Travels of Albion

The Great Great Lakes - Conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:43:00 +0000

We headed out around 8 with a small craft advisor in effect for late morning. Winds from the NW but shifting to a 20+ NE blow this afternoon. We have a huge fetch to the NE so we hoped to be in the Keweenaw waterway by noon.

Into the wind we came around Point Abbaye and across Keweenaw Bay. We flew the Genoa with heavy winds off the port Beam right into the Keweenaw Waterway (at 11:45AM). The winds inside were twirling around with intensity, so we dropped the sail and proceeded up the waterway to where it all started in at the Houghton County Marina.

By a stroke of luck Superior was quite good to us. We did not use one weather day. This was unheard of until Superior. Superior is no doubt my favorite Great Lake. We saved the best for last.

The journey has ended as has this blog. But to every ending there is a new beginning. Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from your safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover". The gravity of home takes an abundance of fuel to escape. But the awards abound.

We will continue to sail because our love of sailing has grown much deeper. Our confidence and ease at the helm has grown. The next journey will be off the beaten path. It will have a clear vision as circumnavigating the Great Lakes has. The vision creates the journey. The journey is what I enjoy!

Thanks to Shirley for all her wonderful support. Thanks to all the crew that I so much enjoyed sharing this journey. Thanks to all those wonderful locals (that I also so much enjoy) along our journey that helped us out. Thanks to God for creating such wonderful places and providing and giving us such a wonderful opportunity to enjoy them. My greatest hope with this blog is that it has given some inspiration for each of you to enjoy a journey of your own. Until the start of our next JourneyPaul..

Travel with Albion 8/17

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:41:00 +0000

A relaxed 25 NM Day today as we wind down. Very warm last night and today, the first weather on Superior that I would call hot. Wonder what it is like up North?

Another one of those gorgeous mornings on the Great Great Lakes. We replaced a batten and departed Big Bay harbor with sunshine to our backs. Small ripples and cliffs on the Port side. Around Salmon Trout point and NW past numerous named rocky points. The Huron Mountains off our port, the Huron Island National Wildlife refuge off the starboard. Granite rocks and the rugged shores.

The winds became more intense as we came in but not much wave effect since we were well protected by Abbaye Peninsula

Early this morning we got our first glimpse of Keweehaw Peninsula in the distant horizon. This is our final destination and will be where we conclude our journey.

It's amazing how pervasive wireless internets are. Here we sit at old wooden dock in a cove containing a campground. No water, no showers, nearest restaurant is 10 miles, no cell phone service, but found a near by house that has wireless.

Huron Bay - Day 34

8/18/08

The Great Great Lakes - 8/17/2008

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 11:10:00 +0000

Breakfast at the Latitude and a late departure (around 10AM). A local told us this morning that Marquette is much busier in the winter then the summer. A few places are only open in the winter. The hotels are booked. It turns out Marquette is midway on the Cross the UP snowmobile trail. Winter sports are huge up here.

Soon after departure we had some confusion. Our GPS Route had us heading towards rocks and made no sense at all according to the paper charts and our surroundings I went below, checked the route on the lap top and reloaded it. Still not right. Finally I determined an option I changed late yesterday caused a strange bug in the GPS. I turned that option off, and all was well. A GPS is wonderful, and makes things so much more relaxing. But I am convinced that depending only on a GPS chart plotter can be dangerous.

Our heading was NW and the winds were the prevailing Superior NW winds. So we flew both sails and literally beat into the weather tacking all day. So goes it, but it sure can't beat a run!! But how else could a run be so enjoyable.

We arrived at Huron Bay around 5. A sleepy little harbor with only a few boats and no one in sight. It took near an hour to locate the harbor master and get some fuel. Dinner at the lumberjacks a mile or so up the road in Harbor BayEveryone in there looked like lumberjacks. The UP is much more back country then I would have expected. Still rather rough and wild up here.

One more harbor, two travel days till the Great Lakes venture is complete. It is not about the goal or the accomplishment. It is the journey! The goal creates the journey, the path that is not beaten, and the places we would never otherwise explored. It is all about the journey. And the journey is quickly winding down. Yes, there will be new journeys, but I feel quite sad to have this one coming to a close. It has been absolutely wonderful. These are indeed Great Great Lakes, all of them, every mile and engrained in our being is a feel and love for these lakes. Not sure how we top this one! But we will for sure. So goes it! The way the wind blows.

Bay Harbor, UP..

August 16, 2008

Travel with Albion 8/15

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:37:00 +0000

We had one of those good coffees from the coffee house/bookstore this morning! Enjoyed Munising.

We had a bit of a send off from the dock. The locals seem quite interested and impressed that Little Albion has made it around the Big Lake. Something they have not completely done. We have been talking the last few nights to a very nice older couple on a large power yacht. They come running out this morning as we left to wish us well. I think there remains a little envy in the big boater's hearts for the simplicity of Albion.

