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Day 1- We left Bay Moorings Marina in Penetanguishene on Sunday July 27th at noon in 15 knot winds and 2'-3' seas...it was a bit overcast, but not raining. Penetang Harbour seemed busier than New York Harbor...most of the vessels were sail boats under sail, so they had the right-of-way and they were coming at us from all directions. We cruised on the Leeward side of Beausoleil Island and up around the north side past places with names like Honey Harbour, Minniehaha Point, Mermaid Island, Big Dog Channel and ended up in Frying Pan Bay. With names like that, are you sure I'm not in Disneyland? Beausoleil is the largest of the islands in The Georgian Bay Islands National Park and is accessible only by boat. We sure were in for a treat...
Day 2- We slept well and woke to the sounds of birds singing...went ashore in the dinghy and hiked to Fairy Lake...we saw fresh bear tracks and got eaten to bits by the mosquitoes--this was not fun! We left our anchorage at noon and headed to Twelve Mile Bay and Wani Cove. Wani is not charted, but we were told it is a lovely place to anchor and it is. The cruise through the 30,000 islands was skinny and crowded...some of the channel markers were so close together it was "single file". The water is so crystal clear you can see the shelves of submerged rocks all around. How the heck did Champlain do this with only a compass? At one point, for about 10 miles, we were completely exposed to the winds coming off of Georgian Bay which looked like an ocean from our perch. Once anchored we went for a dinghy ride (my favorite part of the day) and explored all the little nooks around this perfect anchorage. We fished and relaxed--after all, I didn't have internet so Chip had my undivided attention. The wind off the bay kept the air cool so were wore jackets, but the sky was clear and oh so blue with low, thick clouds with purple in them. Peggy (Southern Comfort) made dinner for everyone-we all took our dinghies over to Blue Max and enjoyed Bill and Eileen's comfortable boat and Peggy's fabulous Jamaican Chicken and Rice dinner. We got back to Ithaka by 8 pm and went upstairs to watch sunset...the sun comes up about 5:30 and sets around 9 pm so we generally don't see either, but this was a sunset for the record books!
Day 3-Today, July 29th, we are heading to a remote anchorage called Port Rawson Bay. We have an idea where we want to go, what we want to see and approximately how long we want to be there, BUT-when a local guide tells us about a place that wasn't on our agenda, we make room in our very loose schedule. Port Rawson Bay was one of those unplanned places...it is a perfect anchorage totally off the beaten path in a remote area where few venture into. How lucky are we?
Day 4- Headed to Killbear Marina, 12 miles past Parry Sound because we were told they have WiFi only to find that while we were there we didn't even have cell service let alone internet! I was a little disappointed that we bypassed Parry Sound...You should have seen Chip's face when I told him we would see it the next time we do the loop! It feels really weird to be so out of touch...the next morning, before we left, I walked up to a little general store to call the office on the toll free number from a payphone and left a message for Sam that the month-end reports would be a late...All things considered, we would have skipped this stop and anchored out again if we were going to pass Parry Sound anyway..."next time"...hmmmmm
Day 5- We left Killbear early and took a route to avoid Canoe Channel because we were told it is a very narrow passage with depth issues. It was a cool morning so we had on long pants and sweat shirts...this is how I thought we'd be dressing most of the time, but instead we have been so fortunate to have such beautiful weather almost everyday! The cruise to our next anchorage was spectacular. We are getting further away from towns with any sizable population, but the tiny islands are still dotted with cottages of all shapes, sizes and colors; most only accessible by boat...most with a Canadian flag proudly flying. We picked a lovely bay just off the small craft channel located in Shawanaga Island. Hopewell Bay is possibly the prettiest spot yet. The entire cove is lined with amazing rock formations, layers of striated boulders in earthy colors like raw sienna and burnt umber...some smooth, others with carved deep ridges. Add to that an abundance of wildly colorful flowers and pine and maple trees and you have a masterpiece...a canvas well over a mile across by a mile wide...God's hand has created this landscape-and we are here to witness it...It is both breathtaking and breathgiving-and so few can say they have ever seen or touched it...how very blessed we are. By mid-day there were 10 boats anchored for the night and six were loopers! We all got together over on a rock beach for happy hour to share stories. (see picture). I love being at anchor~ 1000' away from the closest boat...no noise...floating on a sea of glass with a billion stars in the sky twinkling through the hatch. Hush...
