[Rhodes22-list] North Channel and the Search for Internet Access

[Slim]

Julie and Dan,

Thanks so much for taking the time to give us such a detailed report of your
trip.  What drama!  Loved the pictures too.

Slim

On 8/21/05 12:11 PM, "Julie Thorndycraft" <julie at circle7.net> wrote:

> North Channel and the Search for Internet Access
> 
> 
> 
> A while back I mentioned that we had sailed the North Channel and Slim had
> requested the 'story'. Here it is with my apologies for the length - it was
> a two week trip and that's hard to cover without some length.
> 
> 
> 
> Background
> 
> The North Channel is located on the Ontario side of Lake Huron just east of
> Sault Ste. Marie. It provides a combination of wilderness sailing along with
> quaint small towns and facilities. The overall trip was organized by the
> Trailer Sailors, who've been sailing these waters annually for many years.
> At first we were concerned when we learned that there were 40+ boats signed
> up but we learned very quickly that various groups split off for days at a
> time to explore other areas.
> 
> 
> 
> The Trek
> 
> In our usual fashion, we left late - 24 hours late to be exact and we ended
> up going through the Twin Cities during the heart of rush hour on Thursday,
> July 14th. We drove late on Thursday and made it as far as Marinette, WI. We
> literally got the last room available as there was a huge bass fishing
> contest starting that weekend. We got up early the next morning and
> continued our journey with one stop at an internet café so Dan could take
> care of some 'work'. We arrived in Spanish about 5:30pm on Friday. Total
> miles: 670
> 
> 
> 
> Spanish, Ontario
> 
> The little town of Spanish has your basic services but they have a gorgeous
> marina with plenty of space for rigging, storing trailers, and a great
> launch ramp. We got the boat rigged, dropped her in the water, and got done
> just in time to catch dinner before they shut down for the night.
> 
> 
> 
> The next morning we walked up to Le Belle Abri for a fabulous breakfast. We
> had homemade croissants, bread, muffins, and fresh preserves. Our gracious
> hosts then provided us with doggy bags to take the extra muffins and rolls
> for the next morning. This was all for a great price of $8 Canadian.
> 
> 
> 
> We spent Saturday night in the Spanish Marina as the rest of the Trailer
> Sailors arrived and launched their boats. Dan and one of the other Trailer
> Sailors worked to patch a 1" hole in our dinghy that a mouse had created. I
> got the remainder of the groceries and gear loaded on the boat and then
> removed what I thought might be 'extra'. I also got to watch the show as the
> different boats got launched. There were Rhodes, Precisions, a Flicka, a
> bunch of MacGregors, and a few unique models that I had not encountered
> previously.
> 
> 
> 
> Day One
> 
> On Sunday we all departed from Spanish and sailed east just over 7nm to
> Eagle Island. The most common anchoring method used in the North Channel is
> to drop an anchor off the bow and tie your stern to shore via a rock or
> tree. The next morning brought a change in weather with predictions of a
> storm and a falling barometer. Opting for a more protected position we
> relocated to the other side of the bay and waited for the storm to hit.
> After an hour of nothing, the skies started clearing, and we all headed out
> to our next destination of Sturgeon Cove on the island of Great Cloche. This
> was a 16nm run with part over fairly open waters. We had good winds and kept
> pace with a Catalina 25 at 5+ knots for most of the afternoon.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Two - The Storm
> 
> As the afternoon progressed, it was clear that we should've paid closer
> attention to the falling barometer. With the winds increasing, we strapped
> down the bimini, reduced sail, lowered the boom into the lower position, and
> put on our life jackets. As the sky got darker and the winds increased, we
> opted to furl the sails and fire up the iron genny in hopes of reaching the
> Cove. Unfortunately the storm had other ideas. Just as we turned upwind to
> keep the wind on our bow, the gusts hit and we were knocked down with bare
> poles. Exciting is an understatement. And there was no time to be scared,
> just scramble to the high side as fast as possible. But the Rhodes is
> designed well and it did what it should - it rounded up into the wind and
> popped back up. We did take on a great deal of water, both over the side and
> under the pop-top.
> 
> 
> 
> At the time of the first wind, there were about six boats all trying to make
> it into the rocky entrance of Sturgeon Cove. Those who were closest to us
> confirmed later that our mast was indeed parallel with the water. Estimates
> after the storm were that the winds were pushing 50 knots.
> 
> 
> 
> We would've both been happy to have the excitement end at that point, but