We left Munising out the West channel. Quite scenic as we headed out around Powel Point, past the thumb of Grand Island, the southern shore of Grand Island. Dave and Ellen aboard Cordelia were anchored in the distant cove. We gave them a couple toots on the horn. Past William Island, Au train point. Beautiful dream homes on the shores, looks like a storybook. People up here really seem to enjoy the winters. Cross country skiing, dog sledding. There is a big 250 mile dog sled race up here every year. We have been told the Ice on Superior shores piles up 25 feet in cool formations.

We moved out into the open Superior waters and motor sailed with both sails flying. We were into the weather and had to do one big tack to get a good weather heading into Marquette. It was one of those days where you need to move around with at least three points secured. You time your next move to the next wave. There is a rhythm to sailing and your best to go with it rather then fight it. I remember 5 years ago on Erie trying to get Albion to a dock in a 30 knot wind. After a dockhand rescued us I asked a large sail boater how do you get your boat to the dock in these winds? He very calmly said, you don't fight the wind, you use the wind. Yep, we get that now.

The moon is full and rising over Superior tonight. Nice, but there is something about those Huron moons that I have never seen since.

Marquette A BIG town for us, population 20,000. Not the Marquette that has the University!

8/15/2008

Travel with Albion 8/14

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:02:00 +0000

We are back to civilization and had a nice breakfast this morning at the Sportsmen before heading out around 9. A bouncy night at our Seawall last night. The weather picked up with winds and waves from the NE and we were rather unprotected in that direction. It wakes you up but then after a while you get used to it and sleep better then ever.

We had one of those wonderful sailing days today. Heading SW Wing to Wing with a NE blow and following waves 2'3 feet. The motor off and tilted up most of the day as we skipped along at 5.5-6.0 knots.

Clear blue skies, the Sable light house forward, huge (900 feet) Golden Sand dunes off the port side, sails flying. Mornings don't come much better.

I have so much enjoyed the variety of Superior. Days and days of nothing but rocky sea shores, trees, sand dunes, Islands, rushing rivers, crystal clear waters, cold cold cold, warm sunshine, Rain, wind, heavy seas, totally calm, loons, ducks, birds, small towns, great crew, fishermen, fellow boaters. All of this leaves you completely one with the present.

The Boaters up here are more adventurous then the other Great Lakes. Perhaps Superior requires it. They travel more and we strike up more conversations with fellow boaters. There is a neutralizing effect at a North Shore marina. We are all here for the same reasons; there are no walls or barriers. Laughing comes so easy that you can't help but notice.

We passed picture rocks on the port side. These are rocky cliffs on shore that are colorful from the mineral content. A number of touring boats out of Munising were out.

We arrived in Munising early, 3:30.Back to taking that evening shower, dinner in town, and walking around town. Northern Harbor towns always seem to have a certain quaintness and rhythm. Four days away from completing the Great Lakes

The moon is bright and getting fuller!

Munising

8/14/2008

Travel with Albion 8/13

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:58:00 +0000

We departed White Fish Point around 7, a long day today, 47 NM. We rounded the point and headed west along the southern Shore. We motored sailed all day with light winds out of the north. The Southern shore was rather remote and has a number of large sand dunes. I imagine this shore gets quite the beating from the prevailing NW winds. There are over 550 ship wrecks off White Fish point. A dangerous place with a Superior blow, but calm and peaceful for us this day. A relaxing day, good day to read a book while underway.

We went to dinner tonight with a fellow boating couple. They have been at the same harbors as us the last 3 nights. They are familiar with Grand Marias and we all had some good local fish. There planning a trip South next year

Clear sky, moon getting fuller, seas very mild.

Grand Marias

8/13/2008

Travel with Albion 8/12

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:40:00 +0000

We departed around 9 with 5-10 knot winds out of the NW. A fresh oil change for Albion, Bill is now on board, and we have fresh provisions for our final leg of the Great lakes adventure. Soon after departure our motor died in the middle of the channel. I quickly discovered it was merely the fuel line was not snug in the connection (removed for the oil change). So we were off again. We locked back up 21 feet to Superior and back out the St Mary's river. The monster ships and the locks felt rather routine today. Our heading was NW and the winds were NW but they eased and we motored across Whitefish bay to White Fish point. This is a safe refuge, a man made harbor with no facilities. We have quite the view from here of the Superior waters and the distant Canadian hilly shores. The moon is nearing full and reflecting on the waters, Venus is bright, larger ships are passing on the way to the Soo, and the air is so warm for a change. As many places up here, this is a special place. There are three other sailboats with us tonight. Next to us is a family, Husband, Wife and two boys (maybe 9 and 10) on a Beneteau 38. They have been traveling around Superior this summer and have quite the stories to tell.

Whitefish Point.

