To Canada and beyond!

 June 22, 2025

Welcome back.  We’ve missed all our followers over the winter break.  Hope y’all had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying our beautiful spring and beginning of summer.

    Bob and I left from New Bern on June 4th.  He had spoken to the marina in Penetanguishene, ON and arranged for our boat to be launched on June 7th….at least that’s what he thought he had done.  We had grandkids at the house till June 3 and then we packed the truck and left out early on the 4th.  Mid trip, Bob called to find out what time we should expect to be splashed.  Tracy at the office said we’d go in Monday afternoon.   Wait a second, we were scheduled for Saturday.  Bob was upset, Tracy said she’d try to get us in on Friday but it would not be on Saturday.  Lots of angst in our truck.  We hadn’t planned on sleeping at hotels till Monday, we could have stayed home another 2 days and not been so rushed.  Tracy called back and said she had arranged a splash for Friday afternoon.  Now we needed to be in Penetanguishene by Friday.

     We stopped at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in Victor, NY the first night.  They’re more than halfway to the boat and we haven’t seen them in a while.  We had a nice visit then left early the following morning for Penetanguishene.   We got across the border with no problems but this year we carried no food.  We planned to provision in Canada and give their economy a boost.

     We went out to the marina when we arrived so we could see Carolina out of the water and check her hull and props.  She sure looks big when she’s out of the water.  We were splashed around 3 that afternoon.  She started right up but we weren’t seeing any water from Arthur(starboardside engine).  We limped to our slip on Hercule and tied up.  First problem of the season.  

Carolina in the lift

At our dock at Hindson Marina, Penetanguishene, ON

       The next day Bob dug into the engine and on the starboard side this takes gymnastic skills and open up Arthur to find almost all his impeller fins gone!   This was a job for a professional so we made our first walk to the mechanics shed.  The head mechanic -Mark- said he’d come by and take a look.   We had a spare impeller so it was just a matter of finding the missing fins and putting in the new one.   Mark made it all look so easy.  Done and done in no time.  We ordered two more impellers and Bob replaced Hercules the following day.  

     We had also had new dodger “glass” put in and we needed Mark(a different Mark) to come and place the grommets for our tie backs.  We planned to leave and go back into Georgian Bay for a shake down cruise.  We went to town and provisioned, visited a number of stores looking for a battery for our clock and purchased a new cable for the dinghy lift.

     Then here was the new anchor.  We had to take our old undersized anchor off the bow and put our new 105 lb. mantus on our windlass.  We managed to slowly lower the old anchor, remove it and put the shank of the Mantus on, then a fix the fluke.  Best part was the windlass pulled it up into place without a hitch.  It might be because Bob had rebuild the windlass just the day before!🤣   Now we were ready to head into Georgian Bay for some R&R.

                   New Mantus anchor for Carolina

Mantus on board

    Our first stop was Longuissa Bay.  It was a beautiful spot with no other boats until later in the day.  Unfortunately one of the boats that came it felt that 50 yards away was far enough away.  We had put 150 ft. of chain and feared he had dropped his anchor on our new baby.  He refused to move a bit further away so we spent a less then restful night with winds gustin into the 20’s and switching direction.  Luckily for us , he left early the next day .  We stayed one more day here enjoying the loons and eagles then upped anchor and headed to Wreck Island.

Longuissa Bay anchorage

Longuissa Bay

      Wreck Island had a few houses on it and the obligatory wreck.  The PS Waubuno sank just around the bend from out anchorage.  We took the dinghy over to have a look and she was clearly visible through the water. We couldn’t find the paddle wheel but much of the structure that it held was visible.

Wreck Island anchorage

Carolina at anchor

Out for a dinghy ride and to see the wreck

      We also had a resident beaver that swam past occasionally, deer, and loons.  We again stayed here for two days enjoying the solitude and occasionally talking to fishermen who wandered by. It was now time to head back to Penetanguishene and pick up Bob’s brother, Dale, and his wife at the Toronto airport.

     Hindson welcomed us back, we made lists of things we forgot to buy and Bob hopped in the truck to go fetch our guests.  I stayed on board to get dinner ready since they had been traveling all day and would most likely want to eat.

