North Channel-Lake Huron

[flip]

Hi, we are planning to sail in the North Channel this summer and we are wondering which cruising guides are most helpful in reguards to places of interest and sites to see, anchoring information, marina services and where to resupply. We have sailed down to Mackinaw Island twice and both times other boats we met strongly recomended sailing the North Channel. Does anyone else have plans for the North Channel and will the anchorages be crowded from June to the middle of July?

Phil MacGregor

 

[higgs]

I did the NC a couple of years ago spending over a month there. The "Ports" guide is an excellent source as are the publications of the Great Lakes Cruising Club (or is it Association?). At any rate the GLCC was worth the $300 to join.

I was fortunate to hook up with a boat that had cruised the area extensively so we went places that we probably would have not had the nerve to go on our own. The McGregor channel is one such spot, though Ports will get you there if you follow them closely.

I hit the NC when I moved my boat from south Lk Mich to Lk Ontario. I will return as there is no better cruising ground I have found in my travels, including Belize, the Keys, and the BVI.

Covered Portage, the Benjamins, and McGregor were the highlights for us. Still, when I return I may not hit all these spots because there is just so much there.

 

[Charlie13958]

"Ports" is the best, take a left at DeTour and enjoy. If you have time, the small craft route down Georgian Bay is a must.

 

[Scott B]

Phil.... get the Ports book..... get the Ports book...... did I mention, ... get the Ports book.

We did our first trip to the North Channel last year. Ports will give all the info you will need for anchorages, areas to see, marinas and restocking areas and lots of tips on where and how to go. It's well worth more than the price. The sooner you get it, the more you can study and plan. After two years I still find it very interesting reading.

We're headed up again this year early August again. Anchorages are semi busy but not too bad. The most popular are busier but you can find quieter spots if you want to.

We'll probably hit Baie Fine again for a few days and then slowly head back.


Check out my photo album for some pics.

 

[r.w.landau]

I would connect with the trailer sailors.

They use to do an annual two week cruise.
r.w.landau

 

[George H260]

As noted the trailer sailor association spends two weeks in the North Channel each year. Here's some pictures to whet your appetite

http://h260.com/cruising/nc04/nc04.html
http://h260.com/cruising/nc06/nc06.html
http://h260.com/cruising/nc08/index.html

 

[JohnnyMac]

"A Well Favored Passage"

We used Richardson's chartbook and cruising guide. The cruising guide part is useless, but the charts are good. Be careful with depth's because the soundings can be feet, meters, or fathoms depending on the page. Ports is a great cruising guide. "A Well Favored Passage" is a homey prose guide to gunkholes and marinas. It will tell you which rock to look for to find the anchorage entrance or the brand of ice cream in White Fish Falls.

 

[David in Sandusky]

A web site, GLCC

We cruised the North Channel 7 year ago, on a Canadian Yacht Charters Hunter 340 out of Gore Bay. We will return soon in our '77 Hunter 27.

Here is a web site with some great pictures, and commentary:

http://continuouswave.com/north-channel/index.html

Yes, the Great Lakes Cruising Club is expensive. We dropped out after joining and buying their complete set of guide books, and CD-Rom. But they have had a special focus on the North Channel from their founding, and add lots of value from years of experience and commentary.

This is the best cruising ground we have sailed (including the Apostles, the San Juans, the Virgins, the Thousand Islands, the West Coast of Sweden, and the Riviera among others). We love the beauty, the walks ashore, and the wilderness.