This is the log of a voyage from Bayfield, Wisconsin, across Lake
Superior, the North Channel and Georgian Bay, through the Trent-Severn Waterway, past the Thousand
Islands and down the St Lawrence Seaway to bring a sailboat to its new home in
Montreal, a journey of 19 days.
The boat, "Prozac", a Beneteau 311, was purchased in October 2007 as a replacement for our Tanzer 7.5 which had served us well in the shallow waters of Lac St Louis but that we considered too small for any serious cruising. The search for the boat was made easier as we had a clear idea what we were looking for but the preference for finding a freshwater boat made the choice somewhat more restricted. However we were very lucky to find one for sale at the far end of Lake Superior that
met all of our requirements.
Initially the plan was to transport the boat back to Montreal by truck but, over the winter, the idea of sailing her back took shape although there were concerns as to whether anyone could be persuaded to crew and whether I would be able to take sufficient time off work for a voyage that was expected to take somewhere between three and four weeks. Fortunately both of these concerns proved to be unfounded – and so the plans began to take shape.
The detail was most definitely in the planning! The trip had to be broken down into manageable sections allowing for arrival at each stopover destination that provided necessary services (fuel, pump out, fresh water, showers, food – beer!) during daylight hours. Equipment had to be bought: safety equipment, foul weather gear, charts, electronic navigation equipment, even pots and pans. All of this had, somehow, to be delivered to the boat. Eight large boxes together with immersion suits were despatched by ship and were delivered – with the crew – from Duluth by Dan and Luke Sydow, two of the many people who helped make this trip possible.
And so it was that the first crew (Peter Charron, Greg Mant, Theyre Smith and myself) arrived at Roy's Point Marina in Bayfield on Thursday 5th June. My wife and I had been to Bayfield the previous weekend to meet the sellers, Del and Susie – another pair to whom we are very
grateful – who showed us the workings and helped us us to rig the boat which was in pristine condition. However, shortly after the crew arrived and the boxes and immersion suits were stacked on the dock together with the deflated dinghy and its outboard, the challenge arose as to how to fit all of the equipment and the four of us onto a 32-foot boat and keep it in a pristine condition! To say that we managed would be not be truthful but, somehow, everything was eventually stowed although the idea of getting underway within a few hours of arrival quickly evaporated; the task took the entire day.
And the rest, as they say, is history, all recorded in the journals that were written by the crew and posted regularly during the voyage, which just leaves me the opportunity to sum up here the overall experience.
Lake Superior was cold, much colder than I had expected; and it was foggy during the night. However it was a real experience being on watch sailing through the
night-time dependant solely on the chartplotter, the radar reflector and the 15-minute interval broadcast on Channel 16 in the hope that nearby vessels would pick up our presence. None replied so we can only assume that there was no one else out there – but we will never know!
Whitefish Bay wasn’t quite as scary as I had feared although the thunderstorm, rain and hail helped keep the adrenalin flowing. It was a marked change from our experience in
the main part of Lake Superior in that there was actually some traffic!
The Soo and Mary River transit was very tame by comparison although we were fortunate for the most part in not having ships bearing down on us in the sometimes very narrow channels.
The North Channel was a total contrast in scenery as we navigated around the islands, sometimes through quite tricky channels in weather that was not always favourable for such
manoeuvres. However, it was a very pretty route and one that I would gladly repeat.
Our crossing of Georgian Bay was done mostly at night and we stayed quite a way offshore so we did not really see the beauty of the coastline for which it is famous until we were relatively close to our destination at Midland. It would be nice, one day, to explore this area with more time.
A crew change at Midland saw the departure of Peter and Greg (having helped us to demast the boat) to be replaced by Peter Jones.
The Trent-Severn Waterway is a real jewel with its plethora of locks, including the two lift locks, and its engineering marvel, the
'Big Chute'. The scenery is breathtaking making it a real experience although I would definitely not recommend transiting it, as we did, early in the season in a sailboat: our rudder and propeller constantly harvested weeds and needed regular reversing – and diving – to clear them. It was also a pity that a grounding at speed whilst right in the middle of the channel injured Peter J. We learnt a lesson: depths given on the charts cannot be relied upon. Peter demonstrated true grit in continuing with the voyage in spite of severe discomfort.
Peter C and Greg joined us temporarily in Kingston to give us invaluable help in stepping the mast, driving all the way from Montreal. They also brought Jack, my son, from Montreal to join as crew for the remainder of the trip.
The Thousand Islands were as picturesque as they are described, with contrasting small log cabins and brash castles perched on the rocky outcrops. The attraction of this area for boaters of all types is understandable with its abundance of parks and its crystal-clear water.
The St. Lawrence Seaway was disappointing in that, for a crew with maritime backgrounds, we encountered very few ships, just a few domestic Lakers and small multi-purpose saltwater ships bringing in
windmill parts. However going through the Seaway locks designed for ships over 20-times as long as our boat made one realize how huge these Lakers are.
It was fitting that the wind picked up as we crossed Lac St Louis on the final stage of our journey back to Pointe Claire Yacht Club, enabling us to fly both sails,
dousing the main when winds starting gusting at over 30 knots. The boat and crew looked a little bedraggled on arrival, nothing that could not be corrected with a few nights good sleep (for the crew) and a good hose down (for the boat)!
We had made the voyage in very good time, all things considered. It was a really great experience, an adventure that will live in my memory, for sure, for the rest of my life. The camaraderie of the crew, the thrills of the trip, the places we visited and the people we met all contribute to those memories. However it is to people that I owe my thanks, not only
to all of the crew but also all those who helped in small ways and big ways to make this trip possible. I have included some of these in a list of credits but there are many, including those that we met on our way, whose names are missing but
who equally deserve my gratitude. Thank you.