026 - Dead Reckoning and Electronic Charts

I like the old school navigation of dead reckoning even if it’s not very accurate. With a compass built into our binoculars, its easy and accurate to get a bearing. As we were going down Lake Erie I was wondering where the Weland canal came in (the canal around Niagara Falls), I was hoping to see some commercial traffic. I could see it on the electronic charts but I couldn’t see it on land and then it hit me, this is a big loss with electronic charts, not being able to get a bearing to a target. I’m sure there is a way, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Likewise, I wouldn’t know how to put a bearing in to validate our current position. Instead, I use the phone or the iPad to validate the chartplotter and we already know how well those devices have worked in Canada -NOT. As long as GPS doesn’t go out I’ll be fine, but if I need to dead reckon, give me those paper charts!

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047 - This Isn’t The Chesapeake Bay

We’re in a different place! The waters of Lake Huron are a Caribbean turquoise, so much so that had you told me I was there I would have believed you.

045 - Fourth of July In Canada

Grilled hamburgers, chips and drink. The goof ball on the left just ate his second burger and was guilty. No fireworks, on the 4th but we did the 2nd for Canada day – does that count? And we got a bagpipe serenade from atop a bluff overlooking the harbor while we watched the sunset over Lake Huron. It was like magic.

038 - Avoiding Customs

The waterway from Lake Erie to Lake Huron is a bit confusing. The Detroit River is more like a fast-moving delta region with “the river” breaking up into 3 channels at one point with multiple islands. The USA/Canadian border winds its way around these waters and it is very difficult to keep track of what country you are in at any one time. Lake St. Clair is straight forward enough, but the St. Clair River which is the outflow from Huron to St. Clair is similar the Detroit River, more a flooded delta region that makes it difficult again to know what country you are in. The basic rule is you can transit each other’s waters as long as you don’t anchor, transfer people or cargo to another boat, or touch each other’s shore or facilities. If any of the three occur you must report to customs within 24 hrs. The Canadian’s make this relatively easy with a phone call, the American’s not so much, they require a face-to-face in one of their “conveniently” located ...

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