Our Summer Cruise 2015

July 20

We suffered a rough night with 20 kt winds again that rolled and slapped the boat until early in the morning when we were greeted by the sight of another shad fly hatch, no doubt made worse as we had our bright anchor light on. Thank goodness for a good wash down pump, since we could just blast them off the boat before wiping it down, one of our first jobs each day when anchored. We try to do that early as the boat is usually dew-covered and it keeps the boat clean.

Yuck!!

I was on the phone at just after 8:00 am to Furuno Tech Support. Jeff and I are getting well acquainted and he is a great resource. Our Furuno equipment is top of the line in quality and price but is well supported by very knowledgeable staff. Jeff gave me a couple of ideas on checking the sensor and this led to the conclusion that the sensor itself was functioning OK but was probably getting interference from nearby electrical cables/equipment.

Luckily, I had some of the special cable needed and could relocate the sensor well way from any possible source of interference. I did have to do the "rubber man" contortions again but it wasn't as bad as the shower pump. All told, it was a five hour job as other cables needed to be extended as well but the sensor passed the start-up and diagnostic tests OK . The big test will come tomorrow when we head out into the Bay and circle three times to calibrate the sensor. The static test on the boat looks good with electronic heading and the boat compass matching quite well.

With this job out of the way by later in the afternoon, I went fishing but the water was quite rough - no luck again.

We did enjoy hosting the nightly card game with "Tug'n" and "Wings" before a rocking and rolling evening but with another good sunset.

 

Our Anchorage Buddy for the Last Three Nights

 

July 21

Benjamin Bay to The Notch - 11nm

An early morning today, up with the sunrise (6:00am), after a rocky night and we had all our early morning jobs done before heading over to "Tug'n" for breakfast. I jokingly told Fran the night before, I would have "eggs over easy, bacon, and whole wheat toast" and expected blueberry pancakes but we were greeted with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit. What a breakfast - Thanks Fran!

We split up with the trio today as we have a limited time in the North Channel and need to move east while "Wings" and "Tug'n" have more time. It was sad to leave but we may see them somewhere east before we leave Georgian Bay..

Weather is expected to continue to be a factor with strong winds from the NW, W and SW in the 20 kt range. On "Wings" recommendation we decided to go the "The Notch," a small anchorage on the north shore of the Channel with good protection. It turned out to be a good recommendation Bob - thanks!. The anchorage has the white quartz La Cloche Mountains to the north and lower land to the south. We dropped anchor in 7' of water and backed up past a 20' drop off. In lower water times, there would be a sand beach at the end but, with the high water this year, it is covered.

 

7 Feet Deep - Clear, Eh

 

La Cloche Mountains at Our Side (note the drop-off)

It was a relief to be well-protected and even though it was blowing 20kts, we were very comfortable in our spot. We were surprised that we were the only boat here with Louisa Island having eight boats and a lot less protection than we have.

Fishing was limited today by the rough water outside our small bay so it was time to check out the blueberries and I was quite successful in stocking the freezer but left some for tomorrow!

With boat problems taken care of, (fingers crossed) it was a relaxing day catching up with some reading.

Looking forward to be a good night's sleeping with just a gentle rocking.

July 22

Good night's sleep, no bugs today, and only a little dew - the start to a perfect day. By the Cruiser Net broadcast, we had the boat wiped down and the washing done. With 20 kt winds forecast it will dry in minutes!

 

Washing Day

As soon as the broadcast was finished, we were off in the dinghy to pick the rest of the blueberries and we had soon wiped them out on the south side of the anchorage.

 

 

Ju and the "Thinker"

We took a short cruise around the bay and Judy had just said she might go swimming as it was very sunny when we saw a snapping turtle cruising on the surface. One look at the 18" turtle was enough to change her mind, "No Way Am I Going In The *** Water!" By the time we arrived back, the washing was dry and ready to put away. The wind was much stronger today and we felt some of its effects but it was still a very pleasant spot. There's something special about being the only boat in a scenic anchorage.

Fishing was unsuccessful again but did hook a nice rainbow trout that shook the hook just as I was getting it to the net!

July 23

Another calm night and only a few bugs so we were soon sitting down to breakfast and listening to the Cruisers Net. Good weather for a dinghy ride so we decided to go a couple of miles west to Lake La Cloche, nestled in the La Cloche Mountains about a half mile up a river. It's a little tough to find the river amongst the reed banks but be patient. The river is quite deep and winds through flat land until it reaches the old Junior Ranger Camp, now part of the La Cloche Provincial Park, and a couple of waterfalls.

 

Entry to River at Fort La Cloche (Hard to Spot)

Several years ago, the Camp was deserted and it's been refurbished.

 

Upper Falls

 

Lower Falls

 

This week, the the local First Nation (Indian) tribe was holding a Language Week for First Nation children and teens focusing on their culture. We were invited down from our viewpoint above on the rocks to a demonstration of drumming and singing by a group of women who are well known in the community for their talents. We participated in a ritual cleansing of our bodies with an incense-like smoke before the performance which lasted about an hour.

