I'm making tentative plans to start our journey south to Cuba. The first segment will be to get out of Lake Superior. I'll looking at the later part of July or early August
. I plan on the following segments Ashland to the Keweenaw Peninsula making port in Haughton MI. Haughton MI to Munsing MI Munsing MI to Grand Marais MI Grand Marais to Sault Ste Marie Sault Ste Marie to Kemp Marina on Lake Huron. From that point we must decide to go east out the great lakes and the Erie canal or south down Lake Michigan and down the rives to Mobile Alabama. Fortunately we do not need to make that decision until possibly next year. Here is a bit more info on each segment. Ashland to Haughton MI We can pre-position the boat in Bayfield to take an hour off the route. This is the longest segment and one that we may need to sail at night since we can not make the entire trip during the daylight. We could leave very early before sunrise but leaving and entering ports in the dark is not ideal. We can discuss this further at a later date. As with everything boating it's all up to the weather. Haughton to Munsing MI This is another long sail but one we can break it up easily. The first segment from Houghton to Marquette is protected by the Keweenaw Peninsula so it should be a nice sail if we have wind from the south, west or northwest (which are most common that time of year) we can also break off the route to Big Bay Harbor should we decide. This would allow us to choose between a 4 hr very protected route to Big Bay or a somewhat longer route to Marquette (8 to 9 hours) or 15 hrs to Munsing. Lot's of choices here. It is an ideal segment to experience Lake Superior while being close to one of many harbors. Munsings MI to Grand Marais MI This will be a day to catch up or just relax. This day will be used to catch up if we decide to head in early the day before. Our Goal will be Grand Marais MI. It's a 14 to 17 hr sail from Houghton, 11 to 12 from Big bay, 9 or 10 from Marquette, or 6 to 7 from Munsing. It will all depend on where we stopped the day before. Grand Marais to Sault Ste Marie. This will be a protected sail east on the south shore followed by protected waters of the Whitefish bay. About 12hrs. Sault Ste Marie to Kemp Marina on Lake Huron will be a very nice protected power and sail cruise of about 6 hrs. We can stop for lunch on the way. This is by far the easies segment. It will simply be a joyride where we can stop anytime along the way. We have lots of logistics to figure out but first I need to know who is interested in what portion of the trip. You can take a single segment of the whole trip. There are 4 cabins for sleeping. 3 are roomy singles or VERY friendly doubles the other is using the main salon RV style. Ideally, a crew of three or four is ideal (couples are great). I have a few people that can sail the entire way so no one needs to over commit. One major point, We will have a plan but not a schedule. We watch the weather very closely and take advance of what it gives us. We will never leave port due to schedule. I'll deal with the logistics of getting people to the boat and back home but keep in mind that we follow the weather not a schedule. |
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August 2019
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