North Channel Continued

Another storm

07.18.2010 it rained on and off all day. We stayed at Little Current Marina. I did three loads of clothes, defrosted the refrigerator and cleaned the interior of the boat. The captain hosed down the exterior of the boat. Then he was called to an urgent male captains meeting where he drank beer and shot pool for three hours. Fair is something you take your children to.

Tut and I had Chinese food for lunch. The egg drop soup was beef based. It was unusual. The mushroom fired rice was good. The Vegetable Delight was not delightful.

07.19-20.2010 we spent anchored in the southern Benjamin Islands. It was windy and the boat rocked during the day light hours (0600 –2030). The islands were good for hiking. The water was clear. You could swim off stone ledges or in areas where there were large pebbles forming a sort of beach.

Storm clouds

Sea Gull begging for food

07-21-2010 sightseeing at Kagawong was the first thing on are agenda. The trail to Bridal Vail Falls hugged a shallow creek. Listening to the water babble over the bedrocks was peaceful. The falls were disappointing because of the low water. I know people who installed tranquility falls in their houses that trickle faster on the slowest setting.

The wind was raging from the Northwest 15-20 knots. The bay was slashing over our swim platform and holding us to the Kagawong dock. There were no slips available at the marina so we had to move on. We sought shelter at Oak Bay 18 nautical miles north.

Freedom rocked and rolled for about 2 hours as the 3 foot waves hit her beam. Then we turned and the wind was at her bow. This allowed us to ride the swells which reduced our toss by 60 %.

We anchored and watched a storm come at us from the west. Blue Yonder had just anchored when it hit. There was a 10 minute torrential downpour followed by a horizontal rainbow ascending from the hills and valleys to the sky. It was amazing.

The crews aboard Monkey Girl and Blue Yonder joined us for happy hour. We agreed it was time to get back to the U. S. We all missed things we were use to in the States. For instance, cheaper food prices and free pump outs.

The photos did not do the rainbow any justice. It really was awesome.

07.22.2010 Andrew and Bill play horeshoes at Blind River Marina. They do not have WIFI.

Blind River had an LCBO (liquir Store) Tut likes their bags.

07.23.2010 we went htrough a narrow pass on our way to Thessalon Marina.

07.24.2010 Andrew searched the entire boat for Skipper Bob's Michican book. He was unable to find it. Tut enjoyed the search because it allows him access to the settee locker. Taking an nap in this area was a dream come true.

Georgian Bay Moving on

St Amant's Inn and Marina

Cottage for sale

Bustard Harbour

Andrew picking blueberries

Andrew's first dip in Bustard Harbour

Bustard harbour views

O7.10.2010 we anchored in Champlain Monument Island with Monkey Girl and Blue Yonder. When boats past by it got rocky. The water was calm during the overnight. 4 of us slept well. Blue Yonder’s crew awoke at 2 a.m. and saw that their boat had swung around, very close to Monkey Girl’s stern. That ended the possibility of sleep for Pete. He kept watch until the rest of us woke up.

07.11.2010 we stayed at St Amant’s Inn and marina in Britt. Monkey Girl and Blue Yonder stayed at Wrights Marina. The boaters at both marinas were enthusiastic about giving us information on their favorite Georgian Bay anchorages. Tut didn’t like it because two large dogs liked sitting on the dock by the stern of our boat.
07.12.2010 we anchored in Bustard Harbour. It was wonderful. We were surrounded by clear water and pristine rock islands. We picked wild blueberries, kayaked and chatted with boaters downstream.

Greg, do you remember when we picked blueberries in NH? We were laughing at Andrew’s determination to fill his container. If memory serves, our containers never did get filled. “Is there life on other planets”?

07.13.2010 Andrew and I went exploring Bustard Islands in our kayaks. We entered a pool which had a narrow passage to another pool which eventually led to the main body of water. We felt like Lewis and Clark as we inched our way through shallow water between large protruding rocks spaced barely the width of our kayaks. There was so little depth that our crafts left their marks on the rocks below.

A baby duck peeped frantically for its mother as we made way into their normally deserted territory. He or she swam quickly then scooted over rocks in the shallows. Later the mother duck and her 4 ducklings floated within Andrew’s reach. Their mother was giving them a lesson is bravery or possibly defiance.

When we returned Bustard Harbour Blue Yonder and Monkey Girl were at the anchorage. Pete stern tied his boat to a tree to prevent swinging and ensure a good night’s sleep.

Andrew and Bill went bait fishing. Andrew was reaching over with a crab net to get bait Bill was snorkeling to catch. Andrew stretched too far and lost his balance. He fell into the water dumping the contents of his kayak which included his only three sips consumed vodka and tonic. He was not injured.

A Canadian Couple, Don and Crystal (hope that was right) came aboard for happy hour. Everyone brought something to munch on. Then we went out in kayaks and dinghies to watch the sunset. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.