We are in God's Country Now

It is hard to put into words how beautiful these waters are. For the past few days we have been blessed with some of the best weather Ontario has had in years. I keep thinking that if it is this hot up here it has got to be some hot back on Nantucket. Since we have no generator, we are unable to run our air conditioning while anchored. I never thought that would have been an issue up here but man is it hot. Many an afternoon and morning have been spent swimming around the boat. The water temperature is 70 degrees here which I am told is a good 5 degrees above normal. One of the best parts of cruising these waters has been the anchorages. There seems to be a good spot to anchor around every corner. It has been a great change from the canal, we have anchored for the past 6 nights and it has been the best. We have been traveling the small craft route through the area, which leads us on a course that snakes its way through the islands and rocks. There is no use for autopilot here since the channels twist and turn without warning. As you make way through the channel you can see the rocks laying just below the surface a few feet from either side of the boat. It is truly a hole new experience for Anna and I. The Waters of Nantucket are open, these waters are filled with rocks and islands. You can be moving along in 100 feet of water in seconds find yourself in 2 it can make for some stressful moments when entering channels with confusing buoys. Anchoring for extended periods without power water and options for provisions have been a real learning experience for Anna and I. It is amazing how much water you can waste washing dishes, or how fast you can fill your holding tank with excessive flushes. Due to the fact that all the land here is solid rock, there are no holding tanks or waste water plants, this requires all the cottages and marinas to ship their waste out of the area. This directly effects us by making is extremely expensive to pump the head. A pump out here averages 25 dollars, and is hard to find. The water here is so clean it would be a sin to even think of dumping overboard. So much of our schedule now revolves around how much water we have and what our holding tank level is. Anna and I have been pleased to find that we can go about a week without docking and with the proper planning we might even be able to go longer. This is a big plus because with ever mile we head north, there are less and less signs of civilization. Tomorrow we hope anchor in the Bustard Islands, after two or three days we will make our way through the Collins Inlet which will take us to Killarney a small summer cottage town where we hope to take on supplies and have some world famous fish and chips at the Bus. Once we pass through Killarney we will head to Baie Fine and McGregor Bay. These waters are believe to be the best cruising grounds in the world, from what we have seen so far we believe them.

An early morning sunrise running Blue to a more protected harbor before the forecasted heavy winds.

Good thing they don't turn the light off when they leave at night.

We took the inflatables up river to explore the islands that were to shallow for blue. The sun and heat were so strong. I still can't believe it gets this hot up here. The sights were worth it though.

Not only do we have to worry about the channel we also have to worry about sea planes. Many of the cottages here have planes docked in front of them. Not a bad way to get to work if you ask me.

They don't mess around when it comes to channel markers here. One mistake usually leads to a very expensive day.

Remember the Big Chute? Bill gave us this picture of us on our way over the mountain.

Our buddy Bill let Anna and I barrow his kayaks it was loads of fun. We sure miss Ryan Kiley and Paxton at Sea Nantucket Kayak rental.

Just an example of the cuts we have to weave trough here. There is only room for one boat in the cut between the rocks so one must make a security call on the VHF blow the horn and inch your way in.