North Channel in a Flash

Little Current is the gateway into the North Channel. Because it was getting colder and we saw more and more stores and restaurants closing up for the season, we moved along the North Channel as quickly as we could.

After waiting out rough weather in Little Current, we had two good days of travelling alongside Moon Dance, a trawler we met in Little Current, and made it to Meldrum Bay. When we woke up the next morning, there was some fog. After some discussions we decided to leave as we could see far enough that we wouldn't hit anything and we thought it would be better back out in the North Channel. Oh, were we wrong, as was the weatherman! The fog was just as thick out in the more open water and it didn't clear until the end of the day. We followed Moon Dance closely as they had radar and AIS.

We arrived at Drummond Island, which is in the US, in the late afternoon. Our check-in with US customs turned out to be pretty quick and straight forward, which was a relief after the stressful day in the fog.

We left Drummond Island headed to Mackinac City. We had expected to anchor along the way, but the weather turned out to be better than forecast, so we continued on, making for a long, but good day to the end of our passage of Lake Huron.

Next up for us was to travel the length of Lake Michigan.

A lighthouse in the North Channel

Geru in the North Channel

The end of the season in Meldrum Bay

Following Moon Dance in the fog

Geru in the fog

The Mackinac Bridge dividing Lake Huron 

and Lake Michigan

Squeaky Fenders in Not-So-Little Current

Little Current is a town on a narrow pass marking the northern end of Georgian Bay and the beginning of the North Channel. A lot of water flows through this passage...

We had planned a stop at Little Current as the winds were picking up and a few days of rain were being forecast. We thought it would be a restful stop to do some grocery shopping and boat chores. We couldn't have been more wrong. We did get groceries and some laundry done, but found that Little Current should really be named Big Current. The boat felt like she was at sea while at the dock with the addition of squeaking fenders keeping us awake at night. The videos below tell the story.

Little Current

Sounds at Little Current

Georgian Bay and First Loopers

Shortly after we arrived in Midland we met our first fellow looper, PIA, who was still travelling south at this late point in the season like us. (A looper is a boat who is doing the Great Loop around the eastern part of North America. We are loopers for the Canadian and US portions of our trip.) PIA amazingly also has the same plan as us to continue south once we get to the Gulf of Mexico.

We spent four days in Midland at Bay Port Yachting Centre and did all the cruising chores: ordered parts, did laundry, changed engine oils and got groceries before heading out into Georgian Bay.

When leaving Midland one has to cross a large stretch of open water before being able to tuck into the protected small craft channel winding its way through the islands on the northeast shore. We left with some trepidation as the weather was beginning to turn, but we didn't want to be stuck in Midland for the full weather system. It turned out to be the right decision as we had a flat calm motor through light rain showers under a grey sky.

Throughout Georgian Bay we felt that time was nipping at our heels as more and more services and stores were closed for the season. Some nights were getting very cold and there was more fall colour in the trees. The one advantage of being there at this time of year was that we had no issues finding dock space. We also often found ourselves completely alone on the water. With it being so quiet, Georgian Bay felt very remote. It was the first time on this trip we felt we needed to be completely self-sufficient, which had become a way of life for us on our last trip.

We spent a cold night at a marina in Britt on Byng Inlet - and they actually had bear-proof garbage cans! To Geoff, Britt felt like one of the northern Canadian communities he had visited on canoe trips many years ago.

On our way to Killarney, we travelled through Collin's Inlet which is a narrow passage with granite rock faces on either side. We had heard it was spectacular and it was!

After spending two nights in Killarney, we went to "the pool" in Baie Fine. The pool is an amazing sheltered anchorage with an almost mystical quality located at the end of a long bay. Baie Fine is one of the largest freshwater fjords in the world and features white quartz cliffs on one side and pink granite ones on the other. From the pool we took a short dingy ride and hiked up a trail to Lake Topaz, which is a hidden lake in the mountains famous for the colour of its water. We were there on a cloudy day, so unfortunately didn't get to see the full colour effect.

From Baie Fine we headed to the misnamed town of Little Current...

Small craft channel on Georgian Bay

Passage on the small craft channel

Collin's Inlet

Collin's Inlet

Lake Topaz

Trail to Lake Topaz

Geru in "the pool"

Baie Fine

Locks, Dams and a Dentist on the Trent-Severn Waterway

After a great stay at the very modern and large Trent Port Marina, we started our trip up the Trent-Severn Waterway. We expected it to be similar to the Rideau, but it really wasn't. The Trent-Severn moves through a variety of geographic regions and you encounter many different landscapes. There were narrow passages through swampy lakes surrounded by tree stumps, the open waters of Lake Simcoe, buoyed channels around huge boulders (some above, some below the surface requiring sharp turns with the boat) and narrow rocky cuts with overgrown vegetation. There were also the not-for-the-faint-of-heart lift locks and marine railway. We spent quiet nights at remote lock stations, but also ended up inadvertently in the middle of Pirate Days in Orillia.

Just as we left Trenton Ruth lost a filling while eating a granola bar. And so began the search for a dentist who would take Ruth on short notice. The weekend was coming up and we had no luck as we passed a couple of the larger towns. Finally, we were successful in Peterborough where the local dentists have a dentist-on-call system. We did a bit of sightseeing by taking public transit to the dentist office on the edge of town. Ruth had her tooth expertly fixed by a dentist who is a sailor himself (thanks, Dr. Vander Velden!).

We were worried about the stony section starting north of Peterborough as we met a boat who had their trip cut short by running up on a rock. We have a lot of experience with shallow waters, but it has always been sand or mud bottoms which are fairly forgiving if you make a mistake, but contending with underwater boulders was another thing altogether. It turned out that it was no problem as the channels were well buoyed, but you needed to pay attention. This was our first introduction to this bouldered type of landscape that we knew would be the norm in Georgian Bay.

We went through the last lock of the Trent-Severn  - the 43rd - at Port Severn on September 2nd, and started into the fabled Georgian Bay...

Sydney lock and dam

Healey Falls locks

Geru at Ashburnham lock in Peterborough 

Peterborough Lift Lock

The Trent Canal

Lake Simcoe

Kirkfield Lift Lock - our first Trent lock going down!

Big Chute Marine Railway

Little Chute