700km Solo SUP Along The Great Lakes

Mission Impossible

Due to our annual leave picking process we follow at work, my only possible window to paddle The Great Lakes was set in stone already in February, five months ahead of my trip. While this was plenty of time for my planning, there would be no luxury of choosing good weather. To further seal the fait of this mission, I bought a one way ticket from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie, which was going to be the starting point of my paddling odyssey. I envisioned that after landing in the Sue, I would take a cab from the airport to the water front, I would pump up my inflatable SUP, then I would throw the suitcase away and paddle back to Toronto. I estimated to paddle more than 600 kilometers, most of which would be through beautiful but very remote wilderness of Georgian Bay. I was going to camp along the way, eat dehydrated food, and filter drinking water from the lake. In other words, to accomplish this ambitious adventure, I would have to paddle 30+ kilometers every day for 21 days, rain or shine, wind or no wind. Quite frankly, mission impossible.

During my trip, I posted my daily reports on LCYC Cruiser’s Net, which is a Facebook group administered by Roy Eaton, the famous marine radio voice to every boater in the North Channel. While I couldn’t copy all those wonderful comments I received during my trip, here are all the reports starting with my initial check-in. All images were taken with iPhone 7+ and DJI Spark drone.

Day 3: August 12, 2019

Greetings from a rock near Thessalon. I am camped for the night but tomorrow will be my day 4 of my solo, stand-up paddle journey from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto. About 100km already behind me, still about 500 to go. Looking forward to seeing all your boats during my passage through the North Channel. Thank you Roy for establishing this community, I definitely don’t feel like paddling alone.

Day 4: August 13, 2019

Checking in from Sayers Island, about 15km west of Blind River. It was a beautiful day for paddling. Mostly calm winds and water so clear I could count boulders 10m deep. Didn’t see a one person today, only a few cottages, all empty. Very remote and sublime. As you can see, lasagna was for dinner today.
PS: I don’t have a VHF radio to listen to the broadcasts ☹️

Day 5: August 14, 2019

Checking in from Round Island. Another epic and 30+km day in the paradise. Started into 5-7kt headwind which turned into a very light crosswind. Amazing paddling conditions that I would take any day. Paddling on one side for most of the day to correct drift and counteract ripples, however, made my shoulder blades screaming… Feels great to be horizontal in my tent now 😀 Enjoying the full moon and looking forward to the new horizons of tomorrow.

My GPS track – day 1 to day 5.

Day 6: August 15, 2019

Checking in from the Benjamins, spectacular jewels of the North Channel. I am loving it! I paddled joyfully for 10 hours today and covered more than 40 kilometers. The views were magnificent. I lost the fin this morning but thankfully I had a spare one, otherwise this trip would have been over. It somehow disattached from my SUP and disappeared in the depths of the North Channel. Either it broke or I didn’t lock it properly in place. ☹️ Since this is my only fin I have left, I made a leash to secure it, just for my peace of mind.

Day 7: August 16, 2019

As a paddle-boarder, when you see windmill props standing still, you know Manitou is on your side! The water was like glass the whole morning and I didn’t know whether I should marvel at the underwater world below me or the scenery around me. Just breathtaking! 👌 Checking in from about 6km north of Little Current.

Day 8: August 17, 2019

What a day! Checking in from the easternmost point of Heywood Island.
I could write a page about my paddling today or about my porcupine experience last night but it all feels somewhat unimportant now. Today was about people, about you, and I want to say thank you. I got a very nice welcome from boaters docked in Little Current. We had a nice chat, some laughs, exchanging a few stories here and there… It felt super nice. Once again, thank you, and thank you Roy. After one celebratory beer with Al from Constellation, I was on my way again. And… the party continued. The revolving bridge opened just as I was passing by. Beautiful design! A few sailboats along the way hollered, cheered or waved. And just by Heywood, two dinghies showed up for a short chat, I even got adopted by a sweet dog for a while! Everybody was wonderful, helpful, friendly, and cheerful. Quite honored, good night.

