We returned to our ship yesterday after a long 6 hour drive from home. Son Trevor was kind enough to drive us back and we found all in good order. After having some lunch in town and stopping for a few groceries, he delivered us to the boat and then immediately turned around and went back to Ottawa. Thanks Trev.

The drive to Spanish was done on a not-too hot day and we saw many instances of the damage done by the storm we rode out while in Bell Cove. Trees snapped off, two barns on adjoining properties blown down, several trees through roofs of houses, all the way from Mattawa to Spanish.

During the night Friday - last night - there were thunder rumblings all around but no rain. Awoke this morning to overcast skies and extremely humid air. We had decided on a maintenance day here before continuing our journey so we started the morning by working our way down the list of “to do’s.” First came the laundry. The marina facilities are among the best we have encountered and include a large laundry facility. Getting there reasonably early in the day - about 9ish - I was able to get the wash in quickly and head back to the boat to see what Phil was up to. He was busy on item 2, vacuuming the deck carpets preparatory to sweeping and washing down the deck of all the various bug parts and other things that literally get under the carpets as we travel. I obviously wasn’t needed so after hearing a few thunder rolls and checking out the western sky - which showed a squall coming in - I grabbed a book and headed back to the marina to wait to change the laundry to the dryer as I didn’t really want to run there in the rain. By the time I got there, there was a line-up of folks all wanting to get into the cleaning business. A grey day brings out the laundry. The kids get to sort darks from lights, learn how to put in the soap and push the buttons, and Mom or Dad supply the loonies and quarters! The storm broke while there, lots of show and heavy rain for about 20 minutes and then it was all over.

Spanish Marina

The marina is situated on the Spanish River, alongside a high rock wall with a lookout on the top and a modern windmill. The windmill constantly rotates looking for wind and at 10kph, the blades start to turn. It shuts off at 65 kph. It provides all the power needed by the marina, a huge building, including all the washers and dryers, a fitness centre, meeting rooms, etc. and extra power is fed into the provincial grid. Bruce Mines and Blind River also have them. It’s time more places considered this very clean source of power. Also, you can check out the direction of the windmill and get the wind direction, better than the flags!

Phil came over to the marina building after the rain shower with our shore wagon and we hauled the clean clothes back to the nice clean boat. Then it was time to hose down the bathroom (wish I could do that at home), vacuum inside, stow away books that have been read, get out new ones, some other tiddly stuff and soon it was lunch time. Rain continued to threaten but only a few drops fell during nap time. Humidity very intense - 85% - and almost difficult to breathe at times.

This afternoon saw a bus load of 14-15 year old boys from Michigan loading up two sailboats. They were going out sailing as a part of some camp but before they even left the dock they received a lecture from the sailor beside us on behaviour on a dock and safety near water. I think their leaders are going to have a challenge ahead of them!

We spent a couple of hours last evening plotting our next course to Thessalon. We decided to learn something else on the new GPS so this was it. I was plotting courses and waypoints on the charts and giving them to Phil to enter on the GPS and then he was making a route out of it. We hadn’t done this before as the routes for the canal systems and most of the North Channel were already in the GPS but for this part of the trip, the route plan has to be done by us. We ran into a snag and still haven’t figured it out yet. First, the waypoint (lat and long) gets entered, and you name it, then you build a route by adding waypoints in the order you want them. Phil put in a waypoint, saved it, but can’t seem to get it into the route. The charts are on chips and the waypoint is right where the chart changes to the next chip so we thought that might be the problem. So we adjusted the waypoint by a couple of minutes keeping it on the existing chip but still couldn’t pick it up. Surprisingly, he could pick up the waypoint after this one, without changing chips!! No closer to a solution today. Probably the sequence he did the steps or some silly thing. Anyhow, it isn’t an important waypoint since the one after it is in and it was just marking a bouy off shore for us to use as a reference point. However, figuring it out will give us something to work on during our spare time. So if we don’t get where we are going......

(Sat. Evening: The problem has been solved for now but the solution at the moment is a work around and will need some more thought when I am in a better frame of mind.)

We have a book on navigation by a chap called Saunders and he has some rules to remember. Number 6 is: “A series of mistakes, if expertly done, will cancel each other out. But don’t count on it.” Hmmmm......

And then there’s Number 9: “A really good navigator can always prove that he was going to where he got to.”

On the drive back to Spanish, we were wondering about the name “Spanish”. After all, employees of the North West Company, the Hudson Bay Company, voyageurs, trappers, etc. were Scots, English, French, and native. Why Spanish? It turns out that in the 1700s, Indians from this area travelled to the Spanish controlled area in what is now the US. One of them brought back a Spanish wife, hence the name Spanish. The family name is Espanola, still seen here, and of course, Espanola is a town on Manitoulin Island. Spanish is on the main rail line to the west and was where goods moved from the main line to the line to Manitoulin, and where ore from Elliot Lake was shipped to other destinations; an important spot once. At one time, it was actually on the short list for building a rail resort here but it lost out to the Banff Hotel.

Tomorrow, Sunday, our cruise will be about 98 km to Thessalon, about 3 hours on a good calm day - or an alternate could be Sanford Island which is about half way to Thessalon - mostly just following the northern shore except for one area of buoys through the Whalesback Channel. Planning on being up at 5am to check out the weather and wave conditions. There is supposed to be more thundery stuff tomorrow afternoon but if we can get some reasonable conditions in the morning we will be at dockside or anchored in a snug harbour when the rain hits. We can pull out at Bruce Mines or Blind River or Turnbull Island if the conditions turn bad but definitely not at Serpent River. There is supposed to be a serpent monster there, living in the river, so you won’t find me there!!!

Phil is now sitting opposite me and cursing under his breath at the GPS. I asked him how far the trip to Thessalon was for the previous paragraph and the **** thing wouldn’t turn on, again. I think this one will be going back to the manufacturer when we get back. We can return in within a year so think it will be a definite return. He just got it to work again, maybe a bad battery terminal he says.

After Thessalon, it’s on to Drummond Yacht Haven for a couple of days to check into the US and to explore Drummond Island. Then we chart our course through the top of Lake Huron, through the Mackinac strait and into Lake Michigan. New destinations await.

9 pm. Phil just came in from loading the water tank for the trip and was chatting with the skipper from the sailboat next door. They are from Petosky, Michigan, so Phil asked him about boating on Lake Michigan. He said, why would you want to when you have all this right here? Have to work on that one.....

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