8/12/2008

Travel with Albion - A message from Mark - 8/11

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:35:00 +0000

Crewman Mark's supplement to Captain Paul's blog - Monday, Aug. 11

As we wait for Paul's next crew member Bill to arrive here in Sault Ste.Marie, MI for the last leg of Paul's Great Lakes circumnavigation, the weather is beautiful; much like it was for almost the entire length of my part of the voyage. I just came out of a tour of a maritime museum (right next to the marina, inside the "small" 550' mothballed freighter Valley Camp) where among many other interesting displays, they have exhibits of the Edmund Fitzgerald, including the remains of the ship's two lifeboats. A very sobering reminder of what Superior is capable of when she acts up. The battered lifeboats washed up on shore near where we anchored out two nights ago.

Lake Superior from Thunder Bay to Whitefish Bay was amazingly remote, postcard picturesque, and a wonderful experience. I thank Paul for the opportunity to be a small part of his great adventure. I think I'm Paul's "Canadian specialist", having sailed over 90% of my time with him in Canadian waters. Having sailed with Paul on every lake except Lake Michigan, I would definitely rate Superior as my favorite. As you might guess, Paul is already thinking hard about what he and Albion might do next. Based on his musings, could it be sailing to Mexico, perhaps?

Paul's daily blog has described the places we've been and the overall sailing experience very well, so I'll not repeat that. I suppose I'll reminisce about some of the memories and highlights of this trip in my guest blog today.

Three biggest surprises:

1. Seeing a fishing vessel materialize out of the fog 400 feet ahead of us offshore from Otter Bay, coming at us about 200 feet off port, when I'd bet there wasn't another vessel within 20 miles of us. Since he had radar, I'm sure he knew where we were, but his abrupt appearance sure surprised me!

2. Walking up on 150# to 200# black bear while hiking to the first nation mission in Goulais Bay. He took off running when he saw me.

3. The near heart attack caused when I set the chart book on top of the air horn in the cabin. Very loud.

Three biggest disappointments (minor ones, more than mitigated by the items in my "cool experiences":

1. Trolling various lures behind Albion for more than 200 miles without one lake trout, steelhead, or salmon to show for it.

2. Not seeing a moose

3. There is no number three, unless you count the mosquitoes

Coolest Experiences

1. Making good on my assertion before the trip that I could catch us a fish dinner, and then having the best $42 pike dinner of my life (the cost of a non-resident fishing license) on board Albion

2. Very close encounters with wildlife, including caribou and snowshoe hares in the Slate Islands, whitetail deer at Silver Islet, and of course my bear (see surprise #2)

3. Going to sleep to the tom-toms and chants from a First Nation family reunion campfire about 10 yds. from Albion

4. Everything about White River, with its falls, its suspension bridge and its pristine beauty (only place I swam)

5. Locking through the Soo Locks

6. Great weather, and even better company.

I wish Paul and Bill continued fair weather, and following seas as they sail on.

Travel with Albion 8/10

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:28:00 +0000

We didn't have a problem with the bears last night, but Mark did see one 50 feet ahead on a near by trail. We were about to cook up some pasta when finally our fish dinners came at 8:20 PM. A group (maybe 25) of First Nations People (But they seem quite comfortable calling themselves Indians) came down to the dock last night. They built a large fire on shore, beat on drums, and did some sort of chanting (is that what you call it?). It was interesting.

We departed late, around 11AM. There was a strong wind warning advisory in effect and we needed to check out the weather. 20 Knots out of the NW with waves a meter. But we would quickly round Gros point and have some protection entering the St. Mary's river. So we talked to local fishermen and opted to head out.

We flew a full Genoa on a run around the bend into the St Mary's. There were following four foot waves, but not a problem. The ridge on the Canadian side is covered with over a hundred wind mills to catch those Superior winds. We entered the narrows of the St Mary's river as about the same time as a huge ship. It passed without any problem, but those monsters are a bit intimidating after being with no one for weeks. Little Albion is like a speck in comparison. Some of the ships up here are over a 1000 feet long.

Locking down through the Canadian locks was rather simple with only a 15 minute wait. We had an audience watching. Homeland security has a strong presence here. These locks must be important. But our immigration was the simplest ever. I think they have a new strategy and it may work. Be very friendly and joke around with the people, and maybe they will relax, mess up and tell things. We called after arrival and they were down here in 15 minutes for a pleasant relaxed talk about the Steelers, vacation spots etc.

Monday is a crew change day. Mark is departing and Bill arrives as we begin the final leg of our Great Lakes adventure.

Sault Ste. Marie

8/10/2008

Travel with Albion - 8/9

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:41:00 +0000

We departed Maimaisene Island at sunrise (6:30AM) to beat the weather into Whitefish bay. Rain overnight, waves 2 feet, heavy dark clouds, and a 10-15 knot blow out of the North. Not so bad, our heading today is SE. The weather is picking up and we are entering Whitefish bay today. The Edmund Fitzgerald lies near the entrance to WF bay and this area is known for huge waves . The prevailing winds on Superior are out of the NW and Whitefish bay is in the SE corner. So with 100's of miles of fetch this little bay at times takes the full force of Superior. Waves are predicted to be less then a meter but building to 2 meters early this evening. So we are literally on a run for cover.

