Crazy Idea - or Great idea?
- Thread starter john6206
- Start date
My suggestion was to sail through the North Channel to Cockburn or Drummond Island, then cross over to Rogers City or Presque Isle and then harbor hop down to Tawas. All of this is day sailing with comfortable stops and lots to see and do. You can choose and wait for favorable weather easily, and supplies and repairs are readily available. And if anything happens that you need to leave the boat at a marina in MI, you are no more than an hour's drive from home. You could even leave the boat once you are in MI, go home, and continue hopping the boat down on weekends or your leisure.
My suggestion to do an overnight was only an option if you were pressed for time and just focused on getting the boat to Tawas.
What I didn't understand was your proposal to sail to Port Huron first. The sail there, and then to Tawas, has none of the above options. You will be more exposed, have fewer stopping points, the stops will have few supplies and repairs if needed, and you have less ability to pick and choose weather.
If that isn't enough, once down in Port Huron, you need to get up the St. Clair River, then up the Black River to any place that can take the boat. All of the easily accessed marinas are on the Canadian side. Or at least this was the case when I lived there - may be different now. Since you've lived there, I'm surprised you are not puckering a bit thinking about taking a new to you boat up the St. Clair during a shakedown. I just puckered a bit thinking about it.
As for distance, the trip through the North Channel and down the MI coast is the same distance as going South to Port Huron and around the thumb. Might actually be a bit shorter.
Mark
Think I started the whole PoHo discussion... but now knowing the location and with @colemj mentioning an office in Presque Isle... I'm flipping my thoughts!
Sail at day at Lions Head... then work towards the Duck Islands. As long as you have good charts, heard there's a decent anchorage between Greater Duck and Outer Duck... but plan your weather window. That would give you a ~27NM trip to Presque Isle.
If you go via PoHo, you'd still have to cross Sag Bay... about the same from Port Austin to Tawas... maybe a little shorter (23-24NM).
As others mentioned, you can do a few day sails in the Georgian Bay... and I know you're first trip out-of-sight from land can be a scary thought, but plan the weather, be ready to wait if needed, and it will be fine. And on a clear day, a 27NM crossing will only have you without a land horizon for a couple hours max.
Sail at day at Lions Head... then work towards the Duck Islands. As long as you have good charts, heard there's a decent anchorage between Greater Duck and Outer Duck... but plan your weather window. That would give you a ~27NM trip to Presque Isle.
If you go via PoHo, you'd still have to cross Sag Bay... about the same from Port Austin to Tawas... maybe a little shorter (23-24NM).
As others mentioned, you can do a few day sails in the Georgian Bay... and I know you're first trip out-of-sight from land can be a scary thought, but plan the weather, be ready to wait if needed, and it will be fine. And on a clear day, a 27NM crossing will only have you without a land horizon for a couple hours max.
Oops, I missed your post, and thought the OP had proposed the PoHo route. Sorry OP.
Mark
Two more quick thoughts...
1) If it puts your mind at easy, you can rent a Bivy Stick or Garmin InReach for pretty economical... satellite trackers and communication devices that let you use your phone to send/receive text messages... get weather... and let land-based followers track your realtime position.
2) Auto-pilot - is there one installed? It's great for long crossings and deliveries!
1) If it puts your mind at easy, you can rent a Bivy Stick or Garmin InReach for pretty economical... satellite trackers and communication devices that let you use your phone to send/receive text messages... get weather... and let land-based followers track your realtime position.
2) Auto-pilot - is there one installed? It's great for long crossings and deliveries!
If it was me, and I had the time, I would plan at least 2 weeks and follow @colemj route. The North Channel is one of the most wonderful cruising grounds in North America.
By the time you get to Cockburn Island you will have been cruising for a week and the 30 mi crossing to Rogers won't be that intimidating. In the prevailing westerlies it will be a close fetch. Wait for good weather and enjoy the sail.
By the time you get to Cockburn Island you will have been cruising for a week and the 30 mi crossing to Rogers won't be that intimidating. In the prevailing westerlies it will be a close fetch. Wait for good weather and enjoy the sail.
I‘m sorry for the misunderstanding. That makes sense, assuming you can clear customs there.
I didn’t get that from this:
I did a little sleuthing on the US Customs web site.
Ports of Entry on Lake Huron are: Sault Ste Marie, Saginaw, and Port Huron.
So sailing to Presque Isle is not a legal thing to do.
I'm guessing that's why the broker suggested the Soo (he hasn't emailed me back). It's a longer trip than Port Huron, but a better trip. It's a MUCH longer trip than straight through to Saginaw, but you don't have to cross the big bad. Two weeks cruising the north channel and getting to know the boat . . . that sounds pretty good to me.
Besides - There's an ice cream shop in Sault Ste Marie that makes next level malts.
Oddly enough, the trip up the St Mary's is the only leg of this voyage I've done before. We launched in De Tour Village and stayed on Lime Island one night and then up to Munuscong Lake.
Actually that's probably only about half that leg of the trip.
Thanks for your advice everyone - I appreciate it.
Ports of Entry on Lake Huron are: Sault Ste Marie, Saginaw, and Port Huron.
So sailing to Presque Isle is not a legal thing to do.
I'm guessing that's why the broker suggested the Soo (he hasn't emailed me back). It's a longer trip than Port Huron, but a better trip. It's a MUCH longer trip than straight through to Saginaw, but you don't have to cross the big bad. Two weeks cruising the north channel and getting to know the boat . . . that sounds pretty good to me.
Besides - There's an ice cream shop in Sault Ste Marie that makes next level malts.
Oddly enough, the trip up the St Mary's is the only leg of this voyage I've done before. We launched in De Tour Village and stayed on Lime Island one night and then up to Munuscong Lake.
Actually that's probably only about half that leg of the trip.
Thanks for your advice everyone - I appreciate it.
Oddly enough - I've looked at a couple boats in Muskegon Michigan (which is on Lake Michigan). I just checked, and it's almost exactly the same distance (350 miles). Somehow Muskegon didn't seem as intimidating, but it's arguably a more difficult delivery.
I think I was blinded by the fact that Muskegon is only 3 hours from my house by car, and it's in the same country that I'm in. Same state even.
That doesn't mean anything relevant to this discussion. It was just a reality check for me.
I think I was blinded by the fact that Muskegon is only 3 hours from my house by car, and it's in the same country that I'm in. Same state even.
That doesn't mean anything relevant to this discussion. It was just a reality check for me.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,281
You are right!
that is also part of the Sault Ste Marie Port of Entry.
The Customs website doesn’t list Rogers City or Alpena as ports of entry, but if you click on Sault Ste. Marie, Rogers City and Alpena are listed as seaports that the SSM Port of Entry operates. .
again, I need to do my homework.