July 8, 2011 Picton

Lew had his anchor up and cleaned before our 9:00 departure time so we sprung into action. Kerry pulled up the anchor and washed the mud off chain off as it came up. We found a fresh water clam on the anchor when it was up, much to our surprise. Not big enough for a chowder though. We use a rope snubber with a metal snap on the end to take the strain off the windlass. When Kerry pulled the anchor up she did not take the metal snap off the chain and promptly ran in into the windlass. Well, as John Robertson has said, "The dark shadow of the captain" appeared over her and the windlass. I got it free much quicker than I thought I might.

The trip to Picton was all motor. It was 22.5 miles and took us 4 hours. On the way we stopped to fish in Big Bay, no luck, and passed the tall ship St. Lawrence II (http://www.brigantine.ca/) in Telegraph Narrows. You must be really careful to stay within the buoys but we passed with no problem. It was a nice trip, very scenic, and I marked spots that would be good overnight anchorages on my chart along the way.

We are staying at the Tip of the Bay Marina in docks made for 30 foot boats. We got in without too much trouble, but I hope it is not crowded or windy when we go to leave Sunday morning. We cooled off with a dark rum and tonic, (pictured) then walked to town. It is very vibrant. Lots of shops, traffic, restaurants, etc. Lew passed us on his bike going to Canadian Tire for fishing supplies, and to the bakery for pastries.

We returned to the marina at 4:00. I had decided to put the Annie M together here for the rest of the voyage through the 1000 Islands, and decided that I better do it before my happy hour started. It takes almost an hour from start to finish to complete the job. It was hot work. Jim Karpinski called in the middle of the task that gave me a little break. He is still having a starting problem on Crescendo and had to ask the CIC Harbor Master for a tow in. When the Annie M was safely docked it was time for a martini (also pictured).

I grilled 4 steaks on Excalibur. Gretchen made a chopped salad and twice baked potatoes,all of  which made for a great dinner. Lew and I went fishing on the Annie M. He really out fished me, catching 6 fish including our first keeper to none for me. He was using worms while I used a minnow lure. What should I do tomorrow? After fishing we had coffee and pastries on Windchaser. I showered and called it a night.