Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Thursday, August 2. Thursday's cruise included some exceptional scenery, some amazingly tight turns, and so much more. In the early part of the trip, we threaded back and forth through markers as if on a slalom course, except we were dodging granite rather than plastic. I’m happy to say that Captain Bob took the tricky turns in stride – he actually seems to enjoy the challenge. The charts show one such area, near Roger’s Island; it was named “Roger’s Gut.” We certainly understand why! Eventually we had to cross the large, open Northeast Channel on Georgian Bay. The wind had built up some hefty waves in this area, so we had a bumpy ride for quite a while, even as we were enjoying the gorgeous rocky island scenery.

That’s when things got exciting! I went below to fix lunch, opened the door to our stateroom – and saw the floorboard floating and soap bubbles at my feet. Not a good thing to see while underway! Bob immediately alerted the Loopers with the words he never wanted to say, “Second Wind is taking on water in our port hull. Please stand by.” He immediately activated more pumps and began to troubleshoot while I took the helm. Meanwhile, our dear, wonderful Looper friends rallied around. Flotilla leaders Bob and Karen Jantz led us to a quiet anchorage where we could stop, and Bob announced that the pumps were getting ahead of the water intake, a signal that we were OK for additional investigation. We then rafted up with Looper boats Our Bonus and Sun Rise, and the guys went to work to find the source of the leak. Tom Cat was standing by to do whatever was necessary, while the other Loopers listened for progress. After about 20 minutes, Bob discovered that the drain plug for the fresh water intake, which pumps water through the heat exchanger, was not sealed. To complicate matters, the bilge pump was clogged with trash left over from boat construction, so it wasn’t pumping. We had a soggy mess, but the integrity of the boat wasn’t compromised. As it turns out, the drain plug problem occurred during some routine maintenance we had done while in Penetang. We will be contacting the Maintenance Department at the marina as well as PDQ for sure! Bob estimates that we pumped out about 250 gallons of water! One side effect was that the cabin water pump was fried, so we had to do without fresh water for a day. But considering the other possibilities, that was a piece of cake. Out of this whole experience, the main thing we will remember is the fellowship and comfort we felt from our Looper buddies during a potentially dangerous incident. Woohoo and a heartfelt thanks!

Crisis resolved, we continued through the absolutely beautiful Collins Inlet. I couldn’t begin to take enough pictures to show the beauty of the bluffs, the rocks, the trees, and the water. After we were safely docked at the Sportsman’s Inn Marina in Killarney, we ate at the town’s most famous restaurant, Mr. Perch. Here delicious, fresh white fish and chips are caught by Herbert Fisheries and served from a red schoolbus. To get to Mr. Perch from the marina, we simply called the “Fairy Boat” named Tinkerbell, which came right to our dock to deliver us to and from dinner. We had ice cream for dessert. The sign (see picture) shows our other options: Ice Cream, Boat Tours, Boat Rentals, Crafts, Worms. What a memorable day!