Long-Time Boaters Take First Extended Cruise on Back Cove 37. Want To Keep Going
By Peter A. Janssen
After cruising in the Great Lakes for 34 years, Mike and Melodie Kapolka pretty much know what they like (Georgian Bay and the North Channel are at the top of their list). But now that they have a Back Cove 37, their largest boat so far, they’re taking their first extended cruise, and they like it so much they’re planning for more.
The Kapolkas are fairly typical of American cruising couples. They started boating from their home port in Algonac, Michigan, on the St. Clair River north of Detroit, on a 245 Searay, then a 270 Searay, and then a 31 Formula PC. In May, 2016, they moved up to a new Back Cove 37, a classic Down East, made-in-Maine beauty powered by a single 600-hp Cummins diesel. “We like the layout with the helm and copilot seats together,” says Kapolka. “We like the raised galley and we like the economy of the single diesel.”
As it turns out, they also like the Back Cove’s performance in a seaway. Last week, for example, they had 4-5 foot seas on their port quarter for 50 miles going up Lake Huron on their way to Tobermory, Ontario, on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, leading into Georgian Bay. “It was a great test of the boat as she proved herself to us, handling them very well. We never pounded and we retained our planned speed of 21 knots,” Kapolka said.
In Tobermory, the Kapolkas took their dink out for diving in the crystal-clear waters for some of the 22 wrecks in Fathom Five National Park and for exploring the coves and rock formations at Russel Island. Then they headed down to the Trent-Severn Canal, enjoying the Big Chute, a railway that carries boats over land on twin tracks between Gloucester Pool and the Upper Severn River, with a 58-foot change in elevation.
“OMG,” the Kapolkas wrote on their blog. “This was about the coolest thing ever. You gently swing in the air while taking pictures and videos and talking to the lift operators.” They plan to cruise the Thousand Islands before crossing Lake Ontario to Oswego and the Erie Canal, eventually looping their way back home via Lake Erie. For next year, the Kapolkas are thinking of perhaps doing the Great Loop or taking the Erie Canal back down to the Waterway and south to the Bahamas or even the Virgin Islands. “Time will tell,” Kapolka said.
Read more on their blog: http://MnMOnBoard.blog http://backcoveyachts.com