       The next day we left fairly early and headed to our first lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway(TSW).   This would be lock #45 Port Severn.  We, of course, will be doing the TSW in reverse.🤣  This lock was built in 1885 and is 84ft. long.  This is the smallest lock and was specifically built to 84ft.  Because that was the longest vessel that could navigate the TSW. The lift is 12ft.up when traveling from west to east on the TSW.  The lock hands were very friendly and had good information to share.

Working our way to the first lock

       The next lock is not really a lock- it’s a marine railway called the Big Chute.  The locks don’t have radios and most of them don’t answer their telephones so you have to signal a desire to be locked up with your horn.  The Big Chute has a traffic light that lets you know when you should enter.  We waited and watched while a pair of kyakers paddled their way out of the chute.  Now it was our turn.  They have lowered to lifting straps into the water above the “train car”.  We drive in slowly and take direction from the operator…a little more forward, hand us a bow line, etc.    Once we are located in the correct area, they lift us up out of the water then begin moving us up and over the hill.  The Big Chute lifts you 58ft over the highway and down to the water on the other side.  This is the only marine railway of its kind in North America.  It was an exciting and at times bumpy ride.  

Lock44 The Big Chute

Entering the chute

Up in the marine train slings

    The next lock is a real lock with a lift of 47ft.  It’s the highest of the TSW.  It is very secluded and there are no facilities nearby.  It was constructed between 1914 and 1920.  Lock construction had to be suspended because of war time shortages. They put in marine railway for a time but eventually finished this lock in 1965.    We decided to stay the night here on Swift Rapids(#43) wall. This is where we first encountered Gadabout, a Mainship 41 with Iain and Jane on board.  They’ll reappear later in this blog.

    The next lock would be Lock #42 Couchiching. This takes us into Lake Couchiching then onto Orillia. We decided to take a dock here and spent the night.  Thr Port of Orillia has a brand new marina and is right downtown.   We walked up to a local restaurant, The Hog & Penny, and had wonderful pub food and local draft beers.  It rained that night and was quite windy.  We were glad to be at a dock.  We first ran into the Kawartha Voyager here.  We’d seen them at the Big Chute  but hadn’t given them much attention. 

The Port of Orillia marina has 220 slips- I think maybe 10 were being used.

Swan at Port of Orillia

    We traveled into Lake Simcoe the next morning and crossed to Lock#41 Gamebridge.  This lock is the entrance to Talbot River.   This is a manual lock.  The lockmaster and his keepers manually crank the gates open and close.  It raises you 11 ft.This lock was constructed between 1900 and 1907.   We moved on from here to Lock #40 -Thorah.  It raises us up another 14 ft. It was built around the same time as the Gamebridge.  It took us from Lake Simcoe to Lake Balsam.  We then enter the Talbot Canal and looked forward to the Portage, Talbot, and Bolsover locks ahead.  Our last lock of the day was Kirkfield #36 at the end of Canal Lake.

    The Kirkfield lock is a lift lock.  One of two on the TSW.  This lock lifts us up 49ft.  We basically drive into a big bathtub opposite another equally big bathtub and they raise us and lower the other at the same time.

Bob and Dale at Kirkfield Lift Lock

Tubs at the Kirkfield Lift Lock

Sitting in the tub going up

     The Kawartha Voyager you say.  This is a mini-cruise ship that carries 45 passengers up and down the TSW.  We had been playing cat and mouse with her all day.  We had spoken with the captain, Mark, in the lock and he came out to greet us when we landed.  John gave us some great information about the water ahead and we told him about bumping a number of times.   Shortly after we spoke with John, Mark, his co-captain, came to visit.  He was interested in where we had bumped and then proceeded to get his underwater camera for us to look at our props and shafts.   It was a really cool setup and we could see everything including fish and lots and lots of weed hanging from our struts.  We also had a chance to talk with many of the guests on the Kawartha.  They all gave glowing reviews of food and accommodations.  It’s sounds like it might be a fun excursion.  There are three different versions of the cruise.  If your interested, write me and I’ll get you more information.  It turns out that Marks family owns the Kawartha and he is one stellar guy.

