North Channel Part 1

Thursday - August 16th through Monday - August 20, 2018

Must say we truly enjoyed our extended four night stay in Killarney, ON at the Sportsman's Inn and Marina. This very lovely Inn is located on the channel that connects Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Have to say there is not much hear with the exception of the Sportsman's Inn, and it's sister resort the Killarney Mountain  Resort.

We put 50 gallons of fuel in the port tank to add weight to the port side thus eliminating our little leak on the exhaust port on the starboard side. You know it's not a good thing to have a leaky boat! This marina has docks right in-front of the inn, restaurant and spa. However, their newest and larger docks are on the opposite side of the channel. So, if you want anything from the Inn or restaurant we have two options; call for their launch to pick us up and take us across or, what we did is, put our dinghy in the water and make the one minute crossing. This also allowed us the freedom to come and go as we pleased without having to wait for the launch. These new docks are really nice and can easily accommodate a 70-80 foot boat and Zoey's Adventure had plenty of room. The view from our aft-deck was delightful with an array of passing boats and several seaplanes. We had a ringside seat for all the activity on the channel.

 Lighthouse at the entrance to Killarney and the North Channel.

 Our view of the Sportsman Inn & Resort from our aft deck.

Our sunset view across all the docks.

 Coast Guard Buoy Tender

One of the more interesting signs we saw while on a bike ride.  Needless to say, we didn't stick around.













Our first night in Killarney we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at the Killarney Mountain Inn. So with our better going out to dinner attire we took our dinghy up the channel to the resort for what turned out to be a very good dinner.

Day two in Killarney we decided to take the dingy on a rather long exploration trip to one of the most popular anchorages on the North Channel - Covered Portage Cove. With our PFD's (personal flotation devices) on we set out to make the 20 minute open water crossing to Covered Portage Cove. Early on I decided from what I had read about this popular spot it would not be good for a boat our size to anchor here. Once we made our entrance to the beautiful small cove with rock cliffs on one side and towering pine trees on the other we could easily understand it's draw. As we cruised around the cove there were maybe 14 boats - 12 sail and 2 power and just not enough room for Zoey's Adventure.  Returning to the boat we decided to extend our Killarney stay one more day. The weather again was perfect and we both liked Killarney. After our third night we chose  to again spend another night right where we were.

Scenes from Portage Cove Anchorage.  It was just breath taking.

Oh well the time has come to move on. During our stay, there was another Looper docked next to us that was on their third Loop! This is a lot of experience and so I asked them if they would review the charts for an anchorage I wanted to visit on the North Channel called Baie Fine. The entrance into Baie Fine is marked with several buoys but after that there is nothing to follow. Barb and Dave sat with Lou Ann and I and showed us just how to navigate this 5-6 mile bay that leads to a narrow passage of maybe another 1 mile that opens up into the anchorage called the Pool. The Pool can accommodate several boats but the bottom is grassy and the anchor holding at times difficult. Some boaters choose to drop their anchor and then take a line to shore and tie off their stern to a tree or rock. This stern tying is something we have never done and really not a place to do it the first time. The Pool is again a spectacular anchorage with beautiful granite walls that line the Pool. One of the added highlights of the spot is boaters can take their dinghy to shore and hike about 20 minutes up to  beautiful  Lake Topaz. Boy was this a place I so much wanted to visit. However, after speaking with our fellow experienced Loopers we decided it was not a place for us to anchor and feel comfortable for the night. Once you make a commitment to head to the Pool it is usually too late to reverse and find another safe spot protected from the winds.

