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For the third day in a row we had overcast skies, drizzle and fog when we awoke and it was not looking good for seaplane landings. Kevin and I went to breakfast at the Rock Harbor Lodge and I helped him carry his things over to the seaplane dock. The visibility was coming and going and in the end the seaplane did not come. So Kevin left at 1445 on the ferry that Will and the boys arrived on at 1130 from Copper Harbor. The rest of the day was nasty with lots of rain so we made the decision to stay here versus subjecting the kids to a day of rain at anchor. I took everyone to lunch at the Snack Bar and then Will took everyone on a short hike to Suzy’s Cave. When they got back they were really wet but their spirits were high. After dinner everyone was ready to turn in early.

For the third day in a row we had overcast skies, drizzle and fog when we awoke and it was not looking good for seaplane landings. Kevin and I went to breakfast at the Rock Harbor Lodge and I helped him carry his things over to the seaplane dock. The visibility was coming and going and in the end the seaplane did not come. So Kevin left at 1445 on the ferry that Will and the boys arrived on at 1130 from Copper Harbor. The rest of the day was nasty with lots of rain so we made the decision to stay here versus subjecting the kids to a day of rain at anchor. I took everyone to lunch at the Snack Bar and then Will took everyone on a short hike to Suzy’s Cave. When they got back they were really wet but their spirits were high. After dinner everyone was ready to turn in early.

We were up early and ready to leave at 0800 but the weather did not get the message as we had pea soup, 50 foot visibility, fog. By 0930 the visibility had improved to 100 feet and we could at least make out the other two boats in the anchorage. We decided to leave but we had to choose between going out the tricky eastern entrance using our inbound track on the chart plotter or go out the relatively open western entrance using our radar and chart plotter. We chose the latter option. Kevin stayed down below on the chart plotter while I was up in the cockpit using the radar to mark islands and keeping an alert lookout for any other boats. The teamwork paid off as an hour later we had successfully negotiated our way through the islands and shoals out into the open waters of the Lake. The fog persisted with visibility below ¼ mile all the way across to Blake Point on Isle Royale’s eastern tip. Then we got lucky. Just as we got to Blake Point , the visibility opened up to 2 miles and we could actually see the entrance to Rock Harbor and the narrow channel down to Snug Harbor. I had not been looking forward to piloting down that stretch on radar. On the other hand after having made it into Rossport and out of Loon, I think Kevin and I are getting good at it. Though there is no doubt my blood pressure will elevate anytime we are forced to employ the tactic. We rounded the point into the harbor at 1330 and were very pleased to find plenty of open docks. As soon as we got here the visibility started to drop and an hour later we were socked in again. Yes, we were lucky. After lunch Kevin took a hike looking for moose and actually spotted a mother and calf. We ate dinner at Rock Harbor Lodge and Kevin went for another hike while I attended a lecture on loons.
We plan to stay here tomorrow, clean the boat and do laundry in preparation for Kevin’s leaving and Will and my four grandsons arriving on Saturday morning. I hope they have a smooth crossing from Copper Harbor.

At 1000 we left the marina into a cool light SE breeze and motored across Nipigon Bay and then down Nipigon Strait out into Lake Superior. There was no wind but there was a 3 foot swell from the SE as we motored around Lamb Island, across the top of Hawk Island, between Lowrey and Brodeur Islands and down the channel east of Lasher Island to the opening into Loon Harbour. Loon is considered one of the prettiest places on the Lake and I will not argue about that description. As we were negotiating the entrance , mist patches started to come in off the Lake and periodically block the sun. We anchored in 11 feet of water in the south end of Loon at 1530. There was a converted Canadian fish tug already there and soon afterward we were joined by a large power boat from Minnesota. As the afternoon progressed the mist patches became more frequent and by the time Kevin and I finished the spaghetti I had cooked we were socked in with fog. We cancelled our trip ashore, watched Out of Africa and hit the sack for an early departure tomorrow to Isle Royale

I spent the morning updating the blog and sending pictures of CPR slip for Will to post. We then filled our tank with 20 gallons of diesel and left at 1100 for the very short trip south to the town of Red Rock. It was our fourth sunny day in a row although cloud cover is moving in from the west. Once at Red Rock we pulled into the gas dock to register and the wind built up and pinned us on the dock. Several hours later the wind moderated and with the help of several people we got off the dock and went to our slip. We were told by a number of people that the walk into town at Red Rock is shorter than at Nipigon but it is not. I was lucky to catch a ride up to the grocery store to finish my provisioning for the arrival of Will and my four grandsons Brian, Adam Connor and Aidan who will arrive on Saturday at Isle Royale. Kevin and I went to dinner at the Red Rock Inn and it was nice to dine once again on a white table cloth. The ambiance of this old Inn and the food were very good. Tomorrow we are off to Loon Harbour where we will anchor and the make the crossing to Isle Royale on Thursday. Right now the weather forecast is good for both days.

