The Bustard Islands

25 July 2014

We packed up our fishing gear and loaded the dink back on top of the boat. We headed out of our quiet channel and back onto the Small Craft Channel.

On our way to the Bustards we saw two sailboats, it’s the first two that I had seen since we left Parry Sound. Once we were out of the protected channel it was very windy and there were 3 foot waves. Lucky for us, it’s only exposed for about 5 miles so we shouldered our way through the waves and soon were at the lee side of the Bustard Islands.

This is a collection of a few hundred island about three miles off the main shore. There are lots of little coves and inlets to go into.

My new best friend Pierre had suggested a spot on the eastern end of the island. As we approached, we saw that there was a pretty large sailboat already at the spot. So we motored around to the other side of the island and went to the interior.

Since the island is mostly rock, there isn’t a good base of clay or sand like our other anchorages. We made two passes to try to anchor near Green Island. The anchor just wouldn’t stick. So we moved farther inland, just past Harbor Island to try there. We were successful on the first try.

It was a pleasant afternoon. I spent the day gawking at rocks and reading. For the last few nights we’ve been hearing the loons. Today a family (parents and two babies) floated past. Since they could see each other, they were not calling. (But later on in the evening we did hear them).

The little coves and niches are spellbinding. Different rock formations, shapes and a variety of colors. I can see how the local boaters could spend weeks in here.

Susan’s made pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes with gravy and peas for dinner. Just wonderful.

After dinner we both tried fishing for about 90 minutes with no luck. We both had what we thought were nibbles, but nothing to show for it.

We are both still surprised how late it is before it gets dark. It’s almost 9 PM before we need to give up for the night. And it’s quiet. Except for the loon and a few frogs there isn’t any sounds.

Predictions for light rain overnight has us button up for the evening. On Saturday Susan will go out on the Kayak and we will head for the Bad River about 11AM.