This is a fairly typical overnight sailing trip out among Lake Superior's Apostle Islands, when the air happens to be light. Because of the southerly wind direction, we choose to stay at the scenic and sheltered anchorage on the north side of Oak Island, which everyone calls North Oak. As expected, it proved to be a highly popular place. There were between 20 and 25 boats already there, when we arrived. Oak Island is the tallest of the Apostle Islands, rising about 480 ft. above the lake. It's slowly reverting to boreal forest, and it's now hard to imagine the island once had several busy fishing and lumber camps before it became part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Incidentally, it's also known to have a very large population of black bears. Both days were quite hot. While sailing Lake Superior is widely known to be a cold, cold pleasure, there are times in the summer, when its South Shore's temperatures soar into the 85–95-degree range — and sometimes higher. Combined with the humidity, that can be quite uncomfortable, if there isn't any breeze. Satellite images courtesy of Google Earth.

This one is a little different. I took Freelance back by myself from Superior-Duluth to the Apostle Islands — the first four hours in heavy fog — while Vicki handled the ground transportation. And as I have said several times before in our videos, I truly dislike fog. It always takes a lot of concentration, which is especially true when sailing single-handed. Incidentally, I prefer to have friends along on this particular passage, mainly for the social aspects, but we were unavoidably delayed for a week, due to the need to first fix an unexpected engine oil leak. So, the friends we had lined up to be our delivery crew were unfortunately unable to adjust their schedules, and the easiest solution was for me to just solo Freelance to Port Superior Marina at Bayfield.

At sunrise, Freelance left Houghton-Hancock to sail offshore on Lake Superior. The conditions were ideal, giving us a comfortable and fast broad reach all the way from the Keweenaw Waterway’s Upper Entry to the beautiful Chippewa Harbor in the Isle Royale National Park. Along the way, we crossed wakes with Victoria Queen, a classic wooden yawl, and spent a couple of days with our friends Bill and Mike at the charming and secluded wilderness anchorage. They went fishing, and afterwards we all four greatly enjoyed their delicious catch of laketrout and northern pike. By the way, I’ve updated my video editing software. The new software has more of the professional controls and features that I’ve worked with in the past. I am wondering if you notice any difference for this video, so please comment here if you think it’s an improvement or not. Satellite images by Google Earth.

In this 22nd episode of Sailing SV Freelance we ride the current down the St. Mary’s River to the DeTour Passage, where the water from Lake Superior flows into Lake Huron. After spending the night at the peaceful DeTour Marina, we turned west towards the popular Mackinac Island, which is one of our favorite Great Lakes destinations. There’s so much to see and do at Mackinac Island, and it has an old time charm that’s difficult to overrate. Here are many great restaurants, impressive hotels, fun shops, famous historical sites, and beautiful nature. It’s also famous for banning motorized vehicles back in 1898, so people get around the island with horses and bicycles, or just by walking. Satellite images courtesy of Google Earth Rhastafarian by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

In this 21st episode of Sailing SV Freelance, Vicki and I sail offshore on Lake Superior from the Apostle Island to the Keweenaw Peninsula. We had decent weather on the day-long downwind passage of about 80 nautical miles, making for steady progress towards our destination. After getting to the Keweenaw Waterway, also called the Keweenaw Canal, we didn’t stop at the long Lily Pond Harbor of Refuge wharf. Instead, we pressed further on to the cities of Houghton-Hancock, Mich., where we tied Freelance up to Houghton’s convenient City Dock. All in all, it was about 15 hours after we raised the anchor in Stockton Island’s Julian Bay. The next day was a planned layover day, during which we just took it easy and visited with friends. We also ate breakfast at the Copper Range Depot Restaurant, and as usual got coffee and donuts at Roy’s Pasties & Bakery, which is one of our all-time favorite bakeries. When it was time to leave early on the third day, thick fog had descended on the Keweenaw Waterway. You could hardly see the massive lift bridge, which spans the channel. That made it a no-go situation for us, so we patiently waited until fog lifted at about 9 a.m., when we pushed off for the waterway’s Lower Entry and Marquette. In this video, we had longer sections without voice-over, and are curious about how you like this format. Please leave a comment below, if you think we should do more or less of this. Satellite images courtesy of Google Earth Easy Jam by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100245 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

