Isle Royale Forums

I miss you guys all so very much Sorry for not making a post upon my return. Some of you sent me messages asking if I had made it back safely and were wondering if I was Ok. Thank you for your concern. I made it back in one piece although the trip had many altercations to it. I've been back for a week now and have not had time to write out my trip report yet. Therefore, I did not want to make an empty handed appearance with nothing to share with all of you. I promise to try to write my report out by the end of next week. Again, sorry for the delay on the report and leaving everyone hanging. I hope everyone is doing great. Keep an eye out for my Trip Report...overall...it was a pretty awesome trip. I learned many things that I will keep in mind while planning future trips.

To give you a preview of things to come here was our initial itinerary:

Day 1: Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm
Day 2 : Daisy Farm (wake up and do the loop as a day hike then pack up our stuff) to Moskey Basin.
Day 3: Moskey Basin to Hatchet Lake
Day 4: Hatchet Lake to Malone Bay
Day 5: Malone Bay Rest Day
Day 6: Malone Bay to South Desor
Day 7: South Desor to Siskiwit Bay
Day 8: Siskiwit Bay Rest Day
Day 9: Siskiwit Bay to Feldtmann Lake
Day 10: Feldtmann Lake to Windigo to Grace Island
Day 11: Grace Island to Beaver Island
Day 12: Beaver Island to Windigo to Huggininn Cove (Hike...Not Canoe)
Day 13: Huggininn Cove to Windigo to Grand Portage

And this was our adjusted itinerary that came into effect:

Day 1: Rock Harbor to Three Mile
Day 2 : Three Mile to Moskey Basin
Day 3: Moskey Basin to Hatchet Lake
Day 4: Hatchet Lake to Malone Bay
Day 5: Malone Bay Rest Day
Day 6: Malone Bay Rest Day
Day 7: Malone Bay to Windigo (via Voyageur) to Feldtmann Lake
Day 8: Feldtmann Lake to Siskiwit Bay
Day 9: Siskiwit Bay Rest Day
Day 10: Siskiwit Bay to Washington Creek
Day 11: Washington Creek Rest Day (Day Hike Huggininn Cove Loop)
Day 12: Windigo to Grand Portage

Welcome Back!

I look forward to hearing the tale of your trip ...

Update:

I am really really sick and am dealing with a bad cold. Please forgive my deal on my trip report. John...if I don't talk to you before you leave have a wonderful time on the island during the Ranger III's last running week.

Rafiki wrote:Update:

I am really really sick and am dealing with a bad cold. Please forgive my deal on my trip report. John...if I don't talk to you before you leave have a wonderful time on the island during the Ranger III's last running week.

Thanks,
I'll be sure to get pictures ect. while there!!!

Rafiki wrote:Update:

I am really really sick and am dealing with a bad cold. Please forgive my deal on my trip report. John...if I don't talk to you before you leave have a wonderful time on the island during the Ranger III's last running week.

Do what you need to do. Get yourself better. If you let your health go you will be sorry later( I know !!! ) Afterall with winter coming on I look forward to your trip report to carry us till the spring opening. I have bought a power boat so if my health doesn't allow me to sail I will use the power boat next spring. Get better soon

Richard1961 wrote:I have bought a power boat so if my health doesn't allow me to sail I will use the power boat next spring.

Richard:

Did you go with your earlier power boat choice? Do you have any pictures you can share? The sailing would have been sweet but I'm betting you'll be happier with the power choice, assuming you get reasonable fuel efficiency. Beyond the price, access to fuel can become a logistic issue.

Midwest Ed wrote:

Richard1961 wrote:I have bought a power boat so if my health doesn't allow me to sail I will use the power boat next spring.

Richard:

Did you go with your earlier power boat choice? Do you have any pictures you can share? The sailing would have been sweet but I'm betting you'll be happier with the power choice, assuming you get reasonable fuel efficiency. Beyond the price, access to fuel can become a logistic issue.