Stock photo of the KV

    

   This cruise ship is 120 feet long.  The front patio area folds up to accommodate its passage through the smaller locks and its bridge retracts for the low bridges!

     The following day, as suggested by John and Mark, we followed after them by about an hour.  So after breakfast, we dropped our lines and headed for our first lock of the day - lock #35 Rosedale.  This is across Mitchell Lake and Balsam Lake.  This lock links Balsam and Cameron Lakes. It raises you 4 ft.  The lock was built between 1869 and 1873.  

     We continued on to Fenelon Falls and lock #34.  This was originally a flight lock but in 1964 they constructed a concrete lock. We managed to get a spot on the wall with power - the heat wave was due to arrive and we wanted some where with power for air conditioning.  We got our bikes out here and rode about 10miles on the rail trail that went through town.  The next day we rode about 17 miles in the opposite direction.  It felt great to stretch our legs.  Fenelon Falls was a nice town and we enjoyed our time there.  The population of town is 1600 in the off season but during the summer all the cottages along the lake are rented and the population surges. 

Fenelon Falls with Carolina in the background

The actual falls

      Our next stop would be in Bobcaygeon at lock #33.  This was the first lock constructed on the waterway . Originally built in 1832-33 it was rebuilt in the 1850s and then again in 1920.  This lock has a swing bridge that opens as you transit the lock.  The town is beset with Bigley stores of every variety…Bigley Shoes and Clothing, Bigley Mercantile, Bigley Sweets.  Obviously the Bigley family is very big in town.  This is where we’re would part ways with Dale and Jeanne.  Their ride was due to pick them up on Wednesday.  We spoke with the lockmaster and got permission to stay one extra night to facilitate their pickup.  We spent lots of money on restaurant food and ice cream plus groceries and t-shirts in Bobcaygeon.  By the way, Bobcaygeon is a anglicized version of a First Nation (Ojibwa) word that means “at the rocky narrows where the water rushes through”.   We made friends with Scotty McKee in Bobcaygeon and he told us about some great anchorages up ahead.  Scotty travels with Pippin his black and white cat.  Pippin went swimming our last night here- unbeknownst to any of us.  He just appeared the next morning soaking wet and less than happy.  He’s sticking close to the boat now.

Bigley Bear in Bobcaygeon

        We set out on Thursday, June 26th for Stony Lake we thought.  Bob and I walked into Bobcaygeon and bought a few things we were short on then dropped our lines.  We found that we had to travel at very slow speeds because of shallow water and numerous dead heads.  We didn’t make it to Buckhorn Lock till about 3pm.  We were both a bit exhausted from constant watch for low water.  As we rounded the bend into Buckhorn a familiar voice greeted us with “Hey Carolina, you want the middle or up front?”.  It was Gadabout waiting to help us in.  How pleasant it is to have someone acknowledge you and then offer help. We docked behind Gadabout and then helped setup the fire pit and chairs. They were carrying wood(locals know where the fire pits are) and immediately gathered us into their group.  It was a fun night with tours of everyone’s boats and stories and tall tales told by the fire.  Later Sandra and Walter, other friends from Bobcaygeon, came by to say hi.  We’ve reached the point where we are all traveling together, like it or not.  Luckily we have wonderful people to travel with.

   I’m sure you’re tired of reading this by now, so I’ll sign off and begin again when we move from Buckhorn.   Who ever said it takes a week to do the TSW was rushing.  We’re having a great time,taking our time and making new friends.

Our Season is Finished😥

Baie Fin

Sunset in Baie Fin

 September 15, 2024

      We had perfect weather for heading into Little Current.  The town marina is just beyond the narrows and just before the swing bridge. I imagine if you hit it wrong and have a big wind driven current, it could be disasterous.  In fact, we watched an acquaintance from a previous marina brand his sailboat in later that evening.  It was not pretty.  He took a couple of passes and finally got close enough to throw lines to shore and get tied up.

