Georgian Bay …
is also called the Thirty Thousand Islands region and is the world’s largest fresh water archipelago. (I get a lot of this information from the Waterway Guide, btw – must give credit where credit is due!) While the first part of our journey in Georgian Bay was populated by a fair amount of cottages, the latter part was quite remote. There are many First Nation Indian reserves designated on the charts (on the islands and mainland throughout the Georgian Bay and North Channel regions).
Midland was a good provisioning stop (e.g., groceries and fuel). Another Looper, Mike, from “Checkmate” joined us for supper at Uncle Roy’s which is a Chinese restaurant that has evidently “been there forever” and even offers breakfast?! Mike is doing the Loop by himself and has a YouTube series called “My Solo Great Loop Journey.” One of his “followers” came to meet him at the last lock!
We left Midland on July 4. The giant mural below is on the large grain elevators at the plant (adjacent to the marina) where they make Five Roses Flour, and lakers (such as the Frontenac, a Canada Steamship Line vessel which we see on the St. Lawrence) dock alongside to unload for the mill. It is North America’s largest outdoor historic mural and is pretty impressive.
Traversing Georgian Bay, we used both inside and offshore passages. The inside resembles a huge maze and includes many narrow and twisting channels leaving little room for error. At times, it seemed that there was barely enough room for the boat to fit between buoys. No towing services available here!
The offshore could also be a bit nerve-wracking, as you’re trying to locate small port and starboard day beacons (example below) in big water from afar, often in a good chop while avoiding offshore shoals. So glad to have opted for the bifocals last summer!
Here are some pictures of other aids to navigation (new and old) seen along the way throughout GB.
After Midland, we went to Bone Island and joined six other boats anchored in a secluded bay. Immediately upon entering the bay, we saw a beaver swimming by front of boat.
Left that bay the next morning (July 5) and made our way through the small boat channel to Echo Bay, an anchorage near Sans Souci Island. It was going to storm later, so we planned to go for an early supper at the famous Henry’s fish place (family-owned since 1992 and only accessible by boat) that is on nearby Frying Pan Island. We tied up Mediterranean-style which means you back to shore, put an anchor out from the bow, then tie the stern to something on shore. In this case, there were metal pins in some of the rocks on shore to which one could secure a line (on right). Picture on left is just of an interesting-looking rock.
Headed to Killbear Marina on the morning of July 6. Went outside of small boat channel for a bit and into Georgian Bay deeper waters. You can make better time and avoid the hair-raising shallow waters and most of the rocky shoals but you have to choose to do so on days without high winds. We were able to purchase a chart at Killbear (and some fuel at the highest price thus far) to assist with crossing the bay outside of and past the part of the small boat narrows that is called Hangdog Channel with its many, many shoals.
We left Killbear on the morning of July 7. (Happy birthday, Josie!) The 15 miles outside of Hangdog did provide some one- to two-footer waves but definitely saved some time and anxiety. Ended up going all the way to The Bustards, a very nice anchorage behind Strawberry Island. It was a very long day, and at one point late in the day Ivy just looked at me and started barking. Call for mutiny?
Lots of loon calls at The Bustards. One came very close to the inflatable when we took the dogs to shore.
On the “road” again on Mon, July 8. Had plans to anchor behind Burnt Island but didn’t like how windy, weedy, and wide open it was so continued on to Killarney. Getting to Killarney meant going through the gorgeous Collins Inlet, a steep-sided but shallow gorge. It was very peaceful and unsullied by graffiti, litter, or too much other evidence of humans. Tried to get a decent picture of the pink granite.
Crossing the bay to Killarney, however, was not so peaceful given the three- to four-foot waves! Some pretty sights, though.
North Channel …
We stayed the evening of Monday, July 8, at Killarney, the “Gateway to the North Channel.” First settled as a fur trading post in 1820, Killarney was only accessible by boat until 1962 when a road was built to it. Talking to one of the marina hands, we learned that he travels an hour away to Sudbury for high school. The Killarney Mountain Lodge (middle picture below) is a very nice resort, but we really used it more as a stop over for fuel and laundry, as we wanted to get to Baie Fine before the remnants of Hurricane Beryl reached us here in Ontario.