I found a older 1974 21ft Bayliner Liberty. It was set up as a Lake Michigan Deep water fishing boat with extra built in fuel tanks for extra range. It has the 30 gal main tank and 2 15 Gal aux tanks (1 on each side ) for a total of apx 60 gal for the 260 horse I/O. It also has a 20 gal Tank for the 9.9 kicker motor. The old owner said she gets best milage at apx 65 % cruise so It should have the range I need for the island, but unlike the sailboat It will have the power to run and hide if the weather turns bad. With the aux tanks I should make it to the island and back if I want to go early or late And once the island fuel becomes advaible it should have no problems. When Island fuel is advaible I will be able to launch from Copper Harbor or Houston for a shorter road trip(250 CH, 200 H) if I wanted but I kind of like how much closer GP is then CH.

I think It will be a good choice for the island because I will have a 500 road trip to get to Grand Portage to launch and it pulls a lot easier then the 26 foot sailboat. As much as I like my windchaser it can be a beast to pull with all the lead it has in its keel. It As I plan to sleep on shore whenever there is room I won't miss the extra room the sailboat has. Taking the sailboat with the seperate sleeping cabin and main cabin with galley and seperate Head, it would have been like all those people that pull a 24ft travel trailer to a campground, plug into the grid and call it camping. This one has a small cuddy cabin that will sleep 2 and room on cockpit seat and floor for up to 2 more in a pinch. So I think my sailboats will stay within sailing distance of Green Bay and the power boat will be my long range trailer boat. As I now have 3 boats I have plenty of safty gear to swap to whichever boat I want to use. I have so many radios, flares, lifejackets, anchors, line, bumpers etc, my wife thinks I am stocking my own marina.

I realy wanted to go to the island this fall but with my health problems ruling out the sailboat and I didn't get the powerboat till the first week of Sept. and I had to wait for my trailer plates to pull it acrost a state line. Also being new to me it didn't seem that a trip to the island would have been a good choice for a shakedown cruise.

I hope to spend a lot of quality time on Isle Royale next year so I hope I run into a few of you guys. As for pictures as soon as my son brings back my camera I will try to post a few.

Richard:

I looked up some pictures. If the stern is as it looks you could probably stow an 8 foot kayak for getting into all the nooks and crannys either too shallow or off limits to motors.

Midwest Ed wrote:Richard:

I looked up some pictures. If the stern is as it looks you could probably stow an 8 foot kayak for getting into all the nooks and crannys either too shallow or off limits to motors.

I had been thinking about how to carry a canoe but your idea would work great for a kayak. I will just have to leave enough room to pull start the kicker. Thanks much

I got the idea from some sterns I've seen with short RIBs attached (6 ft to 8 ft). The RIB with a small outboard would probably be more popular with boaters but for IR it doesn't appeal to me. I'm no kayak or canoe expert but I've been researching them, looking for a canoe for the Mississippi. All the decent 8 foot kayaks I've seen are classified as white water. A little wider and more maneuverable, Not really the best for going a great distance, in a straight line, in a cross wind, but it would be well suited I think to rough seas. If there was a nice, short "sit on top" would be my choice (almost like a canoe) but that would give up a lot of rough sea stability. The kayak would also allow you to portage into inland lakes near the Superior shoreline.

Not to hijack this thread further (mods, please separate if you like), but an 8.5' inflatable can be fairly easily managed with a small boat.

I sometimes tow mine on a short painter, like this:


Amygdaloid Channel

Or, it rides along in the cockpit, like this:


Somewhere in Five Finger Bay

(Photos taken by my friend, Buckda)

Great boat Tampico... I am at heart a sailor but have a soft spot for Whalers.

Who did the hard top frame?

Tampico wrote:Not to hijack this thread further...

We're just marking time, tapping our toes, marching in place, keeping the spot open.....while we wait for Rafiki to recover.