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We left the dock at 0900 and followed another sailboat through the tricky entrance back out into the Lake. We were able to sail for about an hour before the wind backed into the W and headed us. We arrived at Hay Bay at 1300 and once again we found the two boat dock wide open. We have been fortunate. After lunch, we went on a hike to the other side of the peninsula which forms Hay Bay. Then Will, Adam and Connor took the dinghy and went fishing while Aidan and Brian went swimming and I cooked Mac and Cheese to go with our hot dogs for dinner. While the guys were fishing, I spotted a Bald Eagle and watched it make several dives into the bay for fish. It was eagle 0 and fish 2 as he did not connect. It was a hungry group that devoured 16 hot dogs for dinner. The boys were about to do another polar plunge when we saw a boat approaching and an ancient Chris Craft pulled up to the other side of the dock and spent the night. Our plans were to cross the Lake to Houghton on Friday but the current forecast is bad so we may be forced to cross tomorrow. We will check the forecast tomorrow morning and make the decision.

We left Daisy Farm at 0900 in order to leave the dock open for Voyageur II which delivers hikers and campers to various locations. We went east back to Snug harbor to offload trash and fill up with water. The good news about going east was we were able to sail the 5 miles to Snug Harbor in front of a 10 to 18 knot W wind. After our quick stop we motored SW down Rock Harbor and then out into the open Lake. It was a rough 4 miles out to Saginaw Point and then SW to Chippewa Harbor as the 15-25 knot winds on the lake had built up 5-7 foot seas. We were all glad to pull into the relative calm of Chippewa Harbor at 1300. We were also glad to find only one boat at the dock and we squeezed in behind him. With the four grandchildren on board It really is a major benefit to be at a dock instead of at anchor. Will took the kids on a 1.2 mile hike to Lake Mason to fish while I stayed behind to clean the boat and start the sauce for tonight’s spaghetti dinner. Will hooked one fish but they did not return with any to cook. The boys are doing another polar plunge tonight assuming the rain, which started before dinner , stops. I think this makes the 7th day in the row for rain although it really has not stopped us from doing anything.

We had a great camp fire last night. We were joined by seven canoers, two campers and four people from the power boat who pulled in front of us at the dock. No rain and a clear sky. In the morning we left at 1000 and since we could not see a boat at Daisy Farm we decided to check it out and sure enough it was open . In 2005 we were not able to tie up at either West Caribou or Daisy Farm, but the boat traffic is significantly down this year. I guess that is one benefit of the generally lousy weather. The main reason for going to Daisy Farm was to hike the Daisy Farm Trail up to the Greenstone Trail and then along that trail to the Ojibiway Lookout Tower and then back down to Daisy Farm. We all made the 5.1 mile hike which included going up to the nearly 1200 foot elevation at the Tower. It was a tough hike but we did it in bright sunshine and nice temperatures. To make it even better, we found lots of ripe blueberries along the Greenstone Ridge. We ate lots of them and still managed to pick and bring three cups back to the boat. It was starting to cloud up as we approached Daisy Farm and a few minutes after we returned it started to rain. I used the blueberries to make a pie which we had for dessert after our spinach and white beans over pasta. After dinner the rain stopped and the boys and Will did a polar plunge into the lake to wash off the grime from the hike. I took a shower! I think Aidan is the king of the polar plunges. He is the first in and the last out. He must have lots of antifreeze in his veins because the water is in the 50′s. After the day’s efforts we were all happy to turn in early.

By the time we` got the sleepy heads up, feed then breakfast, filled our water tanks, and topped off our diesel it was 1100. Once again it was overcast with drizzle but no fog. We headed west on Rock Harbor and sailed all the way to the small island of West Caribou where we spotted an open dock. We tied up and believe it or not the sun came out and shined the rest of the day. It turned out to be the warmest day I have seen in Lake Superior. We lowered the dinghy and Will took the boys fishing and then over to see the abandoned lighthouse at Edisen Fishery. It was fortunate we docked here as there is a metal fire ring here, and we have gathered wood for a fire we will share with the Boy Scouts who came in on canoes after we arrived. The sky is clouding up as I type. Hopefully , rain will not spoil the camp fire. Tomorrow we will most likely go to Chipewa Harbor.