Jack and Pia's Next Great Adventure: Departing Pikes Bay Marina

Lighthouse on Raspberry Island in the Apostle Islands

Hole in the Wall on Oak Island

We have been at Pikes Bay awhile - last fall when we bought the boat and this year as we prepared her for out trip. We have come to appreciate the surroundings and the people and realize why these folks consider this paradise. We have met some great boaters and the entire staff at the marina have been very helpful to us "southerners". Jon and Gloria Gottshalk, previous owners of our vessel, have become friends that we hope to see again. I worked very close with Paul the mechanic the last few weeks, learning a lot about the boat while we installed an inverter/charger, fuel flow meters, impellers, changed oil, etc. and talked a lot of NFL football.

View as we departed with
Madeline Island on the Port

Departing Pikes Bay Marina

Our original plans were to depart Pikes Bay Marina in Bayfield on Thursday, June 16th, but Lake Superior fog forced us to postpone our departure a day. We were able to depart on Friday the 17th in light/patchy fog but the water was calm and we encountered on/off fog most of the day. Our destination was 75 miles east on the lake to Ontonagon Marina on the Ontonagon River. The south side of Lake Superior is mostly Indian Reservation and National Parks so it is very sparsely populated. We were looking forward to seeing the high cliffs and natural forests but unfortunately, the fog prevented us from seeing much but an occasional view as the fog would lift. Our travel speed of 8 - 10 MPH put us at our destination late afternoon. We were pre-warned that this marina was small, old, and shallow and it truly lives up to reputation. The channel buoys marking the entrance to the marina were <20 feet apart and our beam is 15 feet - a tight fit with 4 - 5 feet depth. We were churning the bottom! After tying up in a slip, I registered with the harbor master and was told we were the first transient boaters of this season. Can't imagine why!!

The Captain on the Bridge
(who had nothing to do with the seat covers)

Porcupine Mountains

Early Saturday morning we checked the weather on multiple web sites and received mixed results. One site predicted 10 MPH winds, sunny day. Another predicted winds 15 - 20 MPH with gusts up to 30 MPH. Guess which was correct. We departed early for the 55 mile trip, continuing east on Lake Superior. The first hour or so was great until the winds increased and the water became more and more choppy. Although "Knot Busy" is able to handle these conditions without much problem, it does make for an uncomfortable day. However, we arrived in Houghton, Michigan on the Keweenaw Waterway early afternoon. Our intention was to stay for one night but, because of deteriorating weather, we will stay at least one more day. The weather today, Sunday, June 19th is 53 degrees, strong winds, and raining! Hard to believe that friends and family in NC are complaining about the heat, we are both dressed in layers including rain gear. The Houghton/Hancock region is an industrial/former mining community that was settled by Finns when copper mining was strong on Lake Superior. As we traveled here, many of the homes on the waterway proudly displayed American and Finnish flags. Many of the street names and store names are Finnish - Pia is feeling at home here.

Not by plan but we arrived in Houghton on the annual celebration of the connecting bridge between Houghton and Hancock. There were many activities along the waterway and a fireworks display on Saturday evening in spite of the weather. We have no doubt that the weather will improve soon as we continue our travels east out of Lake Superior to the North Channel and Georgian Bay.