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.

 

Parry Sound to Britt

Thurdsay, 25 July – Parry Sound to Britt – 60 mi., 2856 cum mi.

Nice and calm, but cool 60 degrees. This was a beautiful cruising day! Winds were calm, sea was calm, and the scenery was magnificent. The small craft channel is not unlike the ICW, well marked and meandering through the islands near the north shore. We also ventured “outside” into Georgian Bay for about 15 miles to cruise a little faster. We saw lighthouses, rock formations (some man-made), sailboats, nice cottages, water toys (like slides and inflatable gym sets), folks water skiing, and, of course, lots of

lawn chairs.

We docked at Wright’s Marina in Britt, up the Byng Inlet. The marina is sheltered from the winds that picked up again. We were hoping to get to Killarney by the weekend, but all the marinas there were completely full. It was their annual fish fry weekend – a fundraiser for the fire department. So we stayed in Britt and helped contribute to their economy. Our neighbors were Bev and Dave on Dot.calm – not on
the loop, but cruising Georgian Bay. They told us about another marina option in Killarney (but they were also full). And, at the best restaurant in town – the Britt Inn, we taught Cherelle how to make a manhattan while getting the Britt low-down from Brits from Britt, Harry and Mary – locals and daily regulars at happy hour
(Harry was a former Buckingham Palace guard). Britt is a very rural community. When looking for an ATM, we discovered the closest bank was in Parry Sound. The biggest attractions were Grundy Lake Provincial Park and the cute Ice Cream on the Rocks shed. We borrowed a car from the marina and drove to the park. There were several camping areas around the lakes. We hiked the Gut Lake trail which was very nice - through the dense woods and on smooth boulders along the lake much of the way.  Folks were kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and, on the other side of the lake, the campers were jumping into the water off the cliffs, reminding us of how much we
enjoy camping and exploring. On the way home, we stopped at the Britt Inn for dinner and found Harry and Mary again at happy hour. (we met through Geoff and Patty on Osprey in Parry Sound) joined us for dinner. The next day, Osprey pulled into the town dock – it was like a Parry Sound reunion. While waiting for the winds to subside, the rain to stop, and a slip to open up at Killarney, we also caught up with some boat chores, like attaching the washer door (that’s another story), and we had a chance to enjoy sleeping in and feasting on real leisurely breakfasts (not to mention the bloody
marys). Over dinner we learned that Bob and Mary were opting out of the loop for other adventures. We couldn’t convince them otherwise. They live near  Picton, so they didn’t have far to go home. We wish them well.

Completing the Trent-Severn Waterway and into Georgian Bay

 Tuesday, 16 July – Orillia to Waubic Inn – 30 mi., 2727 cum mi.

Blue sky, warm, 77 degrees.  The scenery along the waterway seemed to improve as we

traveled west, with more rocks, more pine and fir, and narrower passages. At the Waubic Inn, we met up with Maggie and Ron (Soundwave 3) and Dianne and Henry (First Affair II). We first met Sondwave 3 when we docked beside them in Trenton. We enjoyed the fish and chips (house specialty) and drinks and a dip with our fellow boaters.
Waubic Inn is a small, family run restaurant with some dockage and limited 30 amp service. The eight large vessels that docked overnight
sucked out all the power and tripped the breakers. They had to disconnect the dock electricity to keep the fryers going until the restaurant closed. The food was good, but the best thing about the Waubic Inn (besides the scenery and clean water) is the comradarie between the boaters (and the docktails).

Wednesday, 17 July – Waubic Inn to Midland, ON – 24 mi., 2751 cum mi.

Hot 82 degrees. Highlight of the day was the Big Chute Marine Railway. A wooden structure on rails
dips into the water, we drive into it over slings that pick us up, then we get lifted out of the water and over a hill back into the water on the other side. Really cool 7-minute ride! As the lockmaster said, “Better than Disney World, and less expensive.” The last lock at Port Severn was routine, but the obstacle course afterward was unexpected – very narrow channel, under a bridge, with swift current and boat traffic to avoid.
Completing another milestone – the Trent-Severn waterway – we headed south to Midland Harbour and to the Bay Port Yachting Centre. They have a full service marina; they give AGLCA members
a discount (three nights for two); and, they have a pool in which we cooled off after a muggy day’s cruise. On Thursday, we took a bus from Midland to Barrie, then a rental car to Toronto to see our son Chris who was touring with the Jonas Brothers. It was really great to see him and spend an evening with him as he worked the concert. Chris is the Production Manager, and he got us a VIP parking spot, food at the catering set up, and an up close and personal tour of the venue. We got to see the concert from “front of house” where the video and sound crew worked their magic at the computerized controls.

We enjoyed walking around the Toronto waterfront. To top it off, the Tampa Bay Rays were in town to play the Toronto Blue Jays, so we
stayed Friday night to see Tampa beat the Blue Jays – go Rays! The Steam Whistle brewery is right next door to the Rogers Centre, so folks gather there to have some brews before the game. What a fun tour and tasting experience!

Sunday, 21 July – Midland to Frying Pan Island – 30 mi., 2780 cum mi.

Blue sky, 69 degrees.  We intentionally got a later start, waiting for the winds the calm down. Glad we did. The water was calm, the sky was blue, and the storm Friday night blew in some cooler weather.
We took the small craft channel through hundreds of islands. Very pretty. Although quite narrow in spots, the water was deep enough not to worry about going aground on the hard granite surrounding us – as long as you stay in the channel. We docked at Henry’s Fish Restaurant on Frying Pan Island. Henry’s is a “must do” stop on the loop. It’s been around for 39 years.  The current owner, Paul, has
run it for the last 20 years. Rumor is that the island got its name from a restaurant that used to feed all the loggers in the old days – they had a huge frying pan on a rock to mark the spot. Henry’s has a simple menu, generous portions, and the best fish and chips on the loop so far. And it’s on a beautiful island, visited by many sea planes and every kind of boat imaginable. Oh, did we say we liked it?


Monday, 22 July – Frying Pan Island to Parry Sound – 16 mi., 2796 cum mi.

Breezy, 73 degrees. The scenery is very nice, somewhat reminiscent of Lake Champlain, with steep, rocky cliffs and deep water. Very different, however, are the narrow channels meandering through the
rocks. It was a short cruise to the Big Sound Marina. We stayed three nights, waiting for the winds to calm down (and taking advantage of the free third night). We docked next to Keith and Loiuse who gave us good advice on some choices for travel. We also met Trevor and Arlene (on the Mainship Great Scott) who showed us
 a great website to find wind conditions.  We explored Parry Sound by bicycle, discovering the farmer’s market and a kayak shop that had a chart we were missing.  We were surprised to see Osprey had pulled in. We had not seen Patty and Geoff since Picton before we started through the Trent-Severn Waterway. The winds reached 30 mph before calming down to single digits. The 3-night stay gave us a chance to relax with friends, catch up with provisions, do laundry, and a little boat work.