Sat Aug 12 through Sun Aug 20, 2017
Finally the generator was working again, thanks to Dave at Wrights Marina, and we headed out into Georgian Bay. We saw quite a few lighthouses.
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| Pointe au Baril |
It was rather windy in the bay with 2 to 3 foot waves, so we turned into Beaverstone Inlet which is the small craft channel with more lighthouses.
Very narrow in places but the scenery was beautiful, plenty of big granite rocks, trees and clear water all the way through Collins Inlet. We went into Killarney Mountain Lodge Marina at the west end of Georgian Bay for the night. It is a small resort community with a beer store and a grill that sold fish and chips.
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| Beautiful pink granite rocks are everywhere |
The next day we headed into the North Channel with not as many rocks but plenty of trees and lots of water.
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| channel light anchored in granite |
We went through the Little Current pass (with lots of current) without any problems even waiting for the swing bridge to open. It was a long day of cruising to anchor in Vidal Bay. The next day it only took 5 hours to get to Drummond Island Michigan--back in the USA!!! We checked in with Customs and spent the night at Drumond Yacht Basin Marina.
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| Sunset back in USA |
We left Drumond Island early to head south across Lake Huron to mainland Michigan at Rogers City. Our friends Paul and Ann were waiting for us at the marina. We had traveled together as buddy boats from Demopolis, Alabama to Madeira Beach, Florida in 2016. Paul and Ann finished the Great Loop in Jacksonsville, Florida, sold their loop boat, and went back to Rogers City. We had a great visit with them and toured Rogers City.
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| Paul's and Ann's new boat - a 22' C-Dory for exploring |
The weather report was for the winds to increase and more rain, so we left the next morning for Mackinaw City. It was a good cruise with big swales pushing us along. At the Straits State Marina we met up with Dan and Jean on Time Out.
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| Big swales on Lake Huron |
The marina had great wifi so we had to catch up on paying bills and relaxed the entire day. On Friday the weather was still too wild for our boats, but we got on a big ferry to visit Mackinac Island for the day. It is a very beautiful island and The Grand Hotel reminded us of the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia. Every other building was a t-shirt shop, then a fudge shop, and then a restaurant!
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| Beautiful houses on Mackinac Island |
By Saturday the weather report was much better so there were many boats leaving the marina. We went under the Mackinaw Bridge and headed south on Lake Michigan. There was still plenty of waves and bounced us for 8 hours to Charlevoix. We had just tied up the boat at the marina and Paul and Ann arrived. We all enjoyed dinner together and caught up on the latest news. It was a great evening and great conversation!!!!
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| Paul, Ann, Dan, Jean, Kelly, Terri |
There are quite a few Loopers here in Charlevoix and we are all staying several more days waiting for the next decent weather window to head south.
