Through The Les Cheneaux Islands In Penn Yans With Old Outboards

A huge thanks to fellow Woody Boater Mark Schallip for this Sunday Milking! Here is Marks note.

Through The Les Cheneaux Islands In Penn Yans With Old Outboards

As the 2022 Hessel, Michigan Antique and Wooden Boat Show approaches my thoughts return to one of my favorite boat rides of summer 2021, the trip my son Ben and I made to the Les Cheneaux Boat Show in our Penn Yan boats named “Backseat Driver” and “Little One”. The Les Cheneaux Boat Show in Hessel, Michigan is one of our favorite summer events. In years past, we have launched at the Hessel Bay Marina ramp for the show. The volunteer ramp crew always does an excellent job. After listening to stories from the islanders and other friends about calm brisk early morning rides to the show, we thought that it would be fun to motor in. We found a ramp in Snows Channel a couple miles away from the show and agreed we would make the decision whether to launch there based on weather.

6:30 a.m. and the boats are launched.

Luckily, the morning of the show was beautiful. It was the kind of Upper Peninsula summer morning that you dream about all winter long.
We towed the boats to the Snows Cannel boat ramp. A gravel ramp that time has forgotten. It was like something out of the 1950s. We managed to get the boats launched. The excellent volunteers working the ramp at the show were missed.

Not sure which way to go? We’ll follow this guy!

We were running old outboards. Ben has a 1955 Johnson 25 h.p. on Backseat Driver. I have a 1954 Evinrude 15 h.p. on Little One, Both are true period power. The motors easily fired up and we were ready to go. Backseat Driver has more freeboard than Little One. I let Ben lead in case we hit rough water.

Backseat Driver has more freeboard–I’ll let Ben lead.

We are on our way!

View from the backseat of Backseat Driver.

Vintage outboards are humming along

As we headed down Snows Channel and then out into Hessel Bay, I thought to myself, “this is what woody boating is all about!” We both agreed that we should have taken more pictures. However, trying to steer, hold on, navigate and aim an iPhone all at once is not always possible in a small boat.

Motoring into the Hessel show is quite an experience.

We made it to the show without a tow and with no water in the bilges–you can’t ask for anymore than that! We tied up, washed down the boats and then made it to the Lyons Club annual pancake breakfast for a good meal.

All set up and enjoying the show

It was a great time showing the boats. A lot of family and friends turned out to see us and to see all the beautiful boats at the show. We enjoyed telling them about our trip in from Snows Channel. We also had a good time catching up with friends that we have made at the show over the years. The trip back to the ramp was uneventful and equally as memorable as our morning run. It is a special feeling arriving and departing the Hessel Boat Show with all the other boaters who motored in—a true sense of woody boater camaraderie. Overall it was a very good day and a great father and son boat outing.