My first boat was a 21 ft. Glastron with a cuddy cabin and a deep V hull, apparently designed for the waters of The Gulf of Mexico.
It took half a day for me to get bored of Elliot Lake and to get promoted to being a captain on The North Shores of Lake Huron. I was told that I could not just do that , I spoke with some sailors at the yacht club in Spragge Ontario and they told me I needed to learn how to read charts and had to take navigation courses. One of the guys was building a 40 ft sailboat out of cement and little did I know he would be drowned before I finished my tour of the Great Lakes. He was caught in a storm and he went on his dingy to free his anchor. His wife cut the rope and sailed through the night . The boat was saved but he did not make it.
It took me 19 days to Navigate to Manitoulin Island, Kilarney , Georgian Bay, Lake Simcoe, Trent Canal~ all 250 miles of it , Trenton,Toronto,Welland Canal, Lake Erie, St.Claire River back to Lake Huron, Tobemorry ,Southbay mouth where I was introduced to 15 foot waves and finally made it back through Little Detroit to my berth in Spanish Ontario
I was not suicidal, I recognized the awesomeness of nature. I was frightened when I got caught in the fog outside of Toronto Island as I traversed 5 main shipping lines . I was nervous when they threw me a rope in the Welland Canal and warned me to hang on .When the dock master told me I was crazy to attempt crossing Lake Erie as a family, in a much larger boat , had just drowned , I did not argue. I am telling you this because the forces of Nature and the Great Lakes can be treacherous . It can also draw you in like a Siren which you cannot resist !
My Trip from Sault Saint Marie down The Mississippi to The Gulf Of Mexico to Punta Gorda Florida is another extreme adventure very Salty !!!