Through the North Channel

Monday, 29 July – Brett to Killarney, ON – 60 mi. 2916 cum mi.

Stopped raining, 51 degrees, a little foggy, but it lifted as we left Byng Inlet. It was the best of times, it

was the worst of times. The best was the nice, narrow, rocky channels, the steep rocky sides on Collins Inlet, the anchorages in the
little harbors, the lighthouses, and all the names for the rocky islands. The worst part was when we hit another rock. Very narrow, winding channel and rocks everywhere. Don’t know how we could have avoided it, since we were in the channel, and we were very careful and driving slowly. The
vibration is not as bad as last time, but quite noticeable. At the Sportsmans Inn Marina in Killarney, we met up with Dave and Bev who had left Britt earlier, anchored out, but found the weather less than ideal. Killarney isn’t really a town – it’s just a collection of six
marinas with their general stores and shops. The restaurants were good, though. They even had a “float-in movie” screen on the hillside across the narrow channel.

Tuesday, 30 July – Killarney to Little Current, ON – 21 mi., 2937 cum mi.

Beautiful day, 68 degrees. Three families docked beside us – nice folks, all Canadians from different

cities, cruising together, planning to anchor in interesting gunkholes and party together. They helped us spin around and launch, since one of their boats was blocking us in. The seas were calm, the trip was mostly open seas between islands. We discovered that the Manitoulin Island swing bridge turned 100 years old this year. It had an 18 ft clearance, so with our mast down, we did not have to wait for the
hourly opening. The bridge provides the only road access to the island. Little Current is where the waters of the North Channel are funnelled into a passage only 100 yards wide, creating stiff currents as they empty into Georgian Bay. It's the largest town on the Island, and it has a Chinese restaurant that delivers right to the boats in the marina.

Wednesday, 31 July – Little Current to Blind River Marine Park – 56 mi., 2993 cum mi.

Mostly cloudy, 62 degrees. We left early, so we would catch the calm seas in the morning. our treat was a nice sunrise. Today we saw some of the most scenic islands in the North Channel. All the rock islands have names, like Turtle Rock or Berrypicker Rock.  Nice lighthouses marked the inlets. We squeezed through one of the narrowest channels between rocks - Little Detroit Narrows – we had to announce our entry into the channel on the VHF. 

At Blind River, we reached the northernmost point on the great loop and about half way around the loop, after accumulating nearly 3,000 miles. And this was our last full cruising day in Canada. After tonight's rain storm, and when the winds calm in the morning, we will head for Dummond Island, Michigan.