Day 9: August 18, 2019

Checking in from about 10km East of Killarney. I am camped for the night, (spectacular area) awaiting the storm. Hope you can spot my tent in the picture 😀 I started paddling at 7am this morning. I needed to make some progress before the east wind intensified. And… there was fog. Thick fog. From Heywood to Partridge Island, it’s a 3km gap. It took me a solid hour to paddle with no land in sight. Just me in the dome of fog. It was surreal and strangely beautiful. I navigated by the direction of waves to keep the straight course and occasionally confirmed by GPS. The island finally appeared when it was no further than 100m away! Seriously. One sailboat that motored slowly towards Tobermory stealthily appeared out of the fog and came to ask if I wasn’t lost. After a short chat, they disappeared almost like magicians. It was nice of them, thank you, if you read this.

Day 10: August 19, 2019

Checking in from beautiful and pine smelling Bustards. I reached the islands at 3:30pm! 😀 Wow to myself, as I didn’t think it was possible. About 43 km in 8 hours with a few short breaks. Was it ever a wild bronco ride though. 15kt tailwind, 3foot swells, messy chop. I put my PFD on, full focus, and still got thrown twice. Bustards greeted me with 3 beautiful lighthouses, which I explored by foot. Even though I had never been here before, it is clearly noticeable that the water levels are still very high. I could see a few fireplaces under water while looking for the right pine to camp under. No sailboats in sight today, it feels like I have all of the Bustards for myself.

My GPS track – day 6 to day 10.

Day 11: August 20, 2019

Intermittent and very weak cell signal here, so let’s see how goes. I am checking in from: “I don’t know where I am” place but I am super happy about my progress. 😀 It was a hard paddling day into the wind and chop. There were moments I was moving only about 1.5km/h but luckily, I had many tiny islands along the way to hide behind, and that helped. The area I paddled through was incredible. It seemed visibly crafted by antient glaciers that left scars and land torn into pieces – islands. Tiny islands scattered everywhere, each of them sported some pines, smooth Canadian shield rock, soft moss, and invited for camping. “Have your private island for a day and then swim to another” type of adventure. There is Britt Canadian Coast Guard station about 3km north of my camp. I went in and said hello. It never hurts to let the guys with powerful boats know that I am paddling through this maze of thousands of isles and rocks. And… loving every second of it. Hope you all had a great day, good night. I see flashes of lightning, no Milky Way or Perseid asteroids viewing for me.

Day 12: August 21, 2019

Hello my friends, checking in from Wade Island, about 4km north of McCoy Islands. Thank you all for your comments, I read every one of them, it has become a wonderful routine every night after a day full of paddling. Have you ever thought that it must be tedious and boring to paddle for 8 hours a day after day? Never, not for a second. There is so much to see, so much to absorb, so much to think about. I feel truly at one with nature, as if there was a firm link/communication with the universe. Is it just luck to be able to frolic around Lake Huron by paddle for 12 straight days almost exactly according to my daily “dream plan” I created almost half a year ago? Well, as I say… lots to think about. But it’s for sure that I am determined more than ever to finish this “mission impossible” to be able to answer that question with finality. Speaking of which… the wind must be gusting close to 30kts right now, I am quite happy to be inside my cozy tent, but I am virtually pinned here at this remote rock until it subsides. 😀 Just like every day though, I have faith. Tomorrow morning I will be on my way again, exploring the visible and spiritual worlds. Hope all of you reached your safe anchorages for the night. ⛵️

Day 13: August 22, 2019

My tent is gently swaying on somebody’s dock near William Island, about 18km south of Killbear Provincial Park. Today was quite intense and my 43km progress was hard earned. The NW wind was absolutely perfect for my travel but the waves, the leftover from last night’s high winds, were something else. I started down through McCoy Islands and then along The Minks. Stunning area, by the way. When the last Mink spat me out into the “sea”, the wind was nicely feeding the swell again, and I was far offshore. The closest group of islands was 12 kilometers away. I wasn’t surprised, I had planned it that way, I just didn’t expect nearly four foot cresting waves. I assessed the situation, I knew I could do it, and so I pointed my SUP towards a distant horizon and paddled away. The distance didn’t scare me. I had solo paddled straight across Lake Ontario from Toronto to Port Weller (Niagara region) a few years ago and that was 50km, 11 hours, on open water. What scared me was the fact that I didn’t have a wetsuit, which would have reduced chances for survival, in case something had gone dramatically wrong. The adrenalin and full focus on the job was up, I stood through the whole rodeo, didn’t fall once. Mentally and physically exhausted, I stood on little rock near Hoxford Island three hours later. The rest of the day was a piece of cake. Safe travels everybody.

