Aug 6th, Monday, Day 94: Georgian Bay to South Benjamin Islands
Aug 7th, Tuesday, Day 95: South Benjamin Island to Oak Bay
Aug 8th, Wednesday, Day 96: Oak Bay to Whalesback Channel
Aug 9th Thu, Day 97 Whalesback Channel to Drummond Island - USA
Aug 10th & 11th, Fri-Sat, Days 98-99 Drummond to Mackinac Island, MI

After the winds subsided Monday morning, we were finally able to leave the security of the Gore Bay marina and head out with Woody & Carolyn back to one of our previously visited islands in the North Channel.   Our destination was somewhere in the Benjamins.    Since there was still some moderate winds forecasted for Monday night from the south, we chose a very popular bay on the north side of South Benjamin island which we hoped would give us some shelter from the winds and waves.  Throughout the day, several boaters echoed our choice of an anchorage by coming into the bay and dropping their hook.    By the end of the day, the bay had over 30 boats spending the night.    This bay was surrounded by large granite rocks and several large hills which sloped down to the water’s edge, inviting us to come to shore & walk up to the top of the island, which of course we did, via Ricky-Dink.   We also took a dinghy tour of the bay and around the point at the corner of the anchorage.  Unfortunately, we seem to have been getting a daily weather pattern of  light rain and threatening clouds, so our venture via the dinghy was cut short when ominous clouds started forming on the horizon.   

On Tuesday, we left south Benjamin Island and headed northwest to meet up with another buddy boat, Hallelujah, owned by Dave & Barb Reinken, which is also a Defever 44 and very similar to Rickshaw.   We motored up to Oak Bay, and by mid-day, were securely anchored a  hundred yards from Hallelujah.   After eating a quick bite of lunch, we dropped the dinghy into the water and took an extensive cruise around the surrounding waters, past a youth group camp, where there were several First Nation teenagers paddling kayaks in and around the marsh grasses which lined the banks of the bay.    After returning to Rickshaw, Woody, Carolyn & Jim toured the immediate area in borrowed kayaks from Hallelujah.   Afterwards, we invited Dave & Barb over for dinner on our aft-deck and were entertained by Woody on the guitar, featuring sailing and western songs.

Wednesday’s destination was the very scenic Bear Drop Bay in Whalesback Channel, further west along the northern shore of the North Channel, some 20 miles away.  We said goodbye to Hallelujah as our paths diverged, and we motored into the narrow and shallow channel into Bear Drop, with Belinda and Woody on bow-watch keeping a keen eye for any shallow rocks in the uncharted entrance.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the very popular anchorage virtually empty, so we picked an ideal spot in the middle of the bay, before taking our exploratory dinghy ride around the bay followed by a circumnavigation of the island.    Approaching Rickshaw, we stopped for a quick visit with another boat, White Star, which was a mint-condition 1987 Valiant sailboat.   Gar & Helen from Toronto on White Star mentioned that they had enjoyed Woody’s concert which carried over the bay the night before in Oak Bay, where they were also anchored, so we invited them over for a repeat performance by Woody that night, which they eagerly accepted. 

We had been keeping close attention to a forecast for gale-force winds that were
supposed to be moving into the area by Thursday night, so when we woke Thursday morning we considered our options for where to stay that night, and decided to push for Drummond Island, 56 miles away, which is the port of entry for boats re-entering the US, so we could be in a marina and wait for the storm to move through.   Coincidentally, at exactly the same time as our chartplotter moved from the Canadian charts to the US charts,  the ipod selected the next song in the shuffle list & John Denver started singing "It's good to be back home again" over the boat speakers.   After a long day on the water, we arrived in Drummond at 4pm, cleared customs, and headed to our assigned slip, which unfortunately was very exposed to the incoming north winds that were beginning to build.  We swapped our 5/8” docklines for the larger 1” docklines and tied Rickshaw to the windward dock in 7 places trying to hold her close enough to the dock to enable us to step off and on Rickshaw without much difficulty.     In spite of our extra security, when we awoke on Friday morning, after hearing the wind howling throughout the night, Rickshaw had moved 2 feet from the dock due to the constant pulling and slacking of the docklines.      
 