Monday August 20, 2018 - Killarney to Little Current

A somewhat short day with only 20 miles to cover. However, there is a bridge at Little Current that only opens on the hour for 10 minutes. As we are leaving Killarney we are following another Looper heading for Baie Fine. He's a slow boat so we are kind of stuck behind him with no chance to make a comfortable pass . Finally once we pass, it's to late to make the next bridge opening so we slow down and enjoy the calm sunny slow cruise to Little Current. Oh, one of the islands we passed today is Heywood Island. A few days earlier there was a sailboat anchored in Heywood Cove. The couple were off on their dinghy enjoying themselves and as they began to get close to their boat they saw a BEAR on the boat. Apparently, they left the swim ladder down and the bear swam out to the boat got into the cabin and absolutely destroyed it looking for food and when he heard people coming ripped thru the canvas top and jumped off the bow. This bear attempted to board boats 3 more times when we were in the area. We chose to by-pass Heywood Island. LouAnn said bad enough she has to deal with the captain being a bear on occasions.

Once we clear the bridge after a short wait we soon dock at Little Current and have a prime spot on the wall. Due to a not so favorable weather forecast for the next day we are fairly certain we will be two night in little Current. As it turned out we did spend a second night.

The Loopers Association has a Harbor Host program where in certain  key harbors a member will volunteer to be a "Harbor Host" I am the Harbor Host for Mystic. These hosts offer assistance on all types of issues from boat dockage, repairs, restaurants and even doctors. A host will often take boaters to the market and just about anything else they can do to make a Loopers stay an enjoyable one. The Little Current host is Roy Eaton. He has been a host for 15 years and is very unique to the North Channel. The boating in the northern section of the North Channel is for the most part without cell service. Most Loopers will cruise these waters for a week or more going from one anchorage to another with no means of communicating other the the VHF marine radio. What Roy has done for 15 years during the summer months at 9 AM every day he host his own radio (VHF ) broadcast so all the Loopers and boaters can be informed on key world events, stock market, sports and most important weather for the North Channel. Once he's read all the news he then ask for Looper or any boater to call in and state the name of the boat and location. He makes a record of all the boats sometime as many a 100 per day. He then offers to make any calls to family and friends to give them a message such as so and so is well but will be out of cell range for x number days. As some boaters are out of VHF range another boated closer will relay the boats name and location to Roy.The North Channel is over 100 miles long and 15 miles wide. Sometimes there will be an emergency so they contact Roy and on his next daily broadcast he will ask the name of the boat and last location to contact him for an urgent message. Other boaters will hear this and if they see this boat anchored, will notify the crew to contact Roy the next day on the radio.

One of the other nice things Roy will do as he did with us or any Looper, he came down to Zoey's Adventure and sat with LouAnn and I and went over the spots in the North Channel we should consider visiting. There was one anchorage he shared with us that if we went and anchored the couple who live there would invite us to their home for drinks...so cool!

Second day in Little Current not much there except for a good grocery store. We did have to move Zoey's Adventute to make room for the little cruise ship due in on the next day.

This was the Cruise Ship that was suppose to come into Little Current at 8:00 am.  We passed it at noon about 10 miles out of Little Current.

Georgian Bay Day 7-8

August 14-15, 2018

We again woke up to yet another beautiful day on Georgian Bay. Must say we have been blessed by some absolutely beautiful weather. I am sure we will pay the price down the way. Oops, need to back up a bit. The LEAK.  While at anchor yesterday, we found the bilge pump was now operating ever 15-18 minutes... way to much. Frankly, it should never go off. At this point we are going further away from any marina that can haul us and hopefully find and fix the damn leak. I am beside myself with this leak looking at every possible thing that could leak that much water. Lou Ann says maybe it's the wash-down pump we use to wash the chain and anchor as we retrieve it from the bottom. OK, I'll go into the engine room and take another look. The pump was not leaking but what I did see was water dripping from the engine exhaust tube, not enough to cause the pump to run as often as it is. I then decide to remove a panel in the aft stateroom head (bathroom) and sure enough, water was coming in where the exhaust tube exits the boat at the waterline. Can not tell you how happy I was to see that water. After contacting Queens Cove Marina earlier to tell them we were returning for this leak, now I called them back to tell them we found it was able to manage it. The leak is on the starboard (right) side so once I  turned the dinghy, that is mounted on the stern, so the engine was on the port side (left) the water stopped coming in. When we got to Killarney, I put 50 gallons of fuel in the port tanks and since then the pump has not activated. Until we get to the Illinois River, at which time we are leaving the boat for a few weeks, we should be good as long as I keep more weight on the port side. I figure this has been leaking since the boat was new. It only showed up when there was to much weight on the starboard side.

