Lake Erie to Lake Ontario

Welcome to the Huron Jewel, a 78-foot, all-wood schooner. I’m uploading my first set of travel photos from Oswego, NY a port town near the east end of Lake Ontario. Although Ohio and New York may not be as exotic as some of the places I’ve been recently, traveling on a XIX century tall ship is going to be an exciting adventure. To see the full specifications of this beautiful ship, how it was built and where it’s going, click here.

The Huron Jewel‘s home port is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. On August 20, the ship set sail from Drummond Island, cruised south through Lake Huron, passed Detroit, and docked on August 24 in Fairport Harbor, 30 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. Fairport Harbor isn’t a big town. It’s known for its gravel and salt mines. This was a handy place to tie up for a couple of nights and for the crew to take a rest. This is where I caught up with the ship and joined the crew.

Tall ships like this one are designed and rigged like the classic ships of two centuries ago. Naturally, with all the lines and sails, a ship like this needs crew. Although Huron Jewel could be sailed with just two hands, it’s more fun and easier with seven. Let me introduce you to our crew.

Our captain is Hugh Covert. He designed and built this boat. This is the ninth — and largest — ship that he has built. It’s modelled after Great Lakes schooners of the XIX century with a shallow 4.5 foot draft and gaff-rigged sails. The main differences between Huron Jewel and its ancestors is that it has two 100hp diesel engines, full electronics, and the comfort of a galley with a 7-foot ceiling.

Huron Jewel’s first mate is Hugh’s wife Julie. She brings to this endeavor carpentry, engineering and business skills. She and Hugh worked hand-in-hand for two and a half years to build this ship. Today, while Hugh sails the ship, Julie works the telephone and the computer to procure materials and coordinate charter sailing trips, while keeping her crew and passengers happy with delicious snacks and meals.

Thomas comes to the Huron Jewel with experience sailing on other tall ships like this. He knows all the knots, which lines raise which sails, and much more. He’s also a good teacher for landlubbers like me. With his sure grip and long arms, Thomas is the crewmember who gets the job of climbing the mast when that sort of task is required.

Amanda, is our most experienced deck hand. Like Thomas, she has sailed on several tall ships and knows what she’s doing. With more than 400 logged days on sailing ships, she’ll soon receive her captain’s license.

Palmer is our youngest crew member. He is an intern and this is his first tall ship sailing experience. If you’d like to join Huron Jewel as an intern or a crew member, click here.

Our volunteer crewmember and entertainer is Shaun. Although his full-time job ties him to a desk, he spends as much time as he can on sailing ships. He delights everyone with his music. During our boat tours, he teaches children to play harmonica.

Although I’m one of the less experienced crew members, I’m happy to have been selected to be on this cruise. I’m willing to do any job that no one else wants to do — like wash the dishes. From assistant dish washer, I’m hoping to work my way up the ranks. In my first week aboard, I’ve already been promoted to the graveyard watch.

Although I’ll be on board the Huron Jewel for the next month, that’s only the first leg of this ship’s Dream Inspiration Tour. With other crew, interns and volunteers, Hugh and Julie plan to sail all the way to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and then back to Michigan again. In all, it’ll be a nine-month, 10,000 mile cruise. The vision behind this odyssey is to encourage other people to make their dreams come true.

In the past week, we’ve sailed from the west end of Lake Erie to the east end of Lake Ontario, a distance of 300 miles. We weren’t sailing the whole time. We spent three days docked in towns like Fairport Harbor, OH and Oswego, NY to give ship tours, raise funds, and inspire people to follow their dreams. Meanwhile, the weather has been comfortable, with a mix of warm days and a few squalls and showers. Nothing too serious.

Sailing from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, we encountered what would have been a major obstacle two centuries ago: Niagara Falls — America’s largest waterfall (by volume).

Thanks to the Welland Canal, we bypassed Niagara and cruised safely through eight locks, dropping almost 100 meters. These locks are designed for use by commercial ships. Small craft like ours are allowed just one opportunity to pass through every other day. To book our passage, we had to reserve our entry ticket in advance, pay $200 Canadian, check-in on-line with scanned passports and Covid vaccination cards (because this is Canada), and arrive at the canal’s entrance at or before our appointed time. As we waited our turn to enter the canal, we watched ginormous freighters squeeze through narrow channels and pass under towering draw bridges.

Going through all eight locks covering about 27 miles took a whole day. Like all experienced sailors, the crew found many ways to pass the time.

After we cleared the locks, we fought headwinds from one end of Lake Ontario to the other. In Oswego, NY we stocked up on supplies, enjoyed hot showers at the local marina, and entertained visitors at the Maritime Museum.

From here, we’ll sail northeast past New York into the Saint Lawrence River and eventually out to the Atlantic Ocean. We hope for fair winds and following seas. For now, we see red skies at night. Sailor’s delight? We hope so!

From day to day, please track Huron Jewel’s progress by clicking here.