We had a great couple days in Manitowoc. As we were going to dinner on Friday night, we saw a large crowd gathered along the river. It turns out there was a community event, and we were watching the first part of it: a waterski show by Webfooters. We went to dinner at the Harborside … Continue reading Manitowoc, WI, to Port Washington, WI: Crossing Our Wake

The good thing about being in our home state is that family is nearby. Daughter #2 came up on Monday, and we shopped in town and drove to Ephraim for a fish boil at the Old Post Office. The next day, my mom came up, we shopped some more, had a nice lunch, and sat … Continue reading Sturgeon Bay, WI, to Manitowoc, WI: The Penultimate Leg

After expecting to spend zero days in Beaver Island, we ended up there for several while Owen worked and we waited for the weather to settle down. Another great place to be "stuck." At the hardware store on the island, we found fuses for our 30+-year-old boat that we haven't been able to find elsewhere. … Continue reading Beaver Island, MI, to Washington Island, WI: I’ll Have a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet with Cherries, Please!

After a great night on the hook, we had a smooth-as-glass start to our day to Petoskey. Once again, we were on a schedule. Owen had a business trip, and I made plans to go home to buy a car for our post-Loop life, which is screaming toward us at an indescribable pace. So, off … Continue reading Boot Island, Les Cheneaux Islands, MI to Petoskey, MI: The Mighty Mac and More

Well, that was a rocky, uncomfortable night of rocking side to side and up and down. It really made me wonder if baby cradles are torture devices, because that kind of motion is NOT PLEASANT! The forecast for the morning called for a slight lessening of the winds for a brief time before strengthening to … Continue reading South Benjamin Island, ON, to Gore Bay, ON: From Discomfort to Great Discomfort to Bliss

Everyone who has given advice to us to about where to go in the North Channel has put Baie Fin (Bay Fin) at the top of their list. We were determined to see what the fuss was about. But before we got to Baie Fine, we had another list-topper to visit: Collin's Inlet. We left … Continue reading The Bustard Islands, ON, to Baie Fine, ON: It Keeps Getting More Beautiful!

While we were at Killbear, we ran into another Looper whose journey had come to an unexpected end. They had left the area to head further through Georgian Bay when the unthinkable happened. They hit a rock. Thankfully, their boat had not taken on water (a miracle, in this situation!), and no one was hurt. … Continue reading Killbear, ON, to The Bustards, ON: Dinghy Exploring

We spent several days in Midland while Owen worked. We were at the Bay Port Yachting Centre, but there is a more popular marina for Loopers right in downtown Midland. We liked the amenities at Bay Port (a pool! that we didn't use, but a pool!), but it was a hike to restaurants, stores, groceries, … Continue reading Midland, ON, to Beausoleil Island, ON: Rattlesnakes, Toads, and Millipedes

We had such a peaceful night at anchor! We pulled our anchor around 8:00 am so we could be at the next lock when it opened at 9:00. What an enjoyable ride! We had a couple narrow spots to go through that required a Securite message over the radio. We could hear that the boat … Continue reading McLean Bay, ON, to Big Chute: Holy Chute!

Orillia turned out to be a nice town for me to have (almost) a week to myself! There are some nice walking/bike trails that lead to nice places, there are shops downtown, restaurants nearby, and a grocery store just a short walk from the marina. The grocery store didn't mind shoppers taking the carts to … Continue reading Orillia, ON, to McLean Bay, ON: What a DRAG!