LaVida begins Great Lake's Circumnavigation

[mike ritenour]

We've been cruising the Apostle Islands for the past week or so and its a wonderful cruising ground.

Many thanks to John and Larry for holding my hand as we anchored about.

You all should shuck that East Coast Sailing and bring it up here.

Schooner Bay has 8 Cape Dory's in residence!

sea u,
Rit

[John Danicic]

I had the good fortune to meet up with Mike and LaVida earlier this week. We are hoping to meet again in Isle Royal National Park next week.

Here are a few shots of LaVida in the Apostle Islands.


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LaVida on a Port Tack.

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Four of the nine Cape Dory's docked at Schooner Bay Marina.
Left to right. Mariah-CD36, Femme du North-CD33, Amagi-CD36, LaVida-CD33

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Mariah and LaVida at anchor in Tahiti Bay, Oak Island.

Image size restricted by webmaster. Click on each photo for an enlargement. -- Cathy

Sail on

John Danicic
CD36 - Mariah - #124
Lake Superior - The Apostle Islands
CDSOA # 655

[mike ritenour]

Thanks John for posting those pics of LaVida and Mariah. I've so enjoyed meeting you guys and the folks at Schooner Bay!!

Simply stated Lake Superior, the Apostle Islands, Isle Royale rival any of the best cruising grounds in the world!

I can't begin to describe the haunting beauty of the Lake itself and its many islands and shorelines. One can only return with one's mouth open in awe and try to grasp it all.

John suggested to me that I set aside ten years to experience it all and I can see that it would really take a lifetime to get the total picture of Lake Superior.

After we haul out at Schooner Bay (although a bit remote, its a wonderful place for anyone on Lake Superior to put into) I'll post my pics and logs on my website www.seascan.com.

BTW, we believe that Schooner Bay hosts the largest gathering of CD's in one marina, outside of Robin Hood, now that LaVida is there there are eight CD's in a row and one down the road.

sea u,
Rit

[John Danicic]

Mike:

Yep, It is the a GREAT LAKE and you haven't even seen the Canadian side yet. Thunder Bay, the Slates Islands, Top of the Lake and the East Shore. It just gets wilder, and more remote. So stock up on Capt. Morgan and Jerk Sauce, and bring plenty of crew and spare parts. It gets lonely up there.

Too bad we never connected while at Isle Royal but the best laid plans of mice and men are subject to mechanical incidents and the weather.

Here are a couple of more photos of your Apostle Islands stay.

And the bottom one is from Isle Royal. It is the view from Lookout Louise of Duncan Bay with Mariah in the same spot you anchored in. A great view of the Thunder Bay area. Next years adventure.


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Image size restricted by webmaster. Click on each image for an enlargement. - Cathy

Sail on

John Danicic
CD36 - Mariah - #124
Lake Superior - The Apostle Islands
CDSOA # 655

[mike ritenour]

LaVida has now returned to the wonderful marina known as Schooner Bay (in the Apostle Islands) after an wonderful and rewarding cruise.

We are hauling out in the next few days to put her into inside storage for the upcoming winter. Sounds like an early season but we really had an awesome experience here in Lake Superior and look forward to next years cruise of the North Shore.

Thanks to all my crew members who helped LaVida along the way and to my many new Cape Dorian friends who I made.

Speaking of crew, we are accepting crew applications for next season. It will be an exciting and very remote cruise, far, far from civilization. Book early!

Now, we are heading back to our "Dorothy" (Open Cockpit Typhoon) who awaits us with some fall sailing on Lake Ontario.

sea u,
Rit

[chase]

These are fantastic photos. Looks like paradise to me...

Chase

[mike ritenour]

I've posted new images on my website, www.seascan.com

Go to "Lavida's Great Lake Voyages".

sea u,
Mike

[marv brinn]

my son lives in Chicago I am in SC interested in talking to you about a trip

[mike ritenour]

LaVida has finally been embraced by Lake Superior waters early last week.

To the reality of rain shrouded forests, bald eagles, rain fronts and lovely bottles of rum we kindly and finally found ourselves afloat amongst friends, fellow Cape Dorians on the biggest of all the fresh water mama's, Lake Superior.

I cannot describe the excitement that looking out over our dock to Hermit Is and the lake beyond brings to LaVida and her crew. We can't wait to begin our voyage on the 5th of July up and over the Northern shore of this wilderness.