How do you use the locks at Sault Ste. Marie (The Soo)? This episode of Sailing SV Freelance shows you how we did it, when we once again were downbound from Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes. Vicki and I have several times passed through The Soo, both in the American and Canadian locks. Generally, we prefer the smaller Canadian Lock, because it’s so super easy to use by recreational crafts. The huge American Locks are better suited for the freighters, but you are free to use either. Incidentally, Sault Ste. Marie is an old community by American standards. It was established in 1668 by the French, making it one of the oldest in the United States west of the Appalachians. Of course, there were Dakota, Chippewa and other communities at this centrally located gathering place well before any Europeans arrived. Today, there are two cities – one Canadian and one American — of the same name on each side of the rapids. After exiting the Canadian Lock, we happened to meet a traditional Montreal Canoe, also known as a “canot du maître” (master’s canoe). These large birch-bark canoes were used during the old Fur Trade Times to carry goods on the Voyageurs’ route between Montreal and Lake Superior. You can tongue-in-cheek claim they were the first Great Lakes freighters — but because they could be portaged by four people, they didn’t need any locks to get past the rapids at Sault Ste. Marie. Satellite images by Google Earth. Music: Bicycle - Reunited by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100870 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

We were there, when the US Coast Guard demonstrated an on-the-water air evacuation at the Great Lakes Cruising Club’s Rendezvous at Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is where two of the Great Lakes — Lake Huron and Lake Michigan — meet. The helicopter flew up from the USCG Air Station at Traverse City, Michigan, for the Cruising Club’s largest summer event. Everyone was thrilled to observe the demonstration of how a person can be lifted out of the water with the help of a rescue swimmer, as well as appreciative of this special educational opportunity.. Obviously, it is so very helpful for boaters to know what to expect, if they ever happen to be involved with such an emergency situation. However, Vicki and I have previously observed a USCG air rescue attempt in Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands. That happened during a heavy northeaster, so it was in far more difficult conditions than during this demonstration. The helicopter, which has a crew of four, is a Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk. It’s capable of speeds up to 180 knots and has a range of about 800 miles. The Traverse City Air Station’s coverage area includes all of Lake Michigan, and most of Lake Superior and Lake Huron.

This Sailing SV Freelance episode is from when Tim, Perry, and I took the boat (a Pearson 36 Cutter) from Superior-Duluth back to Lake Superior's Apostle Islands. The summer weather was quite hot, even out on the open lake, and there were several threatening T-storms chasing us, which we thankfully avoided. We had hoped to be able to use the sails during the passage. Unfortunately, the winds were no cooperating, so we instead relied on the diesel to get us to our destination. When we got into the Apostles by mid-afternoon, we figured there wasn’t any reason to rush — and we decided to stay overnight on the hook in the pleasant Raspberry Bay, and continue on to Port Superior in the morning.

In this SV Freelance episode we enjoyed a leisurely downwind sail to Stockton Island in the Apostles, where we anchored two nights in Julian Bay before moving on to the small National Park Service’s harbor at Presque Isle. During the time we were at the beautiful island, we enjoyed the beaches; went for a wet dinghy ride; complained about the biting black flies; heard a report about a close encounter with a black bear; experienced a heavy Lake Superior thunderstorm; declared a weather day due to fog; and visited with boating friends. This is longest YouTube video we have made so far, so we’re curious about how you like its length. Please take a moment and let us know below. One of our visits at Stockton Island was with Larry and Judy of the Allegro, a Mason 33 sailboat. Larry’s YouTube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/allegrosails.

This past summer, I helped run the Necessity, a SeaRay Fly 400 motorcruiser, from the Apostle Islands to Duluth. It was a very fast, fun, and comfortable passage in calm seas — and obviously much, much faster than Vicki and I can ever do the trip on our own boat, the SV Freelance. . We had timed our passage to beat a forecasted change in the weather. The high winds (gust to 30) did arrive as promised, but we had already made our destination with an hour to spare

This is the second part of our detailed walk-through of Freelance, our Pearson 36 Cutter (also informally known as a Pearson 367), focusing on our experiences with its below-deck features and cruising comforts. Our cutter is Hull #4. It was built in 1981, and launched on the East Coast in 1982. We bought it 1991 at Barkers Island Marina, Lake Superior, and renamed it Freelance. Since then it has serve us well as our magic carpet, which has safely taken us far and wide on the Great Lakes. We know from our experience it’s a awesome cruising boat. Here are its official specifications, which were also listed with Part 1: LOA: 36'5"/11.1m LWL: 30'0" /9.1m Hull speed: 7.34 knots Beam: 11'6" /3.4m Draft: 5'6" /1.68m Height above DWL: 47'4" /14.4m Sail area: 599 sq. ft./55.7 sq. m Displacement: 17,700 lbs./8,028.6 kg Ballast: 7,300 lbs./3,377.2 kg Engine: 40-hp Westerbeke diesel Diesel tankage: 50 gal. /189.3 liters Water tankage: 150 gal./567.8 liters Water heater: 6 gal. /22.7 liters Holding tankage: 20 gal./75.7 liters Batteries: 3 Series 31 AGM For Freelance’s above decks features and our recommendations for how to best sail a Pearson 36 Cutter, please see Part 1 on YouTube. And just to avoid misunderstandings, please note our boat is not for sale.

