Day 78 – Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Today was a great day – the weather was close to perfect and we started the day well rested and ready to move forward. After yesterday every thing we did was going to be on the plus side normal. To be on the cautious side we fueled up prior to departing the marina, knowing we wouldn’t find fuel for the next few days. We took the Inland Passage route for 29 miles which was slow and full of rocks and reefs. The channels are well marked and if you don’t make a mistake it’s a good day. Up here on Georgian Bay, a mistake is unforgiving and could cost you your boat. Two years ago a 2 million dollar yacht hit a reef that we passed through yesterday and sank. Slow and cautious are one and the same thing when boating here! When we arrived at Obstacle Island we entered Parting Channel. The markers and rocks were so close together that I had to bring the boat to a full stop and spin it 90 degrees in one direction then do it again three more times in less than 100 feet around a large rock that was smack dab in the middle of the passage! It is exciting, fun and does test your boating skills!

Late in the afternoon we arrived in Macdougal Bay on the French River. The Bay is a very quiet anchorage which is absolutely beautiful. We plan to stay up later tonight just to view the stars without any man made lights to contaminate the view.

John and I rafted off each other after our day of dodging rocks. We set a second anchor to keep the boats from swinging. In the middle of anchoring and rafting, I snagged a 15 foot log with my anchor and had one hell of a time getting it off to free the boat.

When our chores were complete we shared a nice bottle of wine before dinner. Barb and I then retired to our boat and had a steak dinner with all the trimmings before studying charts for tomorrow’s new adventure.