Au Revoir Great Lakes
09 September 2015
A saltwater tear fills my eye,
as I bid farewell to the freshwater paradise.
Two months on the Great Lakes and they are truly great. Who would want anything more than the beautiful islands, bays and wonderful people we have encountered along the way. I have gone swimming every day in pristine water so clear. Some areas are wilderness, barely changed by man, others are population centers that revere their lake fronts. Cottages abound and it is fun to see the ingenuity of the builders of these paradise get-aways.
Highlights start in Lake Michigan. Milwaukee is perfect for sailing (although I have heard reports that this Summer's weather hasn't cooperated). The water is deep and winds fair. Access is relatively easy for all. The Michigan side does have the best beaches and harbors often open to inland lakes. Green Bay, Door County and north to Fayette, MI are always favorite cruising grounds. When you get to the north end of Lake Michigan, you know you have traveled a distance. Gray's Reef is the entrance to a different lake system. Mackinac Island is fun for a day but tiring for more.
Those who sail to the North Channel of Lake Huron may be bypassing another special area, Les Cheneaux Islands. There are great anchorages, a culinary school that serves excellent meals and deep channels that wind through the islands. Every other boat house seems to have a restored “woodie” and they are often seen on evening cruises.
We made a side trip up the St. Mary's River to Lake Superior. It is an historic shipping route and the winding river fun to navigate with huge freighters.
The North Channel is well known but can't be explored enough. We met people who have cruised the Bahamas and Caribbean. They say the North Channel is their favorite. It is a great place to cruise but only during the few months of Summer. Roy Eaton's Cruiser's Net gives daily updates, helps connect cruisers through check-ins and provides a safety service. We have been fortunate to have met Roy at several cruiser's pot-luck dinners. It is unfortunate that it takes at least 4 days to get to the NC from Milwaukee. I suggest cruisers share their boat and the delivers to and from to maximize their enjoyment of the NC.
Georgian Bay was a new cruising ground for Uproar. Bill and Judy have explored the area well and showed us their favorite places. It is even more wilderness than the NC but similar in beauty.
Heading south from Georgian Bay we sailed into several Ontario ports on our way to the St Claire River. Little Tub, Kincardine and Bayfield are touristy towns but fun, low key ports. Little Tub had three wrecks in crystal clear water only 15 feet deep. I enjoyed snorkeling the area but water was cold!
The St. Claire River is at the south end of Lake Huron. This was a surprise. The water was clear and scenery interesting. Being near two population centers (Detroit and Toronto) the shores were mostly lined with beautiful cottages. We had a two knot current to help us along the way. There are Islands everywhere and intricate passages into Lake St Claire.
The Clinton River on Lake St Claire is a huge boating center. Every type of boat can be found there. There are several yacht clubs and racing. Lake St Claire is shallow but also very clear. Even the Detroit River was interesting.
Put In Bay was the only port we visited on Lake Erie. This is a party town in high gear for thousands of tourists. The surrounding islands are quite scenic and there is much made of the history of the Battle of Lake Erie. “Don't Give Up the Ship!” We did our first night passage from PIB to Port Coburn, Ontario.
Port Coburn doesn't have much to offer but it is the start of the Welland Canal. We had heard bad reports about the Welland Canal but we had a pleasant passage in just over 5 hours.
Lake Ontario, while fairly featureless on the west end more than makes up for it on the east end.
Toronto was visible to the North but we headed east to Youngstown and Rochester. Youngstown is only 15 miles from Niagara Falls. At that point, I felt we had really covered some miles. We visited the spectacular Falls.
Our destination in Lake Ontario was the Thousand Islands, the first 20 miles of the St Lawrence River. This was well worth the detour and two weeks we spent there. The islands provided calm bays for anchoring and parks to explore. Some islands on the Canadian side were parks with inexpensive docks. We preferred to anchor but Sophie enjoyed the dinghy rides to the islands. She even dove in to try to catch a mink.
The US side of the river had castles built by the super wealthy and other beautiful homes. A Bay was a fun touristy town and Clayton has the renowned Antique Boat Museum. Like Les Chenaux Islands, woodies are everywhere. The Thousand Islands are truly beautiful but most of the islands are private. We did enjoy encounters with people and were twice invited to their homes for dinner. And this is New York!
Sackets Harbor on the east shore of Lake Ontario was our last stop. We anchored outside the marina and stayed put for three lazy days. The weather was perfect and the town interesting. Restaurants were superb. The picture is our anchorage at Sackets.
Now we are in the Erie Canal. We dropped the mast yesterday in Oswego, NY and took the 25 mile Oswego Canal to the Erie.
It is with no small measure of sadness that we leave the Great Lakes. This historic waterway has been a mecca for trade and recreation for centuries. Can there be a finer place to sail? Is any place more inviting and beautiful? Can we find people as friendly as the ones we met in every port or anchorage? Perhaps not but Uproar was made to sail and we will continue to explore.