This is the exhaust port on the starboard side.  Where the black flange sits against the side of the boat is not sealed so the water will come in behind it. 











Back to cruising now with knowing the leak is not an issue, our destination today is Eureka Point on Nadeau Island. While we were in Queens Cove Marina we met with the local Looper Harbor Hosts Pat and Lynn. They pointed out this anchorage that is not on the charts and is a good jumping off spot to make the open water run across Georgian Bay on the next day. Have to tell you when you look at the paper chats and the chart plotter you would  think twice about taking a row boat in. They assured us there was plenty of water and NO rocks. Just a little over an hour run, we find the opening at Eureka Point and again slowly make our way into the cove and around the point to the area the Harbor Host said would be best to anchor. When we rounded the final point there was an old Chris Craft already anchored. We were in the process of sizing up an alternate spot when the Chris Craft decide to leave. Now we have the entire little cove to ourselves. Down goes the anchor and we are set for the rest of the day and evening.  Again a beautiful anchorage! Have to tell you its great to swim off the boat in such beautiful warm water. Never did I think the water would be so inviting.

This is the Eureka Point Anchorage.  We dropped anchor where the little pencil line and dot is.  There are no buoys to guide you into this area so it's slow and steady all the way.

We are still cruising north in Georgian Bay. Due to some big forest fires north of where we are, boats have been restricted in this areas. So with the restrictions, today would be our open water crossing to Beaverstone Bay. First time Zoey's Adventure sees open water since we crossed Lake Ontario. We'll cruise off shore for about two hours before we make our turn into Beaverstone Bay. Thanks to autopilot and GPS, we hit our maker right on.

At the very northern part of Beaverstone, just before entering Collins Inlet, surely named after Lou Ann's family, there is a very narrow and shallow channel. Slow and easy and the water was 6 inches higher than normal so the channel was not a problem. Collins Inlet is like cruising through the fjords of Norway, just not as big. Collins Inlet is maybe 125 feet wide and we were told to expect to see lots of wildlife including bear.  Not today, maybe the fires north of here are keeping the wildlife away. About half way through the inlet, we decide to anchor in Mills Lake. After checking one area that had a weedy bottom and poor holding, we moved to a more open area and found a nice place with good holding ground and dropped the hook once again. This anchorage was rather large but tonight we were all alone again after two sailboats left in the late afternoon.

 This is the beginning of  the entrance to Collins Inlet.  We had to wind our way through all the rocks.

 This is our radar screen still approaching Collins Inlet.  For you non-boaters, all the red on the screen are hazards, islands and rocks.

 Once we get past the labyrinth of rocks, we enter the inlet.  It is like this for the entire 5 - 6 miles.  There are a lot of cottages and fishing and hunting camps along the way but are just out of sight from the water.  We encounter quite a few kayaks and canoes along the way and wondered where they came from?

 This is our view from the anchorage at Mill Lake.

