A week in the Apostles ~ Day 3 Sand Island to Little Sand Bay

We rose early and prepared Mystic to sail to Little Sand Bay, just across from our anchorage at Sand Island. Little Sand Bay is on the Wisconsin mainland and is the site of the Apostle Islands headquarters and county campground. Our travel guide indicated that the harbor was shallow but Dave wanted to try to pull into the dock to tie off. We could see other large sailboats there so we figured we'd give it a try. We made our way up the channel, slowly. I was very apprehensive. People on docked sailboats came on deck and offered assistance, guided us, and warned us that it was indeed shallow. We hit bottom and swung toward the docked vessels. We were able to fend off and keep Mystic from drifting by holding onto one of the other boats which happened to be from our hometown Stillwater. Although the captain offered to give us his spot in an hour, we decided to get out while we could.  We settled for anchoring in the bay off the sandy beach just beyond the harbor.

Anchorage off of Little Sand Bay, WI

We needed to get ashore to get rid of garbage and load up with ice and water. We also wanted to go for a run. We kayaked ashore and stopped by the sailboats on the dock to thank them for their help. The couple from Stillwater, Dick and Michelle Bailey, live on North 3rd Street, not far from us. They are experienced sailors and very friendly. Michelle told us that they only sail, never motor. She described their trip from Washburn to Sand Island saying she tried to get their tartan 31 to 7 knots. Her eyes twinkled as she described how much fun she had screaming along at 6.9 knots. Michelle said she'd seen our smaller sailboat, Keewatin, lit up for Christmas in our driveway back hone. We thanked them then headed off on a hot, hilly run.

Amazing braided rope at Little Sand Bay

Historic Hokenson Brothers
Commercial Fishery Little Sand Bay

Anchor from the shipwreck Sevona
at Little Sand Bay, WI

Russell, Wisconsin has a heat advisory for the entire week and it is hot. Our first 1.75 miles running were uphill. We ran out for 2.75 miles then turned back. The return trip was fast and easy but it was getting even hotter. When we returned to the beach we noticed a sign indicating that we should not have our kayaks on the beach. We apologized to the beach ladies who said they didn't mind the kayaks at all.

Back aboard Mystic, we put ice in the coolers and enjoyed a nice lunch before heading off to Raspberry Island. We raised the sails but found the winds to be fluky so we motored instead. Just as we approached Raspberry Island the engine warning alarm went off telling us it was over heating! Dave shut her down and we raised the foresail. Dave was pretty sure it was the water pump impeller. Like most things, he is confident that he can fix it. We had no other choice at the moment except to allow the engine to cool and then restart it to see if the alarm continued.

After about a half hour we restarted the engine and made our way to the sand spit off of Raspberry Island, east of the lighthouse where we anchored with other boats. With crossed fingers, we waited for the alarm to blare again but it remained silent. Later Dave would surmise that the waves were raising the stern out of the water which prevented water from entering the intake and getting to the engine. Without water to cool it, the engine overheated. 

Once we were settled on anchor, we kayaked ashore and hiked to the Raspberry Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse is one of the favorites of visitors of the Apostles. Some say it is because of the beautiful gardens found on the grounds. It is a perfect spot to have a picnic. We took photos of the lighthouse from the shore and docks. We'd hoped to climb to the top of the light but there was a long line and we were told that we would have to wait for a boatload of tourists arriving by ferry. Instead, we made our way back through the forest to the bay we were anchored in. We met a young couple with two small children, travelling on a 32 foot Hunter. We would see them several times during the week, passing us under sail. They told us that the lighthouse tour took over a half hour and the building was stifling hot. It was a good call to decline the tour on this day. There will be other opportunities in our future.

 

Clintonia on Raspberry Island

First view of Raspberry Island Light
from the trailhead

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

View of Lake Superior from
Raspberry Island

Raspberry Island Light

Raspberry Island Light

We sailed over to Raspberry Bay which is off of the mainland, (not off of Raspberry Island). We stayed in this bay when we were bringing Mystic back from Michigan in June. It is a very sheltered anchorage. As soon as we settled, we dropped the kayaks and headed for the East side of the bay to explore. The shoreline is rocky with small caves, fun to explore but nothing like those on Sand Island. The highlight was seeing an eagle soar over our heads then land in a high branch. He looked down at us with his keen eye as if to say, "Move on..." As we passed by on our return trip, he was perched on the branch with his magnificent wings spread out. We are pretty sure he was cooling himself.