We sailed most of the day on a run flying the full Genoa with the whisker pole. Albion sails well on a run with a full Genoa. We arrived early (12:30) into WF bay and are tucked away at a fishing dock in Goulais Bay. Soon after we arrived this young boy came down and told us, "This place is really dangerous"? How so we asked? He said there are bears around here that come down to the dock and get on the boats looking for food. So we have our air horn ready to blast away the bears tonight.

We are once again docked on the shores of a First Nation Reservation. We hiked a few miles down the road and stopped at a First nation general store for some ice cream. We hiked another half mile to a stand that sells fresh fish meals to eat outside. We asked if they would deliver dinner to our dock tonight and were quite surprised that they will not only deliver, but offered us a ride back. The First Nation gentlemen that rode us back is the fishermen that goes out each morning to catch the fish in his small boat. He uses Gill nets that go down near 100 feet and provides the restaurant (run by his parents) with all the fish. Whitefish bay does in fact have lots of white fish

Tomorrow we make our way to Sault Ste. Marie where Mark ends his segment and Bill joins up. Checking back into the US is not an easy task. We need to go through the locks and stay at the Marina on the US side. Bill and I will then need to lock back up to Superior to continue the last segment of our journey.

Are you wondering how we are sending these logs? Last night our Wi-Fi tester located a signal near an old fishing house near the dock and we borrowed it a few minutes. Today we have located a small school near by which appears to have Wi-Fi, so if you're getting this, that's it.

Goulais Bay

August 9, 2008

Travel with Albion 8/8

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:07:00 +0000

We departed Gargantua harbor at 8:45 with clear blue skies, sunshine, and calm seas. Pulling up the anchor was quite simple, sandy bottom, 5 feet of water, 35 feet of rode.

There are a number of Rocky Shoals and Islands along this coast. So we made our way around and past shoals, points, capes and pine covered Islands. Now who can tell us the difference in a cape and a point? It is hard to imagine a shore that could be more scenic. The fresh clear Superior waters. No development or marks made by man. None anyplace. Waves splashing on rocky shores sparkling from the sunlight. Dark green pines contrasted by the deep blue sky. A breeze full of brisk cool air, yet warm sunshine. Fresh air filled with birds flying about. The rippling of small waves rocking Albion in a soothing way as we travel through this wonderland. Admission is free, it is the getting here that is the challenge. No other tourists, no boats, only the sun shining on the water. This is the peak of the season and who can imagine a finer place to be on an August summer day?

Remoteness comes with the lack of roads. Mid morning the highway once again joined up with the coast line after a departure of near 130 miles of shore. So we slowly began to see signs of civilization again. Cell towers on peaks, trucks in the distance traveling on highway 17. But there are no marina facilities until we get to soo in a few more days.

We are tucked in behind Maimaisne Island tonight and are sharing an old dock with 4 old Indian net fishing boats. . There is a fish processing place here that ships the catch to market. We have a keen eye on the weather tonight. Tomorrow we enter White Fish Bay and the weather is picking up.

Maimaisene Island

8/8/2008

Travel with Albion 8/7

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:36:00 +0000

We departed Bucks Marina and out the Michipicoten River around 10. The seas were calm and the opening at the mouth was quite calm compared to yesterday. Today's weather was warm, t-shirts. The water temperatures have warmed up considerably since June, in the 50's now.

Around 2 the winds and weather picked up and we were on a run with Genoa out. Too much trouble bringing out the main for just an hour or so. We arrived in Gargantua Harbor around 3:30 and have a good anchor hold in the sand. There is a long sandy beach here. An old road from the highway comes down, so there are a few locals on shore swimming and camping out on the beach. In the early 1900's this was port was a sizable fishing station, but today there is not much left except the remnants of an old building and a sunken 130 Foot tug that sunk in 1910. We use Bonnie Dahl's book, "Superior Way" ,to find good anchorages and learn about the ports on Superior. An excellent resource, with an amazing amount of details on everything. . She has sailed up here for 30 years and every place we go the locals tell us Bonnie was here last whatever

We dinged to shore, explored an old building, and went on a short hike up to the top of a knoll overlooking Superior.

Gargantua Harbor

8/7/2008

Travel with Albion 8/6

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:32:00 +0000

We departed Pilot Harbor early, 7:30 AM. Today is a big day for us; we arrive at the town of Wawa and have quite a list of shore duties. We are looking forward to a nice warm shower; last showers were a week ago before we departed Thunder Bay. Traveling along this shore keeps us amazingly busy. I find writing this log takes more effort and is at times a bit of a push. So I hope your all enjoying it?

