Monday 18 June 2001
Overcast but good winds from McGregor Bay
to our lunch stop in Little Current - but where has Boat Cove gone?!
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0700 hrs: the last of the day's sunshine disappears off towards the east.
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Even in an easterly, these docks are well sheltered. But the easterly is of course, the precursor of unsettled weather.
After taking these shots, Uncle Al went back to his couch to take another couple of hours' worth of nap off his hangover.
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After a quick breakfast in our lovely guest cabin, it's down to the boats to stow all our gear. The sky is already overcast and the easterly is building - which is a good thing since we have a good haul planned for today: Little Current for lunch and supplies, then Boat Cove on the NW corner of Great La Cloche Island.
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Even on Blue Mist, a Mark 1, there is hardly room to put your feet early in the cruise before supplies are consumed. And it's probably worse today than yesterday since the two Dicks have decided to lighten the bow compartment so that more stuff sits in the cockpit.
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Rain may be in the air but Ed is happy and ready to roll...
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... as is a still slightly under the weather Uncle Al.
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A pleasant broad reach out of McGregor Bay but the winds have built up enough on this cool morning that the W4105 crew put on their wet gear just before they enter Frazer Bay. Just past Dinner Point on Little La Cloche Island, the Rocket Ship suddenly scrapes bottom while travelling at hull speed and a seemingly ample distance off shore. Ed fishes out his walkie talkie that he had bought for the cruise and attempts to warn Dick T. who is carrying its counterpart. But even half a mile seems too much distance for this fine piece of high tech craftsmanship... In any case, Blue Mist did not touch bottom and there was no damage to the Rocket.
A run at hull speed with a few strategically timed gybes in puffs of increasing strength (> 15 knots) found us at the Little Current swing bridge at about 1250 hrs. As the bridge opens on the hour, we had only 10 minutes to wait for the opening. Talk about passage planning!
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The Double Dicks come rolling in...
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... and heave to as they too, wait for the bridge.
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But a healthy west-going current which is not little at all, soon forces us to sheet in to put some water between us and the bridge.
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Voilà! The pont she opens (well, he opens, actually, but does that sound as poetic?) and the W's are through in a flash!
Note the current eddies showing on the water.
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First things first: a quick walk to the beer store on the SE edge of town, fish & chips as a snack for Dick T. and a freshly bought beer for all of us at a picnic table at the fish & chips place as the rain begins to fall. Dick T. cheers us up by bringing in some doughnuts and cookies from the place next door that had the washroom facilities shared by the fish & chippery.
Note the low water level which made the climb out of and into the W's more adventurous.
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A walk through the rain along the scenic waterfront soon brought us to our lunch stop at the Anchor Inn. By the time we had finished a leisurely lunch and added a  few supplies, the rain had stopped and we were ready, in about 8 - 12 knots of easterly, to mosey on over to...
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... Boat Cove, a destination that had escaped us in the '97 and '99 cruises... and would escape us again this time. It started innocently enough with a nice, leisurely run across the shallows off Maltas and Patten Islands and a lovely beam reach up the Wabuno Channel. However, as we rounded the so imaginatively named Northwest Point, we found no sign of any entrance to Boat Cove. Upon investigating more closely, Dick H. reported that, what with the low water level, the opening to Boat Cove was about six inches wide - somewhat less than the six feet required by the slimmest of Wayfarers. And a good thing too, since we later discovered that the water level went up and down, seemingly at random by a good foot and a half from hour to hour in that area! We might have gotten in but not out again! Dick H. suggested that we investigate Bell Cove and Sturgeon Cove as alternative overnight stops. As we beat into an east wind that seemed to shift just when we were tacking, Ed and Uncle Al had their only moments of tension of the entire cruise, especially when Al thought that a sheltered anchoring spot behind a rocky little islet south of Neptune Island at the west end of Bell Cove was good enough but Ed wanted to go on and investigate Sturgeon Cove. In any case, it became a moot point since Dick & Dick had already sailed on into Sturgeon Cove without waiting for our report which produced another failed attempt at walkie talkie communication. As we came to within shouting distance of Blue Mist at the mouth of Sturgeon Cove, our walkie talkie finally leapt into action for its one and only successful connection as Dick Tyrrell guided us into the spot they had chosen for the night, on the west side of Sturgeon Cove.
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Much of the shore looked just like this but amazingly enough, the guys found spots for two two-man tents which were not level even with a few rocks removed, but for Ed, even this was better than sleeping aboard! Culinarily speaking, this was soup and pizza night courtesy of Dick Harrington (above). Considering that sunset was around 2200 hrs, this was a late supper. But it was worth the wait: not only were all three tents up (Uncle Al to sleep aboard) and ready to protect us from undue "buggery", but also the food was delicious. Thanks, Dick!
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Blue Mist disguised as a clothes line while the beer bag cools our refreshments. The rock at left was Ed's and my front door step to the Rocket and also showed changes in water level quite well. At some times it was almost completely submerged while at others it was mostly out of the water.
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Dick T. supervises the fire which is to be our rustic pizza oven.
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Dick had brought a couple of personal pizzas for each of us plus wide variety of toppings.
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The plan was to wrap the prepared pizzas in foil coated with olive oil and put them on the grill as demonstrated by Dick T. above. Dick H. went one better than that by putting his creations right into the hot coals. While the smell reminded Uncle Al of a summer job he spent operating an apartment building incinerator as a janitor...
... the end result was quite tasty although the toppings tended to stay with the foil rather than the pizza!
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Chef Dick samples his creation with a lovely fire (and a limitless canopy of stars) to add to the wonderful ambience. 
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Saturday 16 June: Killarney to "Tim's" cove
Sunday 17 June: "Tim's" cove to McGregor Bay
Tuesday 19 June: Sturgeon Cove - 1
Tuesday 19 June: Sturgeon Cove - 2
Wednesday 20 June: Sturgeon Cove to the Benjamin Islands
Wednesday 20 June: in the Benjamin Islands
Thursday 21 June: breakfast in the Benjamins
Thursday 21 June: dinner in Little Current
Friday 22 June: Little Current to Killarney
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