Home in Lake Huron

With a few days remaining in Ellen’s visit, Elpis traversed her final lock and returned home to Lake Huron. The boat had spent much of its previous life cruising the waters of the Georgian Bay, and I was excited to bring her back and go exploring. I wanted Ellen to have a great couple last days on the boat, so I broke out the cruising guide and started searching for cool spots. After sifting through an overwhelming amount of options for islands and anchorages (all the while having a fake conversation in my head with Emily to help me make decisions), we left the safety of the canals and headed for the open waters of Georgian Bay.

Feeling vulnerable with the mast down and still on the deck, we dodged small patches of storms (we drifted out in the middle of the bay while a wall of rain passed just 500 yards in front of us without feeling a single drop) enroute to Penetanguishene. In a quest for something other than boat food and intrigued by a glowing neon “open” sign on an old passenger cruise ship, we found ourselves at pub night on the M/V Georgian Queen. It was a local haunt, and we ended up befriending the captain and going on a full tour of the engine rooms. It was the kindest most friendly crew, and they even offered to drive us around the next day if we needed anything!

However, we were on a mission for a peaceful anchorage and some time in the woods. We headed to a nearby island and at long last dropped the hook into calm sunset-painted waters. Being docked on lock walls is convenient, but nothing beats anchoring out. It’s a different community, and it feels more boat like: dinghying everywhere, being able to jump off the boat and swim, and the gentle movements of the boat free in the water.

True to the small world of the boating community, we had a few visitors dinghy up and say hello that evening. One couple recognized us all the way from Georgetown, Exuma- they had been in the same anchorage with us back in the winter! Another family saw the Looper flag on our bow, and their two sons (about 4 and 10) insisted to come over and say hello. They had lived on a boat for about three years, and I was impressed by how mature, intelligent, polite, and outgoing these kids were. I always love seeing families on boats, and I could tell that the boys were way ahead of anyone else their age.

Ellen and I spent our last few days enjoying the anchorage and exploring the pine-covered trails of the island. It was a perfect way to finish her trip and to prepare for sailing north. It was time for the next crew rotation, and my mom returned for just a few days to help with all the fun boat projects. The mast had to be re-rigged and stepped, I had to catch up on all the regular engine maintenance, and another hole in the dinghy had to be repaired. With guests on board there wasn’t really time to do boat work, so my mom and I powered through the long list of neglected tasks. With breaks for cold beer and fish and chips, we managed to bring Elpis back to the state she belonged: mast up and ready to sail. Thanks mom!

P.S. Funny coincidence of life: while repairing the hole in the dinghy, our boat neighbor in the marina noticed and donated some chemicals to make the patch stick better. He was a fellow cruiser and nice guy, and we chatted for a while and parted ways. Then, just after I returned to Detroit/ Crescent two months later, I got an email from the very same guy. Turns out, he was helping a friend drop his mast and noticed a wildly decorated mast cradle in a pile at the yard. He figured out it was ours and sent us some photos and let us know that he’s keeping it! The cradle lives on!

Spotted in the anchorage