Into Georgian Bay, July 12 - 15

Saturday, July 12, 2014

As tempting as it was to stay at Starpoint Marina, the weather looked good for Saturday cruising. After making good use of the free washers and dryers, saying “Ta ta for now” to our friends Mary and Roger, and getting the boat ready, we untied our lines and made the short trip over to lock 45, our very last lock until we get to Chicago.

And what a lock it was on a busy Saturday with lots of boaters out having fun. We were crammed in with several other boats – some of our big fenders resting on a low cigarette boat as we went down. When the gates opened and we all motored out we entered a high current area as the river and the overflow of the dam came together.  We hit another unexpected narrow channel with red and green markers very close together. Think of slalom skiing with an 11 ton boat!

We made our way to Midland Bay through more channels in the water because there were rocks everywhere. There is an old Native American legend that explains why this is called the land of 30,000 islands.

"Kitchikewana was a Huron god that was big enough to protect all of Georgian Bay. He was a giant who wore a headdress made of thousands of bird feathers. His robe was made of six-hundred beaver pelts and he also wore a tree-stump necklace.
One day, the other Huron gods noticed how angry Kitchikewana was all the time. They thought that if he had a girlfriend, she may be able to settle him down, so they gathered all of the most interesting and beautiful girls of the tribes. There was one specific girl Kitchikewana really liked a lot, and her name was Wanakita. Kitchikewana asked Wanakita if she wanted to be with him, but Wanakita did not want to be with him, much to his surprise. What Kitchikewana didn't know was that she already had a boyfriend! Wanakita was in love with one of the warriors from her own tribe. This made Kitchikewana really angry. He was so upset that he dug his fingers deep into the ground and threw the dirt in a fit of rage. The handfuls of dirt were scattered and the 30,000 Islands were created, and the five finger marks in the ground became the five bays: Midland Bay, Penetang Bay, Hog Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Matchedash Bay. Kitchikewana, heartbroken and tired, lay down at the base of the islands and fell asleep forever."

 

Captain’s Log: July 12, 2014

Departed: Starport Marina, Port Severn 11:10 a.m.
Engine hours: 2.9 hrs.
Actual hours: 4 hrs.  30 min.
Nautical miles covered: 12.75
Locked thru # 45, Port Severn
Arrived: Anchorage at Cheapskate Beach in Midland - then moved to Wye Heritage Marina
Wx: Clear, SW winds 10-15 kts. Anchorage didn't offer enough protection when winds changed to the south.

Sunday, July 13

We spent Saturday and Sunday nights in Wye Heritage Marina – a huge place that had over 800 slips. The facilities were very nice and everyone on the staff was very helpful. John changed the oil and fuel filters on the boat, we got some expert advice from a very experienced sailor named Andy on following the charts for Georgian Bay and decided to be on our way on Monday morning. Took a break from blogging - there are no photos from Saturday or Sunday.

Monday, July 14, 2014

It was a great day to set off into Georgian Bay with a forecast of sunny and cool with light winds. We left the Wye Heritage Marina and made out way across Midland Bay and followed Beausoleil Island, Honey Harbour and then into the small craft channel, seeing lots of rocks and dozens of islands. 

 

Campers get ready to kayak out onto Midland Bay

Houses on the islands are built right on the rock

 

This made us laugh as we cruised by: Little Gibraltar

 

The rocks are all very smooth - no lawn to mow here -
this was a small island

We had planned to anchor out overnight and motored up Twelve Mile Bay to one of the protected anchorages that had been recommended to us. At the same time we were contacted by Lon and Pat on CARIB II, Loopers we had met in Florida before they started out in April, who said they had spotted us on their AIS (Automated Identification System). We told them our plans and they said that they were pushing on to Parry Sound because the next day was supposed to be windy and stormy.
The Serenity crew of two had a two second conference and decided we would rather be at a dock and able to visit with friends than stuck in a cove on a stormy day. We turned around and pushed on - extending our cruise, but it was a beautiful day to travel.

This Coast Guard boat followed a while through a channel and then passed us

We made our way to the South Channel where the scenery was much more wooded and encountered quite a bit of water traffic. We passed through several narrows, relying on the red and green markers.



This boathouse was our landmark coming into
Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound

There were several other Looper boats already there at the marina, including some who were from Canada and two from Michigan, Lindy and Sanctuary, about to finish their loop. We all gathered at a picnic table to share stories, and hear lots of advice. We met Foster and Susan from Quo Vadimus for the first time.

Big bad buoy - later we saw kids using it for a
jungle gym.
 

The sunset was a beautiful end to a long day on the water, but the weather forecast was for rain to start after midnight and thundershowers and windy conditions the next day.



CARIB II and Serenity basking in the glow of the sunset
CARIB stands for: Chill And Relax Its a Boat!

Sunset over Parry Sound

Captain’s Log: July 14, 2014

Departed: Wye Heritage Marina, Midland 9:05 a.m.
Engine hours: 8.5 hrs.
Actual hours: 8 hrs.  45 min.
Nautical miles covered: 49.60
Arrived: Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound 5:20 p.m.
Wx: Clear, cool, nice day for cruising

Tuesday, July 15

The decision to come to the marina was a good one. Rain started after midnight, the winds picked up and a couple of thunderstorms came through in the morning. The winds never let up but we walked into town to check things out. It is a pretty busy place - probably the biggest commerce center for miles around and a busy tourist port with the tour boats coming in every day. There was also a sea plane service which would take customers up for a tour of the area. We saw several take off yesterday, but it was a little too windy today.

Note the dark sky - most of the passengers were inside

Fishing off the sea wall - the dappled dachshund was cute

Our day was complete when we walked to the Wellington Restaurant for a schnitzel dinner with Lon and Pat from CARIB II. We got caught up on all of our boating adventures and talked about plans for the weeks to come.
Tomorrow's forecast isn't looking so good so we will have to have another conference in the morning.

Ron, Pat, Kathy & John after a good meal -
someplace other than on a boat