Honey Harbor, Georgian Bay, Ont. to Little Current, North Channel, Ont.

Honey Harbor, Georgian Bay, Ont. to Little Current, North Channel, Ont.

We’ve gone from Locks, locks, locks to rocks, rocks, rocks. And the challenge of chart reading, finding buoys, and coordinating with the GPS takes two sets of eyes! No knitting for me…but I’m lovin’ it, so it’s ok.

Our next stop was an anchorage or park dock in Frying Pan Cove. Here we met a Gold Looper and a looper like us from St. Augustine. We enjoyed dinner together, a campfire at night and dinghy rides in and  of the island. The Gold Looper was Canadian and knew every nook and cranny. There were posted spots prohibiting camping because of bear, but we spent an afternoon enjoying the small beach…and the rocks. Snakes and bear are quite prevalent, so you won’t catch me hiking!

 Our next stop was Sans Souci Is. and the highly over rated Henry’s Fish restaurant. The specialty was whitefish; good, but a bit over rated. We did get to watch sea planes and the Canadian Coast Guard spend time here.

Parry Sound was unique and we made the decision (I think it was my birthday and Christmas present) to take a seaplane ride. Since we are traveling along the north side of Georgian Bay (known as the 30,000 Is.), we thought it would be fun to get an aerial view; and maybe even count the islands…Ha! Ha! An island is pretty much defined as any size rock formation that has green growth. If it has nothing growing, it is a rock. It was awesome; so glad we did that.

We went to several other anchorages; pristine and quiet, then headed to Britt on Byng Inlet. The marina was so-so; the locals were quite friendly. A Looper from Martha’s Vineyard,  named Nova, was towed into the marina with a dead engine. Since this was a to be installed. We felt sad for them and invited them to our boat for spaghetti. We have traveled with them since and are enjoying their company.

After a stay in Killarney, a quaint, small town at the start of the North Channel, we moved on to Browning Cove. (Yes, the Capt. insisted). It was heat wave time in the states, but probably not as uncomfortable here.

We are now in Little Current, a great spot, loaded with boats coming and going. There was even a quilt store (got my fabric fix). L.C. is also the home of the Cruiser’s Net. A man by the name of Roy Eaton (former school teacher and principal here) volunteers his time each morning to host a broadcast on Ch. 71. He’ll report news and weather, and then boats in the area call in with their boat name, location and where they are headed. He also provides radio help with emergencies, etc. Yesterday morning, since Gene was changing the oil, I went to the Cruiser’s Net office and helped record boats and their locations. There were 142 boats calling in. It was busy, but fun. At night we went to the annual Cruiser’s Net pot luck supper. There were at least 100 boaters. We are now seeing boats heading east from Michigan, Chicago, Wisconsin….just amazing!

Each night we read and read to get the scope of things and plan a couple of days’ travel. We have spent time with locals and Loopers who more than willing to share the must see spots, places to avoid and to go over charts with us. Because the buoys often are hard to see, and can change sides unexpectedly, we have a gizmo on the helm. When the red and green buoys change, we also change the gizmo. That keeps our feeble brains oriented and off the rocks. We know of two Looper boats that are waiting here for shafts and props. And, everything in Canada is expensive with a 13% tax



this used to be a lighthouse with a light
at Pt. Au Barile



Sad to say, we will probably leave the North Channel by the middle of next week, return to the U.S. and begin our Lake Michigan journey. I shall miss the Canadians; we have met some very friendly folks. This whole part of the rip has been beyond our expectations…..Tune in…..Ginny



Sportsman's Inn and marina
at Killarney







this will be a left hand turn!!




when the red and green buoys
change sides we rotate the gizmos

lighthouse

Monday, July 11,2011

Travel from Orillia, Ont. to Honey Harbor, Georgian Bay, Ont

We enjoyed a few days at the Port Orillia City Marina. The waterfront park was lovely. We met Loopers on Maine Vision, Gullwing, Sea Pal, and Running Erin”s. We enjoyed dinner, stories and camaraderie with them It remains amazing how we are each making this journey in different ways, different boats, and different schedules (alto’ we are not on a schedule, right?)….SeaPal’s owners and plan is quite interesting. They have a well-equipped 25 foot motor boat with two large gas out board motors, no keel, and everything they need compactly stored. They trailered their boat behind their truck from Bend, Oregon, starting their Loop in Norfolk=, Va. Altho’ they like our space, they can get their boat into spots we can’t even think about!

