Leg 10 of our 2022 cruise up north
(to read Leg 9, “We Have Arrived, Thessalon to Beardrop,” click here)
After plenty of swimming, exploring in the dinghy, talking to other cruisers, and general relaxing yesterday, we figured it was time to move on to another spot. Our eventual goal of the whole trip is somewhere out in Georgian Bay, which lies pretty far east, so we plan to slowly make our way east for the next two weeks or so.
One of the more immediate places we’d like to see is either Matheson or Hog Islands, which lie about 25 miles east of Beardrop. With a nice north wind at 5-15 knots (and therefore, flat water), we headed out on a beam reach eastbound. I had fun navigating amongst the islands and rocks, and we transited the LIttle Detroit Passage.
Little Detroit is a very narrow, man made cut joining the Whalesback and McBean Channels. Without it would mean a long, circuitous route between many spots in this region. For this leg it saves maybe 5 miles, which can be a lot of time at only 5 knots!
Many recommend making a low power “Securite” call on the radio when about to transit the passage, as you can’t see if someone is approaching from the opposite direction until you’re in the middle of the cut… which barely has enough width for Priorities and no one else. We definitely can’t turn around in the middle.
About five minutes prior to our entry, I heard another boater say they were a few minutes out as well… after some quick radio calls we decided we’d wait for them to transit first. As a result, I got some photos of a boat going through!
With north winds, our intended anchorage could become a little uncomfortable, so I was considering other options. As we passed the northeast side of Fox Island, we passed Gibson Cove, which had plenty of space available for us. Seeing this as an opportunity, we dropped sails and anchored, having sailed about 18 miles today.
Today finally felt pretty warm. We swam after arriving (water temperature was 68 degrees, so “cold” but not “impossible”) and it was refreshing. It was starting to feel like summer again.
After dinner, we decided we could celebrate the return of summer with some ice cream. For years I struggled to get the freezer aboard Priorities working correctly, but after a bunch of work two winters ago, I finally got a new refrigeration system up and running. (I’ve written about some of my work in earlier posts). 11 days after leaving Milwaukee, with very few nights in marinas, our ice cream is still good!
Tomorrow looks like good weather again for a quick 5 mile sail to Matheson or Hog Island.