Anchoring Paradise

                     The Bastards or the Bustards?

I have heard from a few of you that I am using the words beautiful, amazing, spectacular, breathtaking, picturesque, well you get the idea. We have been told by the locals that traveling thru Georgian Bay is something that keeps getting better the farther north you go.

We have said at each point, “There is no way it can be more scenic than what we just saw.” Well they are right it just keeps getting better. The Bustards are a cluster of rock shields separated by a maze narrow fingers and basins.

The anchorage we were in affectionately called the Gun Barrel was something out of a sailing magazine. See I didn’t use one of those other words. In reality this section of the trip defies description by word or even photograph.

None of which come even vaguely close to capturing the essence of this region. We had a short 21 mile cruise thru some torturous channels where water was seemingly everywhere but so was granite ledge just below the surface patiently waiting to devour unsuspecting running gear.

Again for the non boating audience running gear is all that stuff on the bottom of the boat that makes it move thru the water. Things like props, struts, rudders shafts and alike. We made it to our anchorage for the night and dropped the hook. We had a fabulous hotdogs cooked on the grill. Yes you should be reading a certain level of sarcasm in that.

The Captain had a meeting with the procurement   department to address that issue. Shortly we were off to get lost in the hundreds of coves and inlets. We came across two Loons each with a juvenile and watched the parents fish. The youngsters would pull at the parents neck to get some of the catch. We were told by some locals that Loon comes from some Latin word Lam which means lame.

 

Turns out loons only nest within 1 meter of the shore because their feet are located so far back on their body. This makes them excellent divers and swimmers but lame when it comes to moving about shore. They are certainly incredible swimmers. As the water is so clear we could see them swimming after their catch. They are a striking looking bird, like a duck in a tuxedo.

In the winter they migrate out of the small lakes and coves and head to the open waters of the big lakes where it does not freeze over. The color of their plumage even changes. Their call is mesmerizing. Please take a minute look up loon calls on You Tube. 

 Anyhow we no sooner arrived back at the boat and we were waived over to another Looper boat that was having Boatails. So we obliged. We were serenaded to sleep by the calls of the Loons. We will not soon forget our magical anchorage in the Bustards. 

Sunset in the Gun Barrel

                                      Sunrise! Sad to leave

                                With a view like this even hot dogs taste good.