Georgian Bay Days 1-6

August 8-16, 2018

Before I begin to talk about this segment of our journey I need to fill you in on what's been happening since we arrived at Queens Cove Marina in Victoria Harbor, Georgian Bay. First, it was our intention to only spend 2 nights here. We came here to meet with the marina manager who had offered to sit with us and review the charts for Georgian Bay, to show us the places to see and the ones to avoid (ROCKS). However, once we arrived the captain was again disabled and barely able to walk. Seemed to be the same issue I had a few weeks earlier when we went home. When Lou Ann asked the marina manager, Robin, how we could get to the nearest medical center, she not only got directions but was offered the use of Robin's car and off to the hospital with me walking with a cane. The hospital really could not do anything because I already had a cortisone shot when I was home. Back to the boat still in pain. When Robin asked Lou Ann how I was doing she again stepped up and offered to make an appointment with a chiropractor who's husband owns the marina. She called and got me set up.
Once again she offered her car and this time said we could keep it until we where finished with the chiropractor. On the first visit the Dr. explained I did not have bursitis but rather sciatica . She made a back adjustment, told me to put an ice pack on my back ever 12 minutes 12 on - 12 off) and to do some stretching exercise. We started on Thursday and by the next Tuesday I was much better.

During this added stay, it happened to be another long weekend for Canadians, Civic Day. So on Monday, I was feeling a little better and we drove over to Port McNicoll to see the SS Keewatin Ship Museum. As long as I could sit every so often, I was ok.

S.S. Keewatin began her service in the Canadian Pacific Railroad Great Lakes Steamship fleet in 1907. Built in Glasgow, Scotland on the Clyde, by the same culture and Edwardian tradition as RMS Titanic (built in Belfast Northern Ireland) and five years older than the Titanic herself, Keewatin was designed with comfort, class and beauty in mind as she transported passengers and freight on a two and a half day journey across the Great Lakes from Port McNicoll to Fort William and Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) Ontario.   

 SS Keewatin - Launched in 1907 and is 336.5 feet in length.

 Interior of the First Class Accomodations.

So during our extended stay in Victoria Harbor we found that the leak in our boat was getting worse. The bilge pump was operating every 30-40 minutes. Time to haul the boat and see what the problem is. After taking the boat out and examining the bottom there was no signs of damage or where the water was getting in? Back in the water and the next day we head for Georgian Bay.

From the southern end of Georgian Bay, where we began, to the northern part is about 100 miles as a straight run.  However, the best part of the Bay is cruising though the 30,000 islands that you can see and the other thousands of rocks you can't see. The best part of GB is anchoring out in some of the so many beautiful little coves and harbors along the way. In the 7 nights we spent in GB we only spent 1 night at a dock.

Our first anchorage would be Frying Pan Bay. I have been looking at this anchorage for years and just had to check it out. It's called Frying Pan Bay because the entrance is long and narrow like the handle on a frying pan and the anchorage is kind of round like that of a pan. So with Lou Ann manning the paper charts and I on the chart-plotter we make our, always slow, approach into Frying Pan Bay paying close attention to the depth-sounder. Once inside, there where only a few boats anchored and a few on the small dock, no power or water. We chose our spot and Lou Ann lowered the anchor (Delta all chain for the boaters) in about 12 feet of water. Set the anchor first time, let out a bit more chain to be sure and we where settled in for the afternoon and evening. Fact was, we liked Frying Pan so much we decided to stay another night. The next day we put our dinghy in the water and went exploring the area to see what was around. There are so many little channels that twist and turn around all these island one could easily get lost. I can't say we got lost but I did have to refer to the IPad just to be sure. We spent about 1 1/2 hours checking out all the homes and docks along the way, some small and other very stately. Anchoring out is just the best because there is no current and the anchorage is surrounded by trees or rock.  The boat for the most part just sits on top of the anchor. The only not so good part of anchoring is we have to run our generator to keep the refrigerator cold, to us it sounds so loud and we do not want to disturb the anchorage. Rule of thumb in any anchorage is don't run the genny after 8 pm or before 8 am.

 This view is from in the bay looking out towards the handle.

Part of our view while at anchor

Boats that were tied to a small dock in the anchorage

Just one of the small islands we went by.

