45°55′12″ N 82°27′45″ W

We arrived in Gore Bay around 2:00 pm & stopped at the marina’s main dock to get some diesel fuel. While we were there, Chris Percy, a friend from the Goderich Yacht Club called out to us to say hello. Chris & his wife Ruth keep their boat at this marina.

We were planning on tying up to one of the marina’s visitor’s docks for a few hours while we went into town to pick up supplies from the local grocery store & then move over to a nearby anchorage for the night. Chris P suggested that we come & tie up at a vacant slip close to his boat & then visit with he & Ruth for awhile. Once we got settled on the dock we liked the location so well that we decided to stay there for the night.

We went over to the Percy’s boat, Pura Vida, a really nice 32′ Transpacific Eagle & we celebrated our reunion with friends & our safe arrival in Gore Bay. Of course, on a hot day, just about anything at all can be used as a reason to tip a glass or two of something special with friends. Chris P was kind enough to loan Chris C his car so he could pick up more supplies from the grocery store. Otherwise we’re limited to purchasing only what we can carry back to the boat – & the store was a few blocks away.

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Chris P also introduced us to his DIY wine that he makes as part of their summer supply aboard Pura Vida. I’ve made a bit of “kit” wine myself over the years but grew tired of all the fussing around with glass bottles-washing, storing, etc. He found a wine kit store in Goderich that lets customers “bottle” their wine in heavy plastic bags that hold about 7 liters each. Then you just put the bag in a plastic dispenser box & draw off what you want. No bottles or corks to fuss with! I’ve gotta find a place in London that does this & try them out. Could be a good fall & winter project for me once Ananda is hauled out for winter storage.

 

 

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The four of us went for dinner to a restaurant called “Buoys” that is adjacent to the marina. On our walk to the restaurant we went past the marina’s winter storage yard & took a look at a small Cessna float plane that had crashed in the bay a few weeks earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dick Peever, the owner of the plane had been in Gore Bay for some business with the marina & the plane was flipped over by a strong gust of wind just as it was becoming airborne. Dick also owns the marina in Goderich where I keep Ananda.

Fortunately Dick was not injured in the crash & was able to get out of the plane after it flipped over. Several boaters in the marina went over to help him. That was a close call for sure!

 

 

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After supper we walked the docks to admire some of the other boats in the marina. Chris P introduced me to his friends Jim & Bonnie who own a 37′ Nordic Tug that they have named Ingomar. They bought this boat new 17 years ago & it still looks as good as the day they got it. They were kind enough to give me a full tour & tell me more about it. Such a beautiful boat! Jim & Bonnie live in Harbor Springs, MI & now that they are both retired they spend their summers cruising in the North Channel. Jim was telling me that he worked for GM in Detroit for many years & was on their new car design team. Between their beautiful boat & Jim’s interesting career, I could have spent the whole evening gamming with them.

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By the time I got back to Ananda, Chris Cavanaugh had started his own gamming session. On board were Chris P & Ruth plus their portside dockmate Bob who lhas a 36′ Grand Banks trawler named “Prince Arthur” & their starboard side dockmates Norm & Diane who have a 33′ Great Lake “Europa” style trawler named Rolger II.

 

 

 

 

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After that session wound down Bob took Chris & I on a tour of his Grand Banks. Another beautiful boat with a very proud owner. That tour lasted well over an hour because it kept being interrupted by us telling each other more stories & more libations.

What started out to be a quiet day after arriving in the marina ended up extending itself to almost midnight, which is well past this sailor’s usual bedtime.

Cheers!

45°57′27″ N 83°6′2″ W

We had a great rest last night in a very beautiful & peaceful anchorage.

Chris was up at 7:00 & had the coffee pot on. I was up shortly after that.

We brought in the anchor (gotta love that electric windlass) & are headed to Gore Bay, which is about 27 nm east of our location.

We will pick up some more fuel there & also some more groceries & other provisions. Then we will anchor in the little bay adjacent to the marina docks.

Here’s a photo of Chris on the helm taking us out of Meldrum Bay & on to Gore Bay – he knows the way for sure …..

