Prelude

All day long Chicago had hung like a mirage on the skyline as we sailed south in the late September sun. No hint yet of the bitterly cold winter that would freeze over Lake Michigan, making it no place for a yacht like Sentinel. From forty miles out we had seen the tops of the highest skyscrapers, then bit by bit, the rest of the city rose out of the lake to greet us.

Finally, with the sun about to set, we slipped past the entrance lighthouse and into Monroe Harbor, to join a thousand or more yachts moored right in the centre of downtown Chicago, popularly called 'the Windy City'.

Entering Chicago harbour.

How different it was from the previous two days when the wind had blown hard. With an offshore gale force forecast, we had been the only yacht out as we sailed down the west coast of Lake Michigan to the little port of Kenosha, where we tied up outside the yacht club in the harbour. But the club had closed down. That night the wind swung round to south-west, and swell poured into the harbour rolling us so violently we were crashing against the old wooden pilings, causing them to break up. We tried to anchor off in the middle of the harbour, though it was a struggle to get the anchor to hold, and we stayed up all night.

Exhausted by the following morning, the best plan we could come up with was to venture out into the rough and windy waters to make the mile or so distance to the safety of Kenosha marina, just to the south of the harbour. Our hearts went into our mouths when we saw the breaking water in the marina entrance, where there was a sharp right-hand turn to safety behind the harbour wall. But our guidebook said it was deep and safe to enter in all conditions, and we could raise no assistance on the VHF. So in we went. At the moment we started the turn, Sentinel hit the bottom in a wave trough, then the following wave broke over her and threw her right over onto beam ends, so far that the propeller came roaring out of the water. Her mast almost rammed into the wall ahead. In a moment she had sprung clear and we were into the protection of the marina, but those few seconds were the scariest we have had in Sentinel. We were both shaking as we headed for the

nearest vacant dock. Throughout the region we had found many marinas to be poorly dredged and much shallower than advertised.

New York to Lake Ontario

Our route to Chicago had taken us 1,700 miles from New York back in June, from which we travelled up the Hudson River, through the Erie Canal into Lake Ontario where we had visited Toronto and the Niagara Falls; then through the Welland Canal, Lake Erie and Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. It was a journey covering much of the history of the early United States.

Sailing into New York on our own boat filled us with awe. We came right up to the Statue of Liberty, then went over to the famous Manhattan skyline, camera clicking all the way until we reached the Basin Street Moorings in Upper West Side, opposite 79th Street. What finer address? We were in easy walking distance of Central Park and the superb Natural History Museum, with Broadway’s buses and subway right by. For food we could hardly have done better than the fashionable Zabar’s deli nearby. That fortnight we were true culture-vultures, cramming in a dozen museums, a Broadway show, chic restaurants, and every tourist must-do we could possibly manage, even cycling around Central Park. How could we have ever thought we might dislike the Big Apple?

Then it was north along the Hudson River, soon leaving the urban landscape behind as we headed into the Catskill Mountains, home of the early Dutch settlers, the legends of Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow. One hundred miles along is New York’s state capital, the attractive city of Albany, where Sentinel’s mast was efficiently removed and stowed on deck for the journey ahead. Beyond Albany lay the first sea-lock, and once through it we entered the Erie Canal. It would be several months before Sentinel saw salt water again.

The Erie Canal, opened in 1825, was once the economic artery of the United States bringing all the grain of the mid-west through to the seaport of New York and making the latter the world’s richest city in the process. It extends from Buffalo on Lake Erie through to the Hudson near Albany, a distance of around 360 miles, part of it following the River Mohawk, with 35 locks having lifts of up to 36 feet. Today, like so many canals, it feels like a rural backwater, connecting the sleepy towns of upstate New York for the benefit of leisure boaters.

The year before freak floods had caused extensive damage to the mid section of the canal, putting it out of action for several months. We had checked before arriving that all was now well, but even so the weather was to play tricks. “Thank heavens you’ve arrived safely”, the lock-keeper at lock 12 greeted us, “Just after you left lock 11 it was hit by a tornado, which downed some trees and has left it out of action for several days. We feared you had been struck. As it is, I have no power and can't open the lock until the engineer gets the emergency generator working.” We though were blissfully unaware of the drama behind us.

Mast down along the Erie Canal

Through the Great Lakes

Turning off from the Erie Canal, we took a side canal to Oswego on Lake Ontario, where the mast was restored. Entering Lake Ontario was like venturing out to sea after the long period on rivers and canals. Calling it a lake makes it hard to comprehend the scale. Lake Michigan for example is 60 miles across and 250 miles long – the size of the English Channel, with conditions to match. As for Solent sailors, sailing to the other side is a rite of passage, something many local yachtsmen have thought of doing but never attempted. Here at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, from Oswego over to Kingston in Canada directly opposite is 45 miles, and so a longish day sail. In the early afternoon we encountered a storm cell that are not uncommon in the Great Lakes. The sky went pitch black as an enormous thunder-cloud moved towards us, then we hove too as rain and wild squalls of up to 60 knots lashed us for half an hour until the sunshine and calmness returned. Continuous warning of these very destructive storms is issued on VHF radio, tracking their precise position and movement, but they aren't always possible to avoid.

