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Day 62-63. 2nd year. July 22 Lay day in the Bustard Islands and on to French river Eastern outlet. MIles 7 Total miles. 3585

Got up to another beautiful morning at our anchorage in the Bustard Islands.  We tackled a few chores  and Bill took the drone up.  Here are the shots.






 Then we launched the dinghy to explore more of the islands.  We found plenty of rocks and even found some more blueberries!




                                  Our blueberry stash




We got stopped by the Ontario Marine Police to do a safety check while we were exploring.  Luckily we passed inspection.  We thanked them for their service as policing is a thankless job.   I think we made their day!

Upon our return to the boat, we helped a fellow boater install a depth sounder on his dinghy. We used our dinghy hoist to lift his dinghy.  The procedure was a success!  Tim and Gina thanked us by sharing drinks on their 1961 Richardson - an aluminum cabin cruiser.

After a full day we returned to our boat for dinner and enjoyed another beautiful sunset.  And later on the stars were spectacular.  
                                                

                                    

Here are two links to videos on YouTube which Bill took at the Bustard Islands anchorage.  Just click on the links below.

Drone video of Bustard Island     https://youtu.be/xAs2RdKfTYM
Bustard Island fly over       https://youtu.be/8SHMb0NYiqU



Day 63.  July 23. On to French river Eastern Outlet

On to our next adventure on this gorgeous morning.
We headed back down the east channel of the Bustard Islands 



and then turn north into the Northwest Passage to cruise past the Bustard Island group.


Yes, Canada has gulls and cormorants on their waters.

We then turned east into the rocky channel that leads us to the French River.  This is where Samuel de Champlain, having traveled the St Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, entered the French River, which lead him to Georgian Bay and Lake Huron in the early 1600's.  He sure got around!




Traveling up the channel to French River we wound around lots of rocks, taking it slowly as there were a lot of sharp turns.  Was admired the rock formation that the glaciers carved out so many years ago. 

Bill and I have taken to naming the rock formations as we pass by.  We've seen whales, hippos, walrus and seals, alligators, lizards, turtles and even some dragons.

Also came upon a mother Loon and her two babies on our way up the channel.  She herded her young away from our wake and continued on her way.  Yesterday we also saw a loon family in the anchorage.  The mother would call for dad to come help protect her young.  For awhile, the anchorage was busy with dinghies so we heard a lot of loon calls.


As we got closer to our anchorage the channel got narrower and more winding before we turned into a bay at the Eastern Outlet of the French River where we anchored for the night.  This area is provincial park and thus is wild and natural.



Here are some drone shots of the anchorage.





After Lunch we launched the dinghy to explore Parting Channel, which is too narrow for our boat to go through due to the 90 degree turn around a rock in the middle of the channel.  The dinghy had no trouble getting through.




This is Bill directing traffic thru Parting Channel.

We also explored the French River Eastern Outlet. We took the dinghy about 1 mile up the river.  Was fascinating to see the rocks and how the weather and water can cause the rocks to smooth or crumble and crack.  Here the elevation of the granite rocks is much higher than further south in Georgian Bay.





And of course, climbed the rocks, which are a bit higher in this area.  We also found that the blueberry picking was pretty good.

We were amazed at how this the water swirled the boulder and carved out a bowl in the rocks
.
This next shot is the view from the top of the rock formation.



Added a few more birds to our new bird list as we moved further north - Broad Winged Hawk, Common Yellow Throat, and the White Throated Sparrow.



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