On Friday, July 31, we sailed from Woodbine Harbour to Battle Island.
The weather was once again forecast as fair with winds building in the
late afternoon. We set out under full main and jib at around 11:00. It was
a gorgeous sunny day with very light winds. In fact we were lucky to
have a small swell travelling in the same direction as we were. I think
that this may have helped us as much as the wind. In fact, at one point
we heard singing which is very strange for a day on Lake Superior. A
quick scan of the horizon revealed some canoe and kayak types off in
the distance who were obviously enjoying their morning paddle. It took
us about four hours to sail and drift the 10 miles from Woodbine to Battle
Island.
Battle Island is an interesting spot. It has the historic light house which
marks the outer approaches to the Rossport area. The island has a nice
harbour on the north side which, surprisingly, we had to ourselves until
about 9:30 p.m. After docking the boat (there is room for one boat at the
dock, all others must use the moorings or anchor) we walked the trail up
to the light house. We were surprised to see that there is still a caretaker
for this automated light. The fellow at the site told us that he leases the
site in exchange for doing maintenance (a lot of red and white painting).
He had a special interest in the light as he had worked as the keeper for
20 years prior to the Coast Guard changes. Bert was very friendly
although he appeared somewhat bored with the 400 + visitors he gets
each year. He showed us around the light and took us up to the top of
the tower. We even went out on the gallery which was spectacular as
this light is 170 feet above the lake. Imagine us out on this platform with a
three and five year old. Hold on tight! The island also has some really
beautiful pebble beaches to explore. My kids love rocks and by the end
of the trip we must of had 25 lbs of rocks on board with us.
As I stated earlier, we were alone in the harbour until 9:30 pm. At that
time a 40 foot charter trawler out of Rossport came in for the night. This
boat was on route to the Slate Islands. As it turns out the skipper and
first mate were practically neighbours of ours living just down the road
from us in Thunder Bay. They operate a charter boat in the summer and
do other work in the winter. They were very friendly and once again I
drank more beer than I normally do.
Late that night Linda and I ended up in the cockpit of the Potter (backs
against the cabin, feet to the stern - you know the position) looking at the
stars and the sweep of the light from the lighthouse. Spectacular!
More later (thanks for your patience, I'm almost done).
Ray
P-19 #953 "Water Wings"
Thunder Bay, Lake Superior