We got an early start to the day yesterday knowing we needed to return the rental car and still get a jump on an incoming weather front for the 60 nm ride to Grand Marais. Everything worked as planned and we enjoyed about a 2 mph push from the westerly winds and made excellent time - about 30 minutes ahead of schedule. We got into Grand Marais, found the dock wall without boats (but for the State DNR boat), tied up and sat in the sunshine on the back of the boat. Before too long a sailboat came in then two powerboats. The powerboaters are Loopers, Rodger and Lorrie Swink from Punta Gorda, FL, Greg and Rhonda Ducharme from Orillia, ON. The sailing couple is Janet and Dave Newberg from St. Paul , MN and are heading east for the North Channel while the powerboaters are going west to the Apostle Islands in WI before going to Isle Royale and turning around.

It was fun to share adventures, stories and laughs with a new group of people.

We don’t know if we’ll move on the Soo today or wait for the wind to calm a bit and leave tomorrow. Trailing seas were kind of fun for a change.

There’s not much action going on this morning. We talked to a fellow yesterday who was walking by the dock and is a regular visitor to Grand Marais. He told us there is more activity in the winter from snowmobilers than summer vacationers. He said it would not be unusual to have 500 snowmobiles in town and often there’s a wait at the gas station to fill their machines. He said last winter there was 4 ft of snow pack! That’s what underneath the fresh snow fall which they get most every day. That’s amazing but still too cold for me!