[Public-List] A great sailing weekend

[David Gilbert via Public-List]

Many thanks Gord for taking the trouble to write about your great  
sailing week end. I was not surprised by your description of the power  
boat incident. We had pretty much the same thing happen on Big Kanu  
last year albeit on the Toronto Islands, not in such pristine  
conditions as in your story. It was quite similar though in effect. We  
were quietly moored on the Hanlan's Point wall, a week day so not much  
traffic, enjoying a lovely quiet evening when in came one of the many  
tour boats, St. Marie with stereo blasting away -thump thump thump. I  
went over and asked them if they could quiet the thing down a bit and  
the fellow told me I was rude for asking. I wrote in my log, "so much  
for the dumbing down of our society." I also agreed with your comment  
on the Hunter.
Keep 'em coming.
David
On 14-Jul-14, at 10:42 AM, Gordon Laco via Public-List wrote:

> Good morning -
>
> We had a great sailing weekend in SURPRISE these past two days.
>
> We’d planned to leave Friday afternoon but one of my historic ship  
> clients
> called just as I was laying down my pen (well shutting the computer)  
> and
> that kept me at work till the usual closing time.  I’m pleased to  
> have the
> business of course and was glad to look after them, but skipping out  
> early
> was not possible after all.
>
> So we cast off lines some time shortly after 1800, filled the fuel  
> tank at
> the marina next door then started motoring down Severn Sound.  We  
> ate supper
> in the cockpit while trudging along under power and in due course  
> reached
> the Minnicognashene Channel where we had to decide if we were going  
> up the
> inside passages and dropping the hook at Bone Island, or over to  
> Methodist
> Point (no more Methodists there) and anchoring where we’d be better  
> set up
> for a dash up the outside.  The sun was setting but we chose  
> outside...
> Getting into Methodist in the dark isn’t a problem and of course  
> there was a
> full moon coming.
>
> So we altered course right at the entrance to The Pins at Minnicog,  
> and
> chugged along west.  On the way we saw the Canadian Coast Guard ship  
> RISLEY
> busy working on Indian Maid Rock buoy... That is an aid to nav that is
> notoriously difficult to find sometimes and we said to each other  
> “we KNEW
> they move it around!  There’s the proof!”
>
> We got to Methodist about sunset and dropped the hook into the clean  
> sand in
> 12’ of water.  I’ve often thought these Georgian Bay anchorages were  
> just
> made for yachts – usually just the right depth, usually just the right
> bottom.   We had an evening drink, watched the incredible moonrise,  
> then
> turned in.
>
> I awoke early and gently woke up my crew (wife Caroline and son Rob)  
> with
> the churtling of the coffee percolator.   After a wonderful  
> breakfast in the
> cockpit looking up at Giant’s Tomb Island and noting the RISLEY  
> still at
> anchor over by Indian Maid Rock, we hoisted the main, plucked up our  
> anchor
> then set the genny as SURPRISE’s head fell off the wind.  As we  
> glided out
> of the anchorage we crossed the stern of a large Hunter forty- 
> something with
> davits on it’s stern & an oxygen-tent cockpit enclosure... and  
> received a
> ‘nice boat’ compliment from the couple in it... I couldn’t in all  
> conscience
> return the boat compliment but I did manage ‘lovely morning’ in  
> return.
>
> The wind was WNW so that gave us a nice close reach away.  In due  
> course
> Hope Island Light Station came about abeam, so Rob and I took  
> bearings on
> the top and bottom limbs of the Tomb aft to starboard, and a third  
> portside
> bearing on the light station’s tower.  When plotted we found we were  
> within
> a hundred meters or so of where we were last July also heading north  
> and
> figuring to get a fix from which to set out into the Void.
>
> The wind eventually failed, but carried us up to O’Donnell Point by  
> just
> after lunch (sandwiches in the cockpit)   We fired up the loyal A4 and
> motored in past the light tower, zigged and zagged through the  
> channels up
> to Double Island (which we call ‘Big Bum’ because it looks like cheeks
