Mike -Another beautiful day
07/27/2007, Beardrop Harbor 7/23/07

We left Gore Bay after having our propane tank filled and picking up some ice. The second propane tank has a slow leak around the threads and will probably need a new valve when we are in the vicinity of a propane dealer. Both of these tanks are new and hold 10 pounds. Since one tank will last us about two months, it's not really a concern.

We rigged the spinnaker before leaving in about 5 knots of wind. If was the first time this year that we had this sail out and, thanks to Jeff Simpkins, it worked perfectly. I had one line in the wrong spot but it was easily corrected. After about 45 minutes the wind died to nothing and we repacked everything for another day.

We traveled north and a little east about three hours to Beardrop Harbor. Beardrop is a mile long bay that is about a quarter of a mile across. There were around 20 boats here by 3:00 in the afternoon but there is lots of room to spread out. We spoke with some folks from Alpena and an older couple from Bayfield Ontario, a port that we may be visiting.

The big news is that I finally caught a fish. Armed with expensive night crawlers from Gore Bay, I put a 1 inch piece on an 1/8th ounce jig and dropped over the side. Nothing happened right away so I grabbed the binoculars to check out the other boats in the anchorage. Out of the corner of my I saw the rod twitch, I set the glasses down and set the hook expecting a perch of about 4 inches. I was shocked when it jerked back. I was hoping for a walleye but when it came out of the water doing 2 back flips, it was apparent that I had a nice small mouth. Kathy rummaged through one of the lockers in search of the net while I played the fish for a few minutes, but finally we got it on board. It was about 19 inches long a probably 3 pounds. We still have some frozen whitefish to eat so we put the small mouth back from which it came.

For those of you who haven't been here, the terrain consists of rocks, trees, and water. The popular spots are crowded but there are thousands of protected bays to slip into for the evening. From here we will travel through the Whalesback Channel to the east and will look for someplace with fewer people and more fish.

We considered stopping at Abigail Island, but we passed it by. It has been hot here in the North Channel. I haven't had my fluffy (fleece) on for two days.

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Mike and Kathy-Beautiful day
07/22/2007, Gore Bay, Ontario-Manitoulin Island

Vidal Bay was perfectly calm over night. I tied on a mepps and made a few casts before coffee but nothing was interested. We got underway about 8:00 heading for Gore Bay. Seas remained calm and the traffic was nonexistent so I decided to begin the process of shining up the cabin sides and brow. I started by sanding everything with 320 grit on and then switched to 800, followed by rubbing compound on the wheel. Finally I applied some hard wax by hand. It doesn't look new but is certainly a huge improvement. I'm happy with the system and have lots more to do when we get the chance.

Kathy worked out, did dishes, cleaned the head (bathroom), and took a shower.

Gore bay was hopping.. There are new docks since the last time we were here and the marina has doubled in size. We took the dingy to shore and walked to town which consists of three blocks of stores: a bank, two drug stores, two hardware stores, one grocery store, misc. shops and two eating establishments.

Another beautiful day!



Sorry about that

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