Frog Bay to Quarry Bay

Day 3, August 2

So when we picked Frog Bay for our mooring spot, we didn’t consider the fact that as we looked out of the cove, we could see open lake directly north which meant that we were not protected from happenings that came from that way. And, we were not aware that there had been significant wind action up north that produced a significant wave action that came driving south so that the boat rocked quite violently all night long.  The wind would hold the boat in a position that allowed to boat to lay broadside to the waves causing the boat to rock. 

Panache Beating South in West Channel

However, this was a beautiful spot the type of which we had come accustomed to in the Apostle Islands.  We finished breakfast and headed south toward Bayfield , the main village in the area.  It was about a 15 mile trip via the West Channel that passes between the mainland (Bayfield Peninsula) and the beautiful uninhabited islands including Oak Island and Basswood Island.  The Apostle islands are made up of 21 islands and the shoreline of the Bayfield Peninsula which in 1970 were designated the Apostle Island National Lakeshore.  The wind was blowing north requiring us to tack back and forth the entire distance in relatively light air. 

We contacted the Bayfield Marina requesting transient dockage and were directed to a starboard tie up amongst a number of huge beautiful sailboats.  The dock master was there to meet us and offered that we could stay in that spot for several hours for free.  We asked for advice for lunch and he suggested a local restaurant called Maggie’s.  A fascinating place of local color, we were met at the entrance by a lady who looked at us and truly in an upset manner said,“They are out of whitefish livers!”   After being seated, the waitress came to us and said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have whitefish livers today!”  Now, I don’t know about you, but whitefish livers are not at the top of my culinary wish-lists!  I will say, however, that their seared whitefish sandwich is really good.  Their main theme dealt with flamingos of every size, shape and activity.  If you are ever in Bayfield WI, I highly recommend Maggies.

We were in desperate need of fly spray.  The flies here have a love for small chunks of human flesh and they swarm by the millions.  We found the spray at the local hardware store and we were entertained by the store manager who was quite funny and willing to talk about the winters there.  She said winter comes in October and the warm season doesn’t start until sometime in June.  Her town has a resident population of 700 and is steeped in rich history of the fishing and longing industries.

From the hardware store, we visited the local Bayfield Maritime Museum.  It has compiled a rich assortment of the fishing and logging industry in the Apostle Islands area and  we were guided by a friendly, knowledgeable volunteer who described himself as a reverse “snow bird” from Houston Texas.  The town also has number stately mansions of early industrial magnates who piloted the industries of the area.

Back at the boat, we detected a strong smell of gasoline in the cabin of the boat.  Explosions on watercraft are really scary so we drug all of the stuff stored in our port locker and found that the auxillary fuel tank lid was a bit loose and fuel leaked onto the locker floor.  Luckily a relatively small amount had drained out and it had not reached the bilge before we detected it.

Back on the water we headed for Stockton Island that was reputed to be one of the most popular and beautiful islands with super areas for mooring as well as a limited amount of dock space to be rented for $10.00 per night.  The wind was light and the hour was late and with 15 miles to travel before we dropped anchor, we decided to motor and arrived at about 7:00.  As we arrived  the wind had completely disappeared and the water was a mirror.  We pulled into Quarry Bay on Stockton and easily found a place to drop our anchor onto the beautiful sandy bottom.  After supper, we were sitting enjoying the sunset in the distant company of about 10 other boats when the wind began to blow quite strongly from the south.  The Bay was not protected from southerly winds and the chop began to build rapidly.  I felt that we had a good anchor set and was not to worry, however, a few boats began to move on to possibly more secure areas.  Around dark, we decided to move to the area on the opposite side of the bay close to the shore where we would be somewhat protected by the trees.  We reset our anchor and went to bed.  The rolling swell kept the boat gyrating uncomfortably and the mast made a lot of noise as it banged from side to side. 

Panache after a wild night in Quarr Bay

About an hour after we went to bed, both Janine and I were awakened by a sudden jerking motion and noises that were uncommon to what we had been hearing.  We went outside and realized that the boat was sitting 90 degrees to the anchor rode and the centerboard was banging on the bottom.  The anchor had drug and we were in peril of ending on the beach which was about 150 feet behind us.  We pulled the dinghy up alongside to keep its tow rope from getting tangled in the prop and started the motor.  I went forward and was able to muscle the boat into alignment with the anchor rode.  Janine then put the motor in gear as I pulled but to no avail.  I snubbed off the anchor and went down and began raising the centerboard with the winch.  Finally the boat began to move forward and I ran back to the bow and retrieved the anchor.  Then for the next hour or so, we groped about trying to find a suitable place to again anchor without interfering with other boats.  We finally returned to our original spot, dropped the anchor and then dropped our backup anchor.  We closely watched our GPS so see if we were dragging again and finally after about 45 minutes, I sent Janine to bed and promised to wake her for anchor watch in two hours.  After about another hour, I decided that we were now secure and crawled into bed.  The boat gyrated and banged for the rest of the night providing little restful sleep for either of us.