Carolina Cruisin’: Sitting in the Soo watching the Footers go by-

August 16, 2024

Well a lot has happened since last I wrote. We headed down the St. Joseph Channel toward the North Channel. Our fist stop was in Gawas Bay. We were tucked back in the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful spot and we were the only boat anchored there. A few fishermen passed by but not many. We were enjoying the solitude after the hustle and bustle of the Soo. We decided to stay a couple of days at anchor here. Our last night there we noticed the batteries acting up and decided to run the gen and get a good charge up.

The next day we set out for Thessalon, population 120. They supposedly had 4 restaurants and a grocery store. The marina was reasonably priced and had nice new facilities. The young women running the marina were very helpful and accommodating. We got the bikes down and rode through town to check out the sights. We found the Thessalon Coastal Trail but it was just for hiking or mountain bikes. Our bikes would suffer on this trail. We rode over the historic Red Bridge ( one lane bridge) and checked out the Thessalon Curling Club.

Thessalon Coast Trail

The Red Bridge

Curling Club

One very noticeable feature in town was the extremely large boulders strewn in odd places - front yards, foundations, edge of highways, etc. we planned on staying two nights so we could get to the grocery, hardware, and LCBO store( package store). Our second day we were gearing up to go riding up to the grocery but all the power went out. When we inquired about why?, when? We were told it was a planned outage and power would be back on by 4pm. This was at 8:15 in the morning. Everything, and I do mean everything in town was closed. No groceries, no LCBO, no hardware. We’d have to stay another day😵‍💫. We rode out to the main highway(TransCanada) to the Tim Hortons and they were even closed! People getting off the highway for gas we’re very surprised.

That’s a big rock!

View of Thessalon Marina

Our third day we rode to Jones Valu-Mart and stocked upon groceries and sought out the LCBO. If you remember last blog we were having a dry spell. The LCBO employees were on strike and all the stores were closed. Well as luck would have it the strike ended the day we got to Thessalon and the store was open for business. Speaking to the clerk we found that the province was considering putting liquor into supermarkets. This would basically shut the LCBO out of business. A compromise was made and everyone will profit. We had planned to go out for dinner but the restaurants were all closed on Monday.

Tuesday morning we decided to leave and get some water under our keel. We did all our prep then Bob went to start Arthur and Hercule, our JohnDeeres. When he turned the key all we heard was a clicking. Well with the power out for a whole day, we must have run the batteries down….but we had been plugged in for 24 hrs. now. Bob started the generator hoping to give the boys a little extra boost but to no avail. Never a good sign. Bob tried every trick and tested every connection and ground. Still no good. We needed a tester that could handle D-4 batteries. In this town that’s a real long shot. It will take 5 days to get here from Amazon and then we still have to get them going again if the batteries are dead.

We finally rode out to a garage on the edge of town and asked if we could borrow their battery tester and return it later today. Bob said there was no way they’d let their tools out of the shop but Richard Swan said sure and taught Bob how to use it. We sped back to the marina and proceeded to ascertain that the batteries were indeed no good. 😱😭 We had planned to replace them this fall while Carolina was in dry storage. Oh well - sooner than expected. Now we had to figure out how to get batteries to us in this out of the way spot or go back to Sault Ste. Marie and have it done there. Bob started calling boat yards and marine mechanics to try to determine where our best shot was at getting someone to put new batteries in for us. Many shops just said no, some said sure- in September but one shop in Sault Ste Marie, MI said come on, we’ll order the batteries now and put them in when they get here. One problem solved but how do we get back there if the boys won’t start.

We needed a big ass self-contained jump starter for Deisel engines. The shop next to the garage where we borrowed the tester seemed like the place to go. They didn’t have batteries but could get the charger delivered in one day. We might finally have found our answer to starting the boys. It was tough waiting and waiting to stores to open for deliveries to be made. We had ridden and walked all the roads in town. The one set of little old ladies that had tea on the front porch each day knew us and waved enthusiastically when ever we rode by.

The charger came in as promised but we needed to charge it up before we could try it…..another day in Thessalon.😳 That night around 5 pm the charger was ready to go. We decided to test it out. Bob attached the leads directly to the starter motor straddling the engine and I got to press start. YEAH! Arthur sprung to life and Hercule right after him. We would be out of Thessalon in the morning heading back to the Soo.

Stanton’s Bar and Grill

Probably the worst restaurant we have ever been to!

