Cheryl's Notes:

We left DeTour Village this morning and headed up the St. Mary's River. We had a nice quiet run and made it to Sault Ste. Marie by 3 pm. Pulled into George Kemp Marina and topped off our fuel tank and then into a slip. Right after we arrived, another small sailboat came in from Roseville, MN. They are starting out on the voyage that we just completed. While talking to them, we heard familiar voices. We turned around and saw Todd and Kitty walking down the dock. They are sailing Gypsy Soul to the North Channel for a few weeks.

We took a quick walk around town. I needed to buy a new ball cap, having left mine at home. Of course, the fudge shop was right next door. We spent the rest of the evening catching up with Todd and Kitty. They had news from back in Bayfield, and we had stories to tell about our travels. We must have had a good time, because we were louder than the power boaters down the dock. It was really great seeing them again. It made us feel that we were home.

John's Notes:

You know you are getting close to home when you start replacing the screen portions of your cockpit enclosure with the strataglas panels. It is definitely getting cooler out on the water.

What a surprise to meet old friends here at Sault Ste. Marie. Todd and Kitty Jones are a really fun couple. After dinner we sat in their cockpit and got caught up on all the happenings in Bayfield while they quizzed us about our travels. They are experienced sailors but have not been to some of the places that we have. Todd is having some difficulties with his Racor filters and was unable to find any here in Sault Ste. Marie. Luckily, his engine uses the same ones that we do, so I gave him a couple of our spares. Since they got the new Island Packet, they can't keep it in their slip at Port Superior because of the size. They have a slip at the city marina downtown and said that if we get back to Bayfield before they do, we could use their slip for a few days. That would be awesome because we might be back before Pat and Dave leave on their trip to the North Shore. We are going to use their slip at Port Superior while we go back to Sandusky to get our car. It will be a miracle if all this works out, but for now it looks good.

I was sorry to hear of the passing of Dave West. He was a really nice guy and from a business standpoint, was making an impact on the economic stability of Bayfield. He will not only be missed as a great sailor but as an individual.