> the dinghy had other ideas and decided to go sailing. As it whipped around
> in the air (it's an 8' Avon dinghy), it finally landed upside down. It then
> started diving, making it impossible to maintain our forward momentum even
> with the motor running full throttle. Once again we were pushed around and
> knocked down a second time. Again the Rhodes recovered but we were forced to
> run with the wind until the storm passed. With rain so hard we could not
> see, we kept our fingers crossed that we did not hit any rocks.
> 
> 
> 
> Many thanks go to fellow Rhodes owner and trip organizer, John Travis, who
> turned his boat around and offered his assistance as we struggled to get the
> dinghy right-sided. He then escorted all of the remaining boats into Bell
> Cove, which did not have the same treacherous, rock-infested entrance as
> Sturgeon Cove. We stayed two nights in Bell Cove before heading on to Little
> Current.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Four - Little Current
> 
> First thing to know about Little Current is that the current is not little.
> It is wind driven and the water is pushed through the channel that divides
> Manitoulin Island. When it's bad, the channel markers have a significant
> lean and the current makes getting past the swing bridge quite interesting.
> We stayed at Spider Bay Marina for two nights. The rest of the Trailer
> Sailor group either took advantage of the facilities and then continued on
> or stayed one night at the Marina. It appeared to be pretty consistent that
> after three days on anchor, all of the boats needed to pump-out and stock up
> on food.
> 
> 
> 
> Dan was still trying to wrap-up details for the magazine and internet access
> was critical. He spent a great deal of time at the Anchor Inn which had
> everything: beer, wireless internet access,  and food. You can check it out,
> if you wish at http://www.anchorgrill.com/. They have a patio cam and a port
> cam so you can see the 'live' view. While Dan was working I occupied my time
> by reading a book and getting a pedicure. One of us needed to preserve the
> idea that we were on 'vacation'.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Six - Snug Harbour
> 
> The rest of the Trailor Sailors were targeting Covered Portage, our next
> stop was Snug Harbour, which was which is a beautiful, deep-water bay. After
> a nice sail (about 13nm), we got tucked into a good spot and spent the
> afternoon swimming and relaxing. The entire area is very conducive to
> sailboats and at any given harbor; the sailboats would either equal or
> outnumber the powerboat/trawlers. The next morning we did a hike across the
> peninsula to a fossil beach where we found numerous Inuksuit statues. These
> are man-made rock piles that are stacked to symbolize a man and to serve as
> direction guides.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Seven - Killarney
> 
> We caught up with some of the Trailer Sailors in Killarney, where the main
> street is really the waterway. Killarney is a crossroads and allows boaters
> to cut through rather than go all the way around Manitoulin Island. The
> largest marina, the Sportsman, can accommodate 140 transient boats on two
> sides of the waterway. They have a small pontoon that runs back and forth
> called Tinker Bell. Killarney was as far east as we were traveling. Due to
> nasty headwinds and predictions of bad weather, we stayed two nights at
> Killarney. The marina also had wireless internet access that was accessible
> even where we were on the far shore. Dan was able to continue his work while
> sitting in the cockpit. I went hiking with friends and explored the little
> town of Killarney.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Nine - Little Current, again
> 
> The next day we left for a quick stop at Covered Portage, where Dan went
> hiking and we had lunch. We then we headed straight into the wind back to
> Little Current - once again so Dan could get internet access, the magazine
> was going into final edits and he needed to be available or be without a
> job. It was not the best day as we motored 19nm into 3-4 waves with the wind
> on our nose. We made it to the Swing Bridge at Little Current just in time
> for the 4pm opening and motored at full throttle to get through the opening
> against an extremely strong current.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Ten - Exploding Boats
> 
> I guess things had been too calm for too many days. At about 9am we heard a
> loud boom and then a few minutes later heard a May Day stating that there
> was a boat on fire on Dock 2 at Spider Bay Marina. Since we were on Dock 4,
> it had our attention. We could see black smoke pouring out across from us -
> please note that the gas dock separated us from Dock 2. The marina staff
> reacted quickly and closed the marina, evacuated everyone off of all boats,
> and scurried us back to a shelter by the road. There were people in their