Day 2- We slept well and woke to the sounds of birds singing...went ashore in the dinghy and hiked to Fairy Lake...we saw fresh bear tracks and got eaten to bits by the mosquitoes--this was not fun! We left our anchorage at noon and headed to Twelve Mile Bay and Wani Cove. Wani is not charted, but we were told it is a lovely place to anchor and it is. The cruise through the 30,000 islands was skinny and crowded...some of the channel markers were so close together it was "single file". The water is so crystal clear you can see the shelves of submerged rocks all around. How the heck did Champlain do this with only a compass? At one point, for about 10 miles, we were completely exposed to the winds coming off of Georgian Bay which looked like an ocean from our perch. Once anchored we went for a dinghy ride (my favorite part of the day) and explored all the little nooks around this perfect anchorage. We fished and relaxed--after all, I didn't have internet so Chip had my undivided attention. The wind off the bay kept the air cool so were wore jackets, but the sky was clear and oh so blue with low, thick clouds with purple in them. Peggy (Southern Comfort) made dinner for everyone-we all took our dinghies over to Blue Max and enjoyed Bill and Eileen's comfortable boat and Peggy's fabulous Jamaican Chicken and Rice dinner. We got back to Ithaka by 8 pm and went upstairs to watch sunset...the sun comes up about 5:30 and sets around 9 pm so we generally don't see either, but this was a sunset for the record books!
Day 3-Today, July 29th, we are heading to a remote anchorage called Port Rawson Bay. We have an idea where we want to go, what we want to see and approximately how long we want to be there, BUT-when a local guide tells us about a place that wasn't on our agenda, we make room in our very loose schedule. Port Rawson Bay was one of those unplanned places...it is a perfect anchorage totally off the beaten path in a remote area where few venture into. How lucky are we?
Day 4- Headed to Killbear Marina, 12 miles past Parry Sound because we were told they have WiFi only to find that while we were there we didn't even have cell service let alone internet! I was a little disappointed that we bypassed Parry Sound...You should have seen Chip's face when I told him we would see it the next time we do the loop! It feels really weird to be so out of touch...the next morning, before we left, I walked up to a little general store to call the office on the toll free number from a payphone and left a message for Sam that the month-end reports would be a late...All things considered, we would have skipped this stop and anchored out again if we were going to pass Parry Sound anyway..."next time"...hmmmmm
Day 5- We left Killbear early and took a route to avoid Canoe Channel because we were told it is a very narrow passage with depth issues. It was a cool morning so we had on long pants and sweat shirts...this is how I thought we'd be dressing most of the time, but instead we have been so fortunate to have such beautiful weather almost everyday! The cruise to our next anchorage was spectacular. We are getting further away from towns with any sizable population, but the tiny islands are still dotted with cottages of all shapes, sizes and colors; most only accessible by boat...most with a Canadian flag proudly flying. We picked a lovely bay just off the small craft channel located in Shawanaga Island. Hopewell Bay is possibly the prettiest spot yet. The entire cove is lined with amazing rock formations, layers of striated boulders in earthy colors like raw sienna and burnt umber...some smooth, others with carved deep ridges. Add to that an abundance of wildly colorful flowers and pine and maple trees and you have a masterpiece...a canvas well over a mile across by a mile wide...God's hand has created this landscape-and we are here to witness it...It is both breathtaking and breathgiving-and so few can say they have ever seen or touched it...how very blessed we are. By mid-day there were 10 boats anchored for the night and six were loopers! We all got together over on a rock beach for happy hour to share stories. (see picture). I love being at anchor~ 1000' away from the closest boat...no noise...floating on a sea of glass with a billion stars in the sky twinkling through the hatch. Hush...
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