Since we were pretty much certain to be staying in the marina for a couple of days,
Woody & Carolyn took the opportunity to retrieve their car in Sault Ste. Marie, where they had dropped it off almost a week before, and bring it back to  Drummond.  At this point, the weather forecast did not look promising.   We had hoped to be in Mackinac Island Saturday night, but the weather forecast indicated that the weather system that was producing the high winds was supposed to last until late Saturday night, making the hope that we would be in Mackinac before Sunday not very promising.    While Woody & Carolyn fetched their car, Belinda took advantage of the downtime to catch up on laundry, while Jim wrestled the washing machine out of its closet to diagnose the source of a water leak that had appeared during the last washing cycle on-board.     The washing machine has been a huge advantage on-board, allowing Belinda to wash clothes every couple of days, and not spend time at marinas waiting for machines  on-shore.     
 
When Saturday morning arrived, we received an updated weather forecast, which predicted light rain, winds around 15-20 knots, with 2-3 foot seas, between Drummond and Mackinac, 40 miles away.   Even though the forecast was not ideal, we decided that we would push to Mackinac, which would keep us on schedule and allow us to be in Mackinac on Sunday, which was predicted to be a sunny & warm day.   So after a quick run to the grocery store in Drummond (thanks to Woody’s car), we pulled away from the Drummond marina at 11am, with Woody & Carolyn to catch up with us in Mackinac 5 hours later.

Wed Aug 1st, Day 89 - Clapperton Island
Thu Aug 2nd, Day 90 - S. Benjamin Island
Fri Aug 3rd, Day 91 - Croker Island
Sat & Sun Aug 4th & 5th, Days 92 & 93 - Gore Bay

Since it had been a few days since our last marina, we needed to stop in the first town on Manitoulin Island, Little Current, for a few groceries and a pumpout before proceeding to another anchorage.    Manitoulin Island is the island that defines the southern border of the North Channel, separating Canada from Lake Huron.    It is noteworthy being the largest freshwater island in the world, with many of the inhabitants being members of the First Nation tribes.    After the 3 hour stop in Little Current, we headed for our anchorage for the night, Clapperton Island, where we arrived just in time to have a quick dinner before the sunset.  


On Thursday, we headed toward the Benjamin Island group, keeping our attention on the less than favorable weather forecast, which was indicating 20-25 knot winds out of the north, making an anchorage with some protection to the north very preferable.    We tucked into the bay on the south side of South Benjamin Island, barely able to anchor in the lee of the island, just outside of the effects of the winds and the waves coming in around the point.    Even though the waves were still felt at our anchor spot, we decided to drop Ricky-Dink off the side and explore the bay and the nearby shallow rock strewn channels.    Picking our way through massive granite and quartz boulders, through channels not wider than 15 feet, we idled slowly by a couple of sailboats pressed against the rock walls, kept in place by ropes tied to rock-climbing pitons, secured into the cracks in the granite.   We came out on the opposite side of S. Benjamin and discovered a beautiful beach with crystal clear water where we beached the dinghy, and gave Jim a chance to take a quick swim in the very chilly water.

Our plan on Friday was to reconnect with Joe & Tara on Seabatical, which would allow Al & Dawn a last opportunity to say goodbye to Joe & Tara before disembarking from Rickshaw on Saturday.    We settled on the bay at Croker Island which was a horseshoe-shaped lagoon surrounded by tall outcroppings of pink granite ringing the anchorage.   Our decision to stop at Croker Island was coincidentally shared by several other boats, including Marc's Ark & Blue Heron.    We climbed to the top of the 50 foot tall dome that overlooked Croker Bay, and gave us a 360 degree view of the bay and the surrounding waters.     After our hike, we had an impromptu happy hour get-together on the beach with several of the boaters, which would most likely be the last time we would see most of them until at least Mackinac or further down the Michigan coast.