We left Orillia planning to meet up with the three Loopers at Lock 44. Boat traffic was quite heavy because it was a weekend, so locks were crowded and we often had to wait our turn. (But who cares!)

busy lock 42

We were heading to Big Chute, Lock 44, another unique lock. Actually it’s not really a lock, but, rather, a huge crib or travel lift that takes your boat out of the water on railroad tracks, across the road, down a hill 59 feet and back into water, the Little Chute Channel. The ride is seven minutes, the boat is in a sling in the crib, and we were on board.

The night before this adventure, the Captains studied the process; we took a gazillion pictures, and there was discussion with the lock masters about how we would proceed the next morning. It was decided, because of size and weight, that each boat would travel separately. Now it was time to plan out optimal use of picture taking. Cameras were exchanged and we excitedly looked forward to the next morning.

lockmaster waiting for free to b on the crib; free to b entering crib



in the crib



Ginny on the Bow

At 8:30 the next morning, we moved our boats to the waiting dock. Sea Pal decided to go out for breakfast and would travel Big Chute later in the day. They took some great pictures of us, but are now a day behind us.

We were second in line. I was on the bow, if lines were needed. Gene slowly approached the crib which is now partially submerged. The expert lock masters carefully adjusted the slings that the boat would sit on, and we were ready to go. The crib slowly came out of the water, crossed the road, and began its descent. OMYGOSH! About halfway down, a lockmaster shouts that he sees black line wrapped around our propeller. (Back track to last spring, and we did, indeed lose dinghy line. Gene thought he had retrieved it all from the propeller , but I guess not.) The youngest lockmaster tells us he can cut it off for us, so under the lift he goes! Another lockmaster readjusts the position of the crib, and the young one cuts off about four feet of line! We jokingly asked if he would like to paint the bottom while he was there.! Ha! Ha!. The head lockmaster made it clear that the reason they could retrieve the line was because there were not a line of boats waiting. They probably saved us a $500 boat yard charge, so the Capt. Saw to it that they would have a nice dinner.









 

Lockmaster finds line on the prop

Back in the Water Again

We continue down and make a smooth slide into the water, tie up at the wall and take pictures of the last boat. And, of course, the lockmaster gives us the line!!!!

We are finished with locks (I am glad; 74 locks is a bit of work; but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!) until Chicago when we will be sharing locks with huge barges on the rivers. Tune in…..

We temporarily said good bye to Running Erins and Gullwing. They were heading to a marina in Honey Harbor, Georgian Bay. I wanted to head to the southern Penetang Bay to visit the town of Penetanguishene; just to say I had been there. We would meet up with them, again, in Honey Harbor a day later. At the marina in Penetang, we were met by a Looper harbor host. Loopers volunteer throughout the route to be available if help is needed. We assured Byron that we had plenty of groceries, etc. He has completed the Loop and gave us much local info. It turned out we were too tired to bike into town after doing laundry, repairing an AC, etc.

We headed the next morning to Honey Harbor on the north side of Georgian Bay to a truly lovely marina, with a great Looper discount rate. The amenities were outstanding, the restaurant was five star, boaters were friendly, and the location was pristine. We stayed for two days, met up with our Looper buddies and planned a few days travel.

Here are some random pictures of open water travel. It wasn’t all locks and waiting. We are enthralled with Georgian Bay. It is Canada’s paradise. It is more developed with cottages (and boat traffic on the weekend) than I imagined, but the rock formations, luscious green trees and shoreline are incredible. We already know that somehow we will come back. (And we have only just begun.) Our travel over the next couple of weeks will be along the north shore, known as the 30,000 islands. This will take us to the North Channel and then to Lake Michigan. This a more complicated route with narrow channels, hidden anchorages and to die for scenery; rock formations and trees. We will need to pay close attention to our charts.

