July 30 – 31, August 4 – 5

Stop in Killaly – July 29

We travel the St. Joseph Channel to Killaly Bay. It is a peaceful ride with sailboats, lighthouses and islands – lots of islands.

We anchor in Killaley – what a view.

Across the bay is a home with a Texas flag – would like to know the story there. There is a big oil business here. Maybe they are into oil. This house is one of many exquisite homes on the shoreline.

Later another looper boat anchors in the bay – a Newbury 37, the Willie Dawes from Camden, Maine. The owners, Dan and Kathy, stop by our boat the next morning. We are both headed to Sault Ste Marie. Dan is a real certified boat Captain, and USCG Master of Towing and Sail.

We leave Killaly the next morning to arrive Sault Ste. Marie that afternoon. As we travel Lake Huron to enter St. Marys River, it is exciting as Captain Pat tells me Canada is on our starboard side, the United States is on our port side! And our flags just happen to be on the correct sides.

Here are more photos from our trip to Sault Ste. Marie:

We arrive Sault St. Marie!

Insert map of Sault St. Marie

According to our travel books, the rapids in the St. Marys River has been a gathering place and junction for quite some time. Native peoples found abundant fish, while voyageurs portaged around the boulders and rapids on their way north to fur country. Immigrants from around the world traveling westward to open up the prairie grain basket and industrial interests prompted the building of a series of locks and canals over the years. As a result, there is convenient passage for both commercial and pleasure traffic between lakes Huron and Superior.

This is our first set of locks to traverse since we completed the Trent Severn last July. Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than Lake Huron. Imagine your boat in the lock, and you are going up 21 feet!

We have our lines and gloves ready. The lock hands are helpful. It takes about 25 minutes to go through.

We are almost all the way to the top and ready to exit, when Captain Pat’s favorite hat falls into the water!

“Cindy, quick, get the boat hook!”

I hate that hat. It has seen its day. So torn and tattered. Hmmmm.  No, I give him the hook and he retrieves it. It is his favorite hat. It would be like a baby losing its blanket.

Guess I will be looking at that hat for some time more.

In Sault (pronounced “Soo”) Ste. Marie (population 75,000), Algoma Steel’s plant and St. Mary’s Paper operations still dominate the shoreline upriver of the locks and internationals bridge.

Cruisers coming into Sault Ste. Marie from Lake Huron and the North Channel will find that, cityscapes aside, the scenery hasn’t changed all that much since the days of the trappers. In the distance you still see the wooded hills of the Canadian Shield, and boreal forests populated by moose, bear and beaver still dominate the landscape.

Roberta Bondar Marina

Most boaters prefer to stay at the Roberta Bondar Marina, so we follow their lead. It is on the north side of the river, between the six-story Civic Centre building and the large white Roberta Bondar Pavilion, shaped like a tent, and well-lit at night. This becomes my landmark as it can be seen anywhere in the city.

Waterfront Boardwalk

We walk the boardwalk every evening. The floral landscaping is amazing, and there are hand-painted stones along the path. What a view for the sunset.

The waterfront boardwalk, Queen Street downtown district and the Station Mall are all minutes away from the marina. The Station Mall has over 90 stores under roof. It is very strange to go shopping there, as we haven’t seen a mall since we left Boca Raton.

We visit the first Starbucks we’ve seen in Ontario – Tim Horton’s is the dominant coffee spot here. A special treat is getting fresh produce at the farmer’s market Saturday, at the Pavilion. You can see why this is a great stop for boaters.

Waterfront Boardwalk

We walk the boardwalk every evening. The floral landscaping is amazing, and there are hand-painted stones along the path. What a view for the sunset.

Dr. Roberta Bondar

Sault Ste. Marie is proud of its resident, Roberta Bondar, who is Canada’s first female astronaut. The marina and adjacent waterfront park are named after her. Talk about an over achiever! Dr. Roberta Lynn Bondar, O.C., M.D., Ph.D., was a neurologist, biologist, pilot, and researcher. She was a crew member on the United States of America space shuttle “Discovery” from January 22 to January 30, 1992.

William Henry “Bill” Orazietti

Another person from Sault Ste. Marie recognized with a statue along the boardwalk is William Henry “Bill” Orazietti. Billy “O” was a well-known citizen, musher, and legend from the Sault Ste. Marie area. Over the years he entered many dog sled races, including the 1992 Alaskan Iditarod, not to win, but to compete for himself and his dogs.

Born October 13, 1943, he met his untimely death February 19, 1994, doing what he loved best. Bill went through the ice in Little Bay De Noe in Escanaba, Michigan, attempting to save his nine beloved dogs. He managed to save two before he succumbed to the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

We loved Sault Ste. Marie so much we visited it twice – when entering and leaving Lake Superior.

Here are more photos from our visits: