If you are a regular traveller along the Hwy 28 path to Cottage Country, you probably tune in to Moose FM as other stations become more distant.  Moose FM is based out of Bancroft and becomes stronger as you move further north toward Bancroft.  

Anstruther Marina ads for Legend Boats can now be heard on Moose FM on weekends.

So, Kawartha Dairy wanted to get some deliveries done early, a head start before the rush of the May long weekend.  Sure we said.  For some reason, we thought they wanted the order by the end of April, meaning a delivery next week.  With our last delivery received way back last August, we couldn't remember what day of the week we were scheduled for deliveries.  We still needed to prep the freezers and plug them in but we only lost the ice a little more than a week ago so it just seemed like we had lots of time.  We called to inquire, not only was the order to be done by the end of april but the delivery as well, AND our delivery day was Fridays.  Today is Friday.  

We now have a fresh supply of Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream.  While the 1.5L tubs are available for sale now, we won't start scooped ice cream for two more weeks.  Take comfort that Kawartha Dairy did not discontinue any of 'our' regular flavors.  We had a rough start to the year when we had to break the news last year that some people's fav (roly poly) was gone.  Don't mess with a cottager's ice cream -- rule #1 in running a marina.  While they have introduced a new flavor for this season, you'll have to try it somewhere else, we will not be bringing it in.  It is probably an 'acquired' taste but not one that we will bump another flavor for.

Last night the Barge was been taken out of it's winter resting place and has been patiently at the ramp area waiting waiting for calmer waters to launch.  That was supposed to have happened this morning but contrary to most mornings when it starts out calm, we have a wind and choppiness in the water.

Woke up to massive snowflakes falling on the ground accumulating to about an inch of snow this morning.  It's all gone now.  

Today is the day that boathouse "A" has been moved out of the way to make way for it's replacement.  What a day, snow leaning on hail.  Not exactly an ideal day to do it but "A" did not survive the winter of 2016, the ramp was crushed and every support that lined the right side to hold up the roof was ripped away -- so it had to happen.

A fire permit is required in the Township of North Kawartha.  These can be conveniently picked up at the Marina office and the fire department copy can be left here.  No burning before 6pm through the summer.

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Cottage for sale but not yet listed.  Water access and has been maintained with great care, cottage has many upgrades.  Owner welcomes inquiries from anyone on the lake who has friends or family who want to get on the lake.  

We lost the ice on Anstruther on Friday and slowly began boat launches on Saturday.  

We took a tour of the lake to check on docks/issues from the ice on Sunday.  Dock care is a service we provide to cottagers who need their dock moved to a quiet bay for the winter. We toured the lake also to be sure the docks remained where they had been left.  Because of the lake rising so fast a few weeks ago while there was still ice, we knew there would likely be problems out there.  We were also searching for missing floats from our own barge dock, right now walking on the barge dock reminds me of walking in the slanted house at the CNE that leads to the room of wavy mirrors -- not sure if they still have that at the midway anymore but part of the experience can be re-lived here at Anstruther.  

Monday began great, flat water and sunny skies so dock care for the spring began Monday. Staff went out on the lake to begin returning docks to secure them their home at shore but the winds picked up as the day progressed and they had to stop.  Tuesday was just too windy.  Conditions have to be such that there is little or no wind, the lake must not be rough and it cannot be raining.  Today the lake is flat, mirroring the image of the landscape it meets at shore.  We see a square shaped object floating midway across the lake...one of our missing floats.  

Anstruther Marina is now a Legend Boat dealer and Mercury motor dealer.  

Legend makes Pontoons with great features that range from the compact versatile Splash Series to the luxury Black series.  Other styles of boat include full windshield, side console and utility boat models.

Our first delivery arrived a week ago and more are on the way.  Drop by to see one at our McFadden/hwy 28 location.  Financing available.

As everyone can now see from the webcam, the 2016 season has begun!  

We had a huge chunk of ice yesterday morning and as the day passed it quickly shrunk.  The air was still and the sun gave everyone outside a sunburn, it was a good day to be outside.  

While the phone begins to ring and the emails start with people anxious for their boat as soon as possible...it seems simple, tow the boat out of storage and slip it into the water.  Not quite so simple...there is a necessary sequence of priorities.  Here's a peek into what happens at a marina when the ice goes...

Our first task...get the marina boats launched to re-install the marina docks and assess damage.   For safety, we cannot allow boats or people in boathouses that are damaged so we then repair boathouses.  On the first 'agreeable weather' day, Cottager docks are returned to their home shore (no point in having your boat if you have no dock to tie it to), all the while, we continue launching client boats.

So yesterday afternoon, the 'work pontoon' was launched, then put it to work smashing through the ice to small pieces.  They floated for a while then sunk.  After doing this, looking to the south end from the marina there was still a very large piece of ice as far as could be seen and spanning to the other shore almost.  This worried us, if a wind were to pick up and send it toward the boathouses, it would be bad.  All was good - there was little wind and the sun was intense.  

When it was time to install the barge dock to facilitate launches, it was gone.  All winter, it had rested at shore's edge near the canoes and was kept in place by the ice.  With the ice gone from in front of the marina, the barge dock had drifted down to meet the now shrinking ice in the South end so we had to push it back with the work pontoon.  

Like the boathouses, it did not escape damage, it is missing a few floats, well, more than a few leaving it tipping to the water on the right side but that dock is the least of our concerns.  None of the boathouses were usable as of this morning.  Every ramp was either crushed or severely damaged.  We are grateful to our carpenters who have been working overtime to try to get at least one boathouse functional.  "A" and "F" are in the worst condition, "A" has had all supports along one side ripped down, these supports had previously held up the roof on the right side.  And "F", well, it has a corner of it's roof dangling in the water and is a mess at the ramp.

So every day of every spring until ice is gone, we wonder "will we be crushed by the ice?".  We are very relieved that the marina has survived the Ice of 2016, though took a big hit from the "Log Master" and the "Rain Gods" who collectively increased our water level at our most vulnerable time, when our boathouses were still encased in ice.  

We are hopeful that the first day is a good sign for the summer.  The first day of the new season was spectacular.  The sun was out, the air was still, the lake was like a mirror.  We welcome cottagers back, it has been a very quiet winter and will be great to see everyone once again.