6/16/17: On our way from Little Current to Killarney, we decided to anchor for a night a a bay called Covered Portage Cove. It was a beautiful anchorage, but we had one of our most difficult times anchoring since owning Shanti.
The trip from Little Current was short – only about 17 miles. We left in a little bit of fog, and passed a few fishing boats along the way. Winds were calm – not enough to sail (again), so we motored all the way to the cove. We picked this cove because it was only 3 miles from Killarney, and rain and thundestorms were predicted the next morning.
The cove was beautiful, with high cliffs on one side, and smaller rock formations on the other. The cliffs had to be 300-400 feet high! Further into the cove, there were 3 smaller pools, with cliffs surrounding all of it. There were 3 other boats in the “inner” pools, so we decided to anchor in the outer bay.
Our primary anchor has been a 45 lb. SPADE. Without getting into the endless debate about the best anchor out there, we will simply say that the SPADE has never let us down, in calm conditions, and in our “storm from hell”. We do carry two others, just in case (a 45 lb. Delta, and a 22 lb. Fortress). We dropped the SPADE and backed down on it. It dragged and wouldn’t set. We pulled it up, and found thick, but loose, clay hanging from it. Not thick enough to grab our anchor. We moved to a different spot and tried again. Same result – we dragged. Time for plan “C” (plan “B” being to try a new location). We dropped our Fortress, which we keep tied to the rail, but ready to drop from our second bow roller. We backed on it, and it dragged about 25 feet before grabbing. But it held, and we were happy! However, the next morning, it took about 15 minutes to pull the anchor up, as it was lodged who knows how deep in this sticky, goopy, clay/mud bottom.
As hard it was to get an anchor to set, it was a stunning location. We had a chance to talk to the other boaters anchored there, had a nice meal of Manwich on hot dog buns (with chips!), and had a restful sleep. We woke up early, motored the 1/2 hour to Killarney, and right on cue with what we thought, it rained about an hour later.
Pics of Covered Portage Cove
