Sail Far Live Free

I've often said that one of my favorite aspects of sailing is the ease at which you can unplug yourself from the complexities and over abundance of technologies. However, I'm also a bit of a gadget junkie and have become very fond of my iPad, even while on the boat. What follows is a list of my favorite apps for sailing. All are available in Apple's app store (and likely in the Android market too) and work on both an iPad and iPhone. 1) Navionics HD: While expensive compared to most apps, Navionics HD is an outright bargain when compared to tradition chartplotters. The bathymetric charts are beautifully detailed and include the option of overlaying Google Earth, Bing aerial photos or topographic terrain maps for land. Functions include tracks, route planning and guidance, speed data and many other goodies you would expect from a gps plotter.  You can view my more in depth review of the Navionics app here . 2) Sail Master: This is a simple app, but it loo...

While the fall season means that the sailboat gets pulled from the water and tucked away for winter hibernation, I always look forward to watching a few big storms come ashore on Lake Michigan. Here's some video footage shot on September 29, 2011 at Grand Haven: And for those of you who (including my daughters) that wonder if anyone ever surfs on the Great Lakes, here's your answer:

The following post is a reprint of an article of mine that was published in the July 2011 issue of SAIL Magazine.  Enjoy! Weekend Cruising Destinations South Manitou Island, Michigan (Lake Michigan) by Kevin Walters As we approached the southern end of South Manitou Island the wreck of the cargo ship Francisco Morazan came into view resting in shallow waters where she ran aground in 1960. My daughters had plenty of questions about how the wreck got there, what happened to the crew (all survived) and what was left inside. If we had more time we could have anchored nearby and took the dinghy and snorkeling gear over for a closer look. Earlier that morning we departed the harbor at Frankfort, Michigan bound for the quiet calm we hoped to find in the lee of South Manitou Island. The 26-mile passage provides a perfect daylong sail. Our southern approach to South Manitou Island included rounding Sleeping Bear Point and eventually crossing the busy shipping lane in Manitou Passage. ...

Best North Channel Cruising Tips The North Channel is a unique cruising destination and therefore there are some things that just don’t fit into any of the previous "Best of" categories but still merit mention in an article titled “A Cruiser’s Best of the North Channel”.  So to conclude this series of blog posts, I'm presenting you with my "Best North Channel Cruising Tips". Tip 1: North Channel Cruiser's Net Every cruising season between July 1 and August 31, Roy Eaton broadcasts a very useful and entertaining VHF radio (channel 74) network specifically for North Channel cruisers. The net begins at 9 a.m. and lasts approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Roy starts each broadcast with calls for any emergency or priority traffic. Then he moves to world, national and local news stories, all communicated professionally and with a good dose of humor. Then the broadcast continues with check-ins from any cruisers picking up the signal anywhere in the North Channel. ...

Best Towns  (Part 4 of 5) The towns in the North Channel are typically small and isolated from larger population centers. This lends itself to a certain charm and quaintness. You won’t find Wal-Mart and Home Depot nor a Starbucks on every block, which means you might have to sometimes search and improvise to meet your needs. But typically cruisers are known for their ingenuity and self-sufficiency, so no worries! For Quaint Adventure: Kagawong, Manitoulin Island Kagawong is a small, out of the way stop deep inside of Mudge Bay on Manitoulin Island. Kagawong isn’t a major stop for provisioning. There’s a small market store across the street from the marina, but they carry very few groceries. If you want a bigger selection you’ll have to hoof it a mile or so up the hill on the way out of town and stop in at the gas station that carries a few more provisions such as milk, frozen meats, and canned goods. The point is, don’t come to Kagawong for provisioning. Come to Kagawong to v...

The North Channel's Best Marinas (Part 3 of 5) The North Channel is famous for its’ many beautiful, secluded anchorages, but not necessasarily its’ local marinas. With a shorter cruising season than most places, North Channel marinas are likely subjected to comparatively little income from transient and seasonal boaters. This subsequently translates to smaller marinas that are often very dated and in need of upgrades and repairs. In any case, there are still some marinas in the North Channel that are a cut above. Best Facilities: Sportsman’s Inn, Killarney The Sportsman’s Inn in Killarney is newly renovated with top-notch floating docks made of wood. The shorepower and water hook-ups are also all new as of 2009. Shoreside there is an adequate ship’s store with basic boating supplies, snacks, and souvenirs. The showers and bathroom facilities are also new and very nice with tongue and groove pine walls and ceilings. The Inn itself features a nice dining room as well...

The North Channel's Best Eats (Part 2 of 5) You don’t cruise the North Channel because you’re on a culinary quest. In fact, some of the very best food in the North Channel can be had by dropping a fishing line over your transom. Invariably, however, North Channel cruisers will come in to port from time to time to have a meal prepared for them and relax a bit on shore. When this time comes, the following are some of the places to consider. Best Lunch: Herbert Fisheries, Killarney Just as the Benjamin Islands are the most talked about and most frequented islands in the North Channel, Herbert Fisheries is likely the most well-known and popular spot to grab a bite to eat. If ever there was a restaurant atmosphere befitting the North Channel, Herbert Fisheries has it. An old school bus has been painted red and white and converted to a makeshift kitchen and service counter. All of the tables are of the picnic variety and are located on a deck overlooking the dock where the commerc...

The next several blog posts (this is Part 1 of 5) will include my compilation of the very best that Lake Huron's North Channel has to offer to cruisers. Each post will feature a "Best of" category, starting today with the North Channel's Best Anchorages. Subsequent categories will include "Best Eats", "Best Marinas", "Best Towns" and "Best North Channel Cruising Tips". There’s a lot for a cruiser to love in Lake Huron’s North Channel. Indeed, The North Channel itself could be included in a list titled “World’s Best Cruising Grounds.” However difficult it may be to single out specific locations and features of the North Channel as the best, I’ve tried to do so to the best of my ability in the following posts. Even after cruising the North Channel for almost an entire summer, I only began to scratch the surface of the many great locations that one could spend several full seasons exploring. Therefore, it’s very possible that I’v...

The simplest answer to the question of why I sail is that something deep inside of me is drawn to the wind and the water with the intensity of a double-reefed beat to windward in lumpy seas on a cold and wet Lake Michigan morning. But I have to admit there’s much more to it than that. It’s not just a deep desire to fulfill the yearning inside that keeps me sailing. In an age where consumerism tries to convince us that faster is better and that life is easier lived through our laptops and iPhones, it may seem odd to non-sailors why some of us take to the water in something crassly powered by wind. In fact, maybe it’s not even obvious to those of us who are sailors. Sailors from years ago had an obvious reason to sail. They needed to cross oceans and sailing provided the only means. But steamships brought a new means. In the business of claiming new lands and transporting valuable goods, time is money and steam power equaled speed when compared to a square-rigger wallowing in the do...

The following is an article I wrote for Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine  that is currently on newstands in the June, 2011 edition: Up the Mast By Kevin Walters Sooner or later your mast and the hardware installed on or in it will need inspection, repair or maintenance. Ideally, an inspection of your mast should be done annually. This of course means going up the stick if the mast is already stepped. If your boat isn’t equipped with mast steps or you don’t have specialized mast ascender gear, you can still get the job done with mostly what you already should have on board. The prudent sailor will take the time to learn and practice the procedures to make a successful and safe ascent and descent before they are truly needed. As mentioned, you may need to go up the mast for any number of reasons such as re-taping spreader boots, rigging flag lines, inspecting standing rigging or installing any number of masthead hardware (wind vane, anchor light, antenna, etc.). Therefore...