It was another cool night, but we awoke to our third day of sun in a row. Maybe things are changing for the better. We were underway a little after 0900 and motored east through the shoals and across the top of Agate Island. After that we were able to turn SW down Williard Strait and hoist sails in a light breeze from the SE. We sailed for about an hour and a half until we turned N up Nipigon Strait and wre blanketed by the steep cliffs to the east. It was an easy trip for the rest of the day until we came to the narrow channel up the river to Nipigon. The channel is well buoyed so we had no real difficulty until the end when we only had 2 feet of water under the keel. We spent the afternoon doing laundry and then went to dinner at the Nipigon Cafe.  We plan to refuel tomorrow morning and head south all of 5 miles to Red Rock.

It is evident in a  very sad way that all the communities on the Canadian shore of Lake Superior are hurting. Virtually the only construction is public works. We are told all of the paper, plywood and lumber mills are closed and most of the non-essential shops in the towns are also closed. Many of the men haved moved west where there is work providing lumber to the Far East. Let’s hope the economy improves soon!

We had another wonderful, warm sunny day here. Several boats left late last night and early this morning but they were replaced by two power boats and another sailboat from Thunder Bay.  We had a lazy day enjoying not having to move the boat.  After another sauna, we grilled hamburgers and sat back to listen to the loons calling around us.  Those of us who stayed up late spotted three more satellites and realized the satellite we spotted last night must have been the Space Station because of its size and brightness.  Most of us do not have the chance to enjoy the night skies and spot  these  interesting things because of the light pollution we all live with.  Tomorrow we are off to Nipigon which is 30 miles further north and we will cross the 49th parallel getting there. It is the northern most part of the Great Lakes.

I was in CPR Slip in 2005 and I have been looking forward to returning since then.  We weighed anchor at 0830 and ventured out into a mostly sunny  but cold day with NW wind blowing 15-20 knots . This was off the land so the seas were fairly flat.  You have to snake your way around several islands and shoals to get into  tiny CPR Slip and things were going well until a 25 knot gust hit me as I was making the last turn into the harbor and pushed me on to a gravel and sand shoal at the entrance.  However, there  were  already about six boats  here and two of them took there dinghies and came out to pull me off. This was the first of many courtesies  extended by these friendly people. We were able to pull alongside the same dock I used in 2005 and although I am sticking out 15 feet we have a line off the port bow to a tree which gives us a secure tie up.  Things have not changed much at CPR Slip. There are still 3 small docks on the south side of the cove in front of the Bunk House and Sauna and one on the north side The one dock which used to be on the east side is temporarily out but they plan to replace it.

As it turns out  the Northern Lake Superior Power Squadron is having their Rendezvous here this weekend and as the day progressed  four more boats arrived.  After lunch, Kevin and I made  the 2 mile, 600 foot climb to the lookout above CPR.  At two places on the well marked trail there are ropes secured to trees which you need to  use to climb some steep terrain. The view from the top is magnificent. We signed the logbook  which is maintained at the top and were surprised to learn we were only the 10th and 11th people to climb up there this year. I also was able to photograph two different varieties of wild terrestrial  orchids we saw alongside the trail.

The rest of the day was just plain FUN. We had our sauna which was as good as I remembered, we were invited to join the group’s cookout and stuffed ourselves with a variety of delicious offerings, we sat around the campfire telling stories and drinking wine until midnight, we enjoyed great music played from a setup which was powered by a generator from one of the boats, and we enjoyed a clear sky filled with stars and one very bright satellite which passed overhead at about 2300. It was a great day and I am looking forward to being here tomorrow as well.  By the  it looks like it will not be as cold tonight and the prospect is for a mild day tomorrow.

It was cold and rainy yesterday and last night so it was a pleasant surprise to have the sun shining when we got up this morning. We delayed our departure until 1300 and during that time I was able to get on line in the marina office and post some blogs and pictures. We had north winds and mostly sunny skies and we were able to sail 10 of the 14 miles to Woodbine Harbour where we anchored near a 35 foot sailboat called Audacity with three men on board. The north winds continued to blow all night but we were comfortable in this well protected little nook. Once again it was cold. The spinach and white beans over pasta I cooked inside helped warm things up a little bit.

It started raining and blowing last night at about 2300 and continued all night, but the wind only occasionally got above 10 knots in our protected anchorage. The forecast for the next few days sounded bad so we elected to leave and go to Rossport today versus sit here in the rain and cold. We were out of the protection of the Slates at 1000 and had a rough two hours heading NW to the Schreiber Channel. The winds were up to 25 knots, the seas were 6-8 feet with an occasional 10 footer and the visibility was less than 1/2 mile in rain and mist. But everything was on our stern so it was only modestly uncomfortable. As we entered Schreiber Chaqnnel the visibilty dropped to 100 yards and I turned on the radar. For the next hour we navigated through the islands strictly using GPS and radar. Most of the islands we never even saw. By 1300 we finally pulled up to the dock at the marina and the people were surprised to see us come out of the fog. The rest of the day we dodged raindrops while we walked around the area enjoying the abundant gardens containing impressive stands of lupines in all colors. We investigated the Rossport Inn and rhe serendipity Gardens Cafe for dinner and chose the latter. We both enjoyed our meal and expect to go back again tonight. It is great  to be back in civilization. Though truth be told other than the two restaurants, several B&B’s and one gift shop there is nothing else here.

We have arranged to stay in Rossport tomorrow and have the Harbourmaster take us to Schreiber (13 miles) where we can do laundry and I will start provisioning for next week when Will and the four grandsons  arrive. I will not do another post until the 7/17.