Day 42 - Sat 9 Jul 2016
Anchored - Bad River, ON (Georgian Bay)

[photo: I (Duane) climbed up this steep rock to get some cool photos]

We had quite a bit more rain overnight but it was mostly gentle and with no wind to accompany it. I got up and slept lightly in the cabin just in case the weather got nasty again. With no cell coverage, I could not use any of the modern tools I have to check weather RADAR. I guess this is where the satellite weather services come in handy.

With the wind light, we weighed anchor about 0700 and cruised S down the main outlet of the French River and then took a short detour to see the Bustard Islands. They are mostly uninhabited and picturesque. The main anchorage already had a number of boats there and frankly we were not interested in staying. On a small dock near a cottage, we saw a sign that told trespassers to stay away. It further stated that those insisting on trespassing should beware of the rattlesnakes. That is one thing all the guidebooks say about this area - there are numerous rattlesnakes.

We retraced our path down "The Gun Barrel" (the straight channel running E-W in the Bustards) and headed W to intercept the Bad River channel not far away. We were disappointed, but not surprised, to find 9 other boats there. The spot that would have been perfect for our shallow draft and the best protected was already taken by a small boat right in the middle - not that I blame him. I motored ever so slowly up to them and asked if they were staying today. The male said yes, so I asked if he had any suggestions for me regarding a good spot. They tried to be helpful, but could give no specific information.

As we putted very slowly around, I noticed a face that looked familiar. It was Glen from Last Dance, with his wife Jill. We chatted for a few moments, and then I anchored between them and a sailboat. I liked our position once we were settled, but trying to set the anchor I wasn't happy with the holding. It seemed OK at first, but under the power of some reverse thrust, it seemed we were sliding slowly backwards. I tried a reset and it seemed better, but I was still a little concerned.

We stayed on board to continue checking how we were holding, and then had an early lunch. Glen and Jill came knocking with their dinghy and we visited a bit. They shared some good info about places to take the dinghy, but the sky looked threatening so we decided to stay aboard and to plan for that tomorrow (we elected to stay two nights here). Their last act was to invite us over to Last Dance at 1600 for cocktails, which we accepted.

Well, within an hour or so the rain started off and on and the wind started picking up. I later measured the speed at 10-15 kts with gusts up to 25. We were getting ready to play Mah Jongg when we both sensed that something wasn't right. We looked up to determine the anchor was dragging. I asked Diane to get the engines started while I tied the dinghy close to the boat to prevent getting the painter (line) wrapped around the port propeller.

She motored forward while I got the anchor up and then I came up to the flybridge. While maneuvering amongst the boats, I noticed something was funny about the port engine and asked Diane to check. She reported that there was, indeed, a line from the dinghy wrapped around the prop. What happened was the extra line had fallen out of the dinghy and fouled the prop. I should have known better to prevent that.

I have to say that if we only had one engine/prop, we would have been in big trouble. The wind was carrying us toward the rocks and with no working propeller, we would have been powerless to stop it. As it was, with the second engine/prop, I could maneuver out of danger. I was embarrassed and annoyed that it happened, but thankful that we had avoided disaster. Next, the trick was to find another place to anchor away from the other boats and hopefully with better holding.

The captain of one large boat astern of which we had planned to anchor, said where we were is a lot of soupy mud and anchors drag all the time. With some advice from him and Last Dance via radio, we set the hook in a good spot and backed down on it. We didn't need to do much because the wind was making the anchor rode pretty tight all by itself. We had a good range to use with a tree and a vertical mark on the large rock wall abeam us. Once I was satisfied that we were secure, Diane got my mask and knife and I went over the side with a safety line. The water was chilly to me but it only took a minute to remove the line and we only lost about 6 feet of it. Again, we were very fortunate.

The hot shower right afterwards felt good, and with a few dry clothes to put on, I was dry in the wind in not time. We resumed the Mah Jongg game, all the while watching that we were secure. It was nearing 1600 and the wind showed no sign of abating. Neither of us wanted to leave the boat unattended, so we hailed Last Dance on the VHF radio and said they could come over here, or we would have to take a rain check. They understood, and said we would meet up again farther down 'the road.' They are really taking their time up here and we can't blame them.

For supper, we had the last of the tortillas as a base for pizza. Lots of veggies and some chopped hot sausage from Parry Sound made it oh so good! Not too long after that, the wind started to die down and we decided to take a chance on leaving the boat and using the dinghy to visit Last Dance. We had hoped they were already through with supper, but they were just getting started. Despite our pleas for them to continue and eat, they insisted that we come aboard.

We spent close to two hours discussing many things, Glen giving me a detailed briefing of the places they like and dislike in the region ahead of us. I gave Glen some insights into the Down East Circle, which takes you into the hinterlands of the St. Lawrence River and down through the Canadian Maritimes. We shared lots of stories and had a thoroughly enjoyable visit with Glen and Jill. I am sure we will see them again in the coming weeks.

Several more boats had arrived in the past several hours, with four large cruisers rafting together. The largest was tied to an almost sheer rock face with rubber fenders protecting his hull. The others were tied side to side. There is no doubt they had done this before.

We will definitely stay here tomorrow to do a lot of exploring by dinghy. After that, we are not sure of our next stop. We think we may want to make the outside run to the next protected area while the winds are light. Wed the forecast calls for strong winds from the SW, which would be bad for travel.