The leg we completed today was from Cedarville, LeS Cheneaux Islands which is on the  right of the above chart across to St Ignace on the left. The direct route represented by the blue line was a bit lumpy due to the Westerly winds blowing through the Straits of Mackinac which joins Lakes Michigan and Huron. So we took the yellow line detour to get some shelter from weather shores.  We had speculated and have now had confirmed that fresh lake water piles up into bigger waves for a given wind strength than saltwater does. This is because salt water is more viscous and dense than freshwater. This is another reason we have to be vigilant navigating these fresh water lakes.

The Mackinac Bridge is just to the south of us here at St Ignace and we will pass under it in a few days when the weather is better and we will then enter Lake Michigan. I am starting to overcome some of the illiteracies and mis pronounciations used here. For example Mackinac is pronounced Mackinaw and Sault Ste Marie is pronounced Soo Saint Marie. Quite unlike what my geography teacher told me back at school.

We received an email and photo today from Bill and Mary Jane who we met back on the last day we were on the Trent Severn Waterway.  I was admiring the sign writing on the stern of their vessel as it is my wife’s name. I couldn’t photograph it then because it was obscured by the dinghy. Thanks Bill.