July 5, 2009 - Whitefish Point, Michigan

We called the Canadian lock, which is billed as the recreational boater’s lock – smaller, easier. We got our response from the US lockmaster – the Canadian lock is closed for repairs. Instead, we were instructed to lock through the U.S. MacArthur Lock – the one on the southernmost side of all the locks.



As we made our way to the lock, we steered clear of this 1000-foot freighter, also upbound, and headed for the Poe Lock. The freighter was going dead slow, as is necessary to be able to stop her within the lock.








We think that it doesn’t take much water to raise the James R. Barker the 21 feet to Lake Superior, as she takes up the entire lock, not leaving much room for water!











Here we have the green light to enter the enormous MacArthur lock, where we will be all by ourselves. As we were raised in the lock, Marty looked across the park and saw the second-floor apartment windows, where she lived while working in the US Soo, on her first job out of college.

We were through the lock in about 9 minutes, and on our way through the channel leading into Lake Superior. We got our first glimpse of the big lake shortly after. This is our first cruise in Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake. It is known as the “Mother of the Great Lakes” being so superior that it can hold all the rest of the Great Lakes with room to spare for another three Lake Eries.



About an hour later, the James R. Barker overtook us and passed us to port, headed up the lake.












As predicted, the winds picked up, and we headed for Whitefish Point State Dock Harbor of Refuge. The marina is “undeveloped” without services, just an outhouse. But it has four good transient slips and solid breakwalls for protection. We docked in one of the slips to wait out the forecasted wind.