Entering the mouth of the Michipicoten River was a bit tense. The mouth faces west and the winds and waves were out of the west. With the waves pushing us in and the river currents pushes us out there was at times little rudder control. The entrance was filled with sandbars and the route was far from obvious. But with the charts and Mark on the bow we negotiated our way in without incident. We are at Bucks Marina a few miles up the river. No other sailboats in this harbor, the entrance is just too difficult. So once again, there are advantages to a small little boat like Albion.

The Showers were wonderful and we were even able to do a load of laundry. ..The town of Wawa (which means "Wild Goose" in Ojibwa) is 4 miles from the Marina. There is a woman in town (Louise) that runs a taxi service. However Louise seems to have disappeared. But, the locals are quite helpful and accommodating. A guy who works at the marina took us to town and gave us a short tour including the three large (near 20 feet) Geese statues. We loaded up on groceries and had a nice dinner in town. While finishing dinner we decided to make a sign saying "Marina" on the back of our place mat to hitch hike back to the Marina. But, lucky us the very nice family next to us overheard our conversation and gave us a ride back. He is the owner of a wilderness helicopter company and has a boat at the marina. When we inquired about wireless internet a local at the marina told us the best place to go would be his rear deck. So thanks to him for this service as I sit on his deck!!

We head out to Sault Ste. Marie today (Thursday). We are going to amble our way down and take 3 days to get there. So the next log will not be until at least Sunday, unless, well you should know by now, the weather picks up

Some guys Deck

Near Wawa, Ontario..

Travel with Albion 8/5

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:22:00 +0000

We departed Otter Cove late, around 11. The rudder gudgeon (where it attaches to the transom) was loose and needed to be tightened, doable but not an easy chore. Plus the fish were biting this morning and Mark caught us a 27 inch Northern Pike for dinner tonight. Wow, was he a fighter!

As we went out the channel this morning around the corner were a couple other sailboats anchored out on the Southern shore. They must have come in during the night and the crew looked to be still sleeping.

Light winds and calm seas as we headed South and then East around the shore corner. Today was our 4^th day of travel along this rugged shore. We have plenty of Fuel and food and could continue on another week without difficulty. We have been towing our sevlar kayak and it seems to ride well following us, even yesterday in the 2-3 foot seas.

The fog moved in early afternoon and an old fishing boat came out of the fog on a collision course with us, we passed both being rather surprised. The winds and waves picked up, the fog blew away, and the last few hours and we had a nice run with the whisker pole on the Full Genoa into Pilot Harbor at 6-7 knots. Another pristine little cove where we anchored out and enjoyed the fresh Northern Pike for dinner.

Travel with Albion 8/4

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:14:00 +0000

A small early morning thunder storm passing in the distance delayed our departure. The winds picked up a bit over night but the warm air from the southern blow felt quite pleasant. As we pulled up our anchor line we discovered at about 50 feet to the anchor the line was stuck around something on the bottom. We both pulled and yanked nothing! We then circled Albion around pulling from different angles to no avail. So I decided to dive down to see if I could free up whatever the rode was attached to. We have an extra anchor on board, but didn't want to leave one behind. The depth was 15 feet so I didn't have much time to work below. The line was tangled in the limbs of a large tree. After a number of dives we succeeded in setting up a trip line on the anchor side of the line and pulled it free.

We made our way the two miles out around the shoals to the mouth of the White River. The entrance to the White at Superior had considerable boiling do to the Southern waves rolling into the narrow river mouth. With some bouncing and tossing around we make it out of the mouth and into Superior. The weather had picked up over night and we had waves 2-3 feet and winds out of the South. Not the desirable sea conditions since we were heading south. So we tacked our way south with a furled fore sail and full main, back and forth towards Otter Cove. Albion seems to ride the waves better into the weather with a furled Genoa. A full jib seems to push the bow into the waves more. The Eastern shore here is all rocky mountain cliffs, part of the Pukaskwa National Park. I often wondered when looking at road maps why the Canadian highway that circles Superior makes a big turn and is 50 miles from shore here. I think the answer is the Rocky impossible terrain.

Later in the afternoon our heading changed to SE and the winds and waves eased. But we were able to keep the sails up all the way into Otter Cove. We are tucked away a mile or so off the lake in an all weather protected anchorage in Otter Cove. This Cove is ours tonight and it is gorgeous. We our so grateful to have the opportunity to be such a place. We are alone of course but Venus is shining very bright over us, she never seems to shine so bright except at places like this.

Otter Cove

8/4/2008

Travel with Albion 8/3

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:03:00 +0000

Superior is all that I expected , plus more. I love it up here!! We departed McColl Island around 8 and made our way out through the maize of pine covered Islands and rocky shoals. The waters like a mirror reflecting tall pines and the white puffy clouds. The waters clear yet somehow dark. We moved out into the open sea for our 30 mile crossing over to the mouth of the White River. This point puts us on the Western shore of Superior, well on our way around. Our heading was 105* right into the warm morning sunshine. The Shores of Superior are by far my favorite place on the Great Lakes. Breath taking. Each port seems to be an all time favorite only to be matched or topped by the next harbor.