       We took our bikes down and did a reconnaissance of the town.  There was a grocery store nearby and a brewery.  We opted for the brewery.  It had nice outdoor seating and an Indian Food cart.  We ordered almost one of everything and beers.  We were pleasantly surprised.  The food was excellent - I wish I could go back for more!   The beer was good too.  We sat with a couple from Sudbury who were planning a trip to San Francisco to see the last series played there by the Oakland A’s.  We enjoyed taking to them and hearing about their planned adventure.   When they departed the owners of the only taxi cab service on  Manitoulin Island sat down with us.  They were local and had many stories to tell us about their taxi service.  After a beer or two too many we rode our bikes back to the boat.   

Delicious Indian food

Little Current Marina 

       The next day we woke to the dreaded CRUISE SHIP in port.   They were docked just to the west of us and were off loading passengers as we ate our breakfast.   They were being lightered in from around the corner in the North Channel.  It was cold and windy and surprisingly few passengers disembarked.  We made our way to the grocery store and bought some fresh produce and beer.  We later walked down to the one lane swing bridge - the only road access to the largest fresh water island in the world.  A little surreal. The bridge takes you to Goat Island, which has no goats.  On our way back we ran into a local working in his garden.  He stopped long enough to tell us about his solar panels and electric cars.  We enjoyed our chat.   

Stone Gazebo

Little Current Swing Bridge

Swing Bridge up close

       After dinner we walked up to the stone gazebo in the waterfront park.  There was a band setting up and we thought we’d stay and listen for a bit.   We were so glad we did.  It was their last performance for the season and they were quite good.  There were 5 gentlemen our age sitting in folding chairs and two teens standing behind.  They also called people from the audience to join them- both women quite accomplished in their area.  One sang mostly old country songs and the other play the harmonica.  They were an absolute treat.  We are so lucky .  We find these wonderful gatherings and get to talk with locals and enjoy the local atmosphere.  This is why we cruise.  We’re not foodies and we don’t eat out often but we sure enjoy chatting with other travelers and locals.

Local entertainment 

      The wind finally lay down and we dropped our lines and left for Baie Fin.  We were told it was like cruising in a fjord with steep rock walls and beautiful scenery.  We could barely wait.  The entrance to Baie Fin is well camouflaged and once in you realize that your depth finder will be your best friend.  We traveled up to the anchorage before the pool.  With the wind blowing straight dow the bay, we needed a protected spot for at least a day.  We looked at the recommended anchorages but they were exposed.  We found a sweet little cove and set a stern anchor and tied a bow line to a tree on the shore.   Later that day three looper boats came in and anchored on top of the anchor symbols on Aquamaps.  They had a rough evening and left early the next morning.

     We decided we’d take a ride up to the pool and hike up to Topaz Lake.  Katie and Dean said it was a must see.   When we got to the dock, other cruisers were just tying up.  We spoke and they took off.  We should have followed them.  There were trail markers but at one point other makers appeared and no indication was given as to which went to Topaz Lake.  We chose wrong.  We hiked a good 2-3 miles up a creek bed on rocks and finally decided that we had chosen the wrong trail.   Going back down was easier.  We intercepted the other cruisers and they pointed us in the right direction.  It was a 15 minute hike as opposed to our death march up and down the creek bed. 

      The lake was beautiful with high bluffs surrounding it.  We sat for a bit with our feet in the water cooling off till Abby arrived.   Abby was a sweet mutt who came barreling up behind me panting in my ear.  Scared the bejeezus out of me - thought she was a bear.   Her people arrived shortly there after and introduced us properly.  

      The walk back to the dinghy was half as long and we were glad to get back to our dinghy.   As with all dinghy excursions, they start on a flat calm water but the return is always rough.   The wind had come up and there was a good chop on the bay.   We made our way slowly the 1/2 mile back to Carolina.  We were both tired and hungry when we finally got back.

     The next morning we planned on leaving fairly early for Killarney.  We had a bow and stern anchor to retrieve and a bow line to untie.  Bob pulled himself in the dinghy along the bow line to shore and untied us.  We wear our headsets so we can communicate with each other.  It became very apparent the first time we tried this that communication was essential.   Next I let out more chain on the bow anchor so Bob could pull in the stern anchor.   This turned out to be a long and painful operation.  We eventually had to pull up the bow anchor and backdown over the stern anchor to break it free.  We were well and stuck to the bottom.  Once we had both anchors up, we proceeded through the fjord-like gap and around to the Killarney Channel.

