Bois Blanc Island Trip

Nobody slept through the night I'm sure. With a scheduled departure of 6:30 am and a five hour drive in store, my sleep was constantly interrupted with images of my gear check list. At 4:30 am I gave up and got out of bed and looked for batteries for the safety lights even though they all had new one's installed. Excited? You bet! The tres amigos were finally going to stretch our wings and paddle across the Straits of Mackinac and onto the sugar beach of Bois Blanc Island.

It had been a hectic summer of teaching classes of all levels but with little "free paddling", especially the kind that tested your skills. While loading boats for classes we talked about a half dozen three-day trips we could squeeze in after Labor Day when we hoped the weather would hold out for a little Indian summer. I hadn't been over to Bois Blanc Island in 20 years but remember it as a real jewel out next to the more popular cousin, Mackinac Island. Bois Blanc is everything Mackinac is not! No fudge shops, tourist traps, golf courses etc. Just naturally scenic and historic island atmosphere, all 22,000 acres or it. Old friends still had a family cottage on one end of the island and had perianlly offered to put us up if we came over. I think I shocked them when I finally said I'd like to camp on their beach but would be paddling over from the mainland instead of taking the ferry out of Cheboygan like any sane person would.

We finally got serious about the trip two weeks before the date and downloaded a series of maps from several sites and made calculations about departure points and the necessary gear. A huge bonus was added when Russ told us he could join the trip but had so little paddling hours under him this summer that he was definitely taking the ferry across and could shuttle our camping gear and food in his Trailblazer. Man, our gear list and menu changed fast! Out were the freeze dried meals and in came real groceries like fresh eggs and chicken for stir fry. And full size Coleman stoves!

Bois Blanc lies about five miles north of Cheboygan in Lake Huron. At 12 miles long it's a pretty big target out in the Straits but with Lake Michigan slamming into Lake Huron the waters surrounding the island can be pretty challenging as the wind pushes those waters through the Straits of Mackinac which separates Lower Michigan from the Upper Peninsula. The land formations and the islands out in the straits make the water do goofy things out in the middle and there is also the freighter traffic to contend with. But unlike ocean crossings we didn't have to nail down the tides and currents as the water is always there, it just may be kicking up a bit at times. But even in early Fall after the summer's warmth, Lake Huron is still numbingly cold.

We hooked up with Russ just outside of Cheboygan and made our way to the park beach and even with Russ's truck doing the "heavy lifting" we still had an impressive pile of gear strewn over the park beach. We really didn't know how long the crossing would take since there was nothing written to go by but we knew the nautical mileage, the wind speed and direction and calculated the "drift" from our course heading. And off into the green waters of Lake Huron we paddled taking it with blind faith that Russ would make the ferry crossing with our tents and gear. Or we would be facing a scary bivouac if he didn't show up! We were a little concerned by the 12 mph breeze coming from the northeast and east. It's kind of automatic that when the wind clocks in from the east you are gonna get wet in this part of Michigan. But today was sunny and pleasant with only foot high waves breaking against the shore in Cheboygan.

Following our deck compass headings I looked over at Mike and Todd in their 15 foot kayaks and noted that each boat seemed trimmed perfectly as they rode the waves cleanly making good progress with their well tuned strokes. My Hurricane Tracer was on its maiden big water voyage but she had a lot of miles under her in classes and day tours, albeit unloaded. The 30 lbs of rescue gear I had on board was completely unnoticed as I gently edged into the beam wind. Our course heading was actually heading northeast, slightly away from Bois Blanc island which we could easily see from the park beach but more or less vanished at times when down in the waves. Our guess was a 3-4 hour crossing given the winds and temps we had at launch. By intentionally "missing" the southeast corner of Bois Blanc and paddling farther out to the east, we estimated the winds would push us back into the island, pretty close to where we wanted to land. Well, that was our plan anyway.

About 50 minutes into the crossing things got really weird. There was a fog that rolled over us that started out looking like a mellow haze but came on and blocked out our view of not only the island but the headland behind us and the channel markers and lighthouse to the NE! We rafted up and Todd and I independently checked out our compass headings and estimated where we were on the map and then consulted. Amazingly, we agreed on where we thought we were and also what heading we should be on. But not five minutes later Todd's eagle-eyes spotted some land way off in the distance that we first thought incredulously was the island! No way! Not this soon. So we rafted up and talked this over with a little bit more animation since it was so unexpected. Now normally when I see fog on the Great Lakes there is a lack of wind but not now. The same 12-15 mph breeze was blowing consisitantly. Todd and I finally agreed that the land was NOT Bois Blanc but in fact a piece of land that sticks out from the Lower Peninsula east of Cheboygan and we had not realized how close our original course heading would take us to it. Not being able to see what it was connected to was freaky. Both Todd and I had the same thought; well, now that we can't see Bois Blanc as we approach it we better aim for the center instead of our original goal of the very eastern point. Because in this fog if we missed it, the next stop was 40 miles away in Canada! But if we over corrected we could possibly miss the western tip of Bois Blanc and end up on Mackinac Island or Brown Island. And Russ had all the wine!!