The crossing was relaxed and quite enjoyable. The only hazard were a number of floating logs that for some reason were floating vertical with 2-4 feet straight up from the surface They certainly were not lodged in the bottom since the depths were around 500 feet. A unique sight as they did not seem to be moving at all. The seas were so calm today we brewed up some Lake Superior coffee.

The entrance to the white river is very hidden. All we could see was sheer cliffs and a rocky shore, it felt like we were going to go into the rocks. I have never seen the mouth of a river on the Great Lakes like this. But we followed the GPS and charts and around the corner out between the large rocks flowed the White River. We negotiated our way up river 2 miles, this was not an easy route. There were shoals, Islands, and rapids as we snaked and rounded our way up. We made it up to a pool at the base of a large falls and found a good place to get an anchor hold. We are alone at this anchorage in a small cover around the corner from the roaring falls.

Our maps indicated the Cross Canadian trail was a half mile or so East of our anchorage and crossed the trail crossed the river gorge with a suspension bridge. So be blew up the dingy, headed for shore and bushwhacked our way up the cliffs in search of the trail. We knew if we kept the sun to our backs we had to intersect it. We in fact found the trail and hiked to the bridge. What a gorge and bridge. The narrow swinging bridge must be 80 feet above the gorge and at least 100 feet long. The volume of flow down the white through this gorge is amazing. The gorge is very long, at least a half mile and there are 2 additional falls upstream. A good river for a canoe trip.

We made it back to Alboin and after our hiking excursion were quite sweaty and dirty. So we took a swim in our private cove and had a nice bath. Mark caught a small Northern Pike that was nice but not enough for a complete meal, so he tossed it back. The mosquitoes are out in full force here tonight. Nice having a cozy cabin to come down into and type today's log...

Superior is wonderful...

White River Falls

August 2008

Travel with Albion 8/2

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:56:00 +0000

I wanted to check the hull (it is ok) after the rock bumps so took a refreshing swim off the dock before our departure. We departed around 10 with smooth seas, warm sunshine, pine covered Islands and then a short 10 mile crossing of the Jack Fish Channel over to the Slate Islands. The pine trees up here are skinny and straight. Mark says they might be Lodge Pole Pines, but he is guessing.

We have 5 days of travel before our next opportunity for food or fuel (or internet for you to get this). We have plenty of food but really need to watch our fuel. 14.75 Gallons of Fuel on board and a schedule of how much we think we need to have left at the end of each travel day. Winds will greatly assist our fuel project, but so far on this segment winds have been absent, seas calm. The sunshine is sooo warm, the skies blue, and the days quite relaxed. We can put in less miles each day because we have yet to be held over for weather.

We arrived at the Slate Islands around 2. Wow, what a beautiful place. We are alone in this very pristine little harbor, surrounded by clear water, small pine Islands, rocks, loons calling, and lots of birds. The Slate Islands are now a Canadian National Park and were thought to have been formed by an asteroid. There is a herd or caribou on the Islands. We are at a very low old dock on the SW corner of Mcnoll Island. A young caribou was on shore and we saw an older one with big antlers and a white breast walking along the shore across our small bay. After dinner of BBQ Chicken Mark started a camp fire on shore. We were very entertained by watching the loon dive for fish, two snowshoe hairs stopped by, ducks with baby ducks, and Mark saw a beaver earlier. We have seen some nice large trout swimming under Albion, but so far, no fish for dinner.

Slate Islands

8/2/2008

Travel with Albion 8/1

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:09:00 +0000

We departed Squaw Harbor with smooth seas and misty conditions. A take a deep breath misty morning. With the benefit of local knowledge we maneuvered our way out of Rocky Squaw harbor without incident. Once we were out in the large bay we were relaxed, talking, taking in the morning, cruising down the middle of the bay and we bumped another rock. So we have to be vigilant up here, the rocks are lurking in places not expected. We traveled amongst the fog, tall cliffs, and glassy waters. It gives one a mystical feeling early in the morning. The view is quite unique. Above is blue sunny sky, yet somehow around you at water level is intense fog. The mirror of the water reflects the low lying clouds and looking forward the waters, clouds, and sky all blend together in this confusing mystical presence. Then off in a distance through this mirror of water and mist appears a tall rocky mountain peak. We blast our horn and make our way amongst the Islands and shoals. The fog quickly lifted, the sky totally blue, and it was T shirt weather, almost hot. Just when we were getting used to the sunshine the thunder roars from the West and a storm moves in. This is traveling on Lake Superior.