      We had booked into the Killarney Mountain Lodge for two nights with the option to stay longer.  We knew it was expensive and we hoping it was worth the money.  We were pleasantly surprised.  The resort was lovely.   It would make a fantastic place to take your family for a week.  Swimming pool, sauna, restaurants, bars, game room and more.  Our only complaint would be the walk to the bathrooms was about 1/4mile.  Needless to say, we just walked up for showers - which were spotless and well appointed.

     There’s not much in town to entertain and we were at the end of the season so many things were closed.   We did visit Herbert’s Fishery for lunch one day and we shopped at the general store.  We borrowed resort bikes to ride out to the lighthouse.   We had tried to hike out there but once again the trail signs were ambiguous and not marked.  We had walked for a couple of miles and finally gave up rather than get lost.  It was easy to find on the bikes and only about 3 miles.

    While we were visiting the lodge,there was a fly-in of  Lake Amphibians.   There were 8 Lakers pulled up on shore just beyond the marina.  We watched them land behind  our boat then take off 3 days later.  It’s quite exciting to see.  Bob, of course, talk to every pilot he could button hole.  We also met a lovely couple from Illinois.  Wil and Vera were touring through Canada enjoying the beautiful weather.  We had much in common and wish we had more time to talk with them but we had a weather wind and would be leaving at sunrise the next day.

     We ended up staying at Killarney for 4 nights due to wind.  We left early the morning of the 9th heading for The Bruce Peninsula and the Cape Crocker anchorage.  The winds have been a real issue all summer.  Finding an appropriate anchorage meant exploring new possibilities and not just anchoring on top of the anchor emblem on Aquamaps.   We are surrounded by high bluffs.  The topography is exceptional.  The weather had turned cooler and our night here was frosty.

     We are in the home stretch now making our way to Penetanguishene, ON and Hindson Marina for winter storage.  Our next stop is in Big Sand Bay on Christian Island.  The anchorage is empty.  We think we’ve over stayed the season maybe.  The Big Sand Bay is just what it says- big and sandy.  We drop our anchor in 17’ of water and I can watch it hit the bottom and set.  The water is beautiful and crystal clear.  We had a wonderful and peaceful night here and had a lazy morning the next day.  We didn’t leave till almost noon because we only had  3 hr. Cruise to the marina.    The Penetanguishene Harbor is quite protected and much bigger than it looks on maps.  The boat traffic in and out was overwhelming.  We hadn’t seen this many boats since we left Sault Ste. Marie.  Hindson was ready for us and sent a dockhand out to help us find our slip.   We got docked, plugged in and ready to start unloading when we were informed that we’d have to move.  We had just be saying how nice it was to be so close to the restrooms and parking area.  Oh well…..we got moved to the hinterlands a good 1/4 mile walk to shore.  Now our packing would have to start in earnest.  But first we had to meet Katie and Tammy and our truck!  They arrived minutes after we had moved the boat.  

      Katie had volunteered herself and her daughter as delivery drivers.  They had stored our truck for us all summer and now were driving it the 8 hrs. over to Canada to meet us.  We can never thank them enough.  We all went to lunch together and enjoyed catching up on our summer escapades.  They were anxious to get back on the road.  Around 4:30 they were off and on their way back to Muskegon.  Next year Katie and Dean hope to join us for a bit on the boat.

       We spent the next day and a half packing and talking with trades men about work we wanted done.  We were very pleased with our choice of marinas and have great hopes for a wonderful job on our dodger.  Once we had crammed everything not nailed down from the boat into the car, we said our goodbyes and left.  We reached the border after dark and of course picked the slowest line.  With our truck packed so full, we were sure we’d be searched.  When I turn came the conversation started wit,”What’s your nationality?”  Kind of surprised us since we just handed him US passports.  He asked us to roll down the back window.  Looked inside and exclaimed- What have you been doing here for 3 months?  We explained and he was intrigued.  Waved us on and wished us luck next year.  Phew!!

