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Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:34 am
by jimh
A detailed account of my cruise in Lake Huron's North Channel in July of 2016 is now available in my SAIL LOGS collection of cruising reports. As usual, I provide a lengthy narrative of the cruise and more than 90 excellent color images of the various boats, people, and locations visited. See

North Channel 2016 Cruise
http://continuouswave.com/sail-logs/nc2016

We had the pleasure of cruising with seven other Boston Whaler boats that joined our fleet at various times and places. This year the weather was extremely fair and free from rain and high winds, allowing our boating to proceed unhindered and carefree. Adding to our pleasure the strong U.S. dollar gave us a nice discount on purchases in Canada, and generally lower fuel cost made gasoline in this somewhat remote area have more reasonable prices than the $6-per-gallon we had paid in the past.

I'll monitor this thread for any questions or comments about the North Channel and boating up there. It is a wonderful place to explore in a small boat.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:01 pm
by porthole
That looked like a lot of fun. I do miss the days of having a boat with proper accommodations aboard.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:17 pm
by Hoosier
Porthole: check this report [on a similar cruise made eight years ago] and see how many of the boats were soft-tops:

http://continuouswave.com/sail-logs/nc2008/

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:17 am
by porthole
With the big console on the 1999-2001 21 Outrage there is no place to lay down.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2017 3:47 pm
by jimh
porthole wrote:...I do miss the days of having a boat with proper accommodations aboard.


Me, too. That's the one drawback of a Revenge 22. The galley is on deck. The head is on shore. But the cuddy cabin berths are very large, particularly with the large filler panel I made that converts the whole cuddy to one large, queen-size berth.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:27 pm
by 6992WHALER
Jim--Time to get a 23 Walkaround.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 11:37 am
by jimh
The problem for me to get a 23 WALKAROUND is then I'd have to get a new truck, too. I am beginning to think that basing the boat at Northport and not having a trailer might be more workable. Maybe something like a 25 WALKAROUND or a 27 CUDDY.

Actually, I may be on the verge of committing an apostasy and have been looking at Grady-White larger express cruisers. They are much more affordable than similar size modern Boston Whaler CONQUEST boats. For example:

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1998/Gr ... PYzH1PyuV4

On the above boat, I could go to Maine, drive it back to Michigan on the water--a nice long cruise--then sell the Yamaha engines. I know that I could get quite a nice price for the engines, particularly those cowlings that look like new, eh? :-)

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 2:28 pm
by porthole
jimh wrote:The problem for me to get a 23 WALKAROUND is then I'd have to get a new truck, too. I am beginning to think that basing the boat at Northport and not having a trailer might be more workable. Maybe something like a 25 WALKAROUND or a 27 CUDDY.

Actually, I may be on the verge of committing an apostasy and have been looking at Grady-White larger express cruisers. They are much more affordable than similar size modern Boston Whaler CONQUEST boats. For example:

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1998/Gr ... PYzH1PyuV4

On the above boat, I could go to Maine, drive it back to Michigan on the water--a nice long cruise--then sell the Yamaha engines. I know that I could get quite a nice price for the engines, particularly those cowlings that look like new, eh? :-)


But then you would hijacking you own forum and have to start all over !

For 40K that looks to be a worthwhile consideration. A private head would be a big plus as well.
If I was ready I would certainly consider it.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 7:21 pm
by Hoosier
"The problem for me to get a 23 WALKAROUND is then I'd have to get a new truck, too."

No you won't, your ancient Suburban should do fine with a 23. I used one to bring mine back from NC. Just don't take the Trans-Canada north of Monreal River Hill.... ;-) That means you have to get to WaWa by water or take lots of Xanax....and have damn good brakes.
Been there, done that, more than once.

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 7:32 pm
by Hoosier
AND...you don't want to join the Rebal Alliance of Kevin and Jeff....:-(

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 10:33 am
by Tim S
Jim--thanks for the great report. Do you ever see anyone camping on the islands? Are there dedicated sites?

Tim

Re: Lake Huron North Channel 2016 Cruise

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 5:35 pm
by jimh
TIM--thanks for the kind words about the cruise report for 2016. I am sorry to say there won't be a cruise report for 2017, as we never got off our home base (Northport, Michigan) and did any cruising this year. However, there are reports from many other cruises, and you perhaps haven't read them all. See my SAIL LOGS listings at

http://continuouswave.com/sail-logs/

Re camping on islands in the NC or GB:

Many of the islands in the North Channel and Georgian Bay area are privately owned, and you really cannot just go ashore on them and set up camp.

I have not seen any improved campsites on islands, with one possible exception--an island along the small craft route in Georgian Bay, Wreck Island, is a provincial or local municipal park and might have a campsite or two. It is south of Frying Pan Island.

Some large land areas along the shoreline are First Nation reservations, so they are technically in foreign land, and going ashore is probably not welcomed. Clapperton Island is now a First Nation reserve. The whole eastern shore of Manitoulin Island is a First Nation reserve.

The largest island--other than Manitoulin Island--is Great LaCloche Island, and it is entirely privately owned--by one owner, if you can imagine that and the real estate taxes on it. But I think the owner made a deal to halt all development and keep the island as natural as possible as a preserve in exchange for what had to be millions of dollars in relief from property taxes.

There are some islands that remain as "Crown land" and many boaters anchor near them, go ashore and explore them, maybe set up a campfire on them and roast some marshmallows, and probably even pitch a tent and stay the night. To get a sense of which islands are Crown Land and what regulations apply to them, you'd probably have to contact some ministry of the Canadian government. The islands in the Bustard Islands group all seem to be Crown Land, but there actually was--and maybe still is--a small tract of private land on the north side of South Benjamin that had, at one time but I think now removed, a cottage structure on it. (As I recall the story was some sharp fellow found this parcel still available and bought it, but after erecting a structure on it there were many complaints about it and I think he removed it or reduced it greatly in size.)

In some areas of islands--mostly in the southern half of Georgian bay in what is called Cottage Country--there is a very high inhabitancy by the local property owners on their islands, and if you even cruise into their little bays they come out of their cottages and stare at you like you are aliens from another planet who just dropped out of the sky in a strange space craft--that is to say, they don't look very friendly toward your intrusion into their remote and private wilderness homesteads. If just cruising by at a no-wake speed causes them to become a bit leery, I can only imagine what they'd do if you started pitching a tent.