|
Cruising the Great Lakes
Home
Hi! I'm Steve Wells, a retired business communication executive after a 28-year career in Detroit. I am married with two grown children. I am a technical journalism graduate of Iowa State University and was a charter member of the Peace Corps in its first year of existence, later returning to the Philippines to serve in an overseas staff position. Well-traveled throughout North America and the rest of the world, I enjoy adventure and challenges. I'm a non-smoker and non-drinker. I stay fit through daily running and exercise. I began sailing the Great Lakes in 1984 and have made yearly cruises to the Georgian Bay and North Channel since 1992, many singlehanded.
I grew up in Iowa and lived in many places before settling in Detroit in 1977 -- Denver, Charleston, Columbia SC, Augusta GA, Montgomery AL, Memphis and Chicago.
In the 1950's when I was a teenager, I was enraptured by a TV series called "Adventures in Paradise." It featured a gypsy skipper (Gardner McKay) sailing his wooden ketch in the South Pacific islands from one adventure to another. I had a dream that some day I too could sail an adventure like that.
I ended up joining the Peace Corps in the Philippines, where I served nearly 10 years, first as a Volunteer (2 1/2 years) and later a staff member. Returning to the US, I finally settled in Detroit. Married with two children, we bought our first sailboat in 1984 and began sailing the Great Lakes. Three years later we traded up for a new Laguna 30. We named her Cygnet (baby swan). On this site, I'll introduce myself and talk about my love for sailing the Great Lakes -- especially Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Channel. I'll share past trips through photos
My favorite cruise follows the St. Clair River northward from Detroit to Lake Huron and continues along the Canadian shore some 250 nautical miles to Georgian Bay and the North Channel. For generations this area has been widely regarded by cruising sailors as America’s premiere cruising area. Rugged and isolated, it is characterized by rocky shores and islands, deep crystal-clear water and excellent anchorages. En route, a series of day-long sails link small Canadian port towns which welcome sailors with safe harbors and modern, well-equipped marinas. Local grocery stores provide reprovisioning opportunities and restaurants offer a break from our galley fare. Typically, it takes 40 to 50 hours to sail to or from Detroit and the Georgian Bay, but progress is highly dependent on weather and winds.
The Great Lakes form a chain. Lakes Michigan and Superior flow into Lake Huron, which empties into the St. Clair River to Lake St. Clair, a small (20x20 mile) and relatively shallow lake alongside Detroit. Lake St. Clair, in turn, empties into the Detroit River which flows into Lake Erie. Lakes Michigan, Huron, St. Clair and Erie can all be reached without canals or locks.
The Georgian Bay amd North Channel are part of a geological feature called the Niagara Escarpment, a ridge of rock several hundred meters high in some places that stretches from Ontario to Wisconsin. The Niagara Escarpment dates back some 430 to 450 million years when the area lay under a shallow warm sea. It was located in a depression in the Earth's crust, the center of which is now the State of Michigan. Now geologically known as the Michigan Basin, the outer rim of the gigantic saucer-shaped depression forms the Escarpment, a horseshoe-shaped ridge that stretches from Tobermory, Ontario to Door County, Wisconsin. Rivers flowing into this ancient sea carried sand, silt and clay to be deposited as thick layers of sediment. At the same time lime-rich organic materials from the abundant sea life were also accumulating. Over millions of years these materials became compressed into massive layers of sedimentary rock and ancient reef structures now visible along the Escarpment. Sedimentary rock is clearly visible throughout the Georgian Bay and North Channel, such as at Flowerpot Island and George Island adjacent to Killarney. In addition, giant salt deposits lay under the area. These are still mined today.
Last update: August 30, 2007
Contact me!
248 761-1982
If you are the owner of this site:You can start editing your web site by clicking here. Forgot your zoomshare username or password? Get it here.
|
