July 15 – 17, 2023

We leave Kagawong to anchor at Croker Island. We find a nice spot – or so we think.

As evening approaches Captain Pat is not feeling good about the wind situation. We pull up anchor and move to a more protected cove. The spot we have selected is by three other motorboats tied up together and a sailboat.

Get By with A Little Help from Our Friends

The three motorboat owners are nervous – they think we are running over their anchors. Then the sailboat owner gets in on the party and says we are too close to his anchor.

One of the boat owners gets in his dinghy, comes over to our boat, and steers Captain Pat in the right direction to anchor, beside his boat but not over his line. He has Captain back in, toward the island. He even takes our stern anchor onto his dinghy and secures it to a tree on the island behind. What a nice guy!

Captain Pat tells him that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us. He replies “Of course! That is what boaters are supposed to do.”

You will remember we posted last year that when you enter an anchorage with boats already present, you are to follow their anchoring style. If they have both a stern and bow anchor out, you are to follow the same. If you put out a single bow anchor your boat will “swing” and eventually one of you will have to move.

The next morning our boating helper comes over to introduce himself. His name is Dave, his wife Laurie. He is from the town of Spanish and boats the North Channel frequently. He brings his iPad over and sits with Captain Pat, explaining the best spots to stop in the Channel.

Dave gives us island and dockage recommendations. As a result, we change our route and decide to head to Sault Ste. Marie. This was our original plan. Thank you, Dave!

Looper Friends

In the afternoon a couple comes to our boat on their dinghy – Shelley and Luke. They spot our Looper flag and tell us they finished the Loop a couple of years ago, with two children and two dogs. Their boat is “Oh Henry” and they too are from Spanish. Turns out their two children are currently in Ft. Pierce, Florida, visiting Looper friends.

Sandy Cranes and Blue Herons

The couple on a sailboat also dinghy over to our boat to chat. Boaters are so friendly. They live nearby and offer more tips on cruising the North Channel. They also tell to look out for sandhill cranes and blue herons who visit the island early morning and at dusk to feed on fish.

Sandhill cranes are tall – three to six feet – leggy birds with a wingspan that stretches to six feet. They have a distinctive red crown, a bluish or brownish gray body tinged with sandy yellow, and a long, harsh penetrating call.

A ten million year old sandhill crane fossil was found in Nebraska. This discovery makes them the oldest known surviving bird species! 

We saw some sandy cranes flying. They fly with their head straight out, making them resemble prehistoric pterodactyls.

The great blue heron is the largest heron native to North America. It has a head-to-tail length of three to six feet, a wingspan of six feet, a height of four to six feet, and a weight of four to eight pounds. They have slaty (gray with a slight azure blue) flight feathers and red-brown thighs.

Great blue herons are waders, typically seen along coastlines, in marshes, or near the shores of ponds or streams. They are expert fishers. and a paired red-brown

Sure enough – around 5 p.m. we spot a blue heron on the rock island in back of our boat. Through our binoculars we see he looks a little beat up. We are thinking poor guy has been around for a while.

He waits patiently on that rock for his dinner. Finally, he dips into the water and comes up with a fish. He swallows the fish whole, with one gulp, followed by a drink of water.

And we complain in a restaurant if our service isn’t quick enough.

Hiking the Island

We have a difficult time with cell service as the island is a natural barrier to reception. We decide to take the dinghy and hike up the mountain with our phones. We heard there is better reception there. It’s a little tricky as the rocks are wet and slick. We make it and discover our cell phones work. We check texts and catch up on emails.

Wildlife, blueberries and foliage are abundant. Walking the island, we discover some caves and see a little bunny.

The mountain top provides an excellent vantage to take photos.

Walking the Beach

One morning we take the dinghy over to the beach. We find some pink quartz rocks to take home as souvenirs. Croker Island is known for its red, pink and white quartz rock. We do some exploring and find an outhouse and paw prints from a bear. Wish we had seen the bear!

Sailboat Serenade

One evening we had a pleasant surprise. We hear music from a nearby sailboat. Turns out two guys are playing their guitars with a woman on vocals. They are quite good and sing such tunes as Bob Dillon’s  “Blowing in the Wind” and Crosby Stills Nash’s “Teach Your Children Well.”  Reminds me of a Peter, Paul and Mary hootenanny.

One Day at a Time

The evening before we depart the Captain is worrying about how he will get to the island to retrieve that anchor from the tree. Morning comes, and he asks the boater next to us if he or his teenage son can help us out. He says he will gladly do it for us.

He hops in his dinghy and expertly gets the anchor and brings it to our boat. Once again we get by with a little help from our friends! This is also a reminder to take it “one day at a time.” Things will always work out – just have a little faith.

Here are more photos from our time on Croker Island: