The Third Day . . .

The Great Circumnavigation Adventure!

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
Red sky at morning, sailor take warning!

The common phrase "Red sky at morning" is a line from an ancient rhyme often repeated by seamen. The rhyme is a rule of thumb for weather forecasting, dating back over 2,000 years, based on the reddish glow of the morning or evening sky, caused by haze or clouds related to storms in the region.

We woke to the most the most amazingly beautiful red sky the morning of the 17th. We didn't need to hear the official forecast to know we were going to be in for a wee bit of a rough paddle in our attempt to get from Mare Island back to the Drummond shoreline.

We prepared a hearty breakfast, stacked rocks to form a cairn - letting others know there was *safe passage* in this location - and shoved off into gusting winds and waves cresting at 1 to 2 feet. Our first destination - Bow Island.

This was our toughest paddle of the trip - complicated by my "stupid" left arm deciding to show its true colors. Lupus is an insidious disease, attacking tissues randomly. Two years ago the large head of my left bicep unexplainably deteriorated rapidly. The diagnosis - inoperable, unrepairable damage. A completely severed tendon. Physical therapy has taught me to compensate for this injury by relying on the delt muscles in that arm. But the cold and hard paddle of the morning meant a left arm that was simply "angry".



Making Bow gave me time to work through the pain while exploring the Island's shoreline. There is a Geocache located here and hunting it helped me get mentally/physically prepared for our next leg of the trip - Bow Island to Dix Point.

With the storm clouds gathering we head to Dix and a chance to refit spray skirts, make sure everything is carabinered to our kayaks and prepare for the rain that is starting to fall. Our run through the DeTour Passage not only means plying the cresting waves brought by the storm but also rolling with freighter wakes as we cross into their territory. We are in for a fun ride!

Adventure is nothing more than bad planning. Despite all my planning there were two things I completely overlooked - checking the condition of my 6 year old rudder cables and packing a repair kit. Heading into the Passage my right rudder cable heaved a huge sigh and resigned its position as co-stabilizer against the wind and waves.

I head to shore, beach on private property - thank you whoever looked out and saw me attempting to rectify this inconvenience! With no tools aboard to make the necessary repair I make the decision to tie the rudder up and head back out. I will be paddling a *canoe* for the rest of our voyage!

Bright, shining rays of hope come in many forms. Today they took the form of Paul Strom standing on the ferry dock snapping photos as we approached. There was no time to stop and chit-chat BUT it was comforting to know he could get a message to my granddaughter letting her know we were spotted and safe. Just knowing my husband, Barry, would be reassured by Meagan meant the world to me at that moment. Thank you Paul.

The worst of the storm passes and we head to Barbed Point. It is 1:45pm and we are still one day ahead of schedule. We decide to call it a day.

We spread our gear out to dry, set-up camp and pump much needed water for our lunch/dinner.

Cooking potato soup, watching the freighters float by and recounting our day's adventures we have NO idea of the treat that is in store. It will be an OMG! sort of afternoon!

"When you come to the end of your rope,

tie a knot and hang on"

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Second Day . . .

The Great Circumnavigation Adventure!

"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls".

- John Muir

We wake to the most amazing sunrise and begin what would become a daily morning routine. Boil water, start breakfast, drink coffee, and leisurely go about our morning hygiene regimen. Each of us caught up in our own thoughts breaking the shared silence only to express the obvious  - words like "stunning", "amazing", "blessed" and "content" punctuating our comments.



There is no need or desire to rush. A lone Loon floats by, her haunting call completing the scene.

Loons are unique and beautiful birds, yet sometimes they are tricky to identify. They hold their bodies lower in the water than most ducks, but one group of ducks—mergansers—swim low and are even shaped like loons. Cormorants also have a similar profile in the water - we often mistook nasty Cormorants for Loons on our voyage until right on top of them.

After making sure we had left *No Trace* we headed out, plotting a course close to the shore and heading north, northwest towards Fossil Ledges open to any and all possibilites for the day.

We were both surprised to discover the *Ledges* actually start miles before the State identified *Fossil Ledges* and dominate the shoreline, rising from dramatic drop offs easily visible from our low riding cockpits. The feeling of floating in mid-air was hard to dismiss and we purposely paddled the grey area between ledge and drop-off until reaching the official *Ledges*.

Our original plan called for making the Ledges our second campsite of the voyage. But the weather and wind have combined to bring us here just in time for lunch on our second day. We beach our kayaks, break out our lunch, wander the shoreline and SWIM! The water has never been warmer thanks to unusually high temps for most of the summer.

There is even time to goof for a portrait photo shoot!

Not wanting to waste such awesome paddling conditions we make the decision to continue further  west. Thinking we will camp on State owned land in the area of Chippewa Point we set out to enjoy the sun and calm waters.

As we close on the Point we are greeted by an omen in the sky. My name clearly written out by the clouds. You can just make out the *C-a-n* here - we sat watching these fluffy alphabet letters float by without thinking to photograph them until they had almost disappeared! Coincidence or blessing from my father? My eyes stuing with tears and we decide to take a break on a small shoal to regroup.

Again we decide to travel further than planned. Who could resist the call of the water under these conditions?!

On entering Potagannissing Bay we find ourselves back in the hustle and bustle of boating society. The traffic coming and going to the North Channel is fierce on such a beautiful day. We are quickly and rudely awaken to the fact that not all vessel captains understand or honor the pecking order in the *Overtaken Vessel* rule as a southbound trawler not only cuts us off - threatening to swamp our cockpits - BUT sounds its horn and greets us with a single-finger wave as they pass under full throttle. WHOA!



We decide, after this experience, to get as far away from other humans as possible and push on to Mare Island.

We set up camp and enjoy appetizers while sitting on rocks in our tiny cove. Triscuits, cheese and wine have never tasted so good!

Later that night we sat and watched our campfire until each separate, dying ember wrought its ghost upon the island floor. The perfect end to a perfect day.

The First Day . . .

The Great Circumnavigation Adventure! 

 “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.  I travel for travel’s sake.  The great affair is to move.”   

- Robert Stevenson

Traveling counterclockwise around the Island our first stop for lunch found us just southwest of Bass Cove in a tiny State owned bay. Here we regrouped, enjoyed a wee bit to eat and shared a good laugh over crossing into Canadian waters. 

With full bellies we paddled along the shore heading to Shale Beach.  

Located on the eastern shore the beach is very wide and about 2 miles in length. Paddling up to it the shoreline has a feel of rolling sand dunes made up of small pure white rounded shale stones. The water is crystal clear and you can easily view the floor of the lake where it immediately drops off to 60 feet just out from the water's edge. 

 

Too beautiful to resist! We beach our kayaks and spend some time wandering. 

I leave my heart on Shale Beach and we shove off, paddling along the shore with slow, steady strokes. 

From this vantage point, Marble Head is nothing more than a rock outcropping high above us. Tucked into the trees of the shoreline we can't make it out from any of the other ledges lining this section of Drummond coastline. 

But there is no mistaking Pilot Cove! The Cove has a landscape befitting of a postcard. It curls tightly and forms a brilliant blue water lagoon with a rocky beach and pine forest. The loons call at night and the deer invade the shoreline as the sun sets. I can’t imagine a prettier setting in all the Great Lakes. We paddle in and take a swim! 

With all Pilot Cove has to offer why didn't we stay for the night? CARNIVOROUS BLACK FLIES! While mosquitoes might drill for lunch these black flies were strip mining for it! My botanical bug dope was simply a lure, enticing them in. Nella's DEET proved to have no effect what so ever. So without even toweling off we shoved off!

Pointing our kayaks northeast to a small strip of State owned land above Glen Cove. 

Once beached we set-up camp, have a much needed hot meal and reflected on the events of our first day. 

I am truly the MOST content woman in the world!