Entry: 36
Please note the 3 am time of this entry. Much remains to be done in the next two days – getting my original auto-pilot to function, picking up new battens and dropping off my trailer for storage, finish loading the boat, building a spare rudder/tiller, registering my SportX, getting ice to name a few of the must do’s. And there are a zillion of desirable things like taking out my wife for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary! (I may have priority issues here:). Adding to my frantic schedule, my furnace thermastate went on the blink over the weekend! I would consider a delay on embarking except for the fact that I am locked in to a 14th passage through the Welland Canal Locks due to crew availability.
Planned Itinerary – A number of people have asked for a detailed itinerary plan including dates and ports of call. Please note that the best laid sailing itinerary plan especially with timelines is completely dependent on winds, sea conditions, equipment and health. At best it serves only as a guideline and more likely a ballpark guess. And, remember sailing all five Great Lakes singlehandedly in a single season has never been done before.
With this as a reference these are some details: I would like to sail all five Great Lakes while under sail over 4,000 nautical miles this spring and summer. I am ‘hoping’ to cover on average 50 nautical miles a day while under sail. If I include up to 30 days of stoppages (re-supply, rest, safe harbour, skippers meeting & boat inspection) I am ‘anticipating’ a journey of 112 days.
Noting all this, my ‘planned’ route & timing for Lakes Erie, Ontario and the first half of Lake Huron before entering Lake Michigan:
Day 1: Pelee Island, Ontario 80 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 2: Erieau, Ontario 45 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 3: Port Stanley, Ontario 44 NM Anchor Overnight
Days 4/5: Port Colborne, Ontario 132 NM Sail Overnight & Dock
Day 6: Welland Canal Passage 27 NM Dock Overnight Youngstown, NY
Day 7: Point Breeze, NY 37 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 8: Sodus Bay, NY 67 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 9: Sackets Harbor, NY 65 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 10: Kingston, Ontario 35 NM Dock
Days 11/12: Colbourg, Ontario 110 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 13: Ashbridges Bay, Ontario 58 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 14: Port Dalhousie, Ontario 50 NM Dock
Day 15: Welland Canal Passage 27 NM Dock Port Colborne
Day 16: Erie, Pennsylvania 59 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 17: Ashtabula, Ohio 45 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 18: Chagrin River, Ohio 38 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 19: Pelee Island, Ontario 58 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 20: Amherstburg, Ontario 31 NM Dock Overnight
Day 21: JBM, Lake St. Clair, MI 30 NM Dock Overnight
Day 22: Port Huron, MI 41 NM Dock Overnight
Days 23: Harbor Beach, MI. 54 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 24/25: Presque Isle, MI 136 NM Anchor Overnight
Day 26: Mackinaw City, MI 59 NM Dock (Re-Supply)
Never Too Late For 