Thursday, July 13, 2023 Little Current

It was a totally quiet evening with no rain. I got up early to post the blog and get ready to travel to Little Current. Winds were very light. It was a delightful trip of 7.8 miles which took 1 hour and 13 minutes at 6.4 knots. The captain pulled anchor himself so the crew could continue to snuggle under blankies. 

To get into Little Current you must pass under or through the Little Current Swing Bridge. This year is its 120th anniversary. I have gone under it the last 3 years, but always hold my breath when I do. This year I arrived just prior to 8:30, so I thought rather than give myself additional stress, I would wait until it opened. Plus, there was only 1 sailboat waiting so I figured we would not have a race to the gas dock once it opened. Well, the bridge tender informed me that it only opened on the hour and that, unofficially, there was 15' of clearance. Damn. So, wait 1/2 hour or go under? I choose to hold my breath and go under.  (I think the clearance is near 17' and the dock boy agreed) We made it. Annie's height is 13'8". I pulled right to Wally's for fuel and a pumpout. Wally was there in his straw hat and green shirt as he has been ever since I have been coming up here. Our record string (for us) of anchoring nights ended at 9 once we docked at Little Current. 

The first task was to defrost the refrigerator for the first time this year. We're pretty quick at it and soon we were enjoying a beer and Pepsi on the rear deck. The grocery was the next task. Last year we found a stairway that cuts our trip to the store in half. Tomorrow is haircut and laundry day. Plus the Anchor Inn has a Friday afternoon cocktail party for cruisers with free appetizers - cruisers love that!

Peter and I made a trip to the hardware store on our bikes. I bought a couple of metal washers to try and adjust my grill. It spins onto its stand and now tightens at an angle that makes it difficult for me to cook on. I hope a shim can make it tighten in a more convenient location. Peter stopped at a Napa Store and bought a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of his batteries. 

When I was unlocking my bike a lady came up and told me to be sure I kept everything locked when a fellow sitting on a nearby park bench was around. I had heard earlier that a boater had their bikes stolen here. So, I used three locks and a huge light pole to ensure that they will be here tomorrow morning. (And they were.)

We went to Voyager to help celebrate the Orro's 38th anniversary. Marianna had a lovely dinner with Peter's favorite entre, a Curry Pot dish. She had a delicious cucumber salad and naan also. Kerry baked a red velvet cake for the occasion. Here's the happy couple. It was a lovely evening. Celebrating their anniversary is now a favorite mid-cruise tradition. 

I think Little Current should really be called Big Current. There is a narrow strip of water between the mainland and Manitoulin Island on which Little Current is located. Current can flow through here at around 5 knots when the bodies of water on each side are trying to synch their water levels. Depending on where you are docked, it can be really dangerous to try to dock or undock when it is flowing. Last year we were stuck here for two additional days before iI felt we could safely leave. It is a really pretty little town though, with a nice grocery, expensive laundry and good shopping. 

One last update from John Robertson. He made it back to Vermilion but apparently just in time. He said his freshwater pump failed, the generator stopped working and the companionway door broke as they were leaving. Jimbo, he is thinking of moving to a rowboat and oars. Show him yours!