Secret Bay

After our adventure with the anchor failing to hold us, we left that bay in the afternoon, spent the night at Echo Bay, and carried on the next morning to Parry Sound for provisioning and a vet visit for Edee.  By late Thursday afternoon, we were on our way again with full fridge, full water tanks, and full fuel tanks.

We have been sworn to secrecy about our current location, because those who use it now don't want it to get too crowded.  I can tell you that it's surrounded by native reserve land, it's sheltered and quiet and really pretty.  And I can show you pictures.

A few other boats have poked their noses around the point, obviously wanting to come in, but there isn't room for another boat, so they go away disappointed.

Anchors away

Despite the bbq offerings the other night, there was no sighting of mama bear and the two cubs.  We did, however, have a delicious dinner.  

It has been very windy for the past few days, and we spun around on the anchor in all different directions throughout last night and this morning.  We had been discussing our next move, and trying to decide which anchorage might offer some relief from the constant wind, and then I went down to the galley to make lunch. 

Suddenly, Michael jumped from his seat, swearing, and rushed to the aft deck, shouting something about being on shore.  I looked out the door to the aft deck, and saw only trees…no water, no air, no space, just trees.  And a beaver lodge. 

I dropped everything and ran to help, scaring poor Edee, who didn’t have a clue what was happening.  Michael already had the dinghy started, and I jumped in. We headed for the anchor line, hoping that we could use that to tow the boat out of the two feet of water and the muddy shoreline where she rested and back into deeper water.  No luck.

We went back towards the boat, and took one of the docking lines from the bow, already attached to a cleat there, and wrapped the end onto a cleat on the dinghy.  Michael put the dinghy motor into reverse, and started to back away.  Nothing.  At least, not at first.  Then, ever so slowly, we sensed motion.  And then it started to rain, of course!

With the motor smoking from the extra load, we inched our way away from the shore, towing the mother ship with us.  Soon, we were at a safe enough distance and in deep enough water, that Michael could get on board, start the engines, and haul the anchor.  When the anchor broke the surface, there was a ball of weeds and mud so large that it appeared to double the size of the anchor.  No wonder it couldn't dig in and hold us in the increased winds.

We went to a different, less weedy part of the bay, reset the anchor, and finally managed to take a breath.  This is only the second time in all of our boating that we have dragged an anchor, and it’s not something I want to repeat. 

Sorry, but there are no photos of this adventure – we were a bit busy.  

Bear with me

All summer, I've been waiting to see a bear.  There have been plenty of beavers, a few otters, lots of loons, grebes and other assorted birds, but no bears.  We've had reports from others of bear sightings..."we saw one yesterday on that island over there", and ..."we saw one swimming from Pennsylvania Island to Crooked Island last week", and " I saw one on the way into the anchorage today".  But no bears for Mundy.

We arrived in the anchorage inside Crooked Island on Saturday afternoon, to find our intended corner already occupied.  So we dropped anchor in the middle, and Michael took the dinghy to introduce himself to the neighbours.  He came back with news that they had seen a mother and two cubs just the night before, so I was now on bear watch.  Nothing on Saturday night, and nothing on Sunday night, despite my best efforts.

Today, as the neighbours were getting ready to leave, he came over to say goodbye, and tell us that they had seen mum and cubs AGAIN last night.  The secret, he said, was to light the bbq and let it smoke.  They came to investigate the smells.  We moved into their corner after they had gone, and settled into a quiet afternoon on aft deck, listening to the breeze in the trees and the birds chirping.  I thought I saw one, but it turned out to be a rock in the distance.  I swear, that shadow looked just like a little bear profile!

Then, there was a noise in the woods of something moving through the brush.  With binoculars at hand, I started scanning the few openings in the trees that were visible.  A shadow moved through one...a large shadow.  More noise from the bushes as I called to Michael to bring the camera.  And then, there he was...a lovely black bear, intent on making his way across the shoreline.

He didn't stay out in the open for very long, but we caught glimpses of him in the bushes across the bay for the next 20 minutes or so.  Still no cubs evident, so maybe we will still get to see them tonight.  I am planning blackened chicken for dinner!!