August 30, Day 78 - In Little Current

The morning started out mostly cloudy and very windy but before long the sun broke through. The temps were in the 50’s but because of the high wind the wind chill factor was probably in the 40’s. We turned on the heat. One good thing about the small space of a boat; it doesn’t take long to warm the place up. We had breakfast while listening to the local “Little Current” boater’s broadcast on the VHF and decided we’d spend another day here. After today, the next week is supposed to be gorgeous.

Linda did more laundry and worked on banking, bill paying, insurance, etc. since we probably won’t have internet for several days after leaving here. Gerry did whatever it is he does on the computer (Linda has yet to figure out what that is).

We got cleaned up and headed into town. Didn’t really have a chance to explore much last night as the weather was so crappy. One of the locals that Gerry had been chatting with offered us a ride. He dropped us off at the local grocery stores. They are right across the street from each other. However he did mention that except for stuff we really needed we should wait until Gore Bay to provision as it’s somewhat cheaper there. We picked up a few things at the grocery store and had a quick lunch. Not much selection at the grocery store and the lunch was about average. We walked down to the waterfront, Linda took a few pictures and we stopped in a few gift/specialty stores. We came back to the boat and took it easy. Gerry went over the various route alternatives for tomorrow and Linda took a walk over to the park.

Gerry cooked some individual pizzas for tonight. He tried to cook them on the grill, but ended up burning the bottom to a crisp. Even his second attempt was a miserable failure (but the top was fine).

We will wait to see if our mail comes in tomorrow and then head out. If the mail is here, we go to the Benjamin Islands; if not, we will go to a nearby anchorage known as Mosquito Bay. There is supposed to be a sandy beach with a potential for finding some sea glass. We will wait there until our mail shows up in Little Current and then make the short run back to pick it up before heading west.

Monk's Vineyard at the marina

The swing bridge opening (this is the one we had to wait for yesterday). Notice .... there is sun today.

The boardwalk along the riverfront

Sunset at the marina

August 29, Day 77 - Baie Fine to Little Current

We woke to the promised rain and dark skies. The wind is supposed to pick up to 25 knots this afternoon, so we will try to get to Little Current before that. We are also hoping that our mail has caught up to us from Midland. We are not holding our breath for that to happen. But, there will be phone service and internet at the marina (Spider Marina), so we can catch up on our email and blog.

After a breakfast of fresh blueberry pancakes, we decided to head out. It took us about ½ hour to get the anchor up and cleaned of all the weeds and mud. The trip out of the Pool and Baie Fine was pretty uneventful. Gerry just followed the inbound track on the GPS. Figured if we hadn’t hit anything on the way in, the same route should be okay for the way out. Once out in the open water, the seas were a little rough, but not too bad. However, it was drizzling and there was a cold wind blowing. Even Gerry had on long pants and fleece. Linda had on several layers including a hooded sweatshirt. It was downright COLD. We didn’t know exactly how long it would take us to get to Little Current as there were several variables as we departed, not the least of which was getting the anchor up and cleaned. To get into Little Current we had to pass a swing bridge that only opens on the hour for 15 minutes. If you just barely miss it, that’s another 45 minutes you have to wait. Once we were in open water, the GPS told us we’d be there at 1:30 so we slowed down a little to time our arrival around 2:00 for the bridge opening. We arrived around 1:45 and motored around the area in front of the bridge. The wind and rain were really starting to howl about that time. It was a long 15 minutes. Mercifully, the bridge opened exactly on time and we motored through and then into the marina.

After getting settled in, Gerry caught up on e-mail and phone stuff while Linda did laundry and tried to catch up on the blog as there is very good internet service here.

Around 7:30 we decided we were hungry and so wandered into town to see if we could find something to eat. It was a short, but cold walk as the wind is still quite strong and it is sprinkling. We ate at the only restaurant we could find that was open. The town appeared deserted. I think everyone is staying in because of the weather.

After returning to the boat, updated the blog …. even for today. We are now up to date!!! The weather tomorrow is still a little iffy, but if it improves we will probably head out and anchor somewhere. After tomorrow the forecast is for sunny skies and temps in the 70's.

Not many pictures today as it was not a picture-perfect day.


The lighthouse as you enter Little Current

The swing bridge that only opens on the hour .... we were early so had to wait ... in the wet and cold

The town of Little Current as seen from the water

August 28, Day 76 - In Baie Fine

We woke up this morning to overcast skies, but it was not as cold as yesterday. We had cinnamon rolls and blueberry scones for breakfast … they were delicious. After tidying things up a bit, we headed out for the hike to Topaz Lake.

Gerry’s ankle is still quite sore, but he had his cane with him. We actually brought all his previously used medical supplies (knee braces, wrist braces, hot/cold packs, etc) with us as we figured somewhere along the line he’d need them. The trail was quite navigable, even for Gerry. We made it to the lake in about 20 minutes. We spent some time wandering around a bit on top and sitting and taking in the scenery.

We met two groups of hikers. One group (2 guys and a girl) had just spent 5 days canoeing some of the lakes in the region and were hauling the canoe and lots of equipment. Except for the dog that was with them, they were pretty loaded down. The other was a couple doing the “Hiking Trail” with their two dogs.

After returning to the boat, we had lunch and then Gerry cleaned the dinghy. Linda read some more (really starting to go through the books now) and then Gerry napped. It is very quiet and relaxing here. The weather forecast for the weekend is windy with some rain, so we doubt there will be many boaters out and about. There are three of us here in the anchorage.

After dinner, Gerry tried fishing again. Still no luck. All of those “no fail” lures sold to him by the locals just don’t seem to be working. Good thing we have back up food in the freezer! We even went out in the dinghy. Linda drove while Gerry fished …. Still no luck. The only action was a duck that followed us all around the cove.

Back at the boat we watched a movie and then off to bed.

This is a picture of a sailboat in our anchorage that is bringing their anchor up while having one of the crew clean it off from the dinghy.


On our way up to Topaz Lake we saw a canoe with legs !!
This is a picture of Topaz Lake .... the water was very clear and a beautiful color

The background for this tree picture is actually water .... not the sky

Gerry reflecting on the meaning of life ..... or maybe just trying to catch his breath

Another picture of the lake

The dinghy dock where everyone parks so they can climb to Topaz Lake and any other number of lakes and hiking trails. Ours is the dinghy on the right.


Monk's Vineyard at anchor in "The Pool"

August 27, Day 75 - Killarney to the Pool at Baie Fine

We woke up this morning to brilliant sun, but cool temperatures. It was in the 40’s. Long pants and sweat shirts were the attire for today (for Linda anyway – Gerry was trying to tough it out in shorts and a T-shirt). Linda went back to the game room to try to finish blogging. Had difficulties last night and finally gave up. Gerry headed to the General Store to get a few supplies. After that we made a quick walk into town for the “before-mentioned” pastries at the Gateway Restaurant – cinnamon rolls and blueberry scones.

After filling the water tank and getting a pump out we headed out at 11:00 for Baie Fine and the Pool. This is one of the few fjords in Canada. Once we approached Baie Fine we took it slow, with Linda on the bow watching for rocks. Although the channel is well marked the guidebooks and others who have been here advise to keep your speed down and station a lookout.

Once you make the entrance you see the white quartz mountains that stretch for miles. Continuing on we passed Mary Ann Cove which is known as an excellent place to anchor. However, our destination was “The Pool”. According to the guidebooks, the Pool is one of those anchorages that cruisers talk about in reverential tones, sort of a yachtsmen’s grail that everyone should seek out at least once in their cruising lives. We were here …. so we went. We picked our way in slowly, not really knowing how many boats we would find. As it turned out, there were only 3 other boats in the pool.