Gut check time but since Todd and I agreed right down the line on the new course I figured we could share the blame since we couldn't pin it on Mike like we usually do (in jest of course). Mike was just happy to be out in the middle of Lake Huron! Then another eerie notion hit me, I had been able to hear the moan of the lighthouse horn earlier but now in the fog; zip. We had planned on not only seeing the freighters and ferries but also hearing them with our keen ears. Yeah well throw that out the window since the fog and wind had put a blanket on hearing much. Now I guess I was getting a little anxious since I found my paddling cadence had adjusted itself up a few notches without me realizing it. We tightened our formation and Todd and I got our two way radios ready just in case we needed to make course adjustments.

Then eagle-eye Todd said simply, "I think I can make out the island out there" Mike and I could not see anything like land but could see the fog was lifting or dissipating or whatever. And finally we too could make out the long shape of Bois Blanc and could see that we were exactly on our second course heading for the ferry landing. Wow! Now that we could see fine I looked at my watch and calculated that the ferry with Russ hopefully on it should be coming along soon and looked over my shoulder. Out of the fog came the ferry headed for the island port but I was stunned to find that I never heard the sound of its powerful engines behind us nor as it passed off the stern. We rafted up and re-set our original course and an hour later we paddled straight into the cove highlighted on our deck maps. And Russ's six foot six inch frame was easy to spot stomping along the beach looking for the best place to pitch the tents.

Later that splendid evening with a great chicken stir fry meal and some excellent Spanish wine in us, we reflected that although our careful preparation had paid off we had certainly learned some valuable lessons about paddling in the Straits. Foremost we now knew that the weather on shore was NOT necessarily the weather you might get just an hour out in the Straits. And our cottage owner pal was right about the waters getting goofy as you get between the islands and the mainland. There really is a current of sorts sweeping through the Straits and around the islands and it causes the water to get rougher in spots and the wind to swirl. Knocking back another glass of red we could feel the wind pick up and hear the waves begin to build out in the cove. We had planned to paddle around the east side which normally is pretty flat and get some strokes in with Russ but from the sound of that wind it would be pretty rough in our little paradise.

And the next morning it was just that. But Bois Blanc Island has two pretty good size inland lakes and there are roads leading right into them and we had a truck!! So we loaded the four sea kayaks onto a total Rube Goldberg set up and headed for Twin Lakes, the biggest and longer of the two. We had a superb time on its flat waters and enjoyed our three hour paddle immensely. We saw several other paddlers at one time and then poof, they were gone. No power boats or dwellings and we kept a sharp eye out for eagles but didn't spy one even though we were pretty sure we spotted their nests.

The wind and waves picked up from the northeast the next day and we decided to take the ferry back with Russ so we could sleep in a little later and enjoy our beautiful campsite. As the ferry didn't leave until 3 pm, we could slip over to the south side of the island and practice some rescue and towing moves in the flatter waters. Well the wind shifted before we quite got launched and it was not glassy out there that's for sure but what the hell, all the better to work on capsizing and rolling and towing and general safety skills. But we think we scared the daylights out of one poor lady reading on the beach. She took one look at what she thought were some real morons falling out of their kayaks in the icy waters and went running up the beach, no doubt to call the Coast Guard helicopter. Russ paddled over quickly and let her know that we were in fact morons but we were having fun and in control even though we didn't look like it.

So all in all I would encourage paddlers to consider at least a day trip to Bois Blanc and to take your kayaks over on the ferry and enjoy this great island. If you take your boats on your vehicle, you can then get to more waters including the inland lakes and to flat waters around the island if it's windy. There is a superb bed and breakfast if you want to spend the night or longer, and a good little restaurant run by a couple of sassy ladies with excellent humor. You can have a wonderful mini-vacation and leave the 5 mile long open-water crossing to the more adventuresome nuts like us. There is ample government land for camping but keep in mind it is totally primitive with no pumps or bathrooms.

Ferry Service-Plaunt Transportation 888-752-8687
Rental Info-Coldwell Banker 231-634-7580
Insel Haus B&B-231-634-7393 inselhausbandb.com