We met a young man, here, who grew up on Georgian Bay. He sat with us and our charts and showed us all of the ideal spots. If we even tried to visit them all, we would be here for years; so we shall pick and choose.

Today, we are heading to the northern tip of a Canadian Nat’l Park called Beausoleil Is. There is a dock and anchorage at Frying Pan Cove. Altho’ it will be hot and humid today, the water should refresh us.

All is well; this is the trip of a lifetime! Stay tuned…..

Janet, I'm really here

 

 

 

Campbellford to Orillia, Ont

Locks! Locks! Locks! We dream, talk and travel thru locks! We have travelled about 160 miles since Campbellford and have traveled 40 locks on the Trent Severn and 30 on the Erie. We have 4 locks left on the TS. Before the Lift lock in Kirkfield we had elevated to 840 ft. This is the highest level a boat can travel with its own power in the entire world. We also traveled up the Peterborough Lift Lock (65 feet) and down the Kirkfield Lift Lock (49) feet. Both were an extraordinary adventure.

The lift locks are hydraulic with two "pans"; one up, one down. You enter a designated pan, tie to a railing, Each of the pans weighs 1300 tons when filled and are balanced when one is up and one is down. The amount of boats in a pan does not matter. The pans move up/down when a foot of water (130 tons) is added to the upper pan, allowing it to go down and the other pan to go up. (It is physics and chemistry at its finest.) It is a quick ride, very scenic, with lots of spectators. What an experience.

The lock masters on the TS are much more friendly and helpful than on the Erie and Oswego. Many are college students. Their salary is tied in with student aide, which is interesting. Many are young women; in one lock, they told me they actually have a couple of "ladies' nights" where the staff is all women. There are only tired looking men in the US locks; some of whom were pleasant; many were grumpy; many walked as if they needed hip replacements. I'm sure they don't help boaters because of Worker's Comp issues.

Ah, the notorious houseboats. We have been through the part of the Trent Severn called the Kawartha Lakes region. Locks and canals connect lakes (many man-made) with each other. Each lake seemed more beautiful than the last. With minimal wind, the travel was easy. However, the area is famous (infamous) for its houseboat rentals. And, they were out in great form on the weekend of Canada Day(July1). The houseboats have small engines, no keel for control, untrained, and often drunk captains and are a general menace. The lockmasters have many stories to tell about houseboats spinning in the locks, hitting other boats, etc. We spent the Canada Day weekend in Bobcaygeon where drunk kids on houseboats made for a noisy weekend.

Bobcaygeon was a cute little town with a huge shoe store. We enjoyed a great little parade, a concert with a high school band and chorus that gave us chills, and spectacular fireworks. It was here that we met an enjoyable elderly couple who have completed the loop three times; they loved each trip. We are already thinking we could do this, again; there is so much to see!

We have stayed at lock walls for the past several nights; marinas are few and far between or are too small. When at a wall, there usually is no power, but our generator gives creature comforts, if needed. Wi-fi is not available at the walls, usually, but phone service has been excellent. The wall tie-up might be in the middle of town or in the middle of nowhere. We tied for the night after the Kirkfield Lift Lock; there was a wonderful breeze, peace and quiet, and we were entertained until early evening with boats entering and leaving the lift lock.I suppose it could be boring to some, but we love it!

We are now in Orillia, Ont.; a small city at the beginning of Lake Couchiching. (Say that 10 times fast!). It is a city marina with 206 slips; a few other Loopers (Merried With Her and Sea Pal) are also here. We will be here for a few days. Have to still plan out the next stop.

We are getting close to Georgian Bay; 4 more locks including the Chute which is a "railway" lock. Oh, yes, we topped off our fuel tanks at $139.9/liter which is about $5.35/gal..... Stay tuned for that adventure.....