Long Lake, Ontario - 6/29/2024

Trip Day 10 - Saturday

0550-57F/54F. Cloudy, rainy (very light mist). Winds are calm but did switch to the north.

I Moved To The North Side Due To Wind Shift

Checked messages this morning and Kelly left a note that White Bear Lake Police contacted her last night after a call from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) stating they found my truck under suspicious circumstances and I should contact them. But without a phone number I can't contact anyone.

Bleak Looking Layover Day

I tried calling on the VHF (Ch 16) but no one responded.

I tried Brent Henley's (Marina Manager) email address via Zoleo satellite but he's out of the office until next Tuesday!

I hope it's simply an observant patrolman that was board and thought he would check up on my truck being parked at the marina ramp for so many days. It is disconcerting!

I moved the boat to the north side of the anchorage since the was already some motion caused by the winds which will increase and back to the north even more. 

I will try to relax and do my morning study. Nothing I can do further. It's in the Lord's hands.

Verse for the day: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves." (Psalms 127:1-2)

Temps are dropping 66F/51F. Contacted my neighbor (Carol) to see if she had talked with the police.

0930-Finished my study time, now making breakfast.

1100-Had breakfast, did dishes, and communicated with a bunch of folks trying to determine the status of my truck and trailer. Still a light rain falling. Temps continue to drop. 68F/50F.

Strong Winds But Nicely Protected Anchorage

1300-Heated up my second PB chocolate chip muffin to have with some fresh hot coffee. Listening to "The Precipice" by Doiron. Will take a nap shortly.

Cooking - Good Pastime In Bad Weather

1500-Got up from my nap. Sipping some red wine while trying a couple of ways to contact Longlac Police to find out what was going on. No luck so far!

Dinner-Roast Pork, Potatoes, Salad, Rolls, Red Wine

1640-Prepared and ate my dinner of pork roast, potatoes, salad, rolls, and red wine.

No word from any of the cops who initially queried my whereabouts.

Fire in my propane heater went out twice, not sure why. Possible downdraft blew it out. It did not set off my alarm so the auto shutoff must have worked.

Tried to contact Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) by email and text but no response to either yet.

1700-68F/47F. Still raining lightly with a breeze. Tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be sunny and 70F.

Still Rainy & Breezy

Rain should Peter out by late evening and clearing by mid-night. Tomorrow I will return to the drone crash site to try to find my lost PLB. I was on an island when I took off my vest leaving it on the ground so I expect to find it there. It is only about 2 miles from here.

1815-Did a short video. Will read then hit the sack after it cools down. I turned off the heat.

YouTube Video

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Long Lake, Ontario - 6/28/2024

Trip Day 9 - Friday

0540-52F/48F. Partly cloudy (high), calm.

0650-"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)

0740-Study time done. Will make breakfast and decide whether to move or not.

0825-Decided to move on. Breakfast finished beginning prep for departure.

Pulling Anchor

Departing The Anchorage

Narrow Entrance

Tight Outlet To Navigate

1030-Arrived at new anchorage. Should work for at least 24 hours. Checked out an alternate anchorage to the south about a mile which looked okay too.

Navigation - Quads on left, Marine on right, Satellite on phone. 

It began to rain as I approached the anchorage. Anchored in 10' of water. Put out a 7:1 scope in what appeared to be a sand bottom.

Arrival At New Anchorage

Light rain falling so I did the dishes before it comes down harder. I will likely be stuck inside today. Heat is on. 68F/57F.

Leg 7 - 7.7 Miles

Destination Anchorage

Traveled 7.6 miles on Leg 7 of the trip on Day 9. Halfway if I stay the full trip time. Undecided about that.

Winds switch to north tomorrow afternoon so I may have to move to the north side of this anchorage. Wavelets are coming around the point now in a SE wind. May have to lay the stern anchor to hold bow to waves if it gets worse.

Steady Rain

1250-Finished baking and eating a large peanut butter chocolate chip muffin accompanied by coffee. Listened to music while I worked. Rain continues light but steady. Will read and nap this afternoon.

1530-Got up from a good nap. Still overcast and raining. Winds are as forecast about 9-10 mph from SE. Boat is riding smoothly.

I read my e-Book for awhile, then napped, after turning the bed sheets and pillow case inside out so I don't have to look at all the mosquito blood stains.

Dinner was chili, salad, rolls, and red wine.

Listening to my audio book and thawing strawberries for an ice cream treat.

1745-Ice cream was great as usual! Now I'm having my nightly Baileys. Still overcast with light rain. 69F/56F.