      The rest of the trip was kind of a blur.  We got in late in the evening and unpacked because it was possibly going to rain.  We were beat and Bob didn’t feel well.  He got worse then gave it to me.  We finally tested and we both had COVID 😖.  We spent the next five days secluded in our house trying not to spread the wealth.  It’s now Tuesday,September 24th and we are both COVID free and busy packing for our next adventure.  We’re off to Scotland to cruise the Caledonian Canal (in a rented boat).  Wish us luck.  I’ll try to write a post or two from there but we won’t have dishy with us so Wi-Fi will be spotty.

Stay safe and please remember to get out and vote!  Let’s Make America Kind Again!!

P.S.  Pictures are being a pain - I’ll post them at some later date.😥

On the “road” again!

 August 30,2024

        When we last wrote we had just survived and inspection by Canadian Border Patrol and left quickly for the north channel.  Waiting for CBP had eaten up some of our time.  We were trying to make it to West Grant Island southeast of Thessalon where we were stuck for almost a week.

    We took the downbound ship channel on the St.Mary’s River to the cross over to the St.Joseph Channel into the North Channel.  This was the fastest route and we pushed Hercule and Arthur to their limits.  We arrived at West Grant around 5:30 and put down our anchor.  We were the only boat in the anchorage.  Our plan was to move on to Meldrum Bay on Thursday and stay through a rain storm till Saturday.

Sunset while at anchor in West Grant Island

Ships in the St. Mary’s Channel

     The anchorage was wonderful and quiet.  We were tired of the noise and crowds in the Soo and needed a little down time.  This was perfect.

      The next morning we got up fairly early and pulled up the anchor to set off for Meldrum Bay about 3 hours away.  We had called and arranged for a slip so we would be secure during the coming weather.  Our timing was off by a bit and the wind arrived before we did!   It was a simple docking - we’d tie up starboard side along one of two wharves.  A dockhand was there to help us tie up and I had fenders and lines ready.  The wind was pushing us away from the dock so a quick tie was important.  As I threw the bowline the dockhand informed me that he didn’t know how to tie a line!!!  I instructed him to wrap it around the cleat and I ran to the stern to get that line on and jump to the dock to re-tie  his line.  Just about now another boat decided to come in so dockhand was off to help them.  Thank heavens for thrusters.  Bob and I managed to get 3 more lines on cleats and in close enough to board into the swim platform.

Our slip at Meldrum Bay

Friday and the street sweeper goes by- just like at home.

      The rain began just as we finished securing the boat.  We weren’t going to get into town and it turns out the only store was not open on Thursdays.🤪  This was not the worst marina we have been to but was close to tying for second worst.  The pedestals were covered with live spiders, the docks were floating but tippy, one cleat was very loose and the facilities were minimal.  When I say minimal I’m being kind.  There was one toilet and two showers.  These were shared by the 25 or so campers parked in the campground as was the laundry.  Definitely not worth what we paid.  We asked about the Meldrum Bay Inn thinking dinner out but we told it closed during COVID and never reopened.  Second stop that had no restaurants. No wonder loopers don’t stop here!

       On Friday we walked up to the General Store and bought some souvenirs.  Unique “bear” printed t-shirt and glass cutting board.  We walked to the  Net Shop Museum which was supposed to be open but it wasn’t.  Another strikeout.  We spent the afternoon doing boat chores and prepping for our departure the following day.

      Saturday dawned cloudy but calm.  We had our window to move on.  As we were preparing to cast off two river otters came by to say hello.  That made our day.

     We had chosen a well protected anchorage at Turnbull Island and hoped it would not be full.  It was only a few hours away but we wanted to get there before the weather did.  We had some rain as we left but nothing to worrisome.  The anchorage had one other boat in it belonging to a Canadian couple.  We set our anchor then prepared for a longish stay.

Sunset

Blue moon rising

     Turnbull was a great stop.  We had a nice respite from marinas and other boaters.  Our Canadian neighbors were quite nice and the Austrian couple we had met in the Soo showed up for one night.  We stayed as long as we could but we soon needed to reprovision, dump garbage, and fill up our water tank.Next stop would be Blind River.