> pajamas and it had started raining. Some of the staff from Discovery
> Charters brought over blankets from the storage building and we all watched
> and waited as the flames shot up 30 feet or more. We learned later that
> mechanics had been doing some battery work on a 40' Carver when one of the
> batteries exploded. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The boat burned down to the
> waterline. The boat next it also caught fire and was also totaled. The fire
> department used dinghies to move as many of the other boats away from the
> fire to prevent further damage or exploding diesel tanks. There were two 40'
> sailboats that received significant damage - their masts were charred all
> the way to the top - I'm sure that their radar was no longer functioning.
> The town of Little Current did a fabulous job responding and providing
> shelter for everyone evacuated. They took them to a community center and
> provided hot food and coffee. We opted to walk into town for breakfast. By
> mid-afternoon, we were allowed to return to our boats and by 4pm they
> re-opened the marina although the burnt hull was still in the water.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Eleven - Croker Island
> 
>> From Little Current, we sailed to Croker Island which was about 14nm. While
> at Little Current, we spent some very enjoyable time with a couple spending
> their summer sailing on their 34' C& C. They were also heading to Croker and
> said they would save us a good spot. When we arrived, we found them tucked
> stern-to against a steep cliff and tied to shore. We snuck in right beside
> them and found it to be an extremely protected anchorage. We went for a hike
> up the cliffs, where they showed us the safe paths and the blueberries. We
> were able to hike across the top of the cliff so we could see out into Gore
> Bay and over to the Benjamin Islands. The view was spectacular. We returned
> to our boat and had a joint dinner with our new friends. This was to be our
> last night so we made a sincere effort to clear out the last of our food,
> alcohol, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Twelve - Croker part two Thursday
> 
> The next morning we headed out to return to Spanish. We were now ahead of
> many of the trailer sailors by a day but I wanted to get back in time to
> relax before returning to work. The winds were quite strong from the SW and
> we attempted to take a shortcut through the Benjamin Islands. This is an
> unmarked channel with rocks that requires one person on bow watch and one at
> the helm going very slow. With crashing waves on the far side and a
> significant crosswind, I voted not to proceed. Dan reluctantly agreed
> knowing that we would have to go around the southside of the Benjamins and
> the waves would be on our beam as they came across Gore Bay. We made it past
> the south side of the Benjamin's and started heading north. We were about to
> raise sails when the sky ahead of started darkening and quickly. It was
> still quite a distance off but it was in the direction we were heading. When
> lighting flashes started, we turned around and headed back to Croker. Our
> friends on Magic Carpet were pleased that we returned based on the weather
> they were seeing from the top of the cliff. Once again we got tucked up
> against the cliff. The first storm just grazed Croker Island around 6pm. It
> got extremely dark but ended up moving more towards the north. The storm at
> 1am was a different story, and several boats that were across the bay from
> us had problems dragging anchors and getting pushed aground.
> 
> 
> 
> Day Thirteen
> 
> We left Croker at 7am and started sailing west. Distance was about 12nm. We
> had beautiful winds and almost kept pace with another sailboat who was
> motoring back to Spanish. We caught up to him at Little Detroit where we had
> to motor through the cut. Little Detroit is a very narrow channel that can
> only handle boats going in one direction at a time. You must announce your
> presence on the VHF and indicate which direction you are heading. A short
> while later we were back at the fuel dock in Spanish, taking advantage of
> their pump out. Dan retrieved the trailer and we were able to motor straight
> onto the trailer from the fuel dock - we were out of the water by 11:15,
> just in time to catch the last of the breakfast served at the marina. We
> spent the next few hours tearing down and clearing items off of the boat.
> After stopping for ice cream at Le Belle Abri, we finally hit the road
> around 5pm. We expected a short drive, just to get through customs at Sault
> Ste. Marie.
> 
> 
> 
> For those interested in sailing the North Channel:
> 
> Well-Favored Passage by Pixie Haughwout and Ralph Folsom - excellent!
> 
> Ports: The Cruising Guides for Georgian Bay, The North Channel, and Lake
> Huron
> 
> 
> 
> Julie
> 
> s/v Blue Loon
> 
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