Neither of us slept well and we were up early. We prepped and then repeated our routine from the night before. Both boys started up and seemed glad to be running. Now we had to get to the George Kemp Marina without the engines stopping. It was a pretty ride and a beautiful day. We arrived early afternoon and called the Customs and Border Authorities to announce our arrival back in the US. Usually it’s an easy phone call but not today. Our good karma had run out and Officer Daniel would be down to visit with us. Having never been boarded for a border crossing before, we didn’t know what to expect. Could we find our new flares? Did we have fruits or vegetable that needed to be thrown out? Did we have all the necessary documentation? Officer Daniel arrived and came on board. He asked us the same questions they ask over the phone and welcomed us home and left. WOW, kind of a let down. Hoping he’d searched and maybe could have found my missing notebook or directions for the printer.

St. Mary’s Falls Hydropower Plant

Dinner at Zorbas Greek Restaurant

RJ, our electrician from R&R Marine arrived around 5 pm to look at what he’d gotten himself into. What a knowledgeable and straight up guy! Good karma had finally caught up to us. This was Thursday and he expected the batteries by Monday at the latest.

We spent the weekend visiting local sights- St.Mary’s Falls, the weather station at the locks, the tourist street with all the shops. We even went to our favorite restaurant - Zorba’s Greek Restaurant. Friday night we went to the local American Legion Fish Fry. We had a lovely chat with a lady who was visiting from Arizona but had been born in the Soo and was home visiting family. Her sister joined us and invited us to comeback to Wings Night on Tuesday. We told her we’d be gone by then(little did we know).

We had great fun at the fish fry!

Yooper Tuxedo at Sault Historical Homes

One evening while prepping dinner there was a loud knock on the hull. Bob went to investigate and a couple about our age were standing on the dock. They didn’t look familiar but that’s not usual. We are all travelers and feel a brotherhood with one another. As it turned out, they had seen our port of call and wanted to know if we were really from New Bern. It turned out that they were also from New Bern looping for the past 10 months heading to Chicago and the homestretch. We chatted for awhile about home and the terrible weather they’d been having and tried to orient ourselves to each other’s home. It wasn’t until I friended Julie on Face Book that we realized we had friends in common. It’s a small world. We hope to renew our acquaintance once we’re all home. Till then, safe travels Jubilee III and Julie and Bill.

Monday finally rolled around and we were on the phone to RJ hoping that we’d be leaving tomorrow. The best laid plans and all that. RJ said the supplier had meant next Monday, not today.😭🤬. We decided we’d make the best of it, rent a car and go touring. We called the local car rental joint and they wanted $77/day with a 75mile limit. There’s nothing within 37.5 miles of the Soo. Next we tried at the airport in Chippewa County Airport. They said sure they had cars for a better price but they didn’t have any cars right now.😫. We decided to do boat chores - clean out lockers, paint the rub rail, reorganize the cupboards, and clean out the engine room to prep for the removal and installment of the new batteries.

In with the new, out with the old!

We rode up to the observation deck at the locks and watched one of the footers lock through. We ate breakfast at the LockView Restaurant one morning and did some shopping in the stores. We rode through new and different neighborhoods and finally visited the Kemp Industrial Museum. We killed spiders and sprayed for spiders and washed spiders off the boat. I cleaned all the isenglass and swept the flybridge. We kept ourselves busy so we wouldn’t start to dwell on sitting in the Soo for almost 2 weeks. The marina was great. They gave us a discount on our slip fees and were super nice.

Monday, August 12th just afternoon RJ and Josh showed up toting 4 brand new D-4 batteries for Carolina. They surveyed the engine room and made a plan of attack. Within 3 hrs. the old were out and the new were in. The test run went perfectly and the boys sprung to life without a hitch. I’m sure everyone in the Soo - both sides- heard us cheering.

We went to provision on Tuesday to prep for a Wednesday departure. We would have to get a pump out here at Kemp Marina then cross the river to Bondar Marina to check into Canada again. We we away from the dock at 9:15 and finally on our way. Checking into Canada usually involves a quick phone call but today must have been special. We called to let them know we were on our way no they told me that was not how we could check in even though their phone recording says we can.😡 We arrived at Bondar Marina and tied to a T-head and I called again. The sweet lady took the usual information then said to hold. When she came back, she said an officer would be down to see us shortly. Not again!!!! I think leaving and coming back so quickly made them suspicious. Who knows. We got out our Boarding Book and our passports and waited. Within 15 minutes a small boat arrived with 3 officers on board. They boarded our boat and proceeded to search every nook and cranny. Again, I wish I had asked them to find those printer instructions. They opened every locker and lazarette. While they search one officer questioned us and took down all our information. They were very nice and very thorough. They gave us our cruising number and departed. It’s now 10:15. We need to get a move on. We’re heading for West Grant Island in the North Channel, about a 5 hour ride and then pick an anchorage. The weather was spectacular - light winds, warm, and bright blue skies. We have our anchor set by 6pm just in time for an evening maneuver schlook.