 

Cheers!

45°59′3″ N 83°25′55″ W

We motorsailed north “up” False Detour Channel between 3:30 and 4:30 pm yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. The borderline between Canada and the United States goes through the middle of the channel, with Michigan on our port side & Ontario on our starboard side, so we were likely weaving back and forth between the two countries at times, depending upon the accuracy of our GPS & chart plotter.

 

 

When we reached the far north end of the channel and pointed our bow further east we were definitely in Canadian waters. It was time to lower our American courtesy flag. While we were glad to be back “home” again in Canada we were also sad that the “American” portion of our cruise had come to an end.

 

We had a great time cruising in Michigan & Wisconsin waters. In addition to having a wonderful visit with my dear friends Bo & Molly in Door County, we also travelled to many other interesting places, stayed in a lot of beautiful marinas & anchorages, had great adventures on the water & on shore & met a lot of really nice people everywhere we went.

Thanks for sharing these waters with us America. You’re great, you always have been and you always will be!

Once we were through the False Detour Channel we headed towards Meldrum Bay & arrived there about 6:30 pm. This was our check in point with Canadian Customs. We were required to tie up at the marina’s main dock and then I reported into customs via a special telephone line in the marina office.

After we cleared customs we motored a couple hundred meters further down the bay and anchored for the night in a beautiful spot. (45°55′37″ N 83°6′50″ W)

Chris made a really tasty Indian curry for supper. The curry & a cold beer were just the right thing after a long hot day on the water.

 

Cheers everyone, eh!

45°54′23″ N 83°38′27″ W

It’s a fantastic day on the water. The air temperature is just right & the waters are relatively calm. It’s 2:30 in the afternoon & we are only about 30 minutes from our originally planned destination.

Conditions are so good that we have decided to continue on to Meldrum Bay & anchor there for the night. We should arrive between 6:00 & 7:00pm & will check in with Canadian Customs there.

Stay tuned for another update early this evening.

Cheers!

45°53′30″ N 84°33′16″ W

We left St. Ignace at 8:00am this morning & are headed to Little Shelter Bay on Drummond Island. This will be our last stop in the USA before crossing back into Canada tomorrow.

This passage is going to be very simple. After we left the marina & got out past the northwestern tip of Mackinaw Island, we stay on a straight line course for about 46 nm, then we “hang a left” into the bay where we will anchor for the night. The entire trip should take us around 6 1/2 hours. Chris is on watch for traffic & fishing nets.

Yesterday was a laid back day. It was windy & cool & there were several small rain showers. It was a good day to be on the dock. I spent part of the morning working on my laptop & Chris made another trip to the local grocery store for a few more provisions.

We had Our neighbor Bren over for dinner & Chris cooked some marinated ribs on the BBQ & corn on the cob. Delicious! While we were having our supper a local wedding party came onto the docks & had a photo shoot on the Viking ship. Now that will be something to remember through the years ahead!

After supper Chris wandered over towards the Viking ship to check them out & he saw a familiar sailboat on the same dock. Turns out that last summer we had met the owners, Ella & Bill while we were anchored in Wingfield Basin. They are from Minnesota & keep their boat “Vixen” in this general area & cruise around Northern Michigan & the North Channel every summer for their water oriented vacation.

 

 

 

Ella & Bill came over to Ananda to say hello & to see the boat. They have a friend who has a newer version of this boat & were interested to compare layouts. After the tour we settled down to discussing more important things. Chris introduced Bill to “the bad bird” (aka The Famous Grouse) & Ella & I discussed our ongoing battles with spiders & their droppings. I introduced Ella to the miracle of “Spray Nine” cleaner. She was not sure if the product was available in the US so I presented her with 1/3 full bottle of the stuff to take “home” & try out on their boat 👌

 

While we were visiting the Town of St Ignace put on a fireworks display in the harbor beside the marina. It went on for 15-20 minutes & was very impressive. Apparently the Town does this every Saturday evening during the summer. So if you are visiting or traveling through the area it’s worth staying around for.

Cheers & catch up to you again soon!