By Bonnie Schiedel
Red survival suit: zipped. Goggles: on. Smile: ear to ear.
When you’re skimming over the deep, cold waters of Lake Superior in a small rigid-hull boat, en route to a historic island lighthouse, you dress for adventure, and getting there is definitely part of the fun. Thunder Bay’s Sail Superior has been offering group day trips like this one to Porphyry Island for several years now, along with sailboat tours, and either form of transportation is an exceptional way to get to know the lake in a whole new way.
An island and a lighthouse are an undeniably romantic mix, and Porphyry (say: pour-free) Island delivers that mystique, with its rich history, volcanic black-sand beaches, rare plants, and stunning views. About 40 kilometres by boat from Thunder Bay, Porphyry is flanked by Sleeping Giant Provincial Park to the west and Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park to the south.
Getting there a hundred years ago meant climbing aboard a supply ship that regularly stopped to provision the lighthouse keeper and his family, but today I’m making that trip in a 12-person high-speed vessel called the Superior Rocket.
The Rocket departs from Sail Superior’s base at Prince Arthur’s Landing on Thunder Bay’s waterfront, heading out across the bay at about 65 kilometres per hour (hence the goggles), with the world’s largest freshwater lake (hence the survival suits) sprawled before us.
For our captain, Sail Superior’s owner and founder Greg Heroux, the journey is part of the appeal: “We’re not just boating straight out to Porphyry,” he says. “We’re gonna have a real cool adventure.” When you cruise out of the bay, everyone’s eyes widen. He adds, “You think, wow, this is a lake. You see the magnitude of this lake on this trip.”
En route to Porphyry, he slows to do a bit of storytelling about the area’s must-see sights: the iconic Sleeping Giant rock formation, with Thunder Cape Bird Observatory at its tip, the distinctive silhouette of Pie Island, the soaring sheer rock cliffs of Sibley Peninsula (among the highest in Ontario at 290 metres), and the Sea Lion rock—all must-dos for many TBay visitors.
Then, it’s off to Porphyry, which has its own fair share of stories. The lighthouse was established in 1873, making it the second-oldest on Lake Superior, and that history is practically palpable when you explore the island and its structures. It’s automated now, but light- keepers and their families lived here for more than a century, tending to the light that guided generations of ships and planes along this vast inland sea.
A number in my group are fans of Jean Pendziwol’s historical fiction bestseller, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters, set right here on Porphyry, and we quickly peel off our survival gear and head out to experience some of the book’s elements in real life.
To feel the heat of the black sand beach lapped by dazzling clear waves, spot the tough, tiny arctic plants growing in the rocks and the spiky devil’s club shrub that grows here and nowhere else east of the Rockies, and explore the island’s meandering dirt trails. There are even monarch butterflies dipping along the breeze.
Volunteer host keepers, here thanks to the efforts of the Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior organization, take us up the steep, narrow steps inside the wooden lighthouse tower, which stands 12.5 metres tall and is outfitted with a lantern that flashes a dazzling light every 15 seconds. Since we’re lucky enough to be here on a sunny summer day, the water below looks Caribbean-turquoise and the red-topped roofs of the island’s buildings gleam.
A pair relaxing in Muskoka chairs on the point have rented the 1940s-era light keeper’s dwelling for a couple of days, and further up the trail, the artist in residence cheerfully chats about how the island’s hues have inspired her work. A guided yoga practice on the black sand beach isn’t available on this trip, but is a popular option later in the season.
A trip to Porphyry lasts five to six hours, including an hour or so on the water both ways, as well as a stop at Silver Islet, once home to the world’s richest silver mine, and now home to the world’s most delicious homemade butter tarts and cinnamon buns. This quaint community has original miners’ cottages from the 1870s clustered along the shoreline, along with an iconic bright-blue general store and tea room.
After refuelling with pastries, we don our boating gear one last time and head back to the Thunder Bay shoreline, thrumming with a mix of exhilaration and contemplation after this most memorable day. A peek back at Porphyry shows it fading into a dream-like grey-and-green smudge against the waves.
Image credits: Sail Superior, Destination Ontario, Thunder Bay Tourism