Wally my buddy is a black belt and his kid is a phenom wrestler. I was feeling pretty good after the trip with nary a nick and heard the knee pop on my second move. I forgot...............

The boat going over was a complete surprise. A good argument can be made to having a PFD on all the time. It enabled me to kick the boat to shore instead of just hanging on (I was able to get an arms length away). Looking back it all adds up. My salt water wiring in my diminishing gray matter has become wired to pull full body instead of just with my arms. Add in I dearly wanted the fish plus my boat was lightly loaded for a day trip and well................I'm actually glad it happened. Superior learning experience (no pun intended) with no loss whatsoever. My newbie pals who reached me as I got to shore will also benefit as they just recently picked up 2 bell solos. "Don't let this happen to you............you might not fare so well" :P

Island is not at all tough to access. 3.5 hour ferry ride at about $150 round trip including boat. We took another smaller ferry to our start point which adds another $80 or so. $4 per night camping fee offsets boat ride nicely. The inland lakes remind me of the Q and can be reached by a 1/4 mile or 2 mile portage. What I like though is Lake Superior itself. Much protected paddling can be had. Gorgeous.