Grace Anne II --
 1930 Yacht Now Cruises Lake of the Woods, Ontario 

It sounds like the stuff of private-eye novels, but the story is that in 1913 John Furlong won a 52-ft. cruiser in a poker game and re-christened it Grace Anne in honor of his wife. The Furlongs had inherited a dream summer home in a rugged corner of northwestern Ontario, Canada, and they used the boat to explore and enjoy beautiful Lake of the Woods there. So much did the couple enjoy the yacht that in 1930 John commissioned the building of Grace Anne II. The new 85-ft. mahogany yacht was considered the finest craft to be introduced to Lake of the Woods. Eventually the ship evolved into a corporate yacht and for 40 years was owned and operated by the 3M Corporation in Minnesota.

I arrived in Winnipeg around noon for a four-day excursion and met the rest of the group that was going to experience a cruise on the classic old yacht. There was a luxury cruiseliner bus waiting for us with lunch. We drove 3 hours to Kenora and Lake of the Woods, Ontario which is the present location for the boat, and we checked into our hotel. We had dinner as a group and got a good night's rest. After breakfast there was a short drive to the dock to meet the Grace Anne II; some people walked. We immediately began to cruise and conversed until after lunch was served.

Immediately after lunch we divided up into fishing groups. They have four fishing boats and usually take a maximum of two people on each boat plus a guide, although we had three on ours. The prize fish to catch today is walleye pike, and there is no shortage. In the 4 hours we were out we quickly caught our quota and had to begin to catch and release the balance of our catch, which must have been 50 fish. We also caught northern pike, yellow perch and sauger (a relatively unknown fish related to the walleye). The biggest walleye we caught was 24 inches and the biggest northern was 27 inches. While fishing we spotted a doe and her two fawns lingering along the water's edge. We also saw many birds --there were loons, bald eagles, osprey and even pelicans.

We came back for cocktails and hors oeuvres before dinner, which had one of several entrée choices of walleye --the same fish we had caught only 2 hours before. It was delicious.

The boat's cabins are small, and there are shared heads, although each cabin has its own washbasin. The ship overall however is very luxurious and meticulously maintained. There is a crew of 4 persons to serve 8 guests, and service is outstanding. Although fishing is the main activity that most guests come to enjoy, there are a variety of other activities.  One woman managed to get in a yoga session every morning before breakfast. Other activities included clay-shooting, excursions aboard the yacht or via canoe or kayak, waterskiing, and exploring woodland trails as a hiker or via all-terrain-vehicle. Or you could take an invigorating sauna or relax in a hot tub. There are also guided photography and nature tours and seasonal hunting trips. There is no set itinerary and the schedule of activities is up to the guests.

The next morning we tried our luck at muskie fishing, but without any luck, even though one followed my lure to the side of the boat. A muskie is the most sought-after freshwater sport fish and one of the hardest to catch. After a sumptuous breakfast we went back out in the fishing boats with the goal in mind of catching enough fish to supply our shore lunch. We caught plenty of fish. My fishing partner hooked and landed a 39 in. muskie on her 6-pound test walleye rig. She had to fight the fish for nearly 10 minutes. We headed to the lodge for a shore lunch prepared by our fishing guides over an open wood fire. Needless to say, the fresh fish were the highlight.

It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the temperature in the low 70’s. Some folks decided to relax on the spacious upper deck. Some of us tried our hand at skeet-shooting at the shooting range. One woman took a hike down an old logging trail, and of course the rest of us went fishing again. Our challenge was to put enough fish in the boats to freeze and fill our bags that the Grace Anne crew had given each of the guests to take home. The fish were packed in the decorative bag along with breading, wild rice and local jam.

Our last night was the Captain's dinner, and we had the general manager and his wife as dinner guests. Rack of lamb, steak, lobster,  and salmon were all on the menu. Throughout the whole trip the service and food were exquisite. You felt as though you were dining in a first class restaurant with meals prepared by a French chef. There was a list of fine wines to accompany dinner.

Our last morning left a little time for more fishing before the boat headed back to Kenora  to meet the bus to take us back to Winnipeg. It was another beautiful day and everyone was on the sundeck watching the Canadian north woods scenery go by. There are thousands of islands many of which were privately owned and had cottages and boat ramps. The lake is serene and beautiful.

                                                                                                 -- by Scott Linde

Charters of Grace Anne II are for a minimum of 8 persons and a maximum of 16. You can see more information at www.graceanne.com.

For more information or to book Grace Anne II for your group, go to the Booking Form.