Friday, August 16 - Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The North Channel - Its proximity to Michigan, i.e.the end of our Loop is looming. For the the time remaining we will continue to live in the moment and count our blessings. Such is the freedom of the this Looping life. Reality will return soon enough.
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North Channel Ports
Image From boatinggeorgianbay.com |
Irish Attitude,
Journey and
Harmony approached
Killarney, reunited once again. Margi, our cruise director, made reservations at
Killarney Mountain Lodge and Marina. Killarney is the eastern edge of the
North Channel, a body of water that stretches 70 miles, separates itself from Georgian Bay and Lake Huron by a series of islands. Most notably
Manitoulin Island. Killarney a small town +on the mainland side of a channel with
George Island on the opposite bank. Our trio of boats motored in and were greeted at the dock by some familiar faces! Mike and Cindy (
Aurora), Jane and Kent (
Carina) and Eddy and Linda (
Spiritus) waved us in and caught our lines. This is one of the best parts of the Loop. Pulling in somewhere... anywhere and catching up with old friends (or making new ones). Other Loopers were also there. Rick and Leila (
Sun Gypsy) along with people from
Free At Last,
Meridian, and
Bright Angel. The latter came up from Grand Haven and they were exploring The North Channel. Regardless of their path, everyone gathered for docktails that night. It's been awhile since we had full blown docktails. After visiting with everyone the members of the Hudson River Homesteaders decided to continue the reunion over dinner and walked into town for a fish and chips sold out of a bus! (This is referring to the month we all spent on the Hudson River waiting for the Erie Canal to open.) I had eaten enough appetizers to qualify as a meal but there is always room for ice cream! As everyone waited in line I headed to the local ice cream store then joined them at the picnic table out back. My ice cream did not go unnoticed and the others stopped in for a treat on the way back to the boats.
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| Lighthouse at Killarney Channel Entrance |
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| Killarney is on the Right |
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| Fuel Dock |
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| Familiar Dock Hands (Eddy, Jane and Kent) |
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| Setting Up for Docktails |
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| Eddy, Kent, Rick, Leila, Jane, Mike, Bob and Margi |
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| Rick and Mike Chillin' (One Beverage is Mine!) |
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Members of the Hudson River Homesteaders Have the T-Shirts to Prove It!
Mike, Cindy, Linda and Eddy |
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| Fast Food Fish Bus! |
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| Fine Dining, Finer Company |
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| Two Otters Sunning Themselves |
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| Carousel Lounge at the Lodge |
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| Checking Out the Dining Hall |
On Saturday, Margi and I walked around the Lodge. Some of the accommodations were like a motel and others had cabins. I walked into town to do laundry and Mike worked on small jobs on the boat. Janet, Margi and I walked into town to see the sites. There were a few other marinas further along the channel. The
Sportsman's Inn looked like a nice marina also. Janet spotted a place sponsoring a pig roast that night. Dinner plans were settled! We stopped into a grocery store near the marina on the way home. $8 for a package of bacon.... seriously? I don't know where the locals shop but they couldn't afford to shop here and neither can we!
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| This Cottage in The Pool is Owned by the Evinrude (Motors) Family |
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| Dinghy! |
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| Celebrating 1 Year on the Loop (a 2nd time!) |
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| The End of Another Amazing Day on the Loop |
Monday, August 19 - We weighed anchor and headed out for a brief stop in
Little Current. Our group alternates lead boat. We tailed entering so we took point on the way out. Exiting Baie Fine was even more picturesque due to the stillness of the water. The beauty of the landscape was doubled by its reflection.
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| The Morning Sun Peeks Over the Trees Spreading a Warm Glow |
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| The Sun Reflecting on the Water |
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| Mirror Images |
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| The Mountain Reflection |
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| Mike Takes It All In |
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| Thumbs Up if You Enjoying Yourself |
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| Quartz Mountains |
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| The Buoy Line Takes Us Right Next to the Cliffs and Rocks Below |
At 9:00 a.m. Roy Eaton of the Cruiser's Net sends out a live group broadcast over the VHF radio. He gives the weather and a bit of news. Boats in the area may call in their location or a brief message or question for Roy. It's a way of staying connected in such a vast area. We all called in and heard Kent from Carina too. Little Current is located on Manitoulin Island. Manitoulin Island's shores boarder the North Channel, Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. It's a large expanse of land that boasts over 100 inland lakes. We timed our approach to Little Current to the scheduled opening of the swing bridge, the islands only connection to mainland Ontario. The bridge swings once and hour for 15 minutes, boat traffic or not. Irish Attitude can't pass up an opportunity to fill our gas tanks so we pulled in. I stepped off to get a few pictures. The town dock is free but it was early. Harmony and Journey have larger fuel tanks and burn diesel fuel. They fuel up less frequently.
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| Strawberry Island Lighthouse |
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| Little Current Swing Bridge |
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| Downtown (2 Blocks Long) |
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| Free Town Dock! |
We move on towards the small village of
Kagawong in
Mudge Bay. As
Journey approached, local kids were jumping off the pilings into the harbor entrance. The kids were not at all concerned, I can't say the same for the rest of us! Kagawong is Ojibwe for "Where mists rise from falling waters". This is a reference to
Bridal Veil Falls, the reason for our stop. With the boat secure and our dockage paid we were off to the falls. First we passed
St. John the Evangelist's Anglican Church, know as
'The Sailor's Church'. This 120 year old church has a pulpit is built from the bow of a fishing boat! On track again we followed a marked trail along a small river or creek for a mile or two. It was a gentle rise and not difficult in the least. The path opens up to a small pool and waterfall. Mike was the first to brave the water and stood beneath the shower of the falls. I was next. Our friends attributed this to our northern upbringing. Water we found refreshing was just plan cold to them. I convinced Margi to try it and she did it! Janet walked on the ledge behind the falls and she convinced me to join her. It was slippery in some places but a unique perspective. Thanks Janet! We visited the tourist shops on our return and had dinner aboard that night.
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| Kagawong Municipal Marina |
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| Kawagong Harbor Entrance |
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| The Sailor's Church |
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| Unusual Pulpit |
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| A Teaser |
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| Bridal Veil Falls |
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| Me and Margi |
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| Behind the Falls |
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| Zoomed In |
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| Harbor Lights, Harbor Lights Shine so Bright |
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| Tucked in For the Night |
Wednesday, August 20th we departed Kagawong and Manitoulin Island head for Cockburn Island in Robinson Bay. This is a beautiful spot! Sandy bottom with no weeds. We all dinghied ashore and walked the sandy (not rocky!) beaches. Just when you feel like
Robinson Crusoe you find a message in the sand left by the last visitor.