We arrived in Rossport around 2:00 and have been quite busy tending to all those things a little civilization offers. Charge the batteries, find fresh water (our marina has none), find groceries (we had to find someone to drive us 28 miles round trip). Rossport is a sleepy little town with a couple outfitters and a few very nice B&B's complete with restaurants. We had a nice diner at the Serendipity We depart Rossport tomorrow to travel an even more desolate coast. We have lots of food, will take more water from the lake, and expect at least 4-5 days minimum before civilization for food or fuel. If the weather picks up it will be a bit longer. The slate Islands were highly recommended so we are changing plans and heading there next. Watch the spot..

The crazy thing is this marina has no running water, showers etc. but it has wireless internet. I guess us boaters have our priorities and showers is not one of them. Been a while and we are trying to decide if we'll jump in the lake for our shower. That would be rather cold...

Paul.

Rossport Ontario

Spot : http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0qKG1bEYs1iGIRBpMPLFho7b7rY4RxLp4

Blog : http://www.travelwithalbion.blogspot.com/

Spot...

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:45:00 +0000

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0qKG1bEYs1iGIRBpMPLFho7b7rY4RxLp4

There seems to be some confusion with Spot. A few emails coming in...Here is the latest link...Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Beautiful morning! Clear Blue sky as the sun rose over our little harbor. We are near halfway and Mother Superior remains good to us. Soon after departure the clouds moved in, the winds picked up and we sailed close hauled along the raw shore. Lots of ducks and we have added a new species (Golden Eye) to our bird book. Calm seas, spectacular scenery, rocky shores, mountains, numerous Islands and shoals to navigate around. The weather is much warmer then our first segment, no shorts yet, but pleasant! We remain off the Beaten Path and saw one cabin and a couple other boats all day. These parts are traveled by few. There were numerous reports of Sasquatch sightings in the Thunder Bay newspapers before our departure, but we have yet to see him/her. It is desolate up here and the experience can cause one to imagine things only to find your hallucinating .

Showers late afternoon. We bumped a couple rocks on the way into our safe harbor at CPR Slip, not an obvious route. The charts up here are not very accurate. We're at an old dock on the Southern Shore of St Ignace Island with a couple other local boaters and 7 or 8 Sea Kayakers. Complete with a Sauna and Outhouse.

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:05:00 +0000

We departed at 11 with Dark clouds and the City of Thunder Bay fading to our backs. Thunder Bay is indeed as aw inspiring on departure as when we entered. A huge body of water some 30 miles wide with towering Green mountains around the shore. Little to no winds as we motored out of the bay and passed the sleeping giant mountain on are port side. A combination of warm sunshine, distant showers, and at times present showers. We headed around Sibley Peninsula and on up the North Shore past numerous rock Islands to a small old mining community called Silver Inlet. We are at an old dock at the General store. Silver Inlet is a combination of old cabins mixed with a few newer vacation homes. No power or utilities in this community. Water is pumped from the lake, power is produced with solar cells, wind mills and personal generators. An interesting place where the local are very friendly. It was founded around the Silver mine in 1869. Mark has been fishing, other then a few small ones, no fish yet!!

Tuesday July 29th

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:28:00 +0000

We have returned to Thunder Bay and will launch tomorrow on our last segment of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation. I can't believe we are about to finish. This Great Lakes adventure has far exceeded our wildest expectations. So we begin with a combination of sadness and excitement.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here, were not finished yet. This next two weeks will the most rugged and remote of any we have done. Long distances for a small boat, with very few opportunities to get fuel or provisions. A rocky shore, with cliffs and long distances (100+ miles) with out roads or towns. Islands with just Caribou. Mark has joined up. He has the right skills and personality for this next venture. He has brought his fishing gear, so we won't starve! I am quite happy to have him along. We have 7-9 days of food and enough fuel to travel 120 miles without sailing. If the weather picks up we will be tucked in a rocky cove for, well, who knows how long. And once we come out we could still have many miles and anchorages to travel to town.

I have no idea when the next log will be. Best case 2 or 3 days perhaps, worse case, 2 weeks. Watch the spot, but understand the terrain could keep the signal from getting out if we are in that rocky cove.

The weather in Thunder Bay today is much warmer, in the 60's, fog tonight... But as it goes up north, that could change quickly. Paul

Travel with Albion - Thoughts from the First Mate

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:59:00 +0000

Shirley's thoughts and reflections. More on or around the 29th when we return to finish our Great Lakes Circumnavigation. Paul..

**************

We flew out of Thunder Bay early Saturday morning. Back home now in Pittsburgh sweating for the first time in almost 2 weeks. We were fortunate that the timing of things for us went like clockwork. After we crossed from Isle Royale to Thunder Bay on Thursday, the weather picked up. There have been small craft warnings, gale warnings and wave heights of 7-10 feet! We could still be sitting at Rock Harbor, Isle Royale, waiting for the seas to calm.