> rising out of the water)  then set our course in to find the red can  
> guiding
> to Wreck Island.
>
> Oh we rejoiced when we found the anchorage there empty.  As we  
> circled in
> past the rocky reef inside the entrance, we saw a beautiful large  
> black bear
> on the island.  He ambled up the rocky shore, paused to stare at us,  
> then
> loped over the top.  Wonderful!
>
> We just finished settling in when a very large power boat came  
> idling into
> the anchorage.  They had a stereo going and their engines were  
> throwing
> echoes off the rocks where the bear just was.   They cut close over  
> our
> anchor chain then backed themselves in between ourselves and the  
> shore – not
> 50 meters away in the otherwise empty harbour.  They immediately  
> dropped a
> boat with a 50hp outboard on it into the water and started up their
> generator.  Hard female laughter, the roar of the generator, and the
> dribbling of the water from their air conditioning plant made us all  
> stare
> at each other.
>
> A few hours later, after supper, I rowed over and asked them  
> politely how
> long they were going to be running their gen set.  They looked very  
> offended
> then with false smiles such as one would give an offensive visitor,  
> told me
> ‘about ninety minutes or two hours more’.
>
> I rowed the few strokes back over to SURPRISE and talked with  
> Caroline and
> Rob.  The span they offered would have them shutting off some time  
> around
> 2000  (10pm) IF they were telling the truth about their intentions.
>
> We hoisted anchor and moved over to the western lobe of the  
> harbour.  We
> could still hear the power boat’s gen set, but they were not so  
> close.  Once
> settled in, I rowed over to the cottagers who have their wharf at  
> that end
> of the harbour.  I introduced myself and apologized for anchoring in  
> front
> of their place and explained why I moved.  They told me that sailors  
> are
> always welcome ‘because you folks are quiet and don’t leave a mess’.
> Wonderful.  I thanked them.
>
> During the night squalls with heavy wind and rain blew through... I  
> was up
> several times thinking about our rather hurried re-anchoring but all  
> was
> well.  At 0600 I heard the power boat’s gen set start up....  Oh what
> inconsiderate people.  I’m sure they have no idea how offensive they  
> were,
> in fact I am certain they thought I was offensive by asking about  
> their
> generator.  I said to Caroline and Rob ‘running that equipment in  
> such a
> lovely place, so close when they didn’t have to be so close, is like  
> going
> into a fine restaurant and farting!’    But I’m sure that would  
> never occur
> to them that’s what they were doing.
>
> So, here we were at Sunday morning.  The wind had settled in from  
> the north
> west and at a solid 15knts.  Perfect but for one thing... Pea soup  
> fog.   We
> decided to wait for it to clear which it started doing by 1130 so up  
> came
> our two hooks and away we went.  As soon as we started moving the  
> fog closed
> in again.... Well we went anyway.
>
> On the way out the entrance we passed the flat barely surfaced rock  
> there
> and saw a martin (seemed large for a mink) having a lunch of  
> crayfish...
> True to his type he stood his ground glaring fiercely at us as we  
> motored
> past.  What a beautiful, bold, little animal.  Well to us he was  
> beautiful;
> to any creature about twice his size down, no doubt he’s death on  
> four legs.
>
> We slowed to four knots and felt our way around to the red  
> can...glad that
> we’d marked our courses on the chart before leaving.  Our luck was  
> in and
> the mist lifted as we motored to windward and Big Bum appeared ahead  
> and the
> whole area cleared.  Once up to Big Bum we uncorked the genny and  
> began
> reaching down the coast through the inside channels... Later we  
> hoisted the
> main too.
>
> Below Split Rock we had a few open stretches and with the building  
> wind
> really started galloping.  We had a fantastic sail home in weather  
> just made
> for an Alberg 30.  We surged and surfed, galloped and drove hard all  
> the way
> down the coast.   What a great weekend.
>
> Gord
> #426 Surprise
>
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