Story of Our Summer Cruise 2013

Jun 19 - 25 Jun 26 - Jul 2 Jul 3 - 9 Jul 10 - 16
Jul 24 - 30 Aug 14 - 20
     

 

August 14 - Swift Rapids (Lock 43) to Port Severn (Lock 45)

Today's Route

We were already to go at 9:00 am but the lock staff were on a slowdown and didn't get the gates open until 9:15. In the lock with us were Frank and Deborah on their boat.

Frank

The Deepest Lock on the System

As we talked to them, somehow Randy's name came up and it turned out they were friends of Randy and Audrey - small world. We'd planned to have breakfast at the Waubic Inn and they did as well so a few miles down the Waterway we joined them for breakfast.

The Waubic - An 85 Year Old Tradition

The Famous Waubic Inn Full English - Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Ham, Mushrooms, Grilled Tomatoes, Roast Potatoes, Toast and baked Beans - it beat me!!

The Only Way to Get to the Waubic

It was a laaarrrgggeee breakfast to eat all that food and we spent a long time chatting with Frank and Deborah about our trip. They go up and down the Waterway all summer and gave us a number of tips for next time!

Our next stop in just a short distance, the penultimate lock (?), was the Big Chute. As before, we were at the back so didn't get the best view of the void below us but the view from the bottom back up the rails was quite impressive.

Loading the Boats

A Long Way Down - or Up

Fittingly, one of the last stretches of the Waterway was one of the most scenic.

We made the top of the last lock, Port Severn, our home for the night with an early departure planned for Midland the next day. Tied up just a short distance away we found "Grace Parker", a Glen-L Titan tug built by Doug and Verna Harrison also on its way to Midland.

August 15 - Port Severn Lock to Midland Harbor

Today's Route

The lock master, Campbell, did a fine job of getting everyone organized for the first lock down and we were in the second batch down a few minutes later. It seemed a different scene from when we arrived at the Waterway, the current and tight buoy no longer seemed so intimidating to us after traveling through over a thousand.

Lock Number 90 - No More This Year!!!

We made short work of our trip to Midland, just a few miles away and were welcomed to the marina by a helpful staff. Only one problem - they tried to squeeze us into a 30' slip on the inside in a strong wind with barely any room to turn. Judy made a couple of goes at it but it wasn't happening! If by some miracle she could have got in, each of the Tugfest events would have meant going in and out. Also, about 13' of boat would have been sticking out in the fairway. Our alternative was the steel wall which worked out fine as we were with the big boys!!

Today was arrival day for most of the tugs and we soon found out that it was to be a major event for Midland with over 25 tugs due in town. I think almost 30 showed up. Most were of the steel type - ex or current working tugs but there were a number of "hobby" tugs that ranged from an 8 footer through a couple of home-built small tugs to the "plastic" Ranger 31 and the Nordic 32 and our STB.

We soon noticed "Knotty Napa", a 32 Nordic owned by Garnet and Peggy Sowers of Midland and spent some time getting to know them and their boat. Peggy had seen STB coming into Midland Bay from their condo and told Garnet her 37 was just arriving! They have their 32 for sale with the goal of getting a 37 soon.

Knotty Napa

We gradually met up with the other tug owners and were made to feel very welcome and part of the group.

Midland was a great location for Tugfest with a good sized marina and two long walls for the big boys. The town is one of the larger in the area and together with a number of sponsors supports Tugfest very well. Our cost for the whole weekend was only $75 which included dockage, a breakfast, cocktail reception, awards banquet, and the visit to the S.S. Keewatin. Since the event pulls a lot of tourists in, it is a win-win situation for the tug owners and the town's businesses.

Midland is known as "Mural City" and the reason is obvious when one enters Midland Harbour as there is a huge mural on one of the elevator buildings (see the tug pics) right at the shoreline. In town every building side is painted with a mural. just a few are shown below.