This was the start of a tour through four of the five Great Lakes (see map, showing Sentinel's route in red) which took us to several fascinating cruising areas and destinations. Worthy of special mention include:

Kingston

The historic British capital of Canada, which like Niagara and Mackinac Island mentioned further on was central to the successful defence of Canada from the attempted US invasion of 1812. It is still a garrison town, but Fort George, restored as it was in the 1860's, is a tourist must-see.

Thousand Islands

Just to the east of Kingston where Lake Ontario enters the River St Lawrence through a series of channels that carve out well over a thousand pretty islands. It was a popular time at the end of July and the moorings were crowded. Nevertheless, we found sufficient anchorages and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves particularly walking round those islands that are designated as national parks.

The Bay of Quinte

On the north side of Lake Ontario. A peaceful backwater sailing on rivers through farmland and marshes until finally near Trenton the Murray Canal leads back into Lake Ontario again. This is the entrance to the popular Trent-Severn canal which bypasses Lake Erie, unfortunately too shallow for Sentinel.

Toronto

We received a generous welcome from the Alexandria Yacht Club and adjoining National Yacht Club, situated within walking distance of the city centre, in the shadow of the world's tallest building, the CN tower. In front of Toronto is a large natural harbour which is protected by a line of small islands giving the city ample anchorages and mooring facilities. The harbour is a constant hive of activity with ferries running this way and that, an airport on one island, and at weekends packed with yacht races from the many clubs.

Niagara Falls & Welland Canal

Joining Lakes Erie and Ontario, we visited Niagara with the help of friends we had made when in North Carolina some three months earlier. Like us, Marilyn and Darvin had had trouble with their engine there and eventually had their yacht shipped shipped back home to Hamilton. The falls are bypassed by the huge commercial locks of the Welland Canal. Another page describes our passage through.

Drilling the recruits at Fort George.

 

Threading through the Thousand Islands.

 

Toronto Harbour.

Detroit

On the River St Clair joining Lakes Huron and Erie, where we visited the Ford Motor museum, undoubtedly the best museum of engineering in the world. Exhibits that caught our attention included the oldest surviving beam engine, Newcomen's 'Fairbottom Bobs' from 1760; the largest steam locomotive ever built, the Allegheny #1601; surviving parts from the Wright Brothers' 'Flyer'; the Spirit of St Louis in which Lindberg flew the Atlantic; the car in which Kennedy was shot.

Tobermory and the North Channel

An overnight trip from Port Huron at the southern end of Lake Huron took us to Tobermory, and from there we began chilling out in the many beautiful and remote anchorages of the North Passage. The rocky islets are either of shining white quartz dotted with fir trees, or smooth pink granite, and full of interesting spots to explore. See here for more on our visit.

Mackinac Island

A British-built fort dating back to the US War of Independence dominates the island. It was recaptured by the British in the war of 1812 and became a stronghold controlling the upper lakes. Following decomissioning in 1895 the island became a national park, the second in the USA, and the old barracks is restored as it would have looked then. The town itself of shiplap houses, entirely given over to genteel tourism, also has a period feel. Transport is by horse drawn carriages since cars were banned in 1903. It is a popular day-trip from the mainland. Nearby is the spectacular Mackinac Bridge, built in 1957, once the world's longest suspension span.

Sheboygan

The most memorable of the quaint little fishing ports dotted down the Winsconsin coast. We were given a warm welcome here by Sheboygan Yacht Club. The town has a lovely boardwalk along the river with renovated dockside buildings housing small eateries and craft shops. Like most small towns it features a museum: but the John Michael Kohler Arts Center proved exceptional. Wisconsin seems to have an oddball tradition for vernacular art: eccentrics making fanciful creations in their

back yards that sometimes crowded out their properties. The Center has made a practice of bringing these together, generally after the artist's death. For example, there is a huge collection of hanging objects made from a tangle of wire and odd electrical components. Emery Blagdon, who created them, was convinced that standing amongst them was healing. Levi Ames carved around 600 wooden animals, both real and mythical, each displayed in little boxes around six inches square that filled a room. There is the home, rebuilt in the museum, of the original rhinestone cowboy, Alan Bowlin, in which every surface is covered in sequins and spangles, to match his suits, cowboy boots and hats. Even the Center toilets are bizarre, covered with overpowering patterned relief wall tiles and decorated basins.

Conclusion

So it proved a windy trip to the ‘Windy City’. But in Chicago itself we enjoyed an Indian Summer, with temperatures in 30’s, as Sentinel bobbed gently in Munroe Harbor and we saw the sights.

By early October it was time to leave. Chicago represents the end of the line in terms of where a yacht can go in the Great Lakes. One can continue via the Illinois Canal to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, to complete a route known as the ‘Loop’. We though had decided to have Sentinel trucked from here over to Seattle on the west coast.

Sheboygan boardwalk.

Sunset over Lake Michigan.