After 2 nights at Frying Pan it's time to move a bit further north. Keep in mind we cruise at about 5-6 knots because we have to always watch the channel and there is so much to see along the way. From Frying Pan to our next anchorage is only 5.8 miles and it takes us almost 2 hours. This anchorage is called Longuissa Bay. Longuissa Bay was recommended by another Looper. It sounded good so we had to try it. This anchorage was at the end of a rather long, some what narrow channel. We had to navigate close to shore but once we got to the actual anchorage it was beautiful. We picked our spot and dropped the hook and again stuck it the first time. We were one of only 4 boats so plenty of room to swing but after what little wind settles down in the evening we just hovered around the anchor chain.

This afternoon the captain thought it time to check out the water so I jumped in. Wow, was I ever surprised to find how warm and so clean the water is. Because there is no tide or current it seems the water just warms up. I would have to say the water temperature was 75 degrees. I easily spent a half hour in the water, always a good time to clean the waterline. Another interesting point about anchoring out is at night the sky is just filled with stars.We had already decide to spend 2 nights here so on the next day off in the dinghy to explore and look at the other anchorages in the area that would have been our plan B if Longuissa was crowed. Two great days of warm weather and lots of sunshine.

 Our resident Loon and her baby.

 For those of you from the Mystic area, do you recognize this boat?  This was Shooter that stayed on a mooring ball in front of Noank Village Ship Yard.  It is now called Lark and it's home port is northern Maine.

View of the anchorage from our dinghy

Cruising Georgian  Bay is so different than anything we have ever done. The marinas are few and far between and if you do go to a marina there are no little towns to visit and usually no restaurants. So most all of the boaters here will cruise  and anchor out for the night or even a week. Our next stop is again further north to an island called Frying Pan. Here there is one of the very few restaurants in the GB called Henry's Fish . It is only accessible by boat or seaplane. Henry's offers dockage for the many that visit for lunch or dinner. We chose to spend the night and enjoyed their famous fish and chips. This place has been a landmark for years, not fancy but what you would expect from a seasonal restaurant.  Must say I am not a fan of fish & chips but this was really good featuring only fresh fish with four different choices, white fish, pickerel, perch and trout.

 So not only do you have to deal with small channels to get to your destination, you also have to watch for sea planes while you're coming into Henry's Fish.  Henry's is a federally registered airport for seaplanes and is serviced by at least 5 commercial airlines

Zoey's Adventure at the dock

 Henry's Restaurant.  What you see is it.  There are no roads leading in or out. This is Frying Pan Island, San Souci, Ontario

Waiting for our table

Next day, sunny and warm as most of our trip has been, we are off heading north with only a thought of where we would anchor for the night. Oops, I forgot to tell you in Georgian Bay, no one ever cruises at night... NO ONE. Most of the navigational aids are not lit and there are so many twisting turning channels and ROCKS, so when the sun sets the boating traffic stops.

Back to our cruising. The anchorage we had selected was a bit to far so we decided to stop short and chose to pull into Snug Harbor. Snug Harbor was nice no other boats but two homes . Rule of thumb is don't anchor in-front of a home or cottage, so we moved on in search of an alternate anchorage. Soon we came upon another anchorage that looked good. As we made our approach into Burritt Point on Franklin Island, ever so slowly, we saw a few other boat already anchored and I was not comfortable with the channel we were in. I put Zoey's Adventure in reverse and spun her around and headed into an adjacent area where 2 other sailboats had anchored. This would be our home for the night. We set the anchor but the light wind pushed us back  a bit too close to one of the sail boats so we lifted the anchor and moved a bit closer to shore giving us additional room. Once the wind settled down to nothing, it was another perfect night on the hook. Long about 5 pm, the couple on the sailboat, that was near us, cruised by in their dinghy to say hello. Turns out they spend all summer just living on their boat cruising Georgian Bay and North Channel. We kind of spied on them as they swam and kayaked most of the late afternoon and early evening.

This is running from Henry's Fish to Burritt Point. This is how narrow a majority of the channels are and the water is maybe 6' - 8'.  Remember our draft is 4.5' so sometimes you just hold your breath hoping not to hear a clunk.

Burritt Point Anchorage.