[Rhodes22-list] Facilities Available In The Apostle Islands?

Thu Sep 17 14:08:49 EDT 2020

Hi Roger,

Thanks for the tips regarding future adventures to Apostle Islands.  I
think you know the area better than I do based on your prior trips.  While
you probably already knew much of the info in the document from my last
note, I thought others might find it to be a good starting point for
planning and the photos in the document might just be enough to spur on
others from the list to make a trip there.  It really is a great place to
sail.  I would like to spend more time in the outer islands the next time
we go.  The sea caves must be amazing, but conditions were not conducive to
exploring those when we were there since it was windy.

Regarding Stockton Island, we anchored nearby the visitors center
accessible via the dock at Presque Isle Bay.  That anchorage is well
protected in all but south or southeast winds.  The depth drops gradually
and it has a sandy bottom which held well.  The docks there are in good
condition but the depth is shallow at 4-7'.  As long as water levels are
not low, you should be able to dock with the centerboard pulled up in your
R22.  Charter boats are not permitted to use any of the NPS docks on the
islands due to draft.  I attached a photo of the long dock at Presque Isle
Bay at Stockton where we tied up the dinghy to go hiking.  There is also an
L shaped dock as you can see from the attached snippet from Google Earth.
The visitors center is to the southeast of the docks, but it was closed
when we were there due to COVID.  All the lighthouses were also closed
while we were there.  We plan to go back some day and do more exploring
including tours at some of the light houses.

I look forward to hearing about your next trip to the Apostle Islands!

Jesse Shumaker
S/V Zephyr

On Thu, Sep 17, 2020 at 9:24 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

> Hi Jesse,
>
> Thanks for the info, it’s very helpful.  We usually try to beach camp on
> trips like this.  I know there is a small NPS pier and 3 backcountry
> campsites on Sand Island.  But, the NPS pier is on the east side of the
> island and pretty exposed.  There are nice hiking trails, a lighthouse, a
> sea stack, and sea caves on Sand Island.  The best sea caves in the whole
> archipelago are in Squaw Bay, which is only a few miles southwest from Sand
> Island.  We put-in at a beach on Siskiwitt Bay a few miles south on the
> west side of the Bayfield Peninsula and did a day trip loop in our kayaks
> to visit the Squaw Bay sea caves.  But, it was a calm day and I remember
> some boats at anchor just offshore from the Squaw Bay sea caves.  On our
> sea kayaking trip, we beach camped on a deserted beach in the southeast
> corner of York Island.  But, there is no good anchorage there and it’s a
> pretty exposed site, so that’s not a viable option this time around.  Is
> there any way to dock or anchor overnight in the vicinity of the Visitor
> Center on Stockton Island?  Supposedly, Devils Island has a lighthouse, sea
> caves, and arches.  It would be nice to spend a night there.  But, it could
> be pretty risky as Devil’s Island is the northernmost island in the
> archipelago.
>
> By the way, the next time you visit the Apostle Islands, if conditions
> permit (i.e. dead calm), you should consider anchoring out and taking your
> dingy into the sea caves on either Sand Island or Squaw Bay.  You can’t
> really appreciate the sea caves from the mother ship and you can’t see them
> from the hiking trails on top of the cliff.  You have to get into them in a
> small boat.  Some of the sea caves will be too narrow for a dingy; but,
> there are many caves you will be able to explore.  Remember to bring a
> headlight and wear gloves so you can move hand-over-hand along the rock.
> Canoe paddles will work better vs. oars and don’t even think about firing
> up your outboard inside the caves – too many prop killing rocks and
> ledges!  It’s an experience you will remember all your life!
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
> From: Jesse Shumaker<mailto:jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 10:20 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Facilities Available In The Apostle Islands?
>
> Hi Roger, I had good experiences on both trips to the Apostle Islands this
> summer and learned a lot.  Your request gave me an excuse to do a brief
> writeup on the trips including an overview, general info, and some
> photos..  You can access that at the following link:
>
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/11de_-DynpiEc6D-zMGJbfU9BvzTBvDDK/view?usp=sharing
>
> I will definitely return to these sailing grounds.  I would really like to
> make a trip to Grand Marais and Isle Royale.  If there's any specific info
> you're looking for that I didn't cover in the attached document, please let
> me know and I'll try to help.
>
> Jesse Shumaker
> S/V Zephyr
>
> On Wed, Sep 16, 2020 at 8:55 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Jesse,
> >
> > Before I propose the idea of a Sailing/Kayaking High Adventure Trip in
> the
> > Apostle Islands next summer to my family, I would like to have some local
> > knowledge about the archipelago.  From your recent charter trip, do you
> > have any insights regarding good anchorages, transient boat slips,
> > restaurants, grocery stores, marinas, etc.; especially in the outer
> > islands?  Do you have a good navigation reference resource?
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> > Windows 10
> >
> > From: Jesse Shumaker<mailto:jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2020 4:23 PM
> > To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] sailing in Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan
> >
> > Jeanneau 379.  Definitely bigger than what we need, and a couple of steps
> > up from the Jeanneau 33 that we chartered in Apostle Islands, but that is
> > what is available on short notice.  We'll have some family on board, one
> of
> > which is a sailor out of Traverse City so that will be helpful.  I'm
> > curious to try the IMF on a larger boat.  Our itinerary will depend on
> > weather conditions.
> >
> > Jesse Shumaker
> > S/V Zephyr
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 15, 2020 at 2:41 PM Tom Van Heule <
> > tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com> wrote:
> >
> > > What are you chartering?
> > >
> > > I spent 20+ years in west michigan.  Beautiful.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 6:05 PM Jesse Shumaker <
> > > jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > My wife and I had sailing plans out west, but that has been
> rescheduled
> > > due
> > > > to the wildfires and resulting air quality.  I really feel bad for
> > > > everyone affected by that on top of everything else delivered by this
> > > crazy
> > > > year of 2020.
> > > >
> > > > We swiftly changed plans and will be chartering a sailboat out of
> > > Traverse
> > > > City, Michigan
> > > > later this month.  We're actually going to be up there again in the
> > > middle
> > > > of next summer.  We have some family nearby that will be joining us
> on
> > > > board for part of the trip.  For this round we plan on spending most
> of
> > > the
> > > > time within Grand Traverse Bay and going as far North as Charlevoix
> or
> > > > possibly Harbor Point in Little Traverse Bay.  Next summer we would
> > like
> > > to
> > > > make it over to Beaver Island if weather permits.
> > > >
> > > > For the first day, we're going to hire a captain and practice docking
> > and
> > > > other boat handling since this will be a bigger boat for us.  We had
> to
> > > go
> > > > with what was available on short notice but end of season discounts
> > help.
> > > > It has IMF so it will be interesting to try that on a bigger boat.
> > > >
> > > > Tentative plan:
> > > > Thursday  9/24 1 Captain - spend the night at Elmwood Marina in
> > Traverse
> > > > City
> > > > Friday    9/25 2 Power Island & Sutton's Bay
> > > > Saturday  9/26 3 Northport / Old Mission Bay
> > > > Sunday    9/27 4 Charleviox / Harbor Point in Little Traverse Bay
> > > > Monday    9/28 5 Omena Bay / Ingalls Bay
> > > > Tuesday   9/29 6 Elk Rapids / Old Mission
> > > > Wednesday 9/30 7 Return to Traverse City
> > > >
> > > > Would anyone on the list happen to be familiar with the area and have
> > any
> > > > recommendations?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > Jesse Shumaker
> > > > S/V Zephyr
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
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