Killarney ON to Drummond Island MI

We have returned to Michigan!  

I have to say now that we are here - Michigan is the greatest place on the great loop... Florida comes in 2nd and a close 2nd, but if you ask loopers their top 10 locations seven of them would be between Killarney and Ludington.  

This area is simply my favorite and the best.

We left Killarney early.  This place is simply magical.  A long trip ahead of us again trying to move when weather allows.  

A little rain but it quickly dried out...

Then .... Simply amazing.  I think I said that already.  

We cruised between islands for six hours at 20mph with one slow down.

The little current bridge (the only road on and off Manitoulin Island).  It's one lane wide and carried railroad traffic as well..  

Cars go one way, then the other and once an hour boats get to go through.  They have an 18ft clearance so lots of boats don't need an opening - but not us.  We waited 30 minutes today.  (I cleaned some Isenglass while I waited).   Pollen coated everything coming through the Trent Severn.  The boat will need a bath when home... (And a three step buff as well).  Maybe even bottom paint....  And for sure sacrifices this fall...

Lots of maintenance this summer and fall...

After Little Current we passed island after island for hours.  Spectacular views and beautiful water..  

This is definitely MY favorite area to boat.  I wish I could spend more time here - in ANCHORAGES.  

But who could hate this view.  Flat water.  Cruising.  It doesn't get better.  


The water is cold though.  About 60. 

We make a pretty good sized wake up on plane....

No wonder the fuel bill is so painful.  At least now we are back in Michigan with Michigan prices for fuel.   Canada was painful.  ($7+ a gallon vs $4-5 a gallon in Michigan.  

We reached the northern most point in our loop today as we rounded Darch Island in the North Channel.  From there we move south - and west.  

As we approached Drummond Island the water turned from blue to green.   Undoubtedly because the water from Lake Suoperior drains down around Drummond Island on the way to Lake Huron.  

It's just so beautiful.  

We arrived about 1pm to Drummond Island Yacht Haven and checked back into the US via the CBP ROAM app.  It's pretty decent and let's you do customs via video call where they ask the questions, check to make sure we purchased a customs stamp (basically a tax/user fee they came up with to pay their bills).  

It doesn't suck here.   Not even a little....

Katie and I went for a bike ride and wandered in the woods, found sharp rocks to beat up our bike tires and visited a restaurant we hadn't seen for 30 years since we were here as a young couple.  It has changed.  The Yacht Haven is now really fancy.  

The restaurant/bar which has been at the cross roads on the island for 30+ years is almost the same as in the 1980s except the table top shuffle board table is gone and they have expanded considerably.  

A similar distance today as yesterday.. 118.2 miles.   That's a long way on a boat in a single day.   It was good to get off the boat and explore the island.  
Tomorrow we head SOUTH and West to Mackinaw City.   The lake is supposed to be 'sporty' for 40+ miles.   

They use that word when they mean it sucks... We shall see. At least we should be driving into the waves.  

We can't believe we are only a few days from home.    

Tentative plans at Charlevoix (my happy place), Ludington and then back to Grand Haven.  We will probably spend two nights in Ludington as weather is going to keep us there...

Home early next week!  

Our buddy boat for this section (Just You) is going with us all of the way home to Grand Haven.  

We've confirmed they got the other boat out of our slip so .... We should be able to pull in as soon as we arrive.   





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