Kerr Bay (Anchorage)

Sunday June 7, 2015

N

W

Today I called AT&T and received a "reminder" that we were going to Canada – a miserable “emergency” 200 mg monthly data plan for Canada cost $60.00! Our allowance in the USA is 15 gig and we have to ration our use to stay within that ceiling. When we were in Canada two years ago we were not even allowed to buy a local cell phone (or sim card) because we were foreigners.

It was a last minute decision to leave Oswego today. The forecast for Monday was not good and so we would be waiting until Tuesday if we did not leave NOW! At about 10:30 AM we decided to leave at Noon for the 48 NM run across Lake Ontario. Deidre, Don and I made a quick trip to Walmart and then returned the car while Barb was at the laundromat. I radioed the last lock and asked for a Noon opening and we both made it.

We have a reservation at a marina in Bath, Ontario for Monday, but we were not sure if they could take us today (it is a small place) especially as we would be arriving late. So we had a good looking anchorage as a back-up. A front was expected in the area over night with 25 kt winds.

The lake was pretty calm and we made a good start. The lake is very deep – over 600 feet and too deep for our depth sounders. We had planned a 7 hour run, but an hour or so after departure Cavara reported an oil leak and they had to shut down an engine while Don attempted repairs. Amazingly Cavara was able to manage 6 knots on one engine, so we did not lose too much progress. A couple of hours later the hose was replaced and we resumed our normal pace.

We were had anchors down by 7:30 PM with two hours of daylight remaining. The anchorage offered good protection from all points south, which is exactly what we needed. We were expecting bad weather from the South and South West so I laid out just about every inch of the 225' feet of chain in the locker, The anchor seemed to set pretty well. Soon after we arrived a couple of loons paid us a visit. I should have taken a photo - they are elegant birds. As they dived, the water was so clear (with no sun) that we could see them swimming under the water.

By 10 PM (as we watched the “Tonys” on TV), the wind really got up significantly. I went up on the bridge to check the wind speed (our gauge is up there) and immediately lost my hat overboard in the dark. It was blowing about 35 MPH and over the next few hours it gusted way above that. I abandoned the next trip up to the bridge after the wind blew my glasses off my face - I was lucky to rescue them before they went over board. Probably the most wind we have anchored in our 3 plus years on the water.