Day 49 - Sat 16 Jul 2016
Anchored - S. Benjamin Island, ON (North Channel)

[photo: Diva Di in the anchorage; note our dinghy in the lower left]

I keep forgetting to mention that the beautiful, turned wooden bowl that our Nova Scotian friends Mike and Barb Turney gave us last year (Mike made it himself) has been getting a lot of use and a lot of compliments. A nice thing about a gift like that is you have a constant reminder of the givers. I hope they are still following the blog. I guess if I get a comment, I will have my answer. Diane has also been proudly using the lovely, hand-made bag that Suzanne made for her and getting lots of compliments, too.

We both slept late and awoke to bright sunshine and barely a breath of breeze. It was 60F inside the boat and the Admiral preferred it a bit warmer. Since the generator was going to be running for 30 minutes, I could use the microwave and elected to cook some potatoes to make home fries along with veggie omelets. Yumm! We couldn't wait to get stocked up on food again in Little Current, but our fridge was pretty full and that means moving three things to get what you want. It will be better a few days from now.

We had good cell reception here and I was able to check weather and decide where to go next. There was a great report from the blog of PDQ Golden that South Benjamin was nice, so we headed for there after a somewhat lazy start to the morning. It was only 8nm away and we were going to tow the dinghy, so I figured about 6kts would be a good speed. I shut down the starboard engine once we got out of the anchorage (the port engine gives us our hot water from excess engine heat) since one engine provided plenty of power.

Despite Diane's early morning chill, it was a gloriously sunny day with delightful temperatures. I was on the flybridge in shorts and shirt and the water was almost glass smooth. We listened to the Cruiser's Net at 0900, did our check-in, and also got to chat briefly with PDQ Freedom as they headed for Croker, another island in The Benjamins.

Arriving at the south anchorage of South Benjamin Island, we saw one sailboat and two power cruisers nearer the mouth than the end. We carried on to nearly the end, ensured there were no rocks to be found in our swing circle, and then set the hook in just 7 feet of depth. We are exposed to a S wind, but even though the wind direction is generally from the S, it is very light and forecast to stay that way.

After a light lunch, we tooled around in the dinghy, stopping at one location after another, finding a way to secure the dinghy to the shoreline somehow (sometimes it was piling large rocks on top of the painter -rope). At the first spot, we hiked up the somewhat steep, exposed rock hillside to find quite a few wild blueberry bushes. We picked maybe 1.5 cups, which is a lot considering how small they are. I think they are in the same category as lettuce; you expend more calories getting it than you receive from the food.

After that, it was all about getting a little exercise, enjoying the magnificent views, and taking some photos. We found a little pool where four boats had nestled themselves into the rocks and against the rock shore. They have done this before many times as this is "their" spot. When we told them about the Great Loop and the fact that the Georgian Bay and North Channel were our favorite places so far (followed by Maine and Cape Breton), they said that's why they live here and don't leave. I think they were kidding, but I could see their point.

Back on Diva Di, it was already mid-afternoon and Diane got on her bathing suit and read on the foredeck in the sunshine. I stay out of the sun unless I am actively doing something, so I was inside with a nice breeze blowing.

We had leftovers for supper and were glad to make a little more room in the fridge. Mah Jongg was the post-supper recreation and Diane finally came off her losing streak. Despite the forecast, the wind had been blowing gently from all points of the compass since we got here. For a while we were held beam-to sideways) the gentle swell coming in from the North Channel and it set us rocking. It wasn't bad, though.

Tomorrow, we plan to head to Gore Bay and visit some shoreside attractions. If possible, we will anchor, but if that is not practical, there is a marina there. Or next stops, weather permitting, will be John Island back on the north shore, and then possibly Meldrum Bay. That might just be the last Canadian stop we make on this trip. After that, we will clear into the USA at Drummond Island.