Gazing at the horizon from Thunder Bay’s iconic Prince Arthur’s Landing, one invariably gets entranced by the call of the Sleeping Giant, the Main Lighthouse, and the numerous islands dotting Lake Superior in the distance. Inevitably, your next thoughts are “How do people get out to those lonely islands, and huge cliffs? I wish I could get a closer look at the Main Light too.” Romantics have plenty of temptations on Lake Superior, and Sail Superior—a Thunder Bay water adventure company—specializes at turning people’s sailing dreams into reality. Here’s the story of how Sail Superior has made itself a staple of Thunder Bay tourism for the last 20 years.
Gregory Heroux, owner and captain of Sail Superior, has four boats in his fleet, and four full-time crew members (and more part-time crew). He offers 20 different boat tours on Lake Superior, not to mention sailing classes for total beginners up to ISPA competent crew certifications.
Of course, Sail Superior had more humble beginnings. Following a life abroad as a model and actor, Heroux returned to his Thunder Bay roots in 1999, bringing his new family back to the place where he learned to sail with his father on Lake Superior. He and his dad then bought a Finnish Jonmeri 40-foot sailboat (Frodo), which Heroux describes as a “world-class” boat. Heroux sailed it across the Atlantic and back to Thunder Bay before opening his charter business in 2004, learning the boat in heavy weather and proving it was up to the task of navigating mighty Lake Superior.
What started in 2004 as a part-time hobby business—taking people on harbor tours—grew into teaching people sailing. Freshly minted sailors would then come back to Heroux to rent his boat. “You go out there and start building clients, and then the clients come back and rent the boat. So, we built our own market,” recounts Heroux of the early days.
At the same time, Heroux also understood there are many tourists in Thunder Bay who don’t know how to sail, but still really want to enjoy Lake Superior. “OK, I don’t have enough boats,” Heroux realized. He saw that diversifying his tours was key: “It’s simply a matter of economics, because you have such a short season here. Our season is June, July, August, and September, but you have to pay for salaries, maintenance, and storage year-round. You’re making income for four months, but you’re spending for 12 months.”
Thus, Heroux grew the business incrementally, continually expanding trips beyond the port of Thunder Bay. “I pride myself in being able to say yes to pretty much any request to get out on the lake,” says Heroux.
So, what are the trip choices? Visitors can select from tours as relaxing as the public “Harbour Tour,” a 100-minute sailboat cruise through the heart of Thunder Bay (leaves Prince Arthur’s Landing daily at 4 p.m.), all the way to the “Seven Days on Lake Superior” private tour, which takes you to nine destinations, three islands, and two saunas, covering 100 miles of Lake Superior’s crystal water.
In the process of developing new tours, Heroux has grown his fleet from just Frodo to include Journeyer, a 38-foot Downeaster two-mast sailboat with loads of deck space and a silent electric motor, Superior Rocket, a 12-passenger 30-foot Zodiac Hurricane 920 with top speeds of 90km/h for island hopping, and Sail Superior’s flagship Lagoon 500 catamaran, a luxury home on the water with four private bedrooms. With this diverse fleet, Sail Superior’s tours can range from high-speed adventures to leisurely cruising, as well as instructional outings and overnight trips.
Each of Sail Superior’s boats has its own niche. “Catamarans aren’t tippy and don’t heel,” explains Heroux. “It’s a very stable, large platform sailing vessel. If you have a cross section of 30 people on board, from 11-year-olds to your grandmother in her 80s, the Lagoon catamaran is the best boat by far. Whereas if you go on Frodo, then you need to be a bit more athletic. It can sail in more adverse conditions, and you can really hunker down in it.”
Likewise, the different tours all satisfy a certain niche too. And with so many to choose from, Heroux recognizes it can be overwhelming for guests. Thus, he’s curated four “Signature Experiences,” or top choices for newbies to the Thunder Bay area. For example, the “Sleeping Giant Zodiac Adventure” tour is a five-hour trip, complete with a hike at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. “We cross from Thunder Bay to the Sleeping Giant in 45 minutes in the Zodiac, then guests can explore on shore,” explains Heroux. The excellent sailsuperior.com website continues: “Whether you’re an avid hiker or just looking for a fun and simple way to explore this Provincial Park, this experience is the perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, and discovery. Don’t just visit the Sleeping Giant—experience it in the easiest, most scenic way possible.”
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For a relaxing “Signature Experience” at sunset hour, take the “Wine and Cheese Tour” on Journeyer. This public tour leaves the dock at 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays and lasts 105 minutes. You’ll see the various features of Thunder Bay’s ports and harbors while sipping wine on a peaceful evening cruise.
Heroux and his team love the water, and their passion is sharing it with visitors and locals alike. “Right now we have five salties (ocean-going vessels) moored in the Thunder Bay harbor. They’ve made a 2,000-mile trek to get here. It’s a really interesting phenomenon to see them up close. We love to be engaged in the lake, and we want people to come out and see it from a new perspective,” Heroux says.
There are clearly a lot of logistics involved offering so many different tours, in multiple boats. Today Heroux leaves the sailing to his great crew, while he mainly manages clients and tours. That said, Heroux is continuously developing his team’s marine skills. Sail Superior is currently helping the Canadian Coast Guard. “We’ve started a Coast Guard auxiliary, because we have really good, trained captains who know the lake, and we have the right boat for the job (the Zodiac). We’re on standby to go out and do an emergency call if the Coast Guard can’t get to it. We’re all-volunteer, but we don’t have out-of-pocket expenses either. It’s like a volunteer fire department,” says Heroux. “It’s a benefit to our community.”
Sail Superior is a pillar of the beautiful Thunder Bay Waterfront District, where you can look out at the formidable Sleeping Giant cliffs, soak in the sunrise on a calm summer morning, or walk the docks. But to get a true sense of Lake Superior’s moods and expressions, you need to get offshore. No matter what your tastes, whether wine and cheese, or rugged overnight trips to faraway islands, you’ll get to experience the lake in a totally new way with Sail Superior.
