August 10, 2009

Everyone tells us that this is the very strange summer in Canada. Temperature rarely goes above 22 degrees (Celsius—that is about 70 Farenheit). When it gets that high, it's pleasant. Not summery, but pleasant. Many of the days, like today, have been overcast, chilly and grey. Don't mean to whine, just explaining. Around 11 am last Monday we left Kllarney, and set out across Fraser Bay toward Little Current. It was the first Monday in August, so the quarry on George Island was still as the workers had a holiday. By the time we reached the single lane swing bridge that connects Manitoulin Island to the mainland—and when it opened in 1964, brought auto traffic to Killarney, 8 boats were in line to enter the North Channel. Little Current is the first stop in the North Channel, and it is an adorable town. Main Street looks not unlike the discarded set for an old western movie. We found a slip at the SpiderBay Marina, and then took the dinghy down for a ride in the harbor, and stopped to visit Joe and Punk on CAROLYN ANN. Tuesday found us in town. Looked for American charts to no avail, (although we somehow neglected to stop in Turner's, the widely acclaimed chart store....duh) then checked out the grocery and ice cream stores. Took fish and chips home for lunch, as the wind whipped and blew. There were whitecaps in the mooring area, and we simply hunkered down to ride them out. Next day the wind was slightly better (20-25 kn., rather than 30) but not enough to send us out of our protected harbor so we stayed put. And listened to the wind blow. It is amazing that we can spend a whole day in our 37x16 foot home and neither trip over one another nor be bored out of our skulls, but so far so good! On Wednesday evening we went for a walk on the dock and were looking over INVICTUS, a very handsome aluminum boat when its owners came home and invited us aboard for a tour. We then reciprocated and had a great visit. Thursday we left at 9, even tho the west wind was on our nose enough that we used windshield wipers constantly to remove the spray. Turning into Mudge Bay brought some relief and at 11:30 we tied up at the town dock of Kagawan. Walked down the road to Bridal Veil Falls, (very nice, and lots of brave children playing in the chilly water). Crossed over to the Esso station where Tweebles Tea House beckoned us for lunch. Cute little place and we left sated and carrying a scone with Devonshire crème and jam. Mmmmmmmm. Breakfast! We returned to town via the trail that follows the Kagawan River and discovered that the ice cream truck had arrived at the dock in our absence! I wandered over to the local museum and gift shop before we took up the lines and headed north to the Benjamins. That same pesky west wind was now on our port side, and the 3-4 foot waves gave us a bit of a roll as we approached Clapperton Island. In the lee of the island the ride smoothed out, only to get much worse (or so it seemed) as we crossed the open water that is dotted with rocks with names like Secretary Isle and Sow and Pigs (as the name implies, there are several). We rounded the tip of South Benjamin where we saw CAROLYN ANN along with 18 other boats already settled into the anchorage between South and North Benjamin Islands. They say the most fun of anchoring in the Benjamins is watching the late comers try to find a place to drop the hook. We did our share and provided a bit of entertainment as we roamed about looking for just the right spot. Everyone needs room to swing—except those who are tied to rocks on the shore, as were the boats who became our three nearest neighbors. On Friday we had a two dinghy parade as the Picas and the Mangelsdorfs took advantage of a warm sunny day and explored the Benjamin islands. It was great to get up close to the rocks and inspect the many colors, textures and fissures they contain. We found boats tied to shore in places that one would never suspect would work, and we found a beach (often used by others as evidenced by the campfire rings, benches and outhouse) for our picnic lunch. We built a fire for roasting the Picas hot dogs, and thoroughly enjoyed basking in the summer sun. Fred spent much of the late afternoon taking photos of the boats, and Joe and Punk invited us for dessert—Joe had picked wild blueberries and Punk made a dee-lish cobbler! A lovely day. On Saturday we discovered that the beautiful days come in a run of one. We were back to the grey and gloomy weather, but set out for Gore Bay. By 11:30 we were ashore there, and by one we were underway again, with no new charts, but an appreciation for yet another little summer town and the hardy folks who live there. Next stop was dictated by weather. We were headed west toward the US of A, and the south wind was giving us a pretty rocky ride. We decided not to cross the Lake Huron inlet so turned south into Meldrum Bay. We answered 'yes' when asked if we'd like shore power, and so were told we'd have to negotiate the 'irons'. Turns out the lovely docks we saw in the pictures of the marina were anchored at the far end by iron 'boxes'. Apparently an icy winter tipped the boxes, leaving ragged, rusty sharp edged messes at the foot of each dock. We slid between and tied up, and as we were hooking up our power, another boat came in next to us. Hadn't seen a soul for a very long time on the water so I asked where they'd come from. The joys of a swift Sea Ray. They were in Detroit Frisday afternoon and at the foot of Lake Huron Sat. am. Travelling at 30 knots they crossed the whole Lake in a day. And not a terribly long day, at that. It's clear that with such a short summer season, it works well to get to the ports you want to visit in a hurry. Else you'd not get to them at all during the average vacation. We toured the Meldrum Bay general store (in about 2.5 minutes) and had a very nice dinner at the Inn. And that is it for Meldrum Bay. From the rusting 'irons' to the signs warning 'Don't drink the water”, Meldrom Bay seemed a bit like the forgotten port. Sunday morning we woke to a dramatic thunderstorm--—simultaneous lightning and thunder with a deluge of rain! It didn't last, though, and we crossed the Mississagi Straits (where Lake Huron enters the North Channel) without incident. At 12:52 we crossed the border into the US of A and at 3:30, tied up at Drummond Isle Yacht Harbor, Michigan. The nice man from Customs made a house call for us, and we went to the Marina office to pick up charts (finally), a USA today (we've really missed the puzzles!) and the mail from home that Kris and Molly sent to us! So a nice quiet evening at home brought us to Monday, yet again! Next stop is Mackinaw Island, and we'll be back next week to catch up! Be well, smile a lot, and do enjoy each day!!! Fred and Linda