Day 14: August 23, 2019

Day 14. I have paddled slightly over 500 kilometers, burned well over 30,000 calories, and saw at least as many islands. There is still ways to go to complete my journey but I feel like I am at the end of the hardest but also the most beautiful portion of my trip. I am camped about 6km WNW of Honey Harbour and tomorrow I will enter Trent-Severn Waterway. I will have to say good bye to the blue waters of Lake Huron and its mighty Georgian Bay. I can hear her saying: “I have been super nice to you and let you paddle through my waters way too easy!” To which I say: “Thank you.”

Today was paddler’s dream. Steady wind kept pushing me exactly where I wanted to go and I had hardly any waves to contend with. I floated among many spectacular islands which protected me from the reach of rough water. It almost felt like cheating as I really didn’t have to apply much power to my paddle strokes. I take it though. Cast off my friends, cast off.

Day 15: August 24, 2019

Checking in from Herb Island, about 5km west of Big Chute on Trent-Severn Waterway. I feel like I am an outcast imprisoned on Alcatraz. Herb Island is virtually a big rock, and just like Pluto lost its planetary status mostly because of its size, Herb Island is just lucky to even have a name. Either way, I am very happy it’s here. Even though there is water all around me, I am actually surrounded by a city of cottages. There is “life” out there. I hear music from one side of my tent, party screams and karaoke from the other, and even fireworks in the distance. There is abundance of food, drinks, and comfort just meters away and yet I am here, lying on a rock, in a tent, with water and packs of dehydrated food. 😀 I love my life.
I took it a bit easy today and paddled less than 30km. Now I need to refocus, adjust my daily planner, and start pushing towards Toronto again. Seven o’clock start tomorrow. Thanks for listening, good night.

My GPS track – day 11 to day 15.

Day 16: August 25, 2019

Still Toronto-bound, 35km paddling session got me to Sparrow Lake where I am camped for the night. I had to portage two locks today, they didn’t let me paddle in. I tried. 😀 Lock 44 – Big Chute is very unique, it’s a marine railway, and I loved its genius engineering. It is the only marine railway of its kind in North America still in use. Even though Trent-Severn Waterway is sometimes called “401 on water”, because it’s so busy, I find it quite pleasant to paddle through. It has a nice vibe, people are having fun, and the scenery is still quite beautiful. It’s a big change from the North Channel and its “northern beauty” but so far so good, I am enjoying the sounds of every stroke of my paddle.

Day 17: August 26, 2019

Day 17. Almost exactly 600 km behind my paddle but I might be stuck for a day due to weather. Today I started just north of Sparrow Lake, then I portaged Lock 42 – Couchiching. Sparrow Lake was completely inundated with weed which I believe might become a big problem in other parts of Trent-Severn Waterway in near future. Strong SE wind forced me to hug the eastern side of Lake Couchiching to avoid gusts and waves. I am presently camped at the north end of Lake Simcoe. This place will most likely be my prison for tomorrow because my forward motion in these conditions is nearly impossible.
I find it funny that my Garmin watch gave up on giving me the recovery time in hours and switched to days. 😀 Never seen that before.

My friend Eric traced my life GPS track, located me, hollered me to the shore with two beers in his hands to celebrate my 600km marker. That’s class! Thank you buddy.

Day 18: August 27, 2019

Day 18. Tent-ridden, no progress. On such a long odyssey, not all days are idyllic, sometimes you just have to hunker down and wait out the elements. I am just about to tackle the last major obstacle – Lake Simcoe, a 740-sqkm beast that can take lives if angry. But… while the rain drops beat on my tent, I reflect on the last 600 kilometers of my journey, the natural beauty I have seen, and all the people I have met. I plan to start early tomorrow and if everything goes well, I could be victoriously home in 4 days. Hope you all weathered out the storm and winds in your area safely!

