Fall Splash 2018: Apostles

Thursday evening can't arrive soon enough the week of Fall Splash.  It seems like it follows the longest week followed by the longest drive.  The group arrives at varying times to Port Superior Marina in Bayfield, Wisconsin.  We grab a group dinner in Bayfield and watch the sunset from the pier.  The provisions arrive in the evening with the last few crew members straggling in.

Friday Begins.  It's a race to grab our land shower, get the freshly roasted coffee from the cafe and that last bag of ice.  Then we're off!  This year we head to the north side of Oak Islands.  Oak is the tallest of the Apostle Islands and provides a picturestic view.  You can see more Islands from the northern tip of Oak than any other point in the Apostles.

We anchor and watch the sunset over Lake Superior to a calm and quite night. The night brings a small storm which Oak Island provides sufficient protection from and we wake to a calm, rare, motionless Lake Superior.We make an early departure from Oak to Devil's Island. One of the most picturesque sites in the Apostles is the sunrise against the Eastern side of Devil's Island. The sun illuminates the caves and we're able to see every detail. The other benefit is we're able to anchor a bit closer to the island and shorten your dinghy ride before the crowds arrive!

Devil's is a treat every year with it's third order Fresnel lens. The light house is staffed and provides a guided tour. The afternoon requires a quick game of ultimate on the light house lawn followed by exploring the caves via dinghy.Departing late Saturday afternoon, we dart over to Cat Island for the night. There's a perfect sand spit off of Cat Island that provides shelter from the south and easterly winds. More importantly, it allows for a bonfire if conditions are right.

The treat of the Apostles is the lack of light pollution. You can see every star imaginable. This night was no exception, as the fire dwindled, we watch the stars set in. Pictures don't do justice to the nights sky, but we certainly try.

Sunday morning is the first day over halfway and a deciding point. This year we dart down to Michigan Island.  Greg has a personal goal of going to one island he's never been to.  This year was the final light house he hasn't stopped at.  We anchor off the south side and dinghy ashore.  Michigan has the most well landscaped light house and provides an excellent place to relax with our lunch sandwiches.

After lunch we sail north to Stockton where we anchor for an afternoon hike and anchorage overnight.  Stockton is a busy anchorage early in the weekend however it tends to dwindle by Sunday.

Monday marks the end of another great weekend. We are lucky enough to have a westerly breeze to allow us to sail majority of the way back to Bayfield. This provides one last opportunity to relax and enjoy the islands as we cruise by Basswood, Madeline, and more before pulling into Port Superior.

Pulling back into the marina marks a tragic end to an epic weekend.  But don't worry, we'll be back.  And Doug wants you to be there with us.