Blue Belle Cruise 2011: July 30, 2011 - Portland, Ont to Noble Bay, Ont

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

July 30, 2011 - Portland, Ont to Noble Bay, Ont

"Crew" reporting in again. The "captain" (i.e., occasional photographer) has relegated this to me, largely because we have been without WiFi for two days and it takes two of us to remember where the heck we've been. Where we are going is largely unknown as well. As I write this, it is actually Aug. 1st. There is something to be said for writing this on the fly, as it happens, totally spontaneously. When you wait, as we have had to do, the reporting is somewhat colored by all the events that follow.

By the 30th, we have concluded that the National Holiday weekend combined with the two week Canadian construction holiday is driving us nuts. More than one friendly Canadian has referred to the masses we encounter as the Canadian Naval fleet. Anyone who has a boat is out on it. We are irrationally resentful that they are taking all this time off while WE are plying their beautiful waterways. Anyway, while ambling through the quaint main street of Portland, we meet one of our "lockmates" at Newboro who gives us a wealth of information about the area and points of interest between Portland and Ottawa. We are craving a day without locks and are looking simply for a quiet anchorage. He suggests Nobel Bay behind Fox Island which will take us half way between Portland and the next lock, the Narrows lock. Off we go, and we find Paradise. We are in the midst of dead stillness and magnificent beauty. We anchor in water almost 20 feet deep and can see well down beyond our feet when we go for a swim. It is the best day of the trip. I must dismiss the fact that the photographer beat me at cards tonight putting him one game ahead of me in the cruise championship. There are lots of days ahead.