Day 38-40. 2nd year. June 27- 29. On to Midland. Mile 9. Total 3308

Later last night the misty rain creates a 180 degree rainbow that lasted for an hour. Was Awesome!

Today we woke to overcast and drizzly rain, which we hope will clear up in the next hour.

Weighing anchor we headed south to Midland, ONT and Bay Port Marina. Bay Port Marina is one of three large marinas in the area. You can tell that boating is quite popular here!

Noticed that one flag was flying the banner for the Buccaneers!

Midland began as a trading town, first fur and lumber, the later grain. Today the granary silos on the waterfront are covered in murals that depict the history of the town. This mural theme is carried through to the downtown area also. The town also sports three very large marinas that do boat repair and servicing, as well as winter storage of boats for the larger boats. Midland is a big town with a population of 16,000, similar in size to Peterborough. Most of the other towns we visited so far are much smaller.

As you can see in the pics below, homes cover the shore line along the bay to the city of Midland.

This lighthouse guides boats into Midland harbor.

Downtown Midland has a few older homes and churches and lots of murals.

Midland even has a cruise ship, that plies Georgian Bay for tourists that visit the area.

Enjoyed meeting our boat neighbors, as we tackled tasks to get ready for our son’s visit on Thursday. I cleaned the boat and did grocery lists and laundry. Bill changed the oil in the engines and filled the water tanks, and pumped out the waste water.

All the things you have to do periodically to keep the boat in shape.

June 28-29. Lay days in Midland

Today we helped a few Canadians get off for their long weekend. July 1 is Canada’s Independence Day. Will be interesting to see how they celebrate. The local fliers posted in the marina describe the holiday as picnics, boating and family games.

For us, we will get grocery shopping done and finish up our chores today. Even got the screens up in the doors, so we can leave them open with this beautiful weather and keep those pesky flies and mosquitos out. With those chores accomplished, the boat is now presentable and we have food for our guests! Bill even found time to stow some of his supplies. It may be the end of the trip before he gets it all stowed!

Tomorrow we will pick Kyle up at the airport. Wish us luck getting in and out of Toronto! The locals warn us that traffic is terrific.

My postings in the next few days may be more sporadic as we have family on board. Once Kyle leaves, my sister, Kathy and her husband, Dick join us. Will be hectic but fun!

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Crustacean Travels

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