to remain in its natural beauty.  The only structure place here by the park service is the pair of red chairs capturing a view of the harbor entrance.  Peace, quiet, solitude, beauty, only reachable by a long hike from an interior road or by boat.