FAVORITE PLACE

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El and Bill

New member
Just reading about a favorite anchorage on the site and been reading great posts about the Northern Michigan Inland Waterway (we had never heard of it). Ah Hah! Idea!

How about each of us write up a description of a favorite cruise location? Would be best if we scratched our heads and choose a favorite that most Brats might not know. Our 'little treasure.'

Those of us traveling out of our normal cruising area would learn about a new place to consider for our next cruise?
 
Wow, I posed that question to the Blonde just now... "Just one?" she asked. And then she went on to talk about some of the places we've been... and neither of us were able to narrow it down.

I know what you're after here, Bill: that little gem that isn't so well known. The week we spent at Liberty Landing Marina in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline out the starboard windows was pretty magnificent for us small town kids... but does that qualify as a cruise? We did go down the Hudson to get there. ;)

On the other end of the spectrum (and population base), there was that breath-taking ride up Princess Louisa Inlet to Chatterbox Falls. Or the quiet, Gulf-Coastal feel of the Apalachicola River. Oh, and slowly motoring through the canyons of Flaming Gorge... not another boat in sight.

I can tell you what I really miss right now... a sunrise on the Gulf, with my dolphin friends swimming around the boat. It isn't really a cruise, but more of a lifestyle... chugging out the Brazos-Santiago Channel watching towards the east as the sky goes from black to purple to deep blue to orange and back to blue again. You can feel the air as you breathe in the humidity. We plan to cruise up the coast when we get back home in October.

We love the spectacular beauty that surrounds us right now, but it's been three months, and you know my "itchy feet." :wink: As always, you make us think... and dream. Thank you, my friend. I look forward to the way this thread will unfold.

Oh, and there is this river, the Arroyo Colorado, that's only 26 miles from our dock in the Tropical Tip... past the fishing shacks on the Intracoastal Waterway. Along the Laguna Madre. Then up the river bordering the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (birds, gators, ocelots, etc), the river shacks that are giving way to grand homes. It's a day trip that we sometimes extend to a couple overnights. Watching the pelicans and the great blue herons. Frequently an escort of dolphins as you come back down the river into the salty Laguna. Wave to the rare tug pushing one barge up the river to the little used Port of Harlingen. I sure wouldn't suggest that anyone should haul a boat all the way to the Tropical Tip for this little gem. But if you find yourself along the southern Texas Gulf Itracoastal Waterway, and you want to set your watch back 20 years, this is a quiet side trip.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Unfortunately, you know all the ones we know! You showed us a couple of them! And most of them are not really "undiscovered"! But give us about two and a half years to start exploring!

A few of our favorite places:

Lake Powell
Upper Priest Lake
Princess Louisa
Just about any cove on the Inside Passage in northern BC (Pat only, Patty did not cruise up)
Chuckanut Bay
Watmough Bay
Matia Cove
Conover Cove
Pirate's Cove
Andrews Bay
 
This is tough...there are so many good places. In terms of sheer beauty, Princess Louisa is tough to beat. A lot of us have been there and with good reason; it's simply breathtaking.

My favorite spot in Desolation Sound is Teakerne Arm, right under the waterfall. There's only space for one boat in there, and not many people spend the night anyway. You feel like you have the whole place to yourself and there is a great lake for swimming at the top of the waterfall (accessible from a dinghy dock and path). Below is a picture of our boat anchored there.

SAM_0183.sized.jpg

For the Gulf Islands I really like Conover Cove on Wallace Island and the mooring buoys between Cabbage Island and Tumbo Island. Both offer great walks on shore (lots of provincial park land) and pretty scenery. Cabbage Island is less developed than Wallace, but seems less crowded.

We haven't done a lot of overnighting around the San Juans, but I really like Sucia. We have a cabin on Decatur, so naturally we spend lots of time there and enjoy it a lot, but I don't think many (if any) places are open to the public.

I'm looking forward to seeing this list develop. It'll certainly give me plenty of ideas for new places to explore.
 