Day 19: August 28, 2019

On the move again. Paddled 45 kilometers, most of it upwind. Brutal, very exhausting, long day but no complains. Actually feeling happy, the pain at the end of the day is always worth it. Tomorrow I plan to finish Lake Simcoe which has put up the toughest fight so far. Then I’ll paddle down on Holland River to Bradford and start my walk (60km) to Humber River. Humber paddle will take me to Lake Ontario and all the way home. Yes, I could take Uber to transfer but I want to do it all on my own power. I’ll have to Uber some of my gear though. If all goes well, I could be home on Friday evening… 🍺

Almost Ended Up At a Police Station

My friend Bennett owns a beautiful cottage on Lake Simcoe. When he saw my progress on my tracker, he immediately offered his place for me to stay over. Moreover, he stocked his fridge with beer and snacks and emailed salivating images of all of the comforts awaiting me there.

There aren’t any great choices to camp around Lake Simcoe because there is no wilderness left and so I was quite glad to have a spot. Of course, I was not going to use his cottage, I just wanted to camp on his dock and maybe retrieve a beer or two from his fridge. I knew where the key was hidden.

Paddling into the horrible wind, I had to give my absolute everything to be able to get to Bennett’s beer before dark. When I started to set up my tent on his dock completely exhausted and hungry, I felt like I really needed that beer. I left the work unfinished, took my headlamp and went to search for the key. I searched and searched until there was a guy standing in the darkness firmly asking what the hell I was doing there. What a precarious situation: “Well, sir, ehm… I am trying to break into my friend’s cottage.” It turned out that I was in much deeper pile of shit that I even realized. It wasn’t Bennett’s cottage and neither his dock. 😀 Had this happened in the USA, I could have gotten shot right on the spot.

It took me a while to persuade the person to not call the police. After I finally found Bennett’s phone number and my friend’s voice appeared on the line, things cleared up, and we resolved this total fiasco peacefully. I got evicted from the dock, however, and had to move all my stuff two cottages over to Bennett’s property. Needless to say, I never had a chance nor the energy to get to that damn beer! When I finally got to my sleeping bag, I was beyond any acceptable level of exhaustion, and I fell asleep hungry.

Bennett! You saved me already from Cuban police, and now from Simcoe law enforcement. 😀 Thank you brother, I owe you.

Still hungry from the previous night but no time to eat. The final push to conquer Simcoe is on before the wind picks up again.

Day 20: August 29, 2019

Day 20. Today was a duathlon day. First I paddled 20km to Bradford, the navigable end of Holland River, the end of waterway that got me from Sault Ste. Marie all the way down to the outskirts of Toronto. Then I started my walk towards Humber River and made it to King City, about 25km down the road. Walking through the farmland was quite nice, lots of carrots, onions, potatoes … Tomorrow will be a super long and tough day if I want to walk 35km to pump up my SUP again and then paddle to the finish line. Fingers crossed.

Day 21: August 30, 2019

Day 21. When I finished my 35km walk to Old Mill – the first navigable point of Humber River at this time of year, I smelled and limped worse than any homeless guy in the city. The only reason people didn’t start throwing coins and tokens of food at me, I presume, was my expensive sports watch on my wrist. To walk 60 kilometers in 2 days should not be a big deal except I didn’t realize one thing: Soaking my feet in the water for 20 days while paddling, made my soles soft and smooth like baby’s ass. Can you feel the blisters? 😀

The remainder of the day was a breeze. I UBERed the rest of my gear to Old Mill, pumped up my SUP, and paddled to Lake Ontario and then to my home in Etobicoke. Wow! I did it! I really did it my friends! I paddled 700km and walked 60km in 21 days from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto! I didn’t bring any fur to trade in a big city but the journey was absolutely incredible. It was like living in a different dimension where the Universe speaks loudly.

Thanks to Roy, we were on this trip together. I can’t express how motivating you were for me along the way. You all made it so much more fun, and you pushed me to the finish line. Thank you.

I will sign off with the lyrics of one of my favorite songs: