Yikes! Bears aboard!?

Noah · August 31, 2018, 08:35:51 AM

https://www.manitoulin.ca/hungry-black-bear-boards-four-boats-over-three-days/

Jim Hardesty · August 31, 2018, 09:35:07 AM

I was just there. Didn't see the bears.
Jim

Dave Spencer · August 31, 2018, 09:47:02 AM

Yes, there are lots of bears around here (North Channel / Northern Georgian Bay) but it is extremely rare for them to approach boats, let alone board them. It has been a very hot and dry summer here and the blueberry bushes that provide a delicious topping for my pancakes also are a major food source for the bears. The hot weather burned all of the bushes and there were no blueberries to be found this year. Following the Manitoulin Expositor's story about 4 boardings / attempted boardings, there was a fifth incident. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. We know the people on Carandie, the Alberg 30 that suffered the most damage when the bear entered the cabin and trashed it and ate whatever he could find. Although Heywood is a major, large anchorage that was effectively closed to prudent boaters for about 3 weeks of the season, there are dozens of other spectacular places to anchor nearby. Hopefully, the bear will swim ashore and find more food but it's about a 2nm swim and that seems unlikely. We are now anchored about 6nm from Heywood Island where the incidents took place enjoying the warmth and quiet of late summer in the North Channel. But, I now lift my swim ladder every night before going to bed!

Dave Spencer · August 31, 2018, 10:48:22 AM

BTW Noah, how did you hear about this or find the article in the Expositor? It's an excellent local newspaper but I didn't think its news would reach diagonally across the continent.

Noah · August 31, 2018, 11:08:50 AM

From a free email weekly pub I get called "Cruising Odyssey". Worth reading; has lots of interesting stuff.
http://cruisingodyssey.com/2018/08/28/black-bear-boards-four-boats-in-north-channel-of-lake-huron-climbs-up-swim-ladders/

Stu Jackson · August 31, 2018, 11:40:23 AM

Also here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f66/bear-boarding-boats-in-the-north-channel-206643.html

Dave Spencer · August 31, 2018, 11:41:16 AM

Ah. I get that email too. I haven't yet seen that article though.

Paulus · August 31, 2018, 12:37:03 PM

We had more than the usual sightings of bears this summer: Long Pt Cove, Fox Island Harbor and Gibson Cove(a mother and 2 cubs). Did not see any at Heywood Island. As the article pointed out it was due to the drought and the lack of blue berries in the North Channel. Sorry we missed Jim and Dave this summer.
Paul

dfloeter · August 31, 2018, 01:26:08 PM

And then there were five boardings. A friend with a 55' Chis Craft called Amara was boarded last week at Heywood before he had heard the warnings. They emptied 2 fire extinguishers to little effect. The approach of another boater in a dinghhy apparently finally scared off the bear.
We just returned yesterday from the North Channel, avoided Heywood and saw zero bears. We did though find 77-80 degree water and one fat walleye.

Dave Spencer · September 04, 2018, 05:31:40 PM

Before I left the North Channel on Sunday for home, I was in contact with the journalist (Warren Schlote) who wrote up the story about the bear boarding boats for the Manitoulin Expositor. He was tickled that his story was getting some traction on various forums and he asked me to post a message from him which follows:

*****
Hi everyone! I'm the author of the original story in the Manitoulin Expositor and I just wanted to say thank you for all the shares and discussion – it's very neat for a budding journalist such as myself to see my story get shared around. I need to give huge credit to Roy Eaton who hosts the local Little Current Cruiser's Net show. He's the one who received the reports of the bears and passed them along to our office. Couldn't have done it without him.

I noticed some talk about using a fire extinguisher. Good thought, and that's the same thought process that was used when a fifth boat was boarded a few days after the others. There's a follow-up article you should check out that includes a recollection of the effectiveness of the fire extinguisher, which is good to know in case you should ever find yourselves in a similar situation. https://www.manitoulin.ca/heywood-boat-boarding-bear-strikes-again/

Again, thanks for all the shares and discussion! Really means a lot. As Roy Eaton said at the end of his final show for this season, fair winds, safe harbours, 73.
/Warren
*****