Hi Bill,

Here in Maine, after cruising the mid coast rivers, three C-Dorys found a delightful anchorage off the Sheepscot River through the Oven's Mouth and south on the Cross River until it bottoms out. Small dolphins led us up the river, and sturgeons were surfacing all around us one night.

I'll always remember this anchorage.

Taking the Back River south to the Sheepscot, you go through a hand cranked swing bridge.

Rick from Maine
 
Yes, I forgot to include Cabbage / Tumbo, which is high up on our list, and I said Pirate's Cove (Gulf Islands) when I meant Smuggler's Cove (Sunshine Coast). Pirate's Cove is nice but WAY too crowded most of the time!
 
Ah, folks. Thanks for getting this started with such good ideas - Dreaming about places to go, or wonderful experiences past, is one of the great joys with boating.
 
One of the places that Diana and I like is Annie's Canyon at Lake Powell. Swimming under the overhang at the big amphitheater with the boat just drifting is a fantastic experience.
 
We are enjoying the little tennessee and tellico river systems Lake Tellico and Lake Ft.Loudon . What a fantastic place .You can look it up on El and Bill's adventure's (Halcyon)

You can wake up in a little cove or rent a boat slip or camp out (we rented a house )We love swimming in 85 degree fresh water what a treat no salt .This is a definate place to come for all you midwesterners or fl. folk that want to get out of the heat and humidity . We will be leaving for Fl. on Aug 14th-15th still waiting to hear if someone want to do the inland waterways for early sep Then maybe to NC ? We still have not make any plans for Sep. so not sure if boat stays in tn or back to fl.

Lotterdale cove 865 856-7784 for those interested in RV or camping with boat
 
with so many places its hard to choose, so I don't. I have learned that the day is more important then the place. some of my favorite places have been the sites of really bad days due to weather, people, etc.. so i have favorite days.

this 5th of July in fisherman's bay was a favorite day. just hanging on the hook for the first time in the 27, everyone else had gone home and Susan and i were warm on the back deck under the canvas reading with lots of room to move with out being in each others way.

Another day was last year in a open bay in the gulf islands. bad place to over night but on this day we were waiting for the shrimp to attack our pots. We anchored up and sat in the v berth reading while a very warm but light breeze blew across a flat sea with the boat only rocking every twenty minutes when the ferry passed by. Susan rowed the kayak across to a small island of sand with a light on it so the dog could run. between the white sand and the warm breeze we could have been in the southern states or the south seas. did not even fell like Canada at all.

Another day was waking up on a alpine lake in the sierras with the door of the tent framing a missing Ansel Adams photo of blue water, pines and granite. that was the day i decided that in the future I would have to marry Susan.

so for me the place can be anywhere and the day makes the memoir.
 
Hi Bill and El, I just read your account of the Apostle Islands! Thanks for being our guests! We love living in Bayfield and motoring around the Apostles. Stockton Island is one of our favorites, -as you know. Different ecosystems on one island, picking blueberries (unless the bears get them first). Black River Harbor is another nice quiet spot. About 60 miles from SE of Bayfield, on the south shore. I think Isle Royale is going to be a favorite, but I'll have to let you know after our trip there.
Kent
 
We don't have some of the neat places you have on the Left Coast but we very much like the St. Mary's River , which is across the Potomac from us, about an hour at 15kts. Nice anchorage, good sheltered holding ground at Horseshoe Bend (20' soft bottom) and a nice view of St Mary's College and you can listen to the bells at the Chapel on the hour.
 
And we have to add another favorite we were just introduced to by Al and Myrna on Moose - McNab Harbour, on the southeast end of St. Ignace Island, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Ah, the rocks ...
 
BTW Bill, there is a app for the Droid (and probably other smartphones too) called "earthquake" which will give you instant notice of quakes around the world and put them on a map. Had to restrict mine to large ones, I was getting about 20 a day!

Charlie
 
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