The North Channel

Sadness, we rushed through Georgian Bay and are in the North Channel. So many great anchorages missed. We will figure a way to get back and check them out. The Erie Canal breaking did mess up our timing.

In Kilbear, Ontario, a 32 foot Carver pulled into the spot next to us. We watched our neighbors get settled and later watched Michel look at her watch, then back to her husband, then back to her watch. Kevin went out the door and said, you know it is 5 o’clock somewhere. She laughed and disappeared. Not too long after she reappeared with a refreshing drink for both of them. Later, Kevin started pounding on one of our windows in an attempt to scare off a spider. The spider was having none of that as it was on the outside and Kevin was on the inside. Steve from next door looked up and saw Kevin pounding on the window. Finally he went outside to explain to our neighbors that he was trying to scare the spider away. FAT CHANCE! That started a friendship with our neighbors. It turned out they were going to the same marina we were heading for the next morning and we cruised at about the same speed. We arranged to leave about 7:30 the next morning. We had a choice of taking the small boat channel which has interesting landscapes or head out into Georgian Bay. It didn’t seem too bad at decision time so we both headed out as it was faster. After about 3 hours, we felt like a bobbin hanging off a fishing line with a fish constantly nibbling our worm. We had beam seas which is the most uncomfortable. Ughh. We decided to turn in to the small craft channel. It was a tight channel and Bev was concerned that the waves would push us out into the shallows. Georgian Bay is famous for having hidden rocks. Steven and Michel continued on in the rough water on the outside. We ended up getting into the marina about 45 minutes before them. That called for dock tales, so they came over and we shared stories. We separated a day later, we headed for Kilarney and they Collins inlet for anchoring.

No room at Kilarney, oh poop, where do we go now. We looked at our electronic charting tools and decided to go to Little Current, Ontario in the North Channel. It would be a 59.8 mile run. We are not in fast boats any more, toto, but we get great fuel economy. Eight and a half hours later we arrived, exhausted. All we managed to do was go to a dockside pizza place for dinner. In Canada, most restaurants are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we felt lucky to find a place open that had cold beers and hot pizza. We spent Tuesday in Little Current reprovisioning food and drink. As we were walking through the marina, we spotted another American Tug. It even had a red hull. The main difference is that we have a flybridge. We made enough noise for the owners to come out and visit with us. They are gold loopers which means they made the 6000 mile trip once. They are going the long way to the American Tug Rendezvous in Mackinaw City. The rendezvous is another of the reasons we have been moving fast through Georgian Bay. We will be meeting up with them August 1.

On Wednesday, July 23, we cruised to the Benjamin Islands for our first anchoring. We have checked our ground tackle, have a high quality anchor and added a trip line in case it gets lodged in rocks. The actual Benjamin Islands were full of anchored boats, so we went across a small channel to Crocker Island. We put the anchor down behind a small island in a small bay. We tested the anchor hold by backing down on the anchor and it seemed to be holding. In the middle of the night the wind came up so we go up and checked on the anchor. According to the GPS we had moved 60 feet towards the Island and closer to the rocks that had been showing just under the water. We decided to take an anchor watch of a couple hours each until daylight. If conditions continued to deteriorate, we would have reset the anchor on a dark stormy night. At times during the anchor watch, our depth went down to 7 feet. We had anchored in 13 feet of water originally. We did not seem to get any closer to the island according to the GPS on the chart plotter. At dawn, the wind calm down enough for us to relax and we pulled out of the anchorage around nine.

We decided that we wanted to be in a marina so we headed to Gore Bay. It is a nice marina, but the reviews were spot on. From where they put the transient boaters slips to the office was a long walk. The distance of a half a mile was even worse to the laundry. After Gore Bay, we decided to practice anchoring again on our way westward. We pulled into a peaceful anchorage recommended by waterway guide and Active Captain. We put the anchor down and tested the hold many times. Each time, we detected some movement of the anchor. What was going on, the bottom was listed a clay and should have been easy for the Rochna anchor to catch a hold. Finally, Kevin pulled the anchor back up to the boat only to find it had hooked on a piece of 2x6 lumber and some tree limbs. It was almost like someone had dumped a bunch of excess wood in that spot. Kevin was so disgusted that we put the anchoring gear away and motored on to Meldrum Bay in the western part of the North Channel. A boat that we had met in Little Current came in to anchor so we talked on the radio. They were going to try anchoring in the same recommended spot. We told them of our wood find and they were going to try anyway. Later we saw that boat come into Meldrum Bay and anchor. We called them again and found that they had gotten a good hold on their anchor, but once they stopped, they were inundated with flies and other assorted bugs. Yes, it is much more humid here and every morning we awake to more little fly like critters on the boat.

Yesterday, we checked back into the United States. Customs does not use a telephone number for check in here in the Midwest like the one on the West Coast. They want everyone to check in using the ROAM application. Bev downloaded the app to her IPad and entered boat and Nexus information into the application. As soon as we crossed the border (according to our GPS) we pushed the check in button on the IPad, they asked 3 questions to which one we answered yes to having dairy on board. The app churned a little bit and came back approved to enter the US. It was one of the nicest entries we have had.

We are in Michigan now at Drummond Island Yacht Haven where we had some Amazon packages that had been delivered last Friday. Well, they weren’t in the office when we checked in. They suggested we go to the service department when they opened the following day. The service department is open and Kevin is on the hunt this morning. Success! Now onto the next set of packages delivered to Mackinaw City, from Defender.

We haven’t put fuel in the boat since Winter Haven Marina on the Erie Canal in New York. We plan on filling up here on Drummond Island as their prices are competitive and they give loopers a 10 cent discount. Then we have a short run this morning to De Tour, MI. It is a quaint little town of about 250 residents with supplies all within walking distance. The weather may not cooperate as there is a 20% chance of Thunderstorms today.