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LaVida's - Circumnavigation of the USA/CDN
Great Lakes
a "SeaWeCan" voyage
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Great Lakes Overview
VOLUME
6 quadrillion gallons of fresh water; one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water (only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more); 95 percent of the U.S. supply. Spread evenly across the continental U.S., the Great Lakes would submerge the country under about 9.5 feet of water.
TOTAL AREA
More than 94,000 square miles/244,000 square kilometres of water (larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined, or about 23 percent of the province of Ontario). About 295,000 square miles/767,000 square kilometres in the watershed (the area where all the rivers and streams drain into the lakes).
TOTAL COASTLINE
United States and Canada -- 10,900 mi/17,549 km (including connecting channels, mainland and islands). The Great Lakes shoreline is equal to almost 44 percent of the circumference of the earth, and Michigan's Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 mi/5,294 km, more coastline than any state but Alaska.
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"LAVIDA'S" - 2009 CREW MEMBERS
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| Mike |
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| Ed |
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| Jim |
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| Monty |
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| Mike and JJ |
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First Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
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Olcott, NY to Harbour Beach, MI
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Second Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
Lake Huron
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Third Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
Mackinaw Straits, Detour Passage and the St. Mary's River
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Fourth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
Whitefish Bay, Shipwreck Museum and the South shore of Lake Superior
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Fifth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior - Grand Maris - Pictured Rocks
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Sixth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior - Marquette -
Huron Islands Houghton/Hancock
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Seventh Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior - Portage Lake
Lilly Pond
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Eighth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior - Ontonagon
Bayfield - Apostle Islands
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Ninth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior
Apostle Islands - Rasberry Island
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Tenth Leg of the Great Lakes Circumnavigation
South shore of Lake Superior
Apostle Islands -Isle Royale
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Roll Cloud
"The roll cloud is also known as a "Morning Glory cloud" because it is observed most often during spring near dawn. It is considered one of the world's most exotic meteorological phenomena.
The clouds appear as one or more roll cloud formations extending from horizon to horizon, and sometimes measure more than 1,000 km in length, traveling 1 - 2 km. above the earth's surface.
Despite being studied extensively, the Morning Glory cloud is not clearly understood. The clouds seldom produce measurable precipitation but are almost always accompanied by short-lived, often intense, surface wind squalls, intense low-level wind shear, and a sharp pressure jump at the surface.
In the front of the cloud, there is strong vertical motion that transports air up through the cloud to create a rolling appearance. Air in the middle and rear of the cloud becomes turbulent and sinks. They are reported to travel at speeds of about 40 km/hr, occasionally over 60 km/hr.
A Roll Cloud is one of the ten rarest cloud formations you will ever see.
We encountered this awesome formation about 38nm South of Isle Royale Island, Lake Superior, on July 30, 2009 at 1402. True to the description above, a microburst came to call on us about an hour later. It was INTENSE!! 
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Morning Glory Cloud Video taken from the deck of s.v. LaVida, Lake Superior, July 2009.
Please note: Depending on your connection speed it could take from a few seconds to a little over a minute to load this video, but the wait is worth it!
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