August 14 & 15
We left the town of Britt and cruised in a northeast direction to the Bustard Islands. A group of 30,000 islands with lots of breathtaking places to anchor. As we were leaving we saw this old wood Chris Craft that was probably built in the 50’s.
These boats were leaving the marina at the same as our little flotilla
Just before our departure.
Huge wind farm. Not much wind today so they were motionless.
Why should today be different? Lots of narrow channels with granite islands just waiting to bend your props.
These folks chose one of the many islands to go fishing.
If look out the left and center windows you can see the green and red channel markers that we follow religiously.
Found our perfect anchorage. There were already 2 boats in there when we arrived.
We dropped the hook and once we had deployed enough chain we hooked our bridle on the chain, let out another 25 feet of chain and set the anchor. We use this bridle to take all of the anchoring stress off the windlass. The bridle ends are tied off on our bow cleats.
Girl needs a pedi.
Since there was no wind and we were in a very wind protected anchorage we all rafted up together. Debbie and I went in first, found a nice spot in 15 feet of water and let out a total of 125 feet of chain. Normally we would have only let out about 100 feet but since we had the other 2 boats on our anchor we felt it prudent to let out some additional chain. We then set our anchor alarm for safety’s sake. The anchor alarm is tied into our GPS and if the boat moves out of a preset circle it alerts us.
Since the 14th was the 20th anniversary of my 45th birthday our friends baked an apple pie for me. Love apple pie!
Dan and Janet took this photo of our raft up from their dinghy.
Departed the anchorage around 9 this morning. Idyll Time and Here’s to Us untied and waited out in open water for Debbie and I to lift anchor and join them. There is a couple of feet of clay on the bottom covering the underlying granite and the anchor sets well. But there is a whole lot of muddy clay clinging to the chain as we bring it up. On the bow of WB we have 2 wash down spigots. One is fresh water from our water tank and the other pumps raw water. Since we are in fresh water we just pump the water from the pool to wash the mud off the chain. It is wise to do so in order to keep the chain locker from getting really muddy and smelly.
Our arrival in Killarney and the Roque marina.
And another breathtaking sunset.
The title of this installment of our blog mentions Louisville. About a month ago when I had changed the oil in all 3 of the diesel engines aboard Whisky Business I wrenched my back. If you have ever had a bout of sciatica, that is what it felt like. Kept hoping it would go away but it was not to be. It wasn’t terrible and it certainly wasn’t hindering my activities. Until we were in the town of Britt. I laid down on the boat to take a nap with an ice pack underneath my back. When I woke up the pain started. It is incessant. It never leaves. When I walk I am bent over at about 90 degrees. Can’t stand up straight. In these remote areas getting around can be difficult. No Uber, Lyft or taxi of any kind. For $500 I found someone to give us a ride to the airport in Saulte Ste. Marie on Friday morning to get a flight that would eventually end up in Louisville. Took 6 hours to get there. Really don’t care how much it costs. I am in that much pain. In Canada they have clinics that are staffed with a Registered Nurse. I visited one and was treated by a nurse in training. Can’t argue with the cost as there was none, even for a foreigner. She prescribed a muscle relaxer and Tylonol like painkiller. Neither has had an effect. Best to go home and get the scans that are not available here. I have an appointment with a back doc on Tuesday.
What is really killing me is I have been looking forward to this area in particular as it is the most scenic part of the entire Loop. I have made an appointment with one of my former customers who is a renowned back guy. Hopefully we can het this straightened out so we can return to the boat in short order and continue onward.
Having completed 3 New York Marathons, this is embarassing the hell out of me.
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