The 5^th and final Great Lake. Hard to believe. Each trip has been unique. On this trip I had the opportunity to be at sea more days than ever before. The weather was generally sunny, but cool, even cold sometimes. While Paul was planning this trip, Lake Superior seemed to be the most intimidating due to its size. In reality, I found it intimidating because of the cold water temperatures, 39 degrees! The hugeness of the lake becomes an advantage for wave height because it takes longer for big waves to build due to the depth of the lake. I get more comfortable sailing with each trip but I still get nervous with rough seas and the unpredictability of things. When Paul started on this mission to circumnavigate the lakes, I thought it was pretty crazy. Now that he is nearing completion of his goal, I can't help but admire him for what he has accomplished and learned in the process. Being totally honest, there is a small part of me that would enjoy doing the rest of Superior. But then I look at those gale warnings, etc. and think again. I will be happy to be at home reading Paul's blog. The question is, what will Paul think of next?!?! Here are a few fun facts from our trip:

0 Number of days I wore my bathing suit

Days it rained while at sea

1 Days sailing in the fog

Nights anchored out

2 Days without a shower

3 Treacherous sailing days (waves, wind)

4 Days I wore a stocking cap

Nights we ate out

5 Days without cell phone service

Number of minutes for a shower token at Isle Royale

6 Cost of the shower token - $6

Number of blue sky sunshine days

7 Number of days showers were available

8 Number of days I wore fleece

Felt like 8 season changes

9 Number of consecutive days sailed

10 Rating I'll give to Captain Paul; he's the Best

685 Highest number I saw on our depth gauge

Travel with Albion - Thursday - July 10

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:59:00 +0000

We departed at 7AM for our crossing to Thunder Bay. The air was brisk, the seas calm, and a slight breeze out of the East. Excellent travel conditions for a crossing. We navigated around Blake point on the NE end of the Isle Royal and set a NW heading for Thunder Bay. When navigating one should never rely on a single source to identify your current location. We use a combination of GPS, Line of Sight, and paper charts. When we came out of the fog and entered Chippewa Harbor our GPS was very off and at one point had us on land. If we would have blindly followed only the GPS we would have ended up on the rocks. Later I talked to a fellow boater and his GPS had him on land also. I suspect the charts the GPS uses are wrong rather then the coordinates.

The winds and waves picked up and we sailed with a full Genoa into the Thunder Bay harbor. On entering the harbor conditions calmed down a bit. Other then a large ship passing on our starboard we saw no other vessels making the crossing. We met many Americans on Isle Royal, most from Wisconsin or Minnesota. We did not meet one Canadian.

Entering Thunder Bay is quite the unforgettable experience. Large Island cliffs on either side, the city of Thunder Bay (Superiors Largest) can be seen in the distance, and the waters of the bay are huge. The books say entering Thunder Bay is aw inspiring, we agree!

Dinner tonight at Hoito a Finnish Restaurant. We felt like we were in Scandinavia. Most of the folk we met on Isle Royal had such a Scandinavia look to them. It is interesting how they have settled up North here, guess it feels like home.

This concludes Segment one of our journey around Lake Superior. Albion is tucked away for a few weeks. Boat chores tomorrow and then we fly home on Saturday. Mark and I will be back to Thunder Bay July 29to begin the most remote section of our journey. The logs will really be few and far between for that segment. The Thunder Bay harbor master told us the weather up North here starts to decline the beginning of August. So we shall see, could be a cold one. I am taking home the short sleeves and bringing back long ones along with a few more wool socks.

Shirley has agreed to add a bit to the log, so that will be coming. Till around the 29th....Paul..

Travel with Albion - Wednesday - July 9

noreply@blogger.com (Paul) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Mosquito's were intense last night. We were up swatting, plugging small holes around the hatch, lighting candles, using Deet.

The water taxi captain dropping off a few fishermen at our dock said, "there are 4 foot rollers out there", but they were from the Southwest and we were heading northeast. The prevailing winds on Superior are SW, exactly what we have experienced thus far. As we departed Chippewa harbor the waves were in fact from the SW but the winds were gusting on our Port Beam (West). An unusual condition, the winds were quickly shifting west and out of sync with the waves. The captain had also said, you'll be ok but it is really twirling out there. Yep, twirling it is. The conditions were not the best but we only had 10 miles to go and could tuck into Rock Harbor after only a few miles.

We sailing along with heavy seas and gusting conditions with only a furled fore sail. The seas were big and we were quite wet from the 39* spray across the deck. As we rounded Comglomcock point all hell broke out. The gusts were twirling and continuously changing direction, the seas were quite confused with it all, as were we. So time to bring in the sail and head in behind Mott Island. With some in trepidation on Shirley's part (but she is a very good sport!) we followed the Navigation aids around the rocks and into Rock Harbor. What a difference it was. Soon the sun was shining and we were relaxed and warmed up at the Rock Harbor docks.

Rock Harbor is the most developed part of the Island. Quite a few people here, cabins, gift shop, restaurant, and snack bar. We had a nice dinner and attended a Ranger show! Tomorrow we do the crossing to Thunder Bay. It is called Thunder Bay because the winds blowing down off the mountains and across the harbor sounds like Thunder.