1900-Dark sky, but it stopped raining, at least for now. 69F/57F. Will read then hit the sack.

2015-To bed.

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Long Lake, Ontario - 6/27/2024

Trip Day 8 - Thursday (Layover Day)

0610-49F/41F. Calm and partly cloudy.

Warming coffee cake to have with this mornings mug as I study in the books of Psalms and Genesis.

0730-Bible study verses for the day: "Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' And the two of them went on together." (Gen 22:8)

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29)

0825-Time for breakfast. Granola with strawberries, milk, toast with peanut butter, and O.J. Will fly the drone this morning if winds stay low.

0900-Time to fly the drone.

The Inlet & Terrain

Looking SSW - Down Lake

1010-Departed for the hoped for trail access point.

Off To The Trail

Calm Winds Help

Kayak Track To Trail

Trail & Access Info

1030-Arrived at a cliff! It was a treacherous climb, no foot holds of any kind and dry crumbly sandy clay that tended to just give way. I used a diagonal route grabbing trees and roots along the way for hand holds. Made a big mistake of not bringing my backpack with water, walking stick, camera strap, and phone holster.  

I had to handhold my camera up and down which gave me only one hand for myself. I really needed two! Sometimes I just placed the camera above me on the ground so I could free my hands up. It was a tough climb for this old man but I finally made it to the trail.

Very Steep Crumbly Soil - Very Difficult Climb!

There was no guarantee of a trail. I was using satellite photos which could have been old, but it was in fact there! Turned out to be 4-wheeler trail. I followed the trail north for 1.1 miles and turned around at a small lake overlook and returned to the cliff climb.

Beautiful Lone Flower

Picturesque Mushroom

Turn Around Point

Beaver Activity

Trail Hike - 2.2 Miles Round Trip

I was not looking forward to going down the cliff but said a prayer and went for it. Initially I was going to take a short cut but soon decided I better return the known route that worked. Again, I made it! Thank you Lord!

Rough Going - But Going Down Was Much Easier!

I get in the kayak get all loaded ready to paddle away and see I failed to untie the painter and it was unreachable from the kayak, so out I go again. It is always risky getting in and out especially in these rough shoreline settings. Again, I was successful, so back to the boat I go.

1315-Arrived back at the boat and immediately cracked an ice cold beer in a frozen mug! What a treat!

1620-Had dinner. Chicken wild rice soup, salad, rolls, and white wine. I'm really tired and will sleep soundly tonight. Not sure if I should move tomorrow or not? Rain is coming over the next two days.

Strawberries are thawing for an post dinner ice cream treat.

1810-The strawberries and ice cream were great! I then went out to sit on the aft deck with a glass of Baileys. Sun is shining directly into the aft deck so I went back inside.

Will hit the sack early.

YouTube Video 

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Long Lake, Ontario - 6/26/2024

Trip Day 7 - Wednesday

0530-56F/50F. Cloudy, light breeze.

Verse of the day from my morning study time: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalms 20:7)

0750-Morning study time finished time to make breakfast. The reading I'm using during this time, besides the Bible, is "Secret Strength" by Joni Erickson Tada. A kind of devotional reading.

A Drone Flight Before Departure

Still cloudy, light breeze. 70F/51F.

Overnight Was Peaceful

1015-Secure in my new anchorage. Had to set the anchor 3 times to get a good hold. Bottom is a kind of dense muck and does not hold well. Likely a similar bottom the other day when my anchor dragged.

Leg 6, Day 7 - Short Leg!

Not Track - Tried 3 Sets Before The Anchor Held

Closer To Entrance There Was Better Bottom

I moved closer to the entrance of this cove where there was likely more sand and it finally held. I put out a stern anchor since there is minimal swing room on the primary.

Mosquitoes are likely going to be a problem here.

I flew the drone this morning before departing. It went okay but the low light was not the best to show the terrain. It would have been better late in the day.

DJI Mavic 2 Zoom Drone

I need to do the dishes!

Cabin Looking Aft

1110-Dishes completed. Cleaned up a bit and checked messages. 67F/55F. Heat is still on.

Charging drone and controller batteries.

1420-Downloaded photos and videos to my backup SSD drive. Changed camera SD cards since they were getting full.

Bottom Was Muck - Difficult Anchoring

1700-Finished grilling chicken tenderloins to eat along with potatoes, salad, rolls, and white wine. Also finished listening this afternoon to my audio book "The Bone Orchard" by Paul Doiron. A Maine game warden series. I'm on book four.

Will have a Baileys and enjoy the evening on the aft deck until I get chased in by the mosquitoes. 

Peaceful Anchorage

1920-Mosquitoes arrived and chased me into the cabin as expected. Listening to a new audio book "The Precipice" by Paul Doiron, a sequel to the previous book in the series. No wildlife observed. The lack of bald eagles is puzzling. There are few hawks too. Saw what appeared to be an immature bald eagle but I could not be certain. Reminds me of Temagami, Ontario with it's scarcity of wildlife.

Will read my e-book "Black Coral" and get some sleep. 65F//61F. It will be cool tonight!

The Bunk - Ready To Hit The Sack!

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Long Lake, Ontario - 6/25/2024

Trip Day 6 - Tuesday

0530-Mosquitoes ate me alive!

0705-Mosquitoes are terrible despite killing hoards of them. Bible study verse from this morning: "I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven."  

Rained hard briefly last night.

Beautiful Morning!

0745-Finished prayer and reading time before breakfast.

0810-Getting ready to depart from mosquito heaven. I determined later they were hatching in the bilge of the boat! They were not getting into the cabin otherwise. Boat swung close to shore and I had to pull in some rode before I made breakfast.

Lake Narrows As I Move South.

Fishing Lodge - Only One On The Lake

1125-Traveled 12 miles total. I was hoping to get past the bridge but it was a no go! Not sufficient clearance. A huge disappointment and likely cuts off a least 3 days I expected for exploring the river. Had to turn around and coming back north I checked every conceivable anchorage but all were too deep with steep inclines to shore. Checked out one shore tie possibility but it was too exposed to weather.

Google Earth Chart - Leg 5, 12.1 Miles

Occasional Floating Hazards 

Beautiful Country - Devoid Of Traffic

Bridge Was Too Low! - Had To Turn Around, A Disappointment!

Ended up below a huge cliff (Eight Mile Narrows) tied by a bow line to a tree with my stern anchor (Danforth) set to keep the boat stable. Seemed well enough protected from N to NW winds but brush made going ashore problematic. I drank some cool water to assuage my thirst since it was already 77F inside and 80F outside.

Now Heading Back North Approaching Cliff

Steep Cliff Face

This Cliff Caused Trouble Later!

Tied Up Right Under This Cliff Face

Tied To Big Birch - Very Sandy Shoreline

1210-Dishes are finished. Had to reset the stern anchor a couple of times by letting out more bow line and swinging the Danforth to add some scope. Will send some messages to fill folks in on the day's situation.

1250-79F/82F. Blowing a good breeze with some white caps showing in the channel. An occasional gust hits the boat but so far it is holding. It will blow all afternoon.

1415-Made some fried French bread with Havarti cheese which I call "Cheese Crisps". Had my snack with some white wine to hold me until dinner. Wind is really squirrely in front of the high cliff face.

Looked for peregrine falcons and other raptors that might use the cliff but saw no sign of activity.

1630-Straight line winds suddenly hit from WNW due to a thunder storm to the south which sucked the winds into the bottom of the build up. Again, I was in a venturi situation with winds being accelerated by the surrounding steep terrain. The intense winds were not expected. Big waves began to come around the end of the point I was tied behind and rocked the boat violently with debris coming off the trees and covering the boat.

Debris Blown Off Trees Onto Boat

The Wind 45-50 Mph

Post Storm Analysis - Waves Followed Curve Of Point Rocking The Boat Violently

I started the engine and got ready to pull out but as I thought about it I really had not where to go! About all I could do was put the bow into the waves to stop the violent rolling but I did not want to go downing or upwind. The only good anchorage was upwind.

I prayed the Lord would calm the seas and he did! The boat is still rocking from side to side but the worst is over. It was a very dangerous wind I estimated to reach 45-50 mph at times.

1720-Brushed off all the debris, or at least most of it off the solar panels and decks. Dumped all the water pails and replaced with clean water. Boat is riding fine currently.

The snack lunch filled me up pretty good. I'm not sure I can eat dinner, at least right now. My adrenaline is still pumping!

1830-Finished dinner: Chicken fried rice with salad and white wine.

Calm After The Storm

1930-Enjoyed a Baileys in the cockpit. Sky has clouded up and temp has dropped to 62F outside. A big drop in temps! Winds have moderated. I'm praying this mooring will be ok all night.

1950-71F/61F. Much cooler, cloudy, breeze still blowing but decreasing. Time for bed soon. Not much sleep last night due to mosquitoes. Maybe tonight I can get some rest.

YouTube Video 

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