The day started out brilliantly with a clear blue sky and crisp dry air and we set out with hopes for a great cruising day as that the Georgian Bay was forecast to have low winds and waves. And it was a clear smooth ride all the way out to the remote Bustard Islands which are situated just below the French River inlet where Samuel de Champlain came through four hundred years ago to discover Lake Huron and explore the surrounding bays and inlets.

We decided that because of the forecast for east winds overnight that we would anchor in the western anchorage of the island cluster accessed by the 'Gun Barrel' accessed just past a trio of lighthouses. We later discovered that the channel here is a tremendous echo chamber - a clap of the hands sounds like the echo following the firing of a gun. Following the long channel going into the heart of the cluster of islands, only one or two of which have any cottages on them, we found our spot and dropped anchor in a very protected pool of clear water. With a bit of back and forth on the anchor line we were able to tie an additional line from the stern to a tree on a tiny island at the edge of the pool, just to prevent the boat from moving too much in what was a fairly narrow anchorage. I was praying my bowline knot would hold.

That afternoon, we could hear the spooky cries of the loons echoing in the distance until a loon family - mother, father and juvenile - decided to hang about our boat all afternoon chirping, hooting and fishing - the Canadian symbol of the remote wilderness performing just for us.

We took a dinghy ride through and around the islands in the afternoon, coming back to watch the sun setting and turning the sky a pinkish purple color.

After sunset the stars came out and because of the clear sky and absolutely no light pollution, we could enjoy the splendor of the Milky Way and shooting stars.