Lake Nipigon 2023 - Day 5, Saturday, July 1

0600-63F/61F. Solar 80%. Heated up coffee cake, made coffee. My eagle friend exercised his wings today but soon returned to his roost.

Morning Sun On Cliff Side

My Friend The Eagle - Getting Some Early Morning Sun (1/4 Mile Away)

0800-Finished my study time and here is the verse for today: "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10)

Making breakfast. 73F/63F. Solar 77%.

0830-Finished breakfast, preparing to depart.

Gross Cap Channel - Looking NE

0845-Left the anchorage and headed around Grand Cape to check out the campsites on the southside of St. Paul Island that YouTuber "Lost Lakes" talked about.  Found both sites but did not go ashore. A large trawler was anchored near the site on North Ursel Island. That site seemed particularly appealing. It seemed to have good protection and a high overlook. The site on St. Paul looked okay, but according to Lost Lakes was trashed by past users leaving junk everywhere.  I cannot verify that. 

North Ursel Island Campsite

Campsites Checked And Observed

1015-Went 8.5 miles on Tank #2 then switched to Tank #3 underway.  This will help keep starboard weight lower and help trim the boat. 68F/63F. Water temp is 54F. Solar 82F (6.7 Miles on Tank #3)

Underway - Looking South Toward St. Paul Island

1130-Arrived at destination on Wilson Island. Leg 5 was 15.2 miles, longest so far. Uneventful, thankfully, and the way I like it.  A very pleasant passage. The extra distance was due to time and distance spent checking out the two campsite locations. The site on N. Ursel Island appeared to be nice but I'm not sure of access by my boat, despite the trawler anchored there. A closer look would be necessary.

Leg 5, Day 5 - 15.2 Miles

Leg 5 Destination - "The Moose Camp"

I'm currently tied to shore for a change but there are lots of mosquitos. Observed a piliated woodpecker right away, but was unable to get a clear shot. The site is obviously used as a moose hunting camp with moose horns tacked high up in a tree.

Obvious Signs Camp Is Used For Hunting Moose - Can You See The Woodpecker?

Pileated Woodpecker

The mosquitos were relentless and I sprayed the screen to keep them at bay a little, but it did not seem to last.

1600-I read out of Grey Owl for a while. Then went ashore to recon the area.

The Pole Cam - DJI Pocket 2

Made dinner of chicken wild rice soup, salad, hot rolls, and white wine. Will wait a bit for dessert.

1640-Tried going ashore with my shore kit to listen to music, read, and observe, but the mosquitos chased me away.

Wind Meter - Measuring Wind Trend

I returned to the boat and set up my sun shade on the chair on the aft deck which worked better.  Being off the shore and away from cover the light breeze kept the bugs at bay.

I computed the range on Tank #2 and got a record 43.3 miles on 9 gallons of gas. That's 4.8 mpg. Very good!

Female Common Goldeneye

1930-I downloaded files to my portable hard drive and while videos were downloading I went out to make drone flight but again the mosquitos were so bad I cut it short. They were swarming and I had to ignore the bites to keep from crashing.  I quickly retreated to the cover of the boat cabin.  I will depart in the morning.  This site is too buggy!

YouTube Video

(Click to Play)

You Can See Some Of The Trash Left Behind By Users - Disappointing!

2015-Very hot 77F/77F.  Too hot to sleep! I will try to read and let it cool off some more. Once the sun sets temps should drop fast with the cool water temps.