The morning we awoke in Little Current it was so foggy we couldn’t see another boat across the dock. Since our departure was delayed until the visibility improved, we decided to walk to town and get provisions for the next few days. In hindsight that ended up being a fortunate development since we ended up anchoring out the next 48 hours. We chatted with Renee and Pierre who were in the same predicament and, once the fog lifted, we followed each other out of the harbor.
Our first anchorage we found by chance as I was reading up on this town named Kagawong mentioned in one of our guides . The village sprouted up in a valley adjacent to Mudge Bay and the name translates to “where the mists rise from the falling waters.”
After three hours, we threw out the anchor and took Baby Belle ashore to hike up to the Bridal Veil Falls and breathe in the misty air. Duane jumped up and down like a five year old when we realized the salmon were spawning up river collecting at the pool at the base of the falls. He cheered them on as they struggled to inch their way through the shallow water over the rocks to their final destination.
The view from the top was worth every slip in the mud and near tragic fall onto the rocks below. Good thing Duane was right there to pull me up by the back of my pants. Since he “saved my life” he thinks this gives him a free pass to leave those damn socks all over the boat the rest of the trip. Guess he will be barefoot soon.
The trip down wasn’t as treacherous as the trek up and the scenery was even more spectacular. Maybe I just noticed more since I wasn’t worried about taking a header into the creek.
After we arrived safely back to town, we took a walk around the surrounding area which was pretty much desolate as we are finding very common at this time of the year. The nautical inspired St. John the Evangelist church stood out on Main Street with a rod iron anchor perched outside, so we ventured through the wooden doors. From the hull shaped pulpit to the boat lines adorning each pew, the church perfectly emulated a small fishing town from days past.
Before sunset we were headed home to barbecue and settle in for the night. Little did we know there was some sort of tribal celebration going on in the distance. We were soon rocked to sleep by the percussion rhythms echoing in the darkness through the trees. Duane, of course, scrambled for his ear plugs.
The morning was sunny and calm as we motored our way to the Benjamin Islands for an afternoon exploring the bay. The islands were perfectly situated off the small craft channel and stood strong in the distance. The rocky landscape surrounded the bay like a fortress and we settled right beneath the cliffs. Croker Island, just a mile beyond the Benjamins, had a small beach which, from the remnants of bonfires left behind, is a popular spot to bask in the beauty of the surroundings. Around two o’clock the wind started to pick up and the water was getting choppy, so we hightailed it back to the boat before it got too rough and we were thoroughly soaked and I had to bail out the dinghy again.
And we were off…the islands disappearing in our wake as we headed to Beardrop Harbour. Motoring for hours leaves much time for conversation and strategic planning. Today’s topic just happened to be the capacity of our holding tank. We found that pump outs are few and far between late in the season and, when one is located, it is pretty costly. We constructed guidelines as to when the bowl should be emptied. Needless to say, if “ice is added to the drink,” that is a “flushable” offense.
And on we went through Whaleback Channel into the harbor where we set the anchor and opened some wine to enjoy the amazing sunset.
Waking up we realized this was our final full day traversing the Canadian waters. It is now Travel Day 36 and 41 days since we left home to begin our adventure. It was bittersweet, but as we tied up in the Thessalon Marina with only one other boat in sight and the the town dark for the season, we anxiously awaited crossing the US border into Michigan and into a whole new world.
