“Brian, how's our course?” Ewen shouts to the bow. “Ten degrees to port,” comes the reply. Ewen then faces the stern and relays the message. “Ten degrees to port Reid!” At the helm, grim-faced Reid, preoccupied with the changing conditions, simply nods and steers to windward. “Watch the luff,” Greg exclaims, as we change our course and Véronique trims the sail. I am keenly watching the water, looking for any signs that the seas might be increasing.

We are sailing our 36' boat along the coast of Pukaskwa National Park and with gusts between 10 to 15 knots, a wind like this on Lake Superior is not to be trifled with in any sort of craft; especially when the craft is a voyageur canoe. It is a thrill like no other, but I'm wondering if we're starting to push our luck.
Seven days earlier, 13 strangers congregated at Naturally Superior Adventures on the shores of Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario. We had a plan. We were going to paddle the 190 kilometre long wild Pukaskwa coast from Michipicoten Harbour to Hattie Cove, and we were all going to be squished into one great big canoe!
I confess to having had some concerns about this adventure. I had never been on an extended trip in a voyageur canoe and felt trepidation about so many things: how to fit all our food, gear, and 13 people into the canoe; could we keep the peace onboard with zero personal space; and, most importantly, at least in my husband's mind: “will we ever stop to pee?” Well, to say that our fears were allayed would be a huge understatement.
Right from the moment the 13 of us got to the beach that first morning, we started to come together as a team. We all had to join forces to load the canoe, forming a “pack brigade” to pass our gear hand-over-hand to the canoe and then, having to hoist the 50kg food coolers into the bottom of our craft. With some direction from our guide, Ewen, and some nifty packing tricks from Reid, we somehow managed to get all of our gear jammed in—a small miracle that warranted high-fives all around!