NLSC Monthly Meeting, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 @ VFW, Golden Valley, MN

Karen Larson & Jerry Powlas - editors, Good Old Boat Magazine

Cruising Lake Superior's Slate Islands

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  • Good Old Boat magazine founders Jerry Powlas and Karen Larson will be presenting a slide show about Lake Superior's Slate Islands on November 17.
  • Since their first crossing to the Slates in 1997, Karen and Jerry have explored the Slate Islands three more times with Mystic, their C&C 30.
  • Because it is the place where they dreamed up the idea of launching "the sailing magazine for the rest of us," this Canadian island group holds special significance to them.
  • The Slate Islands are known as one of the few places on Lake Superior where one might observe woodland caribou. Karen and Jerry say they aren't that lucky every time but they have had a chance to see caribou there at least twice, with one instance being exceptional (and fortunately they had the camera along). They've also been thrilled to observe otter, beaver, eagles, loons, and many other creatures there.
  • The island group is significant to geologists who believe it was created by a meteor strike sometime between 450 and 900 million years ago. Even non-geologists can see that the rock formations on the Slate Islands are unlike those found elsewhere in Lake Superior.
  • Karen and Jerry founded their magazine for sailors with fiberglass sailboats from the late 1950s through the present. The magazine focuses on maintenance, upgrades, and the modifications sailors are making to their boats as well as on the fun of affordable cruising and the pride of ownership that is possible with a good old sailboat.
  • Karen and Jerry sailed Mystic in the Apostle Islands for many years and are currently keeping their boat in Thunder Bay during the summer with winters at Barker's Island Marina in Superior, Wisconsin. They cruised in Lake Huron's North Channel for two seasons (2005 and 2006) and are happy to talk about the differences between Lake Superior cruising and the cruising they observed in the North Channel.