Old lumber mill in Blind River

     Blind River is a fairly large community compared to others (like Meldrum Bay) where we have stayed. The population is about 4,000.  We had high hopes for Blind River.  The grocery store should be awesome compared to the last one stop we made.  We’d heard good things about the marina and were looking forward to a night with fans on or air conditioning.   Well we were sorely disappointed.  The grocery store was half what the last town had with many empty shelves. The produce looked old and they didn’t stock many items that we needed.  I’ve been in worse stores but this was a great disappointment.  We did what we had to do, bought what we could, and headed back to the boat.  We were leaving the next morning for the Whalesback Channel.

      The dockhands convinced us to go to “17”, a local restaurant.  We had chosen another spot but after our experience in Thessalon, we took their advice.  The place was like a homey diner.  We sat in the counter service side rather than the dining room.  Our waitress was good and helped us chose the best from the menu.  She also talked us into trying a butter tart.  Another boater we had met in NY had made me promise to try a butter tart when we got to the north Channel.  So we did.  It’s like eating a pecan pie without any pecans.   Dry sweet and full of all things bad for you.  We split one.

Butter Tart

      We left earlish  on August 21st for the Whalesback.  The channel is 14 miles long and between 1-1.5 miles wide.  Within that area are hundreds of small granite islands that help give it the feel of a secluded lake.   We love gunk-holing but we had yet to tie our stern to the shore.  We were hoping we could find an anchorage that had swing room for our big girl.   There were lots of beautiful little coves to anchor in but we had some wind coming and we needed protection.  Between Serpent River and John’s Island turned out to be just perfect.  There was one other boat about 300 yards away so we felt we wouldn’t disturb them if we ran our genset.   The anchor grabbed on the first try and we were set for the next 2-3 days.

     This anchorage is off the Serpent River First Nation where the Anishinaabe First Nation reside.  You’ll see a fish drying rack in one picture and a fishing hut.

Drying rack

Fishing hut

Beaver Lodge

    Our Canadian companions were out fishing as we finished setting the anchor and pulled in an 18-20” bass. That’s another thing the Whalesback is know for - great bass fishing.  We cheered them on and poured ourselves a sundowner to watch the sunset. The next day we put our dinghy in the water, preparing for adventures in the islands.

      We ended up staying just 2 nights.   We were anxious to get to the Benjamin’s and the weather was in our favor.  We waved goodbye to our Canadian cove mates and headed off to the Benjamin’s.

     To get from the Whalesback to the Benjamin’s you have to travel through a narrow channel called Little Detroit.  The narrowest point is about 100 feet wide and 16 feet deep.  There is a swift current running west to east.  This sure makes you stand up and pay attention!  We waited for another trawler to exit heading west then we took out turn heading east.

    The Benjamin’s are a group of islands ( two of which actually called  North and South Benjamin) that are known for the great gunk-holing and their pink granite.  They are situated on the eastern end of the North Channel and provide spectacular scenery.  (None of our pictures do them justice.)  This is the most popular stop in the North Channel and it was obvious by the number of boats trying to crowd into the anchorages.  The winds were not good for the one anchorage and the second was full to the brim.  We opted for Crocker Island the next island east.  It’s also pink granite and very quiet and dark at night.

     We found a likely cove and realized to stay there we would have to do a stern tie.  A new skill for us both.  We made a total mess of it…first our stern line was too short, then Bob ran over it with the dinghy and tangled the line in the prop, we forgot to wear our head sets so we couldn’t communicate and while trying to tie us off, the boat began to swing away from the shore.  We eventually got it right, tied up tight and strung out straight.  We both vowed to do better the next time.  After one night in this spot, the boat down from us left their sweet cove and we decided to move over there.  The neighbors on the other side had played loud music into the night.  Not what we expected in the wilderness. 

