A week in the Apostle Islands ~ Day 1 Crossing Lake Superior to Sand Island

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Apostles are a group of 21 islands on Lake Superior off the Bayfield Peninsula in Northern Wisconsin. This beautiful National Lakeshore is known for it's lighthouses, sandstone sea caves and natural animal habitat. There are eight historic lighthouses on six of the islands. The islands are covered by boreal forest with over 800 plant species. The greatest number of black bear in North America live on Stockton Island and can be found on all of the islands. Several of the islands have a unique bog-dune ecosystem with beach grass and beach pea along the shore. About a third of the islands have Precambrian rock and beautiful bluffs. Campers and kayakers flock to this magical lakeshore every year to experience the special environment each island offers.

Map by: World Atlas
https://www.worldatlas.com/islands/apostle-islands.html

Sign on the Island

Dave and I set off to visit the Apostles in the summer of 2013 aboard our Alberg 35 sailboat, Mystic. We had spent a week sailing the Apostles on Keewatin, our 23 foot Coronado, some 15 years earlier with two pre-teen kids in tow. Our 2013 trip would be different. This time we had kayaks, time to kill and a bigger, more comfortable mode of transportation. 

We arrived at Knife River on Friday and began preparing for our trip. We had to get a 16 mile run in on Saturday to keep to our marathon training schedule. Taking a week off of our training was not an option so we would head across the lake and start our adventure on Sunday. After our run, we took a drive to Two Harbors to pick up last minute provisions including bottled water. Mystic is equipped with two 30 gallon fresh water tanks but we've found that bottled water is convenient.

We visit Two Harbors often when we are at Knife River. Dave wanted to check out a bar called The Pub. We decided to stop in before returning to the marina. It turned out The Pub was sponsoring a block party. We sat at the window of this Irish Bar and watched the fine folks of Two Harbors enjoy their neighborhood. We met a gal named Joan who told us she grew up in Clover Valley, a small community that is nestled near Knife River. She told us there were a total of 37 children in her school, grades K-12. She knew Knife River Marina well and could drop the names of our neighbors on the dock better than we could. She told us her son was getting married on the Knife River beach in September.

The Pub Block Party - Two Harbors

Day 1: Sunday, trip from knife River to East Bay, Sand Island.

We rose early on Sunday, loaded the kayaks on Mystic's deck and headed east for Sand Island. The trip from Knife River to Sand Island took a good 6.5 hours. We sailed about half of the way in a southern wind with rolling two foot waves at our stern. We started catching variable winds that swirled all over the place so we dropped our sails and motored. We anchored in East Bay along with two other boats. The shoreline was dotted with kayaks and we could hear voices coming from the busy campground just beyond the beach.


Boats Anchored in Justice Bay, Sand Island

We were looking for a quiet vacation get away and that's what we got! The moon was waxing over Mystic as we sat in the cockpit, searching for Northern Lights and gazing at a sky filled with stars. It was so peaceful; no internet, no phone service, only the gentle sound of Lake Superior lapping at the caves along the Sand Island shoreline. As the temps dropped, we brewed up some tea to go with the rhubarb cake I baked for the trip, then curled up under extra layers and turned down the lights.

Our trip was filled, from sun up to sundown, with special moments and another great opportunity to learn more about Mystic.  We are so lucky to be living our dream...one cruise at at time. 

Blue Moon over Mystic, Sand Island, Apostles

Sand Island Light

Relaxing at East Bay Harbor, Sand Island

To read more about our week in the Apostles, check out the blog pages for each day of the week we spent in the Apostles.

Day 2: A day on Sand Island. Kayaking the sea caves and visiting Sand Island Lighthouse

Day 3:  Sand Island to Little Sand Bay - Training Run at Little Sand Bay, WI

Day 4: Raspberry Island to Bayfield, WI - A day in Bayfield, WI

Day 5:  Bayfield to Stockton Island and Raspberry Harbor - Training Run in Bayfield, WI

Day 6: Madeline Island to Corny (Cornucopia).

Day 7: Corny to Knife River

NOTE:  We estimate that we spent about $300 on this trip.  This included 2 nights docked at marinas, 2 dinners while in port, fuel and food on board...a bargain price for lifetime memories.