Saturday August 30th

South we head--when we can!!  Arrived in the little town of Leland on Thursday at noon--what a neat place---once called Fish Town.  The old fish shanties along the Leland river have been given a new life as cutsie boutiques. (pic)

  Had a great feast of smoked trout and whitefish--what a treat.  Woke up to heavy rain on Friday morning but the skies cleared by noon--so listening to the marine forcast we decided to head out--we knew the winds were to be rather strong but they were to come from the east so we thought that we would be protected by the east shore.  Not so.  Goodness--those waves can sure get big--we were never so glad to get into the harbour at Frankfort.  Winds continued to be very high today--so we stayed put.   The sun shone so we biked around to enjoy the sites--beautiful sandy beaches.   the pictures are of the waves hitting the lighthouse and breakwater.

thursday August 28th

Left Mackinac  Tuesday morning-conditions in Lake Michigan were to be waves two feet or less--sounded good!   But not so---got under the huge Mackinac Bridge--the longest suspension bridge in the world (so they say) and out into the Lake --heading for Beaver Island---got into some nasty 4-5ft waves.   Rocked and bounced--Neil had to go out front on the deck as one of the bikes almost took a dive for the water--but was left hooked by one wheel!!  Finally made it to St. James on Beaver Island--walked around their cute town.   Overnite in the bay and then headed out Wed morning for Charlevoix Mi.  Seas a lot calmer--arrived at noon--what a neat town.  Went biking around to see the 'mushroom' houses.  Rather cute things--stone with wavy shingled roofs--look like fairy houses!!--but lived in(by regular people, we think)  Beautiful flowers--but a full time gardener helps(we talked to him) This morning there's a farmers market right at the dock side.  What could be better.  Getting gassed up, pumped out and ready to go--next stop Leland Mi.

Monday August 25th

Checked in with Us immigration on Fri--not a pleasant  experience, but were finally underway again.  Stopped at DeTour village--to gas up and coffee-up--great docks and friendly people.  East winds made the seas a bit rough so we did some rocking and rolling but nothing to be afraid of(I didn't need my lifejacket on!)  Headed for Mackinac Island Sunday morning-in the dense fog once again--so bad we couldn't even see the breakwater coming into the harbour until we were nearly on top of it--thank heavens for the chart plotter--we knew where it should be!!    Frist pic is us tying up and you can see the fog in the background--in a later pic you will be able to see the breakwater at the harbour entrance.   The British built a fort on Mackinac Island in 1770--the straits of Mackinac join Lake Michigan to lake Huron so the location was strategic.  2nd pic shows the fort on top of the hill.  The canon booms many times a day and never fails to scare the daylights out of us. A lot of history here---lots of beautiful big old homes and of course The Grand Hotel-a destination in itself!!  Sunday afternoon we headed out on our bikes to circumvent the island--an 8 mile paved bike trail.  Lots of great things to see along the way --especially the arch rock.3rd pic  This morning was rainy and overcast with t-storms forcast so decided to stay put--this afternoon turned out lovely so we biked once again--so the last pics are of the flowers in front of the Grand Hotel and the view from the top looking down at the harbour.    The last pic is the main street --no cars are allowed on the island--just bikes and horses----and--fudge shops--lots of them!!!!!!

Thursday August 21

Whoa--will someone turn off the tap--please!!!  Rain and more rain.  Came into Blind River yesterday afternoon --in the fog, but are safe and sound.  Seeing a bit of blue sky today--not much but will head out anyway.  Next stop is Drummond Island where we check into US customs.   Hopefully the next stop after that will be Mackinac Island, before we head into Lake Michigan.  Soggy and soggier!!

Monday August 18th

Finally got underway Friday morning--weather not great but at least the wind had died down!!  Had a good cruising day, but Saturday morning woke up to heavy rain once again, so just stayed put.  The next bit of sailing was through the infamous 'hangdog channel' --a very narrow waterway through rocky shoals-{-first picture} so the weather needed to be good with no wind and good visibility.  This channel is not recommended for boats over 40ft, as there are some hairpin turns to navigate,  but we came through just fine!!  The third picture is of Point Au Baril lighthouse--where the fisherman once lit a barrel on fire to guide the fishermen home. Today we came through some beautiful county--large rock cliffs coming into Killarney--stopped for a look around there,[2nd picture] before heading for Little Currant.  Weather is looking poor for the next few days but we hope to be able to do a few hours each day--as time is creeping along--and we have a long way to go even before we reach Chicago. 

Thursday August the 14th

Still sitting in Parry Sound---with the wind howling and raining!!  Wave heights out in the bay are 1.8 meters so needless to say we are not venturing forth!!!  Had major repairs done on Monday and Tuesday so now we hope that all is well-and looking forward to flatter seas.  Lots of hiking around Parry Sound--would have liked to see a movie but the one that is playing is 'The Storm'.  Didn't sound like something we wanted to pay to see!!---hopefully the next post will see us further along in our travels.

Sunday Aug 10th

What  a fabulous day to be on the water--the sun was shining, no winds and the ski so blue---cant ask for anything better---and yeh!!  no rocks today!!   But we did go on the wrong side of green buoy yesterday and went bang again--only this time we did not do any damage to those brand new day old props!!  We are now in Parry Sound--one engine is acting up a bit so will have to hit another marina tomorrow to have that checked.  Thought we had this all done before we left, but I guess not so.  The first pic is a Tom Thompson painting--along the water.  the last one is Neil and Ralph at our anchorage this morning fishing out a strap that had fallen in the water.  The water is crystal clear and you can see right down 20ft.  Lovely swimming.   Stopped at Frying Pan Island at San Souci for a fish fry at the famous Henry's restaurant. Pickerel!! Yum

on the Trent severn

Left the docks Wed noon and had a wonderful trip down the canal.   A couple of pictures show the marine railroad at the 'chute'.  We drive the boats onto the carriage and it takes us up and over to the next lake.    Exciting to say the least.    The lakes along here are so beautiful--a lot like the Rideau Canal.   Down into Georgian Bay and off to find an anchorage for the  nite---unfortunately what we found was a very hard rock pile.   So today the 3rd picture shows what is happening.  Fortunately we only damaged the props, so we are now awaiting new ones to be put on.  The sun is shining and we hope to be underway soon.--so until then-adieu

So here we are again---on the road--only this time its a liquid road!!!! The Great Circle Loop awaits!!! Trailered the boats to Orillia on Lake Simcoe on Sunday August the 3rd.  After a couple of major blips --tire blowing off trailer and wrapping around the axil, it made for a late arrival.  Monday was spent getting the trucks and trailers back to Clayton, and then driving back to Orillia, making for another very long day, but no problems. -now here it is Tuesday --a day for organizing and resting.  Hoping to be off tomorrow--will make our way up the Trent Severn into Georgian Bay and then on into the North Channel.  Here Neil is putting up our Great Loop burgee.  It may be some time before I can do another post--from what we've heard we wont be able to access wifi--so until then--everyone--stay healthy and stay posted.