We awoke to a calm sea state, and sunny skies. The wind had passed. Our plan was to leave Lime Island and head to Soo. I guess we should have had a better thought out plan, as I was excited to go through the locks, and Lauren wanted to see the city. We ended up somewhere in between, yet so far away. Let me explain: The trip to Ste. Marie was about 30 miles, giver or take. We left ‘bird poop and feather island’ and headed up St. Mary’s River. We left at 8:30am and had to fight the current all the way up. We arrived at Sault Ste. Marie around 1:45pm. That was a long 5+ hour trip.
At this point, we didn’t really have a plan devised; we were here! What to do now? how about go through the lock and lose our ‘lock virginity’! Great! We approached the lock and I radioed in to the lock master, after having googled what to do. He was polite and responded it would be about 15 minutes, as he was bringing someone down now. I did also tell him this was our first time! I should clarify about the locks: there are two sides- the American side, and the Canadian side. The American side is actually 4 locks, and mostly commercial traffic. The Canadian side is smaller, and mostly pleasure craft. You do not have to check in or out of customs using the Canadian lock. On our trip up we were sandwiched with giant freighters in front and behind us, but we were all going about the same speed, so we fell in line. Earlier on the route, we were passed by two freighters moving up river, but they are in constant contact with the locks, so once the order was made of traffic coming and going, they had to slow down. Back to our first lock- he told us to pull up to ‘the line’ and wait. There is a sign posted where to stop. There is also a stop light on the side, which will indicate when to stop or go. The wind had started to pick up as we were getting to the city; not like yesterdays wind, but enough to blow us around a bit. As we were sitting there waiting, we had to keep doing circles to get back to ‘the line’. It’s a good thing there wasn’t anyone else waiting for the lock! After about 15 minutes, the lock in front of us started to open, and a couple of small boats were coming out. I waited on the side until they passed, was given the green light, and approached with caution.
Going ‘up river’, the lock was going to lift us up and bypass the rapids of the river, where the water falls 21 feet. There is a lot of history here that I will touch on at a later date. We approached and Lauren had prepared fenders and lines to the starboard side as the lock master had directed us to tie up on. There are rubber lines that come down the sides of the lock wall which you are supposed to wrap a line around and then secure it to your boat. This being our first time, we weren’t even sure how long of lines were needed? We had read about the middle being most important, but weren’t sure. To top it off, this is a tourist attraction, so there is a gallery of people looking down, watching, taking pictures and videos, and all I wanted to do was get in the lock and have a smooth landing against the wall so Lauren could secure us. It went mostly as planned, we came up to the wall and Lauren secured the mid ship. I put the boat in neutral and ran down to assist with the lines. Lauren now had the rear line secured, but now the front was starting to swing out! She grabbed a pole and was able to snag the rubber line on the wall- she then secured that as well. In the mean time, I could tell water was coming into the lock, and we were starting our ascent up. Lauren was able to get some pics from the experience. As we neared the top, I was able to speak to the lock master. He was friendly and said we did great for the first time. He said he saw we were secure mostly, so he started the process, as we were the only one in the lock. I asked about marinas or anchorages, and he said not many around other than the city (which we just passed) and maybe by the casino? Ok- we’ll figure this out. He noticed Frank (who was now barking from inside the cabin) looking out the window and I explained how we couldn’t trust him to not jump off! He replied he’s had to chase a few dogs that do jump!
The whole process took about 45 minutes- waiting, raising, and out. So now we’re out to the end of St. Mary’s River, under the International Bridge, headed to where? Lake Superior is around the corner, according to the charts. At this point, we’ve been traveling about 6.5 hours pushing up the river and are getting tired. We are now looking at the map, and there is no sign of marina, casino, or anchorage within the next 30 miles. Hmmm…where is this casino I’ve heard about from two people?
We continue forward as I’ve decided that there is a bay we should be able to anchor in that looks fairly protected. This is another hour away. Oh well- we made it through the lock and are now in Lake Superior! At this point, we really just want to find somewhere, anywhere to stop for the day. We come to the bay, and Lauren and I do the anchoring maneuvers after deciding on a spot. There were a few houses along the water, and 2 people on a jet ski zipping about. I took Frank for his land reprieve, and saw the jet skiers coming in toward the houses. We were in the dinghy at this point, so I motored over to say hello and inquire about the area. They told me it is a shallow bay, but there were a few places it stays about 9 feet deep. We were anchored in 5.5 feet of water, but felt okay with this. We were tucked in, so protected from wind and waves. I asked about a casino around here, and they pointed across the bay to a brown building- that is the Indian Reservation Casino which everyone had mentioned- we made it!
We did not go to the casino, and only went to shore a few times to walk Frank. We were the only boat in the bay, and we enjoyed the scenery and a good sunset. Lauren prepared dinner and we discussed the next days plan. She wanted to go to Soo and stay there so we could explore. We knew from earlier that there are two marinas in the city, one American, one Canadian. She called the American marina and inquired about dock space- they had some available. So now our plan is to leave early tomorrow morning and get to the city by 11ish so we can spend the day looking around. I like a good plan!
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