 

August 16 - TugFest in Midland Harbor

 

Friday dawned with a lot to get done as we had not planned to be at TugFest. The boat had to be decorated and lit for a couple of parades and the Captain's meeting was at 10:30. I biked up the steep hill out of Midland to West Marine and amazingly, they had a long string of flags to help decorate the boat. The next stop was Wal Mart and they had lights - on sale no less, so snapped those up. A high speed downhill run got me back just in time for the meeting where we learnt what was on the program.

No we didn't win the 1 mile tug race. We were placed in the "hobby" class but I think we could have taken any of the real tugs as they are slow to get moving. We ended up second in the hobby class being shamed by a 31' Ranger Tug which we held up to 17.1 knots (at 20 gph - gulp!!) but then he kept going away. Turns out he has a 300 hp diesel but only weighs 11,000 lbs. We would need 800 hp instead of our 380 hp to be even close - maybe a transplant is needed?

The Big Boy's Racing

The Group Photo was an interesting exercise in organization as we tried to get the group ordered from tallest to smallest but split equally on each side of the huge tug, Prescotont with our bows all lined up but in a curve. It may have been one of the largest raft-up of tugs ever on the Great Lakes and eventually it all came together and I should have the photo to post soon.

Trying to get the Group Organized

The Cocktail Party was hosted by Paul and his fiancee, Carol aboard their boat, the Prescotont, a 110' tug. Built in 1930, she has a 27' beam, a draft of 10.5 feet and a weight of 300 tons. Originally a Canadian Pacific Railway tug, she was rescued from the scrap yard in 1994 by Paul and has been gradually refitted including a new engine, and new hydraulics, electrical, plumbing and communications systems. Living spaces are still undergoing refurbishment but the main salon is quite spectacular with wood panelling and maple flooring.

The Prescotont

After all our work to get our lights on the boat we were disappointed as we had some sort of electronics issue with our heading compass, rudder indicator, and GPS with alarms going off everywhere. We decided to stay in dock. We did get to enjoy watching the other boats circling the harbor and firing off expired flares but it would have been good to be part of the big circle. We never did solve the mystery as everything worked when we left the dock the next day. It happened one more time but cleared when we left the dock. We suspect it was something to do with the big steel wall we were moored to as we had the same thing happen in a couple of deep locks.

STB Left at the Dock

August 17 - Tugfest

The local Canadian Power Squadron hosted breakfast this morning and served up a great meal for us. The next scheduled event was a mass cruise of the decorated boats around the Harbor which began as a well organized circle for two revolutions and then transformed into the tug demonstrations.

STB in Full Dress

The Prescotont was pushed around by numerous tugs and took revenge by firing up its fire cannons.

Other tugs responded by attacking Prescotont with their fire nozzles but they were seriously outgunned.

Other tugs demonstrated their manoeuvrability spinning in circles and generally churning up the Midland Harbor. The event was announced by a local FM station and was watched by a large crowd that lined the shoreline and packed the dock. TV camera crews were there to record the event for "Cottage Living," The Marina Manager estimated that Tugfest and the local Artwalk attract about 10,000 people into the Midland over the weekend.

Later in the afternoon, the tugs were open for public viewing and STB had its share of people admiring the boat. We also had a few people that were actively looking to purchase a Nordic Tug so we did our sales spiel to encourage them further, providing them with our perspectives as owners of both a 32 and a 37. Unfortunately, we were so busy with our own visitors that we had limited time to tour some of the other tugs but managed to fit some of them in at odd times.

Early evening, we all headed to the Sportsman for our Awards Banquet catered by a local company. Excellent meal of prime rib, chicken, etc., a buffet but rivalling most restaurants we have eaten at. No awards for STB but we had a great time with the owners of Knotty Napa and Mink Isle before we headed back to the dock for our movie, "Bring Her On Home - the Return of the Keewatin."

