Bonnie Dahl's Superior Way

“We recommend Superior Way to all our members and to anyone who wants to explore and learn more about the “nooks and coves” of Lake Superior. Bonnie Dahl’s cruising guide has given us the confidence to safely navigate areas we previously avoided, and it continues to be helpful in areas we’ve already explored. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced boater this is the must-have book to explore Lake Superior.”—Amy Herstad-Einbu, Commodore, Duluth Sail and Power Squadron

“Love and respect are key to interacting with the might and mystic majesty of Lake Superior. Bonnie Dahl adds the other essential element to its navigation—practical knowledge. With the fifth edition of her masterwork, Bonnie again delivers. Lake Superior Magazine honored Bonnie with its Achievement Award because this note-taking science teacher, turned passionate world traveling sailor, has created a unique tool to inspire a new generation to love and respect Lake Superior.”—Konnie LeMay, Editor, Lake Superior Magazine

Bonnie Dahl and her husband, Ron, have cruised for more than 30 years. During the summer months, they have lived aboard their Columbia 10.7 sailboat, Dahlfin II, exploring the waters of Lake Superior and Lake Huron’s North Channel and Georgian Bay. In early June 1996, they left the Great Lakes via the Erie Canal and headed down the eastern seaboard to the Bahamas. Taking the Thorny Path through the Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, they continued to the Virgin Islands and down the eastern Caribbean islands to Trinidad and Venezuela. After 4-1⁄2 years, they returned by the same route to Lake Superior.

In 2003, they went out of the Great Lakes again to winter in the Bahamas, returning in 2004. They are now back in the Great Lakes where they continue to sail the wilderness waters of lakes Superior and Huron. In early spring and late fall, they sail in their home waters in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior.

Shortly after they began to sail, Bonnie began writing and had her first articles published in Cruising World. She has since been published in Lakeland Boating, Yachting, Great Lakes Sailor, Great Lakes Travel & Living, Lake Superior Magazine, The Compass (a Caribbean publication), and Good Old Boat. These articles have covered all aspects of boating: provisioning, cruising with children, maintenance, chartering, and most areas of Lake Superior, North Channel, and Georgian Bay.

Through the years, her area of specialty has evolved into navigation with radio location systems: Loran-C, radar, SAT NAV and GPS. Bonnie has written two other books: The Loran-C Users Guide and The User’s Guide to GPS. The first edition of The Superior Way was published in 1983, the second edition in 1992, the third edition in 2001, and the fourth edition in 2008.