Mad, Mad, Madeline

By Bill Bisanz | Apostle Islands She’s beautiful, mysterious, and elusive. And she would drive most mad if you had to live with her year-round. Madeline Island, the largest and only permanently inhabited of the Apostle islands is a 13-mile island set off the Bayfield peninsula on Lake Superior. My first visit was nearly 10-years ago when I chartered a sailboat just two weeks after receiving my basic certification. It took me two days of what felt-like death defying maneuvers before I was brave enough to take on all three miles of the protected waters of the channel between Bayfield and Madeline. Our sojourn was just one night. We docked at a transient slip in the Madeline Island Yacht Club, walked into town, had dinner at what seemed like only restaurant serving dinner (which is no longer there) and retired to the boat for a night of floating slumber. Even after such a small taste, I had a sense that Madeline could be, if given an appropriate amount of time and attention, a truelove. Little did I know how right I was. This summer I spent two weeks on the island. Oddly, most of that time was without cell-phone coverage. [...]

Setting Sail

By Edward Hoiland | Apostle Islands It only takes one good trip to catch the travel bug and once you got it there’s no stopping it! I caught the bug while sailing around the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. The fresh air, crystal-clear water and the gentle rocking of the boat captured my heart and left me wanting more. Exploring islands, beach bonfires, shore lunches and freezing plunges into the lake. Nothing could beat sense of adventure of being somewhere new and the liberating feeling of leaving your problems behind. Since my first sailing trip when I was a little kid, I’ve been back to the Apostle Islands several more times. It is dear to me and always will be, but I have my sights set on something more. It’s high time that I experience something less cold and a little more tropical. The travel bug is calling me down to the Caribbean. While I have been working with Elite I’ve learned more and more about what those turquoise waters can offer. I want my feet in the sand, the sweet smell of the ocean air and the warm waters to wash worries away. Some day I’ll be exploring different islands [...]

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