We said farewell to Bald Indian Bay and wound our way through Bigstone Bay, slipped through the skinny curves of Eagle Passage, and eased into Moore Bay — where we promptly made our first mistake of the day.
We’d spotted what looked like a perfect anchorage near a small island with a clearing, just the right size for a Sierra shore visit. We dropped the hook, congratulated ourselves quietly, and settled in. Lake of the Woods, however, had other plans. The winds picked up — as they tend to do on afternoons out here — and what had seemed like a quiet, sheltered spot revealed itself to be neither. Bearcruzer began tugging at her anchor with some enthusiasm, and the anchorage went from peaceful to rodeo in about twenty minutes.
This was, of course, right in the middle of my ASI board of directors video call.
Simply said, I excused myself from the call, we started the engine, hauled the anchor, and moved Bearcruzer further east into Moore Bay to a snug little anchorage called Pipestone Portage. I rejoined the call approximately twenty minutes later, composed and professional, from a boat that was now perfectly still. Remote work, Lake of the Woods edition.
Pipestone Portage turned out to be the better choice in every way. The holding was solid, the protection was excellent, and the fishing — as Mike quickly discovered — was outstanding. He caught his limit on walleye. I pulled in a respectable black crappie. The winds eventually settled down as if apologizing for the earlier drama, and we sat in the cockpit watching the sun go down over the water. This far north in summer, sunset doesn’t arrive until around nine o’clock, and it takes its time getting there. We let it.
Living the Dream 