Kayakers Circumnavigate Lake Superior

by Dave Freeman
A Canoe and Kayak Web Exclusive

Snarling Lake Superior

Week Three - Sept. 25

Traversing the Graveyard of the Great Lakes

This week Lake Superior transformed from a placid sleeping giant into a swirling torrent of wind and water. For five days, we watched from shore as storms swept over the lake. Finally the winds let up and we sprinted 14 miles across Whitefish Bay. Four foot waves and a steady headwind made the first three hours of the crossing seem like an eternity, but after five miles Whitefish Point could be seen from the crest of the tallest waves. Soon the winds let up and the waves morphed into glassy swells that glistened in the sunlight.

As we began to relax and enjoy the crossing, an island in the distance began to move. Suddenly we realized it a large ship. At first, only the bridge was visible, but as it grew closer the whole vessel came into view. We felt very small passing this 10 story tall floating island and gave it a wide berth. As it slowly motored past, we marveled at the thought of a storm powerful enough to sink a ship that size.

As we drew closer to Michigan, the Whitefish Point lighthouse appeared on the horizon. After six and a half hours we beached our kayaks in front of a crowd of tourists and I kissed the sand, happy to be back in the U.S.

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located near the Whitefish Point lighthouse, so we snatched the opportunity and toured the grounds. Whitefish Point is known as the graveyard of Lake Superior because there have been so many shipwrecks in the area. The museum is full of interesting artifacts including the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was removed from the wreck in 1995. The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975, 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. All 29 crewmembers died when it sank and it has become Lake Superiorís most famous shipwreck.

After touring the museum, we climbed into our kayaks and began paddling westward into the sunset. Our pace quickened at the thought that we were now entering what is known as the graveyard of the Great Lakes, a hundred miles of coastline with no harbors where large ships can wait out a storm. ìSince the first known shipwreck of a commercial vessel, The Invincible in November 1816 to the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, approximately 320 lives have been lost in over 300 shipwrecks and accidents in the area known as the graveyard of the Great Lakesî (Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum).

If the weather holds, tomorrow we will reach Grand Marais, Michigan, which marks the halfway point of our passage through the graveyard and our journey around Lake Superior. So far the lake has let us travel with little protest, but history and common sense tell us that the lake demands our respect. Luckily the Michigan coast is lined with sand beaches, and at the hint of foul weather we have been able to head for shore, a luxury that the Edmund Fitzgerald did not have, highlighting the idea that sometimes bigger is not always better.