Beardrop Harbour 8-2-11

We decided to head west from Spanish along the beautiful Whaleback Channel, 12 miles to Beardrop Harbour. It is a mile long stretch framed by 2 unnamed islands to the south and the Ontario mainland to the north. It is entered along a course of rocky island outcroppings but with depths of 8-12 feet. Beardrop is a fully protected anchorage with a mud bottom, depths of 8-15’ and room for a dozen+ boats. The mainland is owned by the Serpent River First Nation and going ashore is okay as long as the land is respected and kept clean.

This is an island paradise complete with a loon soundtrack and eagles soaring above. There are pink bluffs and tiny coves to explore by dinghy. I need to get a 10-11 foot kayak to explore here next year so I can quietly thread through the lily pads. There is a small sandy beach to go ashore. There are dozens of small deserted islands nearby so if the weather is good, you can find a place to go ashore and explore.

We spent 4 wonderful days here filled with exploring, swimming, aqua jogging, reading, and visiting with neighboring boaters. We even had a visit from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, not on a horse, but a Titan dinghy, launched from their 74 foot mother ship in Whaleback Channel. RCMP does homeland security for Canada. We were not boarded as we had all the required Canadian CBSA Report numbers. It also helps to have a cute dog onboard.

I can report that this anchorage is solid, having been tested by a 2 a.m. t-storm, another day of 20 knot winds, and one day of solid rain. We are switching to island time as we notice ourselves unwinding and attuning to a more natural clock.

Spanish 7-30-11

We intended to island hop a few more days before coming into port for a pump-out, but the darn holding tank was surprisingly full. We don’t have a holding tank gauge and use a low tech system of simply counting flushes. This led to a lively discussion of “Did you…I did” so we concluded that the holding tank trolls were at it again, and that we probably did not get a complete pump-out last time.

We set a course for the closest town, Spanish, 12 miles away and through Little Detroit Narrows. The approach to Spanish is a bit tricky as there is a 4.5 foot section between the first and second set of buoys so this discourages most boats with 5 foot+ drafts.

The harbor today was filled with trailer sailors ending their 2 week cruise of the North Channel. Spanish is a great place to launch as their ramp is deep and the marina even has a gin pole to help lift heavier masts. The trailer sailor boats are 10-26’ in length, have dagger or center boards which lift easily to beach, have iceboxes, 10 gallon holding tanks and extend their 5’ headroom with pop-ups. This is boat camping at its best. This group was affiliated with Trailer Sailor Association (http://www.trailersailors.org/ ) which had arranged potlucks at Spanish, pancake breakfast at Croacker Island, Happy Hour in their dinghies and lots of games. Camaraderie and looking out for each other is their hallmark. This was especially important when 1 boater got separated from the group for a few days, did not answer his radio, so the Ontario Provincial Police was contacted, dispatched a patrol boat and found the sailor who was having engine problems as a line was wrapped around his prop.

Spanish has a great nature trail high above the harbor with a great view. The grocery store is a mile down the road, but the Le Bel Abri B&B was not open for breakfast.

Hotham Island, Oak Bay 7-27-11

It was a calm, sunny, 70 degree day when we left Gore Bay headed for Hotham Island, Oak Bay. It is an easy 12 mile cruise up through the McBean Channel with an easy entrance between Oak Point and the west end of Hotham Island. This 5-mile long island has 3 well-defined large bays with good depths, mud bottom, room to swing at anchor and protection from all wind directions.

I wish I had more pictures, but I often forget my camera as my pockets are now filled with litter bags and dog treats. Exploring by dinghy is always fun especially for checking out tuck-away gunkholes. I barely had this picture taken when Mollie almost scrambled over the side of the dinghy after a seagull.

Here’s a picture of Mount McBean on a cloudy day. We would love to climb it but were told that the surrounding land is owned by the Sagamok First Nation and a few cottagers who do not allow trespassing on their land. Lack of legal shore access could be a big problem with a dog onboard, but our little Mollie is litter box trained. The breeder started her and we’ve continued this skill, using a boot tray filled with wood pellets used for wood stoves. It does the job, smells pretty good and eliminates those early morning and late night jaunts to shore in rain and fog.

Roy Eaton in Little Current hosts the Cruisers’ Net on Channel 71 every morning at 9a.m. You can hear the weather, news, sports, local happenings and boat check-in. Since we had a pretty good radio signal, we called in that Baby Grand was in Oak Bay. It helps build a sense of community amongst boaters and is also good in emergency situations.