Jim Egensperger fell in love with Lake Superior

Introduction by Director/Port Captain Dee McClure

We look forward to welcoming and introducing new Port Captains in the Lifeline. As Harbor Reports are the lifeblood of the organizations, the role of Port Captain is critical to ensuring our GLCC Harbor Reports reflect the latest information. Port Superior and Pikes Bay, at the entrance to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, is a key harbor for those transiting into the area from the south. Jim Egensperger works in conjunction with Deputy Port Captains Jim and Angele Passe to cover this important area.

Jim Egensperger: I am honored to be Port Captain for Port Superior and Pikes Bay (S-0192.5) at Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands. 

I served for several years as Port Captain for Mentor Harbor (E-8) on Lake Erie with my wife, Heidi. Based in the greater Ohio area, I first became aware of the GLCC in the 1970s while crewing on various sailboats when participating in the races to Mackinac Island.

Frequently, I was crew for a boat’s delivery. Most of the skippers were GLCC members. I enjoyed spending many hours aboard reading the Harbor Reports in the old-school hard-copy format, which were carried aboard as a most valued navigation and cruising source of information.

I often say that I feel lucky to have had the “privilege and pleasure” of boating in all five Great Lakes. Additionally, I’ve boated on the Erie Canal, Hudson River, Trent-Severn Waterway, St. Lawrence River, the East Coast from Newfoundland to the Carolinas, Bermuda, Windward Island of the Caribbean, and Puget Sound. All of that was done in a combination of power and sail boats while cruising, racing, delivering or chartering on boats ranging from 22 to 72 feet, working as crew or ship’s master and occasionally single handing. Many of these racing and cruising miles done in the company of dear friend, and 50-plus years GLCC member, Henry Williams, from Rochester NY.

In 2015, when Heidi and I acquired our Catalina 30, S/V Touch of Grey, I suggested we join the GLCC. In 2017, we attended our first Rendezvous at Sturgeon Bay, Wis. It was quite a cruise from Lake Erie. We were awarded the Commodore’s Trophy at that Rendezvous (members who cruised the farthest to attend the Rendezvous). 

I have since attended several GLCC Rendezvous, as well as rallies, picnics and events. We were awarded the Founders Award in 2022 for the best cruising log and participated in composing a webinar for the GLCC School on cruising the south shore of Lake Ontario.

Several years ago, while Heidi and I were shopping for an upgrade boat, I came to the lovely town of Bayfield, Wis., in western Lake Superior, and we were introduced to the adjacent cruising grounds of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. We purchased a modern, used Catalina 350, at Port Superior Marina. I have since evolved to a more classic cruising boat, a 1984 Columbia 10.7, and have taken up permanent residence in Bayfield. 

Port Superior is in the same protected harbor as Pikes Bay Marina, just a short distance south of Bayfield Harbor. The Apostle Islands are a fantastic cruising destination and Lake Superior’s yachting center. The area may seem off the beaten path for many members, but a visit is well worth the effort. It is on the way to the 2026 Rendezvous in Duluth/Superior (S-187). The area has a large concentration of charter boats, which is a nice option for those in farther-away home ports.

Regardless of how you get here, you will enjoy spending at least a few days in the Apostles. If you do, please look me up. I am happy to assist in any way I can.