We were asked to do a walk-through of Freelance, our Pearson 36 Cutter (also informally known as a Pearson 367), so here it is the first part. It focuses on its above-deck features and our recommendations for how to best sail it. Our cutter is Hull #4. It was built in 1981, and launched on the East Coast in 1982. We bought it 1991 at Barkers Island Marina, Lake Superior, and renamed it Freelance. Since then it has serve us well as our magic carpet, which has safely taken us far and wide on the Great Lakes. We know from our experience it’s a awesome cruising boat. Here are some of its official specifications: LOA: 36'5"/11.1m LWL: 30'0" /9.1m Hull speed: 7.34 knots Beam: 11'6" /3.4m Draft: 5'6" /1.68m Height above DWL: 47'4" /14.4m Sail area: 599 sq. ft./55.7 sq. m Displacement: 17,700 lbs./8,028.6 kg Ballast: 7,300 lbs./3,377.2 kg Engine: 40-hp Westerbeke diesel Diesel tankage: 50 gal. /189.3 liters Water tankage: 150 gal./567.8 liters Water heater: 6 gal. /22.7 liters Holding tankage: 20 gal./75.7 liters Batteries: 3 Series 31 AGM Incidentally, the Pearson 36 Cutter/Pearson 367 may at first glance seem to have the same hull as the popular Pearson 365, but doesn’t. Its underbody is very difference. And just to avoid misunderstandings, please note our boat is not for sale.

In this SV Freelance episode Vicki and I spent an early August day with friends at Windigo, Isle Royale National Park, where we saw a truly dazzling sunset; arrived the next day at Grand Marais on the scenic Minnesota North Shore, just ahead of some heavy thunderstorms; and in the morning slipped the mooring lines for a great sail across Lake Superior to the beautiful Julian Bay in the Apostle Islands.

In this segment, Vicki and I spent several fine summer days exploring Isle Royale's beautiful Chippewa Harbor in our dinghy, before we headed Freelance back to Windigo at the southern end of the national park. We were again buddy-boating with our friends Duane and Mar of the MV Inisfree — and we were all careful to limit our contact with other boaters in this plague year of COVID-19. It should be mentioned that we saw normal levels of boat traffic during our time in the impressive national park. Park services were reduced due to the pandemic, but it didn't cause any hardships for us. Cruising boats are intended to be self-sufficient for extended periods of time, so our 2020 Isle Royale experience was quite similar to being off the grid along the North Shore on the Canadian side of Lake Superior..

SV Freelance returned to the wilderness of Isle Royale in 2020. This remote National Park, which is close to the Canadian border, is always a wonderful Lake Superior destination — and in this plague year of 2020 its natural social distancing was greatly valued by Vicki and I. We spent several days at the Windigo dock and also at our favorite anchorage in Chippewa Harbor.

In the middle of the summer, we had a fun 3-day mini-cruise to Lake Superior's North Shore and back, anchoring overnight at Raspberry Bay in the Apostle Islands and staying another night at the Silver Bay Marina. The weather was changeable, so — besides some great sailing — we had thunderstorms, beam seas, and fog, before we returned at Bayfield. On this trip, we were sailing with two buddy boats, the Hitra and Annie B. Stone.

From our all-time favorite wilderness anchorage at Lake Superior’s famed Isle Royale, we made a quick daytrip to Rock Harbor, before eventually heading Freelance back to the popular NPS pier at Windigo. We later sailed in the company of the S/V Mirage from the National Park’s western end to the charming city of Grand Marais on Minnesota’s scenic North Shore.

We spent several days at the western end of Lake Superior’s Isle Royale National Park with our friends Duane and Mar of the M/V Inisfree. Together, we then moved on to Hay Bay and Chippewa Harbor, which are two of our favorite wilderness anchorages in the Park.

We left Superior-Duluth from under the Areal Lift Bridge, and sailed our Pearson 36 Cutter up Lake Superior’s North Shore to the boreal wilderness at Isle Royale National Park. Along the way, we passed by the scenic Split Rock, tall Palisade Head, and solitary Rock of Ages Lighthouse, and stayed overnight at Silver Bay Marina and Taconite Harbor of Refuge.

The winds gusted to 25 knots, when we crossed Lake Superior from the North Shore to the Apostle Islands. They started out light, but when a squall passed over the lake, the sailing conditions for our Pearson 36 Cutter greatly improved. It was a really fun passage with plenty of sailing time..