Before we purchased Shanti, we knew that whatever boat we bought would need a good home. We began looking at marinas and areas around Minneapolis / St. Paul. We considered Lake Minnetonka, the St. Croix River, and Lake Pepin, but none had the cruising environment we were looking for. So we made a trip to northern Wisconsin, and looked at every marina around the Apostle Islands. There are about 10 or 12 in the area. The moment we saw Roys Point Marina, we both knew we wanted this to be our “home away from home”. Roys Point, a small marina nestled amidst the Apostle Islands, is just north of Bayfield, WI. It’s one of the most picturesque and serene marinas in the area. Perfect for summertime weekend or vacation cruising! We contacted them, found they had a slip, and didn’t hesitate renting it. We spent the next 5 years there.
Launching Shanti
We launched Shanti in July of 2012. Pat had previously owned a MacGregor 26 sailboat, and this was Kate’s first boat. Shanti is 38 feet long, 10 tons of displacement, and full-keeled – she was definitely outside either of our comfort zones! It took us a month to find the courage just to take her out of the slip! We ended up recruiting Jim from the marina to help us on our maiden voyage, and had a great time (thanks, Jim!). From that day on, we were out almost every weekend. Rain or shine, wind or cold, and late into the season, it didn’t matter – we went out (after our second year, though, we came to realize it’s much nicer to be at the marina with electricity and heat on those cold, wet, blustery days).
Roys Point Marina
We called Roys Point our home away from home for 5 years while we cruised the Apostle Islands, and cannot say enough about this Marina. Mike, the Harbormaster, has done a great job making this a beautiful and clean marina. When you first drive in, you can see and feel how snug, cozy, and clean this marina really is. And once you start talking to Mike, you come to realize just how much work and effort he has put forth to make it that way. One of the first people we met at Roys Point was Jim. From day one, he was always there to lend a hand, and had a vast knowledge of sailing and maintenance. He helped rig Shanti when she launched, aided us getting her out of her slip and off on our maiden voyage, and was always at the dock when we came back to our slip. He was also extremely attentive to the cleanliness and tidiness of the marina. And his daily “spider patrols” sure did make a difference, especially to Pat, who’s extremely arachnophobic! We also got to know Randy, who was there during our last two years. He is one of the nicest, friendliest people we’ve ever met. He was always there to help us maneuver at the fuel dock or slip, and was also conscientious about the cleanliness of the marina. And we would be remiss if we didn’t also give a hats off to the Roys Point Marina Association board of directors for ensuring that this marina remain one of the premier marinas in the Bayfield, WI area. They were persistent in repairs, improvements, and general upkeep, and that made our stay there all the more enjoyable.
Shanti at Roys Point, with Basswood Island beyond
One of the things we loved most about the marina (besides it’s serene and quiet ambience) was it’s location. The marina is about 2 miles north of Bayfield, WI, and sits right among the Apostle Islands (Basswood Island is only 1nm away). The views from the marina are awesome. And since we were right in the islands, we never felt rushed to “get anywhere”. We could leave the marina mid-morning, sail out to an island, drop the hook, and enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of this remote part of the world. And when the weekend or vacation was over, we could get back to the marina with plenty of time to get home (we lived in Minneapolis, a 4+ hour drive one way).
We also met some really great people at Roys. We don’t want to mention names as we respect the privacy and sensitivity some people have with personal information on the internet, but if you traded slips with us in the beginning when Shanti was first launched, or gave us a water pump when our bilge pump failed, or helped us test the standing wave ratio of our VHF radio, or towed us back from Quarry Bay when we ran out of diesel, or your new best friend’s name is Riley, or you’re off sailing the world in your retirement, or if your boat was along the same pier as ours and we chatted many times, we will always remember you and the time we spent at Roys.
Here’s some more pictures of the marina, our launch, and Shanti & us.
Roys Point Marina
Our Fist Launch