Neighbors

Still evening

You can just see our stern line under the water

     We pulled in our stern line , pulled up our anchor and hightailed it over to the new cove.   I must say that this time we did a much better job anchoring and tying the boat.  We spent two nights here enjoying the birds and taking dinghy rides around the islands.  You cannot help but be relaxed here.  Unfortunately, all good things must end.  We had some stinky weather coming in another day, wind was gonna change direction, and the provisions were getting low.  When we woke the next morning the wind was howling and blowing us into the shore.  We decided to untie and up anchor and find a more protected spot to make breakfast, then head on to Clapperton Island.

Frying pan tree at an abandoned campsite

Pink granite boulders 

Seclusion 

Carolina tucked into the rocks

     We decided to move closer to Gore Bay, which is where our next marina stop would be.with left with every intention of heading south and closer but to get there you had to head north and we found a secluded cove that we could tuck into out of the wind.  This was on Fox Island.  BTW there are so many islands that half have not been given a name.  Once again we got to practice our stern tying skills.  The first place we dropped the anchor was not to either of our liking so we brought it up and backed down further into the cove.  This spot looked good, the anchor grabbed first try and there was a lovely large pine tree directly behind us to tie off to.  We were in for the night.  Plans were to get up early-early and book it done to Gore Bay before the rain set in.

      We were up at 6 am and away by 7:15.  We had just a 2.5 hour trip to Gore Bay.  The weather was still good and not too windy…yet.  We ran through a brief rain shower and the wind began to pick up but we were tied up by 10am.  We relaxed for a bit then went for a quick ride to get the lay of the land.  We found the hardware, grocery, post office and LCBO Store.  Then we had lunch at The Codmothers.  I had some of the best fried white fish- in fact best fried fish ever here. Maybe we’ll be back before we leave.  

       The next day we rode to the grocery to reprovision, stopped at the hardware for a filter for our compost can, and checked out the LCBO.  We were glad to get some fresh fruit and vegetables but things are sure expensive.

      Back st the boat we filled up our very empty water tanks (3 loads of laundry will do that to you!) and scrubbed down the boat deck while the dinghy is in the water.   Bob worked on his “to do” list while I worked on this blog.

       On Thursday we wrote postcards to our grandkids, then rode out to the Janet Head Lighthouse.  After the aborted trip on Beaver Island, we were taking no chances.  The website said “Open July and August, 1-4pm on Tuesday-Saturday”. This was Thursday so we should be good to go.  It was not a 19 mile ride like last time.  A measly 2 miles.  We ride out there and arrived a bit early.  We explored the beach across the road and I found some interesting fossils.  Then Mark arrived in his electric big tired bike.  

Janet Head Lighthouse

    We talked electric bikes and cars for a bit with him.  He loves his bike even if it doesn’t fit into his trunk.  Says without the battery on it weighs about 55 lbs.  The battery weighs about 30lbs.  He had his smoke that wished us a great day and rode off into the sun.

     Next a young family arrived- also there to see the lighthouse.  The kids were excited but dad was hot so he took off to the beach to swim. Brrrr!  He agreed that it was cooler than he expected.  By now it was 1:15 and still no docent to let us in.  We were getting hungry so decided we’d come back another day and rode back to town.  The family passed us in their car - guess they gave up too.

    In town we visited the Harbour Center to enjoy the local artist’s works.  There is some talent here.  We purchased a little sack of stones that have been energized by a local member of the First Nation to protect our boat.  Sure hope it works!

Harbour Centre

   Next we went to the Split Rail Brewing Co. For a cooling adult beverage.  We ordered some tapas and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon.  Next door was the chocolate factory so we went in to sample their wares.  We got a raspberry fudge sickle.  Yummy.

      We rode back to the marina and stopped in at the Marina Store.  It was about what we expected.  Nothing we really needed but some interesting charts on the wall to peruse.  Back at the boat we got dinner ready and enjoyed a beautiful dinner with sunset on our aft deck.

     We will be staying here one more day to wait out some nasty wind coming through.  It’s blowing 12 gusting to 24 here in this protected marina.  I’d hate to be out in the channel right now.  Next time I write we will be in Little Current, ON the gateway to Georgian Bay.

Till then stay safe and keep cool!

Sunbathers at Janet Head