Saturday was a sad day for us, because this was the day that we would have to say good-bye to our wonderful friends and guests for the past 2 weeks, Al & Dawn.  We motored from Croker Island 15 miles to Gore Bay, where they had dropped their car off 2 weeks earlier, and, after availing ourselves of Al & Dawn's car to go to the grocery store, gave our goodbye hugs and kisses to our good friends, promising to stay in touch and re-unite with them sometime before the end of the year.    We spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning cleaning and getting Rickshaw ready for our friends from Memphis, Woody & Carolyn, who were scheduled to arrive around noon on Sunday.    Although our original plan was to depart for an anchorage Sunday afternoon, high winds kept us in the Gore Bay marina on Sunday night.

Fri  July 27,  Day 84:  Bustards Islands
Sat  July 28,  Day 85:  Bad River
Sun  July 29, Day 86:  Covered Portage
Mon  July 30, Day 87:  Baie Fine
Tues  July 31, Day 88:  Frazer Bay

After leaving Wright’s Marina in Britt, we motored further northwest along  the Georgian Bay coast towards a remote group of islands called the  Bustards, where we anchored along with Marc’s Ark, Quest and Blue Heron  in a tight little anchorage between Strawberry Island and Tie Island.    Once we’re satisfied that our anchor is secure, we deployed Ricky-Dink  over the side, and took an exploratory tour of the several islands separated by narrow channels with steep rocky walls.  

On Saturday  (7/28), we pulled up the anchor and headed further north toward Bad  River, which is a lagoon down a narrow and shallow channel, which  required Belinda & Dawn to maintain a watch on the bow to alert us  of any granite boulders hiding just below the surface.     Channel  markings are only occasionally present, so the absence of navigational  buoys and daymarks does not necessarily mean safe waters.    One of the  highlights of Bad River is a chute of water that feeds into the  anchorage basin and squeezes between 20 foot walls and into the  lagoon.     So, the “thing to do” here is to run the dinghy almost full  speed through the 15 foot wide mini-canyon pushing the dinghy against  the 5 knot current, which we did (of course), which was a nail-biter,  especially since the water level is reported to be 14” down from last  year.     Then, to turn around, this time with  the current, and shoot  out of the canyon back into the lagoon, at an accelerated speed above  which Ricky-Dink has probably never  experienced.
 
On Sunday morning, we awoke early and headed out in order to hook up with Joe & Tara on  Seabatical, further up into the North Channel in a beautiful anchorage,  called Covered Portage, on the far side of Killarney, Ontario.      Entering Covered Portage (or as the French call it “Portage Couvert”), we were surrounded by 100 ft. cliffs of sheer granite rimming the  emerald green waters, where we shared the bay with an estimated 40-50  boats.     After lunch, we embarked in Ricky-Dink for a tour of the bay, and beached the dinghy on the innermost shore and went on a very steep  hike/climb up to the top of the rock cliffs overlooking the bay.    Since we only have a few days left with Al & Dawn, we want to make  the most of the time remaining and see as many bays and anchorages as we can.     We’ve noticed that as we go north, the water is getting  clearer and the shores are mostly pink and gray granite, accentuated  with pine & other evergreen trees.   

The next day, Monday, we depart for Baie Fine, which is a narrow fiord north of Covered Portage,  approximately 10 miles long by ½ mile wide.     At the end of the fiord  is a very small anchorage called “The Pool” which is advertised to be  large enough for a half-dozen boats.   When we arrived at The Pool (via  Ricky-Dink, since we anchored in the main body of water in Baie Fine),  we were surprised to find about 2 dozen boats squeezed into the anchorage.    On shore, there were several trails to take advantage of,  so the 6 of us (which included Joe & Tara) took a 2 mile hike up to  the top of the ridge where we enjoyed our lunch at our destination, Topaz Lake, which is a crystal blue/green lake reported to be over a  hundred feet deep, surrounded by steep striated granite.    Some of the walls are not so steep to provide steps to enable a smooth entry into  the very brisk water.   In other places, it is possible to maneuver  around the boulders and stand 20-30 feet over the water, looking almost  straight down into the breath-taking pool below where some (including  Jim, Al & Tara) leap out and over the rocks below and plunge into the icy pool.      After our hike back to Ricky-Dink, we returned to the mother ship, Rickshaw, after dropping Joe & Tara off at their  boat.   After a short period of changing into dry clothes on Rickshaw,  we invited ourselves back onto Seabatical for happy hour cocktails and  snacks before returning to Rickshaw for another wonderful dinner on the aft-deck.     