 

Drumming Group

 

On The Lake Trail

 

At Our Destination After a Short Hike - Lake La Cloche

 

 

A Better View of the Lake (Without the Happy Hikers!)

 

The Skinny Dipper

It was a hot ride back in the dinghy but I took off fishing for a while while Judy stayed on the boat. The next thing I knew, she had shed her clothes and was going skinny dipping - no worries about the turtle! I think the water was a little colder than anticipated as I heard a few oohs and aahs in the distance and there was no full immersion.

A very pleasant day!!

July 24

After a good nights rest, we had bugs this morning - a hose down was needed but the sun soon helped us dry the boat off before we took off to dinghy around, fishing along the way.

 

We worked our way east along the mainland shore to a sandy beach to find some blueberries and picking was going well when I heard a lot of small dead branches being crunched down about 25 yes away - obviously something bigger than a squirrel! We beat a hasty retreat to the dinghy as we had no desire to see a bear very closely.

We headed over to another anchorage at Louisa Island, somewhere we hadn't been before, to check it out and it will definitely be added to our list of places to go in the future. There was a little mishap as we ran the dinghy up on to the rocks when Judy stepped out of the front of the dinghy on to wet rock and promptly slid downhill into the water as the dinghy moved back. Unfortunately, her life jacket inflates automatically and as she sat down it the water, WHOOSH it blew up. No harm done to Judy but it was a bit embarrassing as there was a boat tied to shore just there. He had slid all the way down the rock the previous day.

 

Oops!!

 

View From Louisa

After a picnic lunch on the rocks, we found some good blueberry patches and got our fill before heading back to the boat to find we had company, a go-fast boat and a sailboat - no skinny dipping today!!

 

Clouds Rolled In Just as We were Going to Have a Great Sunset

 

July 25

The Notch to Little Current - 11nm

A rough night sleeping. The forecast SW to W10kt wind was totally off the mark with the wind out of the east at 15kts at 2:00am.The Notch is quite open to the east with a good 5 miles for the waves to build and we had one footers hitting the bow - slap city! The bigger concern was that the wind was taking us over the shallow sand shelf but we ended up having just a bit of clearance and pulled the anchor successfully at 7:00am.

The forecast rain appeared just after we passed Louisa and we had a wet ride into town where we tied up at one of the few open docks. The "Trailer Sailors" were coming into town at noon so most of the docks were reserved for the fleet of 30+ boats. Luckily, while I was heading off running errands, a spot opened up on the wall, so we rushed over and Judy slid the boat neatly into a 45' space like a pro.

We'd just finished our marina chores and were thinking about leaving when Brian Clarke, the Commodore of the NE Nordic Tug Owners Association, showed up at the boat. He and his wife are doing the Loop on a 37, "Pearl," like ours and were in LC with another 37 from Maine, "Melinda B," crewed by Bob and Melinda. We chatted for a while and set up a dinner date with them to talk about the ports of lake Michigan. Over the next few hours, the group grew as other Loopers heard about the plans and we ended up with a group of 12 at the Anchor Inn. It was good to be able to share our NC knowledge and help the Loopers get the most of their trip down Lake Michigan.

Pearl - NT 37-214 (two hulls later than us and probably the last 37 made)

July 26

A good night on the wall in Little Current and very few bugs considering the boardwalk is strongly lit. We are not the solo attraction we are with an anchor light!

Sat in on the Cruisers Net broadcast with a number of other boaters with 180 call-ins from boats scattered around the North Channel and Georgian Bay. Met a couple from Gananoque in Canada, Sophia and Eric on Tapestry II who are heading back soon after enjoying their first visit to the NC. We have an invite to visit them at the Trident Yacht Club when we get to "A Bay" and we picked up some tips on good anchorage around Picton and towards Kingston.

Another great weather day with temps going to be in the low 90s and a light west wind.

After a breakfast at the Anchor Inn to finish e-mail and a quick visit to "Melinda B" to check out their upper deck awning, we took off at the bridge opening to go east to Blueberry Island at the end of Fraser Bay. The autopilot worked well but our heading sensor/course-over-ground difference was more than I would like. Will have to keep plugging away on that as we go along.

 

Little Current to Blueberry Island - 16nm

 

What's A Trip Out Of LC Without a Photo of the Strawberry Island Lighthouse

Arrived here in the early afternoon to find "Albin and Co" and "Deborah Ann," (a 37' NT) at anchor with just a couple of other boats so we had plenty of room to anchor and swing. We caught up with their news before heading out for a cruise around the bay in the dinghy and trying our luck with the rod (none!) but we did get to enjoy the spectacular scenery around the rocky shoreline before a peaceful evening with a fine sunset while a nearby loon was calling. It doesn't get much better than that!

Some of the Scenery Around Blueberry Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sun Going Down Out Our Back Door

 

A Primo Sunset