Happy Anniversary

An odd circumstance today - I'm in Britt, on Georgian Bay, on the same weekend as I was two years ago. And that was a pretty special time, a lot of fun and a lot of good memories. Not a day I'll quickly forget, especially as a lot of great things and a great friendship,  came about because of that day...

So, here I am, again, in Britt. It was a great sail from Killarney, which is one of the most spectacular stops in the North Channel. Anchored out in Snug Harbour - I honeymooned there 34 years ago - oh my! How did that happen, all those years gone by?
A friend came by for a visit and we were going to sail...so of course, the winds just vanished (they were 15 knots earlier in the day) and the rain poured down. What the heck, put the anchor down in Covered Portage Cove and spend the afternoon drinking wine, snacking on cheese and crackers and laughing. It's all good.
So of course, the next day the winds pipe up again, too wild to head out on Georgian Bay, which has 6 - 9 foot waves.  Go figure. Tie up to the dock at the liquor store - what a civilized community this is! Chat with locals and tourists, walk the dog, catch up on some writing and boat work. Meet some of the locals, get fresh pickerel dinner at Herberts.
The next day, the winds have gone light - again. Head out under motor....about ten miles out, the winds pick up, the last three hours were great sailing, finally. Watched a 36 foot powerboat struggle in the six foot waves about a half mile from me - while I was having a great time and Gypsy Wind was just roaring along in conditions she was made for. Talked to the guy and his wife later at the dock...they were NOT having fun...couldn't believe that I was having an easy time of it and enjoying myself.
Got into Britt, headed for the dock and BANG! Hit something under the water hard and lost my steering. Not good at all. Managed to get the anchor down, and lines to two people on the dock and pulled the boat in. Far more luck than skill involved. It could have gotten ugly. Not happy at all, not the least because it turns out other boats have hit the same obstruction - it should have been marked.
Today, dove under the boat to see if there was any damage. None thank heavens, that would have been a disaster. Might have had to spend the winter here in Canada and go back to work supply teaching in the Catholic high school board. Not that that would be a bad thing, mind you....but winters in Canada are just too cold and I hate to shovel snow. I would need to find some way to stay warm...
So tomorrow, my chum Gerry is driving in from Sudbury with some parts I need to do the repair and that aren't available in Britt, which is a small town...make that very small town....Tuesday, off to Parry Sound, then the day after that, Collingwood. Now, given that I'm going to be underway, can you predict the weather? Yup, you got it....no wind at all! Damn. Another motor trip....
Here's Covered Portage Cove...enjoy...

This coming weekend, I'm speaking at the Port Credit Inwater Boat Show.  For those of you in the area, see you there. It's a good show.

Sailing in God's Country

Ahoy all - I'm finally back in Lake Huron's North Channel. Picture this - protected fresh, deep waters, with hundreds if not thousands of beautiful anchorages, no tides or currents, nothing in the waters that will bite or eat you...although the mosquitoes are literally teeth with wings. And the black flies can be far worse, although this time of year, thankfully, they're over with.
Getting up here was a bear. The winds did not co-operate on Lake Huron, so I listened to the drone of the diesel for the entire distance to Tobermory. From there, the winds were predicted to be favourable - but believing the weather forecasters is about the same as believing politicians and car salesmen....
So of course, the day I get to Little Current - where there is actually the sole strong current in the North Channel, and it reverses too - don't the winds just go wild? Thirty knots no less, and because it's Haweater Weekend, a big festival, in Little Current, there's not a slip or spot on the face dock to be had. One boat anchored out had already been blown onto the rocks - yes, we have rock up here, not sand, and lots of them.
I decided to try the small bay beside Picnic Island, where two other boats were anchored. I anchored with 100+ feet of line in twelve feet of water and went below for a moment. When I came back up, the boat was dragging, very quickly, towards a broken-up crib - one that would do serious damage to the paint job Doc and I did last summer. And if I missed that, I'd be aground in front of the beach, so things were not looking real good. Racing to the bow, I managed to get the anchor off the bottom and pulled away from the danger, raced back to the bow, raised the anchor another few feet, raced to the helm and pulled ahead again - the boat was going backwards nearly as fast as I could get it to go ahead with the engine. Am I having fun or what?
Giving up on this little adventure, I returned to Little Current to look again for space at the dock - and lucked out, when Wally's - no relation, honest - opened up one space for me. Now this was so much better...

Gypsy Wind in Tobermory, entrance to the North Channel

Strawberry Island Lighthouse, near Little Current

Little Current Swing Bridge at sunset...

I come home for sunsets like this one...

An hour later, one of my closest chums whom I've known since high school showed up with a bottle of wine. All is good. And here are a couple of photos of the North Channel for you...