We are several weeks behind many of the other “loopers” and the rest of the recreational boaters that cruise this area, but have found this to be a good thing. We have encountered very few crowds and the weather has actually been better later in the season than it was at the beginning of summer. We found a nice spot and dropped the anchor. The bottom is very weedy so it will be interesting to see what’s on the anchor when we pull it up. Can’t believe it will be any worse than what we encountered in Newboro.

The fishfinder said there were fish …. So Gerry got out the rod and reel to try his luck. Finally, he caught 3 fish (yellow perch) using pieces of sausage as bait. They were all pretty small, but he did catch something.

Linda relaxed and read her book while Gerry made Jambalaya for dinner. That stuff sure fills you up, but it was pretty tasty.

A few folks stopped by and chatted – one couple from Barrie, Ontario had just bought their first trawler, an Albin 36. They had just finished the hike up to Topaz Lake and they saw a black bear just before they got back to the dinghy dock. The others were from Kingston, Ontario, and Chicago. They were having a relaxing dinghy ride around the “Pool” having a bit of wine to settle their dinner. That has been one of the neat things about the trip – the camaraderie of the other boaters who are out cruising.

There won’t be any posting from up here as there is zero phone service, much less internet connections.

We are going to make this an early night – Gerry needs his rest to be able to go with Linda on her walk up to Topaz Lake tomorrow morning

When we got back to the boat from breakfast we noticed we had a "new dinghy". According to the dockmaster planes fly in all the time and just park wherever they want. Fortunately, Gerry was able to back out and avoid clipping the wings with the boat.




Approaching Baie Fine (pronounced Bay Fin)

Okeechobee Lodge -- once a very popular destination lodge. However, it is now a private establishment

Passing a boat on the way to "The Pool". Later we heard him on the radio calling a marina for help. We weren't sure if he had run aground or was out of fuel.

One of the many rocky cliffs

A cottage on the point as you enter the Pool

I took many pictures of the anchorage. Here are 5 of them. Notice the reflections in all of them.




I think the one with the sailboat is my favorite ..... but I thought they were all pretty cool. You could even see reflections late at night.

August 26, Day 74 - In Killarney

We woke up to beautiful blue skies this morning. It was a bit breezy, but not as bad as yesterday. However, we decided we would spend another day in Killarney. We were out of milk, out of eggs, in general … out of breakfast stuff, so we walked up to the Gateway Restaurant for breakfast. Great food and wonderful looking pastries. We resisted the pastries, but probably won’t be able to do the same tomorrow as the blueberry scones really looked yummy. We’ll probably have to buy some later.

After breakfast we strolled through town and then back to the boat. As we were sitting there, we saw a BIG boat approach. It was the Flemming, Lady Victoria, owned by John and Vicki. These are the people that our friends Bill and Ruth (previous owners of our boat) have been trying to hook us up with. They were on their way back from Mackinac Island and the North Channel. We chatted a bit, they showed us their favorite anchorages in the North Channel and then we took a picture of all us of to prove we actually found each other in Killarney.

After that we spent a few hours trying to update the blog, answer e-mails, do banking and all that mundane stuff. After lunch at our “now favorite restaurant in Killarney” (the Gateway) we went exploring by dinghy. We went down to the lighthouse so we could get a picture. Yesterday, the weather kept up a little busy for picture taking. Then we motored up to Covered Portage Cove. We had planned on anchoring here after leaving Killarney, but decided a quick trip by dinghy would be sufficient. It would have been great to climb up the mountain to see the view, but Gerry’s ankle is still a bit sore and Linda didn’t want to go alone, so just visiting by dinghy was sufficient. This really was a neat place – totally surrounded by high cliffs and deep, clear water. It was filling up fast though. It looked like a sailboat rendezvous was taking place this weekend.

Back at the boat, we relaxed a bit and then headed back to the pool/bar area where we have access to internet. One way or another, we’re going to get current with the blog. Linda worked on that while Gerry updated routes for the coming week.

The Monk and the Flemming. The owner's of the Flemming previously owned a Monk like ours.

Gerry, Linda, Vicki, John and Bruno, the dog.

A little better picture of the Killarney lighthouse. Yesterday's picture was not too good, so we dinghied back out to take a better look.

Monk's Vineyard at the dock


The general store. Notice how they have a dock so you can just pull up in your dinghy to load up your supplies.

Same goes for the liquor store. Just pull up in your boat, load up, and off you go




Approaching Covered Portage Cove

One of the rock formations at the anchorage. Unfortunately, I took the picture at the wrong time. If you get it from the right angle, you can see an Indian's profile.

Some of the boats in the anchorage

A Mainship at anchor

.... and another boat in the anchorage. Lots of high rock walls

One of several sailboats entering the anchorage.

If you look really close you can see 3 little black dots in the water. Those are the noses of otters. They were playing on the dock, but got scared off when the dockmasters came around. Tried to take a picture anyway.

There was also a small weasel running around the place - see video clip below.

Video clip of the elusive otters.

A small weasel was also running around the area.

August 25, Day 73 - Mill Lake to Killarney

We have a short 12 mile run through Collin’s inlet to Killarney. We have reservations at the Killarney Mountain Lodge, a marina/resort. They are the only place in town with internet service. It seems as though the phone company and the cable company are having a little tif and one or the other, pulled all of their services.

We are only planning to spend one night here, but there is a storm that is supposed to be moving in tomorrow night, so we might stay over if it is bad.

We headed out this morning at 9:00. The Collins Inlet was breezy, but the water was relatively flat. It was a scenic trip the whole way …… and THEN, we hit the open water of the Georgian Bay. So much for flat water. Fortunately, we only had a 3 mile run on the open water, but it was extremely windy and the waves were 4 to 6 feet. We took on water over the flybridge and the chairs on the flybridge flew everywhere. We were glad to get into the calm as we entered the protected waters of Killarney. We are staying at the Killarney Mountain Lodge/Marina. Our dock is adjacent to a HUGE rock (we’ll take a picture) and one of the lines is attached to it. We checked on the weather forecast for the next couple of days. Based on that, we decided we will probably stay here for 2 nights.

After settling in we went to check out the town. The main attraction seemed to be Herberts Fisheries. The fish is caught daily and sold from an old bus. It was pretty good. We actually liked it better than Henry’s on Frying Pan Island …. There was less breading on the fish. After lunch we checked out the rest of the town and bought a chart that we were missing (Killarney to Little Current). After that it was back to the marina where we made good use of their facilities (showers, bar, internet, etc). We had dinner at the lodge, Linda tried to update the blog with pictures (got a few days done) and then it was off to bed. We plan on staying here another day, but will take the dingy off and go exploring (back out to the entrance to the lighthouse as we didn’t get a look picture coming in – something to do with rough water) and up to Covered Portage Cove.

We got a call from Gerry’s sister Judy. She and husband Jim are making plans to join us at Holland, MI on Lake Michigan. They will be our second guests.

Leaving the anchorage

A sampling of the scenery along the way .... lots of high rock walls

More rock walls

Trees seem to grow anywhere here

Rocky shoreline

... and still more of the passage. This is a gorgeous area. Sort of reminded us of the Yellowstone River area, but we were traveling by boat, instead of car

Spotted some hikers on a huge cliff. Their tent was pitched at the top.

More of the inlet
Approaching open water

The water was starting to get rougher. You can see it breaking against the rocks

A picture of the lighthouse ... not very good because we were busy with "boat handling" stuff as we passed by

At the dock at the Killarney Mountain Lodge/Marina. Note that we are tied to the rock

Some of the grounds at the lodge

Still more of the grounds. They have done an excellent job incorporating the many rock formations into the landscaping.

More of the flowerbeds scattered throughout the grounds

The fishing boat for Herbert Fisheries. They go out daily and bring the fish back to the processing plant/cafe they have.

Now that is FRESH fish!!
The bus where the fish and chips are sold .... pretty tasty stuff and huge portions

The only church in town

Linda relaxing at the dock