Back in the USA

We rousted ourselves out of bed at 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday (July 22), waking to a beautifully clear and still morning in Meldrum Bay, Ontario.  The sunrise had a "red sky at morning, sailor take warning" appearance, which is why we were underway at 6 a.m.--thunderstorms and wind were predicted for the afternoon, and we wanted to get to our destination for the day well before then.

Our "red sky at morning" as we left Meldrum Bay

Five hours and 40 miles later we pulled into the dock at the Drummond Island Yacht Basin, Drummond Island, Michigan.  Although we enjoyed our three-and-a-half weeks in Canada, it felt good to be "home" and see the Stars and Stripes flying at the marina.

Now we know we're back in the USA

Drummond Island is a US Customs checkpoint. When we entered Canada, all we had to do was have "Captain Lon" telephone Canadian Customs, answer a few questions, and get an entry number for posting on the boat. US Customs requires face-to-face check-in for most mariners, which meant we ended up hosting two Customs agents on CARIB II. They were pleasant and professional, but I think even Zipper was a bit subdued by having armed law enforcement on the boat--she checked them out but she didn't hiss or yell. We had a bit of contraband seized--a portion of a Canadian-grown bell pepper. What we wish they would have seized were all of the Canadian born spiders that took up residence on CARIB II during our cruise through the north, but no such luck. Apparently there is no quota for spider immigration.

By shortly before 1 p.m. we were tied up at the dock at De Tour Village, Michigan. About an hour after that a thundershower rumbled through and the wind picked up during the rest of the afternoon. We are not fans of getting up early, but we are so glad we did because it allowed us to finish the North Channel safely and comfortably.

We'd had wonderful cruising weather the previous two days as well.  On Sunday morning (July 20) we awoke to fog in Little Current, but it lifted by late morning.

These are the times when a bit more wind would be good

Lon enjoying the front
 deck while underway

We spent Sunday evening in the town of Gore Bay, which is the judicial center for Manitoulin Island.

Gore Bay Town Docks

Gore Bay Judicial Center

You have to look hard for ice cream
in Gore Bay. The only indication was
a small sign in the window of
Betty's Convenience Store

Evidence of ice cream success

Going to the beach
seemed like a good idea . . . 

 . . . but it was a little cold for this Florida wimp

Gore Bay may also be a center for B&B's, judging by the number we saw, but they seem to have met with varying degrees of success.

c.1891, but history wasn't enough
to keep them in business

The Stone House c. 1900

The Queens Inn looked like
 it was doing well

On Monday (July 21) we continued our tour of Manitoulin Island towns, cruising to the former fishing village of Meldrum Bay near the west end of the island.  It was peaceful, remote, and brought to mind the quote "it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here." It had a well-regarded restaurant, the Meldrum Bay Inn, but our cell phone service was non-existent and internet nearly so--which is why, if we were going to be held in port because of weather, we wanted it to be somewhere not quite so isolated.

The extent of downtown Meldrum Bay

Looking out over the bay

We decided to spend the full day today in De Tour Village so that the clouds could clear out and the wind subside a bit more. We are happy to have cell phone and internet service again.  The marina overlooks the De Tour Passage, a connector between the ports to the north (including those on Lake Superior) and Lake Huron. Ships are a common sight in the channel.

Freighter heading south toward Lake Huron

Getting a view toward Lake Huron

Biking in the area around De Tour Village

The absolute best view at the marina was the two leash-trained cats walking the docks with their owners. We were told that the one-year old cats started training on the leash as soon as they were weaned. Unfortunately, Zipper has no sense of peer pressure and will not be shamed into emulating them.

It was an even better sight watching them walk
down the dock