Best of Great Lakes?

[Steve Rust]

What kind of experience are you looking for? I prefer a "wilderness" experience, remote anchorages with spectacular scenery, the fewer boats I see the better. From that standpoint the Canadian Shore of Lake Superior and Isle Royale are the the best of the Lakes. If you like to stay in marinas, eat out, and sample the nightlife it is not the place. You are on your own up there. I think The North Channel and Georgian Bay in Lake Huron are also not to be missed. You will see more boats here and there are more towns(small) and facilities but it is still fairly wild and the scenery is also spectacular. IMO these are the best three places on the Lakes. The Apostle Islands are a national park and are the sailing "hub" of Superior and should not be missed if you come this way. The rest of the Lakes are a little more civilized and you will often be staying in marinas or anchorages that are more developed. The water in Superior is crystal clear, but you know I think it is pretty good in all the Lakes. It has been 10 years since I was in Lake Erie and I was impressed with the water clarity then, especially given it's history. I would say the season is from mid May to mid October with Superior running two weeks later in the spring and two weeks earlier in the fall. Check the archives as there are a few threads on this subject. Do a search through the photo gallery. I have many photos of Superior and Huron scattered about in the different categories.

[GordMay]

onanonsuch;

What Steve said.

All of the communities you mention are affordable, and attractive places to live, and cruise from. Unfortunately, the characteristics that make them affordable, also make it more difficult to earn a living. I wouldn’t recommend moving to these places on speculation, unless you have an independent income (pension, etc).

You could easily make an express delivery from Thunder Bay to Sault St. Marie in two days, thence two more days through the St. Mary’s River & into the North Chanel; or you could enjoy a leisurely cruise along the Superior shore anchoring every 20 - 30 nm.

Marina & launch fees are relatively “reasonable” in Thunder Bay.

[freetime]

Nice...soo many places. I will check them all.

[freetime]

This kind of places looks like the archipelago of Stockholm, Sweden. And it´t this kind of places i like most.

[rigamarole]

It's not hard to find Great Lakes fans. Immense water and its all fresh. With the zebra mussle infestation its also really clean. I have to throw my two cents into this for the Sleeping Bear Dunes area and the Manitou Islands. They are in the upper part of Lake Michigan. Close by is the Beaver Island area, Door County Wisconsin, Grand Traverse Bay, and more. I've been to Isle Royale a couple times and is a wonderfull remote location, but nothing on the lakes have taken my breath away as seeing Sleeping Bear. Google for images.

[freetime]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Lake Ontario is the best place to sail of course. After all Toronto is the hub of Canada and all your relatives are probably right here within shouting distance of the CN Tower.

Looks nice even daytime.

[GordMay]

Ah, Hog Town (trawna) - hub of the universe.

[Joli]

All the Great Lakes are fun to sail. Come to Cleveland, our rivers hardly catch fire anymore.

[freetime]

Can´t find any good sites with animals around Great Lakes.

[Vasco]

Toronto!! The best zoo in Canada. On a more serious note we have all sorts of wildlife in our yacht club basin. Beavers who are trying to fell all the trees. (we have to put chain link fence around them). Muskrats, fish, fowl (want some Canada geese?). The occasional deer that's lost. And tons of raccoons. And this is in the heart of the city.

[Pblais]

Some of the places in the farther NW have timber wolves and some northern areas black bear and moose. I have only once seen a Canada Lynx. Raccoons are destructive and nasty when cornered. Cute to watch but you don't want them aboard. Moose are very territorial and not easily intimidated. They will chase you and swim after you. You probably won't be able to find any.

[GordMay]

On Lake Superior’s wilderness Canadian shore, it will be fairly common to see Moose, Beaver and Hawks & Eagles.
I remember being chased by moose (Otter cove), often seen caribou (Slate Islands), and beavers (inland), & eagles.
Most of the N. shore is remote wilderness, unreachable except by seaplane or boat.

[freetime]

Sounds little like Great Lakes have everything im looking for. Great sailing, marinas, good anchorplaces, wilderness, animals and nice peoples. Do you think it´s easy to find a marina to keep my boat wintertime on land. Work with the boat 1-2 weeks in the spring and in the autumn before and after season.

Is the weather stable in the summertime? Probably little more windy in the autumn.

Is it easy to navigate?

[Vasco]

I can only speak for Lake Ontario but there are quite a few marinas where you can haul out, store your boat for the winter and work on it in the spring. Not really a problem at all. Navigation is straightforward and in most places lots of deep water. As for stable weather, when is weather stable? We get the usual thunder showers and some nasty spells occasionally. It is good sailing though.

[Dave the Canuck]

It would be very easy to find a marina. There are lots to choose from. The cost will, of course, vary by location, ammenities etc...

Each lake has it's own characteristics re weather. I switched from Lake Erie to Georgian Bay a few years ago and you'd think you were on a different planet.

The weather on Georgian Bay is generally stable in the summer but we get storms occasionally that can be quite spectacular. The line-squall is a particularly exciting event.

Navigating near the shoreline in Georgian Bay and the North Channel can be tricky. I have two chart-plotters on board and they provide me with much peace of mind.

You'd love it!