From Sassy's log...

[Joseph]

Here are some pics from a recent trip of Sassy to Byng Inlet in Georgian Bay (Lake Huron):

http://picasaweb.google.com/jose.campione/LakeHuronGeorgianBayJuly2010?feat=directlink

J.

[Bob23]

Thanks, Joseph. Great photos of such rugged terrain. Rocks always look strange to me...all we  have is sand and mud down here in the South of New Jersey. Boat looks very nice.
Bob23

[brackish]

Hey, great pictures of a beautiful sailing area and a nice catboat.

[kahpho]

Nice. You surely have a picturesque area to sail. How long was your trip? I think I could spend a week there and still be reluctant to leave. Thanks for posting the pics.

mel

[Joseph]

Thank you guys for the nice comments. This trip was 4 days long but I am preparing a return to the area in a couple of weeks and hope to reach some more remote areas. The NE corner of Georgian Bay (also referred by many as the "Sixth Great Lake") is one of the more remote areas in Lake Huron, which is a remarkable difference from what it used to be a century ago when sawmills and mines were sprouting everywhere, and ports and rail terminals were used to bring in coal and export lumber... Many remains of ghost towns in the area, but nature has been extremely fast in re-claiming its own...

The maze of bays and islands carved in the rock on the E shores of Georgian Bay are the work of the glaciers but most of the rocks are very ancient (red granite, white quarz and sedimentary calcaric - the Great Lakes are a remnant of a tropical sea...). The area is very well charted thanks largely to the efforts of Admiral Bayfield (then Captain) in the 18 hundreds (his soundings are still used today). Keeping a watch for submerged rocks is a must when venturing inside small coves but waters are clear and submerged rocks are not too difficult to spot. The SunCat, is ideal for these waters because of having a centerboard and low draft and its great maneuverability. But when kedging or webbing to shore a stable dinghy is a must (as is having several anchors)... particularly because the anchor and rode must be carried and deployed from the dinghy. In my next trip to the area I will be trying a Sevylor inflatable canoe although my personal preference is for something that could be rowed instead of paddled.

Stepping on land (allowed in most land owned by the Crown) also has rewards of its own... like, picking a cup-full of fresh wild blackberries only takes minutes, but this is wild country and there is often signs of the presence in these areas of the big fauna of the North, even if these "Others" (as Farley Mowat likes to call them) are seldom seen in the open.  Yes, the area is very different than anything else... but it is full of history and pre-history and has an amazing and unique rugged beauty of its own.

If I survive the next trip, I'll make sure to add a few more pics...

PS.- I should add that the SunCat has been quite a sensation in these forsaken shores... Sassy has elicited smiles, exclamations and questions all the way while on the road, while cruising, at the docks and even shouts from land as she was coming into some narrows...

J.

[tmorgan]

I really need to get SunShower up to the Great Lakes some day!  Thanks for the post of your cruise.

[Joseph]

Here are some new pics from Sassy's log...

a) pics of Sassy herself... (courtesy of Captains and Admirals Brian and Clare Mathews and Eric and Natalie Van Andel): http://picasaweb.google.com/jose.campione/SassyGafferInGeorgianBayJulyAug2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJfn0JLyganxAw&feat=directlink, and

b) a series from Sassy's 2nd "expedition" to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron (Aug 13 - 22, 2010): http://picasaweb.google.com/jose.campione/LakeHuronGeorgianBayAug13222010?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKf6LvuldPElQE&feat=directlink

J.

[kahpho]

Thanks Joseph,

You have some remarkably scenic cruising grounds. And a pretty nice boat to see it in. What's anchoring like in all that rock? Any tricks you have for that?

mel

[Joseph]

Hi Mel,

Yes, anchoring in those grounds can be a science in itself... but the good news is that once you get a hook caught on rock, it is usually there to stay... also, although rock is ever present, the bottom can be mud, gravel and even sand or grass... The real problem is not so much posed by the surrounding rock but by the little room in most of these anchorages, which makes it impractical to be swinging at one and even two anchors. So, more often than not, you have to fix the boat by using more than two anchors, by kedging and/or deploying them to shore (I think one of the Picasa albums includes pictures of the Delta deployed in this way).  I carry four anchors: a Bruce (my main anchor), a Delta (for grass but also good in may other bottoms), a Fortress (for sand and mud) and a cheap vinyl-covered steel anchor (this one to be deployed only on land) and believe-me, four anchors in those grounds is not an exageration... Kedging and deploying to shore requires a good stable dinghy and anchors and rodes which are not too heavy...  I have found out that for myself the size of anchors that suit the SunCat best (a 5 Kg Bruce, a 7 Kg Delta and a Fortress #7) with not more than a boat length of 1/4" chain are a most suitable combination for such task.  I use cloth buckets to take the rode and the anchor inside the dinghy. The most difficult thing is to always remember to keep the rope of the rode neatly coiled as to avoid tangling at the moment of its deployment from the dinghy... (and to always remember to have the end of the rode attached to the boat!). Two more things: have at hand at least one long line (i.e., over 200 ft) and also some good anti-chafing device (leather or a sturdy cloth) as when matched against rock, rope always looses...

J.

[mrb]

Joseph,  Thanks for three great picture cruises.  Your sailing season might not be long but looks as if you make the best use of the time you have.

Looking forward to sharing some more of your adventures,  mrb