The next day, Tuesday, we motored a short 11 miles, to a small horseshoe-shaped cove at the end of Frazer Bay.   So far on our  Great Loop adventure, we’ve seen rain or even rain clouds only a couple  of days.    But, in the past few days, we’ve had more overcast days with brief periods of downpours.    So we have to time our passages and our  dinghy excursions carefully and some days, elect to only go short  distances      Even though the water has been getting clearer the  further north and west we go, in this particular anchorage, the water is so clear we can see the bottom 15 feet down perfectly.   So clear,  in fact, that during a dice game, Farkle, on the aft deck with Al, Dawn, Tara  & Joe, when one of the dice bounced off the table and over  the toerail of the boat, we could easily see the die sitting on the  bottom 10 feet down, landing with the number 2 face up.      After our  brief dinghy exploration, which was cut short by ominous rain clouds  building on the horizon, we taught Joe & Tara how to play Farkle on  our aftdeck, and then ended the day with a chilly swim/wash down off the swim platform, before feasting on Belinda’s famous crabcakes while  watching the full moon come up over the eastern shoreline.

Sun Jul 22, Day 79: Anchored Across from Frying Pan Bay
Mon 7/23, Day 80:  Anchored east of Ruddy Island
Tues 7/24, Day 81: Anchored in Kilcoursie Bay
Wed 7/25, Day 82: Anchored in Shawanaga Island
Thu 7/26, Day 83:  Bing Inlet
 
For the next several days, we’re travelling through the region known as the 30,000 islands, even though there are reportedly  a lot more islands  than 30,000 in this part of Georgian Bay.     Navigating through this  massive archipelago is a definite challenge, because it is very  difficult to really know which islands  we’re near without keeping close  tracks all along the way of where we are, especially since our  electronic charts don’t cover most of this area.    So, we navigate by  using paper charts and plotting our latitude & longitude along the  way.     We’ve spent every night at remote anchorages with names like  Frying Pan Bay, Kilcoursie
& Shawanaga with crystal clear aquamarine waters surrounded by beaches or granite boulder-lined shores.     On  Tuesday, 7/24, we met up with our friends, Joe & Tara from Atlanta  on Seabatical, whom we met last year in Norfolk, at the AGLCA  rendezvous, and have kept in contact with ever since, waiting for this  year when we, including Al & Dawn, could meet up with them on the  Great Loop.  While anchored off of Shawanaga, the 6 of us took an  exploratory cruise among the boulder islands and outcroppings in  Ricky-Dink (our dinghy) prior to a delicious dinner prepared by Tara.    We’re slowly working our way northwest up the eastern shore of Georgian  Bay, heading toward the upper shores of Lake Huron, called the North  Channel, which is considered to be the most beautiful part of the entire loop.     On Thursday, we headed into Wright’s Marina in Britt to get  connected to the internet (so we could, among other tasks, get caught up on posting to our blog).

Sat Jul 21st, Day 78:  Port Severn to Midland on Georgian Bay.  Prior to heading out into  Georgian Bay, we needed to go through one more lock, #45 of the  Trent-Severn and #117 of the overall trip.   Unfortunately this lock  was relatively small, only allowing one larger boat at a time, which  meant that we would have to wait 2 hours before going through.    Once  through the lock, we headed across to
Midland, where we would wait for  Al & Dawn to drive their car up to the North Channel (6 hours each  way), and return via a rental car.  While at the marina in Midland, I decided to take advantage of being near a boat service yard, and have  Rickshaw pulled out of the water to check the props.     As the Big  Chute operator
had reported, the port prop was several dings, so we  opted to put a spare pair of props that we had on board on the shafts,  and have the damaged ones repaired somewhere down the road.     After  the switch of the props was completed, we were splashed back into the  marina, and moved back to our slip.  We were pleasantly surprised to find another couple of loopers from York River, Mike & Kathy on  Queen Kathleen, in the marina, so we invited them to have appetizers,  drinks and dinner with us and Al & Dawn, on our aft deck, where we  enjoyed conversation about shared experiences along the loop.