Our anchorage at Raspberry Bay Harbor

I'm sure we looked funny walking our kayaks along the shore looking for rocks and glass. I found only one piece of glass on this shoreline. We made our way around to the point just off of where Mystic was anchored. The Raspberry River feeds this bay from the south. We paddled up and explored the swampy, buggy waterway. There were yellow lily pads and small fish dancing at the surface of the water, gobbling up the gazillion flying ants that were everywhere. We turned to head back to Mystic, stowed the kayaks and settled in with a cold beer. We are sunburned, sore from the run and kayaking, but we're happy. There is a huge full moon rising over us!

I am beginning to notice how bruised and battered my legs and feet are. I keep hitting my shins and calves on the cockpit hatch latches and stepping on deck hardware. Dave lays a towel over the latches as a reminder to us that they are there. It is incredibly quiet here. There are only 4 boats anchored with us.  The water in the bay is calm but we can hear voices from other boats. The bugs are the only negative aspect. They are everywhere. The setting sun is bouncing off of Raspberry light. It must have been lonely back in the days when the lighthouse keepers were here. I'm sure, on days like today, they'd take a moment to look out at the sunset and breath deep in the quiet calm. This is a beautiful place to be.

Sunset in the Apostles ~ Raspberry Bay Harbor

A week in the Apostles ~ Day 2 Kayaking the Sand Island Sea Caves

We had a restless night while anchored in East Bay off of Sand Island. There were lots of boat noises all night and we awoke to a red sunrise with thunder coming from the west. As we started coffee, the storms built around us. We put the boom awning up and settled in to wait for the weather to clear. With luck, the storms would pass by lunch and we'd be kayaking soon after. The raindrops were big chunky ones that ping off the tin chimney of our cabin heater.  It is our first storm aboard Mystic.

Kayaks on Sand Island

The rain did not last long but we could hear the menacing thunder for some time after the storm passed. It was the only warning we needed to remain tucked in the cabin. The plan was to explore the Sand Island sea caves in the kayaks. We also wanted to visit the lighthouse. Sand Island had been closed for most of the summer of 2013 due to aggressive bears. Campers had been irresponsible with food lockers. so the bears were boldly visiting campsites to look for handouts. This created safety concerns. I would love to get a photo of a bear (from the safety of the boat), but I do not wish to come across one while hiking the island.

Hammock on Sand Island

Once the weather cleared, we prepared the kayaks for launching. Using a line attached at each end which ran loosely along the top, we lowered them over the side and tied them up against fenders. Using our wooden ladder, we maneuvered ourselves into the kayaks, released the tethering lines and set off. This technique worked like a charm and we were able to launch and reload in about five minutes for each kayak.


Dave in his kayak with Mystic at anchor

Nature's artwork is everywhere in the Apostles. It's difficult to give it justice with words; you have to experience it. Lake Superior water is the coldest and the clearest of all the Great Lakes. You can see the bottom, even when anchored in 30 feet of water. The sea caves are fascinating and thrilling. We took a ton of photos and delighted in each new cavern we explored. It was early so we had the caves to ourselves and made our way from the south to the north. We beached the kayaks at Justice Bay. There were several boats anchored here. They made for a great view when seen from the inside of the caves. We found quite a bit of sea glass and a heart shaped sandstone along the beach at Justice Bay. After enjoying a snack, we walked the path to the Sand Island Lighthouse.


Sandstone heart rock found in Justice Bay



The water is so clear in the Apostles

Sand Island shoreline flora

The Sand Island Lighthouse is built from Apostle Island Brownstone which was quarried right at the building site. The beautiful spiral staircase is made of metal so it is sturdy but it has no rail. It is attached to the wall at the two landings in front of the doors to the living quarters. This made it look like it was free-standing. It appears to be built by locking together sections and is held in place by tension. Our guide told me to keep my left hand on the wall and to look up as we ascended the steps. I was fine going up but found myself terrified at the thought of going back down. When we got to the top the guide shared fascinating information about the history of the light but I couldn't concentrate. Dave took a photo of me then the guide took a photo of us together. I managed to make my way back down although I was tempted to sit on my butt to feel more grounded. At the bottom, Dave leaned over and whispered in my ear, "You did good!"  I was not able to hide my fear from him. He knew I was terrified the whole time.

Spiral staircase

At the top of Sand Island Light
  

At the top of Sand Island Light - a little nervous

Outhouse

1881

On our return trip we passed many people kayaking the caves; some of them were swimming and resting on the smooth rock formations. We returned to Mystic and took a nap on deck. After resting, we went back out to kayak the southern caves, covering at least a couple more miles. The south end of Sand Island is private property. The caves are less dramatic here but we enjoyed the exercise.

We had a busy, fun filled day and we were exhausted from all the activity.  After dinner we headed to bed early.

This day was our most magical day of a week of special moments.

Dave and Beth exploring the caverns of the Sand Island Sea Caves

Clear water of Lake Superior

View from inside the caves

Dave on kayak next to Mystic

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.