After leaving Killarney on July 9, we saw where mining operations took a large swath out of what’s called the “Lion’s Rump” in search of silica (left below) and also another spot where mining may or may not be functioning still. Saw other evidence of mining elsewhere with large docks alongside.
Anchored in Baie Fine on July 9 (entrance pictured below).
Baie Fine is a “fjord-like” channel that has a ten-mile stretch to what is called “the pool” at its end. Many boaters anchor in the pool, but we chose not to given its reputation for anchor fouling. We met another boater named Butch who comes there nearly every summer who lost an anchor in the pool. Butch was a wealth of information about the area, and his boat at anchor nearby is pictured (below). He and his wife, Phyllis, live in Michigan and, small world, he purchased a canoe for racing from Grass River Boatworks and knows the owners, John and Gene Newman, from Canton, NY.
Butch and Phyllis saw a bear on the rocky area behind their boat in the early evening (asked him what his wife was cooking for supper that night!) as well as one swimming the channel the day before. It rained most of the next day, so it was a good day to catch up on sleep! Cheered the place up a bit with some freshly-picked daisies.
We did venture to the pool in the inflatable. Including picture of random boat below on left just to illustrate how the pool sits inside the steep sides surrounding it.
The following picture shows the Evinrude (maker of outboard motors) family’s cottage which is also located within the pool at end of the cut.
This area is kind of off the grid, as we had no cell service let alone Wi-Fi. We were able to get our weather from the VHF radio, specifically from “Roy” who broadcasts news and weather each morning at 9:00 sharp on channel 71 from the basement of the Anchor Inn in Little Current.
We had to move anchorages three times while in Baie Fine, owing to wind direction changes.
Saw a couple of minks swimming and then running on shore by the boat as well as a deer swimming the channel when we left Baie Fine. She had a long swim ahead of her. Had another visitor to the boat beside Butch. A dragonfly (first below) with a bit of a disability stopped by one day. Also, a loon swam in front of the bow fairly often (second below).
Captain has to swab the deck as well as pilot the boat! Nelson is very little help but always has a good attitude.
Arrived at Little Current Friday, July 12. Entering Little Current by both boat and car is controlled by the famous swing bridge, a single-lane bridge originally built for the railway in 1914 and still the only connection to the mainland. It opens on the hour for a mere three minutes for boats to pass.
Neat town. Met Roy (see above explanation) right on the street corner by the Anchor Inn! Were able to enjoy some music in the small park in town, as anyone who wishes to sing and/or play an instrument on Friday night simply shows up. They did a great job. Nice farmer’s market on Saturday.
Able to use a washing machine but not a dryer, so the boat was kind of “that boat” for a while (see below). Picture on right is of a neat little shop that’s been in business since 1879.
Mural below illustrates some of the history of Little Current (and Manitoulin Island on which the town is located), including mining, logging, and the railroad. The Indigenous population represents over 40% of the island’s 12,000 residents, and I believe there are six reservations on the island.
Striking-looking stone wall lining street by the marina.
On Saturday, we discovered that our stay in Little Current would be extended a bit, owing to the need for a new ignition coil for the inflatable motor. Have a bit more time to see the sights in town! Went to church on Sunday, July 14, at a little church in Little Current! Great message on abiding in Christ, the true vine.
Ate dinner at the Anchor Inn (again) on Sunday night with other Loopers: “Checkmate” (Mike, the Youtuber); “Toes in the Sand” (met in Orillia and Midland plus watched them do Big Chute before us); “Out of the Blue” (had dinner with them when they were in Clayton); and, “Nauti-dog” (saw them in Trent and beyond). Toes in the Sand folks are here for quite a stay, as their transmission went.
Monday, July 15 … even as I write, waiting on a replacement ignition coil to be overnighted by a marine dealer to the Little Current town docks where we are patiently waiting:) The culprit is pictured below.