The SS Keewatin was a Canadian Pacific Railroad ship built in 1905 in Scotland for passenger cruises and freight hauling in Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. It was the height of luxury when service was instituted from Port McNicholls to Thunder Bay and points west. She was taken out of service in the mid 60s and resigned to the scrap yard. The owner of Tower Marine in Saugatuck, MI rescued the Keewatin from the scrap yard and towed her to Saugatuck where she became an attraction at the end of the the Kalamazoo Lake.

For 50 years, the Keewatin sat in Saugatuck while the owner struggled to maintain the ship. At the age of 87, he knew its life was threatened and a Canadian developer approached him with an offer to purchase the Keewatin and return it its home port of Port McNicholls. The developer failed in his attempt to develop a community around the Keewatin but gave the ship to a volunteer group which has been successful to date in restoring much of the ship.

Judy and I were both familiar with the Keewatin as Saugatuck is close to our home, where I used to work, and where we kept our sailboat. Last year, when we were heading for the NT Rendezvous in St. Ignace, we were surprised to see the Keewatin docked right next to the Straits Marina at Mackinac City. It had docked due to strong storms heading for the Straits and to pick up a new tow. We were fortunate to be there the next day to see the tugs, "American Girl" and "Wendy Ann" tow the Keewatin out of the dock and on her journey south to Port McNicholls.

The S.S. Keewatin

The movie documented the story of the SS Keewatin with the emphasis on the immense challenge of moving the vessel after so long in the mud at Saugatuck to its new home. After the movie, we got to meet the Keewatin's Honorary Captain, Eric Conroy, who was very instrumental in its purchase and subsequent return.

August 18 - TugFest and Midland Harbor to Frying Pan Island

Today's Route

TugFest was not over yet with the marina staff cooking a complete breakfast on the dock for the participants of Tugfest. Midland certainly knows how to show its hospitality. Breakfast was followed by a short trip over to Port McNicholls to tour the S.S. Keewatin.

 

We left around 1:00pm for the trip to Frying Pan Island to eat dinner at Henry's. It was a tortuous ride through endless buoys but not too busy for a Sunday afternoon. We had already traveled the route on our way south so were a little familiar with what to expect on the way. We survived and decided to stay at Henry's as they have good docks. A good meal of pickerel (walleye) was enjoyed by both of us.

Moonrise Over Henry's Docks

August 19 - Frying Pan Island to Parry Sound

Today's Route (ignore the arrow-we really went the other way)

Cool morning but clear skies and we were soon into the South Channel heading inland to Parry Sound. Not much to report on this part of the journey - no kamikaze boats this time, in fact we only saw a few boats the entire distance. The one below was an exceptional boat and gave us a friendly wave as we slowly crossed path.

Nice Old Launch

Parry Sound's Big Sound Marina was waiting for us with open arms, giving us a three nights for two deal - we only needed two nights but it was a good offer to attract boaters. Just after we arrived Randy and Audrey on Heart Tug showed up on their way south. While they took care of jobs, the rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the boat which was filthy after three days in Midland on the wall with lots of gravel on the dock and traffic driving up and down the dock. Throw a healthy dose of bugs on top and it was a major job, compounded by the constant interruptions from passerbys who always want to talk. A two-three hour job extended to the next day. Judy did manage to get the inside cleaned and the laundry done. Drinks on our boat with R and A whiled away a few evening hours as we updated them on our travels.

August 20 - Parry Sound

Continued boat cleaning on and off while Randy cleaned Heart Tug. I think we ended up talking more than cleaning because I was still not finished by the time they left at noon to meet friends at Echo Bay. Judy got some pampering at the hairdressers and manicurists in the afternoon while I did some work on the blog and a few odd boat jobs. Oh! - I did spend a couple of hours passing on my little knowledge of Georgian Bay to some Loopers who had arrived. (GO and Five O'clock).

Jun 19 - 25 Jun 26 - Jul 2 Jul 3 - 9 Jul 10-16
Aug 6 - 13 Aug 14 - 20
     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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