Cruising Michigan’s Les Cheneaux Islands
Twenty miles east of the Mackinac Bridge in the UP lie Les Cheneaux Islands, a stunningly beautiful cruising ground of white sand beaches, sparking clear water, secluded anchorages and starry nights. In early September, 2022 I trailered the club’s green Wayfarer there to explore Les Cheneaux (The Channels) by sail and oar.
The Wayfarer has a well earned reputation as a capable little cruiser, and after five nights aboard I agree it’s the perfect vessel for camp-cruising.
The villages of Hessel and Cedarville are the gateway to Les Cheneaux, both with excellent facilities. The islands lie close together and are separated by long fiord-like channels. With little fetch between them it’s always smooth sailing. Around every corner is a pretty bay to explore and there are plenty of anchorages to choose from.
I launched at Hessel and tucked into a sheltered cove my first night. Under a boom tent I slept soundly on an air mattress spread over the floorboards. I visited Cedarville, then sailed out onto Lake Huron before anchoring in a little bay on the south side of La Salle Island. Using a Mediterranean moor I set a bow anchor, then ran a long line from the transom around a tree and pulled it tight. This brought the stern close to shore, so I could step off into shallow water.
The scenery was breathtaking. The small anchorage looked over a sandbar onto Lake Huron and the boat cast her shadow across the sandy bottom. Pine scented the air and the sun set like a torch behind dark headlands. The night skies were glorious with the white sash of the Milky Way draped across ten million stars. It was a cruiser’s dream come true.
After Les Cheneaux I trailered the boat twenty miles north and sailed the St. Marys River. Here lies another Michigan cruising treasure with dozens of small islands. I tied to the massive concrete pier at Lime Island, and next morning (after obligatory coffee) set sail for Harbor Island 15 miles east. In building wind and seas I hove to and set a single reef. Harbor Island is shaped like a horseshoe and provides near total protection. Dad and I first anchored here fifty years ago and it has always been a favorite. I dropped the hook and dozed in the warm, late-summer sunshine. Pure bliss.
I encourage all our rated members to sail new waters and to explore distant horizons with our capable green Wayfarer. It’s the perfect vessel for a weekend or even longer. She’s a great little micro-cruiser and will happily take the adventurous sailor to magical places far beyond Base Line Lake.
Charles Scott
Sept. 10, 2022
