Sailing to the Sawtooth Mountains - S/V Freelance Ep. 27

It was a pleasant day-long ride towards Grand Marais after we had spent five wonderful days at the Isle Royale National Park, Lake Superior. We were running westward with just the jib topsail and mainsail, because the winds mainly stayed below 14 knots, but we were making good speed in moderate seas. Having a following current sure helped us make a speedy passage to our destination. Grand Marais is actually one of two towns of the same name on Lake Superior. The one we were sailing to at this particular time is the one at Minnesota’s Sawtooth Mountains. They got their name because of their fairly regular size, spacing, and angles, looking like the teeth of a large sawblade, especially when seen from the east. It’s a rugged range with abundant wildlife, including eagles, deer, moose, bears, wolves, and cougar, and has many charming touristy towns and spectacular state parks. Like many of other Minnesota and Wisconsin communities, Grand Marais (Great Marsh) was given its name during the famous fur trade time, when the area was considered part of New France. Satellite images courtesy of Google Earth.