As I so often say, if you ever have the chance to sail upon Lake Superior, sample her waters, her fish and the friends who live and work upon her, you'll be a better sailor for having done it.

I look forward to catching up with everyone on Beaver Is later this season for our Great Lakes meeting.

Voyage postings will follow here and pics will be available at our website.

sea u,
Mike

[John Danicic]

To all:

Mike and his crew left the midwest mecca of Cape Dorys, Schooner Bay Marina, for remote parts of Lake Superior to the north.

For more photos head to:

http://johndanicic.com/page1/page3/page2/page2.html



Sail on

John Danicic

CD36 - Mariah- #124
Lake Superior- The Apostle Islands

[mike ritenour]

I'm pleased to announce the arrival, in her homeport of Olcott, NY, of the fine sailing vessel "LaVida", from her two year voyage to the North Country.

What a blast it has been, to to sail on all five Great Lakes. Soooo many wonderful vistas, tacks, anchorages, hikes, sundowners and at times just rocking in my bunk!

Our ports of call this season from Lake Superior to homeport were Schooner Bay, Navy Island, Apostle Islands, Isle Royale, Thompson Is, Sawyer Bay, Loon Harbour, Slate Islands, Pic Harbour, Marathon, Playter Harbour, Pitch Rock Harbour, Otter Head, Michipicopten Is. Then we headed down to the Soo and Detour Passage, Mackinaw Island, Beaver Island, Cheyboygan,MI, Presqule Isle, Tawas Bay, Harbour Beach, Harrisville, Port Huron, Point Mouliee, Lorain, Dunkirk, Port Colburne, Olcott.

Our safe arrival, after over two years and 3500+ nm, can be attributed to the blessings of a good boat, fine friends, fair weather and only a few "sounders" along the way, that taught all of us, valuable lessons.

I can't put into words the joy of sailing in such pristine waters. We only saw 7 boats during our transit of the North Shore of Lake Superior. Most anchorages were visually spectacular, some grabbed us so hard, we had to stay more than a day or two. In most places water so clear you had a hard time telling if it was 5 feet or 25 feet. We all came away with a very healthy respect for what Lake Superior can do, but she can also be mild and very, very seductive.

Once we hit Marathon, Ont. we were able to hook up with the 85 mile "Coastal Trail" along the North Shore of Lake Superior and hike deep into the wilderness. Using kayaks to access the shoreline, we would hike into the trails, even climbing the 1600' "Sleeping Giant's" head near Thunder Bay, Ontario.

We had two Advance Frame Inflatable Kayaks. Sweeeeet! Couldn't get John or Monty out of ours after their first paddle. Go John!!
These boats (which fold up nicely) gave us some near coastal/ shallow water ability, without the hassel of draft, motors and noise.

One of our first paddles on Lake Superior were around the Sand Island Caves. Spectacular does not come close to describing the artistry that nature has wrought and being able to paddle inside lake caves and penetrate 50'-60' inside was just WOW! The burble of the wavelets and the rising water on sculpted rock has to be experienced.

I could go on for pages, but suffice to say its an awesome cruising ground and I can see why John and Larry and many other sailors are seduced by Superior, I surely have been. Superior has it all, well, perhaps the 64 degree baths were a bit over the top, but still worth it.

BTW, as some of you know, there's a real nest of Cape Dory's tucked waaaay back up in Schooner Bay, I'm sure they would sport a fellow CD'er a bunk or perhaps our Lake Michigan CD'ers have some spare deck to share.

Thanks to all who provided advice, info, offers of a berth and good will over the past two years of our voyage, you made a real difference for us.

Without Ed, Jim, Sharon, Monty and Sue as LaVida's stalwart crew the voyage wouldn't have been possible. Thank you for all the good times and putting up with my shutter bug sailing.

Thanks also to John, Larry, Paul, David, Alfred, Peter, Nick for all their help and assistance during our mechanical times. Gotta have those tools, eh John

I'll be posting some pics after I've had a chance to sort through the thousands I shot. I'll post the link here in a month or so.

sea u,
Rit

[David van den Burgh]

Rit,

Glad to hear you made it home OK. I'm looking forward to seeing some of those photos! Let us know when you sort through them.

David

[mike ritenour]

After arriving home, from our wonderful cruise, we couldn't stay at the dock, so we've packed up again and have headed North to Toronto, Canada and one whale of a pig roast at the Queen City YC. Awesome club and great facilities.

Our hope is that we continue along the Northern Canadian shore and return home manana................

sea u,
Rit