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Day 9: August 18, 2017

It rained quite hard last night but in our well protected cove, we didn’t experience the strong winds that the forecasters were predicting.  We enjoyed a nice sausage gravy on toast breakfast then messed around the boat until around 9:00.

The golf club house where we checked in and anchored

With Janine at the tiller and with the motor idling I pulled the boat forward up over the anchor but had a tough time breaking it loose.  When it finally pulled free, it had so much seaweed and mud that I couldn’t lift it out of the water.  While Janine slowly motored forward, I used the boat hook to pull the mess free.  It probably took me 10 minutes to get it clean enough to pull on board.

We headed for the Canadian village of Rockport where we filled one of our two tanks that had run out yesterday.  I asked if I could dump 3 small bags of trash into their dumpster and the young lady stated that their fee for that service is $4.00 per bag.  I went back into the boat, got a big garbage bag and consolidated our three bags into one and made my presentation.

The dock at Batterman's Point

The Limberlost caretaker's cottage

The trip from Grenadier Island to Rockport was only about 1 ½ miles and the distance to our next stop was about the same.  We were traveling along the Canadian Middle Channel and specifically the Raft Narrows of that route.  We were heading for Batterman’s Point located on the east end of Hill Island.  A considerable portion of Hill Island is a Canadian National Park and there is a dock for about 3 boats at the Point.  The park maintains a gazebo, caretaker’s cottage and beautiful stonework that lines the shore of a small island. These structures are all that are left of a summer estate, the “Limberlost,” (built in 1921) which once stood here. The caretaker’s cottage is now used by the Canadian Coast Guard rescue patrol. 

When we arrived at the Point, we found that the dock had been closed due to damage from the high water. We dropped the anchor, climbed into Damn Dink II and found a place to tie up behind the dock that allowed us to get onto the island.  Since the dock was closed, the picnic area had not been maintained this year but the path leading to the gazebo and cottage had been mowed.  The guide book to

Road to the skydeck

ld of a road leading from the cottage to an observation tower about 2.5 kilometers through national park property and which passes a few nice cottages. We felt up to the challenge and headed out.  The book told of wild life that we could see; we did see a small garter snake and a mini toad.

Interesting rockwork around the little island

The Skydeck at the end of the road was 400 feet high and took 40 seconds to ascend via an elevator.  As advertised, the view was magnificent. The day was very clear and visibility was over 20 miles.  This is truly a beautiful area.  This Skydeck and the associated gift shop is a typical tourist trap but their ice cream was good even though they gouged us at the money exchange. I needed to convert some American money to Canadian so I exchanged $100.00.  The exchange rate is about 1.30:1 but they exchanged our money at a 1.20:1 giving themselves a hefty $10.00 Canadian profit on that exchange. 

Back at the boat, we lounged, napped and read during the remainder of the afternoon.  We prepared spaghetti and meat

The evening ride in Damn Dink II

sauce for dinner.  As the sun was approaching the horizon, we climbed into Damn Dink II and meandered around several of the islands near where we were anchored.  It was a pleasant way to end a nice calm day.