We have been sitting in Gore Bay since July 26. We needed a pair of batteries for the boat and a new swivel for the anchor. Both were ordered on Friday and both didn't arrive from Sudbury.
When we learned that the order wasn't coming Friday night, we were told that there was nothing we could do until Monday as nothing moves to the island over the weekend.
"Well you'll be here for Bore Bay Harbour Days then and the fish fry on Saturday is the best on the island," said Ken at the Canadian Yacht Charters store where we ordered the swivel as if sitting in the marina for three more days was the best thing that could happen to us.
And it was.
Gore Bay has 600 full-time residents but there were a couple of thousand people on the water celebrating Harbour Days and it was fun including a water ski show that was great no matter where you were at.
The Gore Bay Rotary Club only has 10 members, so Rotarians from across Ontario come to work the festival that the Rotary sponsors.
The race across the North Channel is a series of races the last leg is from Gore Bay to Little Current. We had the chance to talk to the racers the night before the last leg and they were the most relaxed group of racers we had ever seen.
Decided to walk to Janet Head Lighthouse on the point of Gore Bay. Heard it was a kilometer or two. Turned out to be three K in each direction but worth the walk.
CINDY'S BIRTHDAY
Cindy celebrated another trip around the sun on July 27.
Roy Eaton on the Cruisers Net read her a birthday wish on the air from Cindy's friend Elizabeth R. so there were lots of birthday greetings from across the North Channel.
She wanted to go to dinner and the theater to celebrate and we were in luck as the Gore Bay Theater was presenting "Love Letters" and there were still tickets available.
Cindy wanted to go to "Rocky Raccoon's", the local Nepalese Restaurant but I failed to get reservations so we wondered over to another restaurant on the bay that had live music and great pizza.
Going to the theater in a small community is at best an unknown quantity but in this case the production was top notch. The town brings in professional director to direct the summer productions and uses local talent.
Love Letters is the tale of two people who grow up together and write letters to each other over the course of 50 years.
The two actors sit on stage in a minimal set and read the letters which they started writing when their were in second grade.
Long-time Gore Bay residents Betsy and Jack Clark starred and the couple's chemistry was wonderful. Having been married more than 40 years made it seem like they had wrote the dialog themselves.
Jack, a town councilman, has been in several local productions but it was the first for the 65-year-old Betsy.
The sold-out playhouse gave the the two a well deserved rousing applause at the conclusion.
I saw Betsy the next morning serving breakfast at the Rotary breakfast for the festival and suggested that the world would forgive a star like her if she slept in but she just smiled and said "No somebody has to serve.
Our friends Becky and Paul Middlebrook came in on Saturday and we were able to go to the Nepalese restaurant and the food was wonderful as was the company. They know the chef from another time and place and he came out to make sure that his friends and their friends enjoyed the meal.