North Channel – Little Current to DeTour Village

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

We will leave Baie Fine today, but Robert wants to go fishing one more time.  Success!  He is cleaning our dinner on our swim platform.

Marianne Cove, Baie Fine ON fresh fish!

We manage to untie the boat and get the anchor up without too much angst and are on our way.  We pass through the narrow, rocky channel again.  Notice the nearby rocks, just barely visible below the surface.

Shallow rocks, Baie Fine ON

Our 19 mile run takes about 2 hours, but we will have to wait for a swing bridge to open just before our destination.  It opens only on the hour and only for 5 – 10 minutes.  We arrive early and wait while car traffic flows first in one direction, then in the other.  This was once a railroad bridge that has been converted to a one-way highway bridge.  The bridge tender controls car traffic, then opens the bridge for boat traffic.

Hwy 6 Swing Bridge, Little Current ON

We soon arrive at the Town Docks in the Port of Little Current, where we tie up for a 3-day stay. 

Little Current ON Town Docks

We enjoy a lovely sunset before a hectic 2 days catching up on laundry, boat chores and grocery shopping.

Sunset, Little Current Town Docks

Wednesday, August 8 – Thursday, August 9, 2018

The town’s main street runs along the waterfront.  A cute town, I spy several interesting shops to check out later.

Little Current ON

First we make our way to the Anchor Inn, ground zero for Cruisers Net.  Broadcasting seasonally from a second floor conference room, Cruisers Net can be heard on VHF radio for a 50-mile radius of Little Current.  Ron, the “voice of Cruisers Net”, gives an overview of news and weather, followed by boaters reporting their locations (“Sauvy B, Sauvy B is at Town Docks in Little Current”), then by a q&a option for anyone looking for anything (boat parts, technical advice, etc.).  We are told the limited cell coverage in the area makes this a welcome way to keep track of where friends are cruising.  We have also been advised to sit in on a daily broadcast, so here we are!

Cruiser's Net from Anchor Inn, Little Current ON

Guess this is our excitement for the day as the rest of the day will be filled with laundry, boat chores, groceries at two poorly stocked small stores (each stop seems to be worse than the previous one), and wine/beer from the LCBO.  Little Current hosted a big festival the past weekend and store shelves have been picked clean.  We decide to stay an extra day, waiting for the weekly deliveries.  Of course, we get some shopping in, too.

Just before dark, this square rigged sailboat eases slowly into a slip nearby.  We later learn it is crewed by kids on a summer sailing program.

Square rigged sailboat, Little Current Town Docks

Friday, August 10, 2018

We are leaving Little Current just in time as this large cruise ship (for these waters) arrives at dawn.

Cruise ship, Little Current Town Docks

Today we will move only 7 miles, about an hour, to anchor near Bedford Island.  Our lovely view includes Five Islands.  This area promises to have good fishing, so we shall see.

Five Islands from Bedford Island anchorage, North Channel ON

Saturday, August 11 – Sunday, August 12, 2018

We awake each morning to bugs.  Lots and lots of bugs.  We’ve been enduring bugs all summer but think this is among the worst we have seen.  Robert spends almost every morning washing bugs off the boat; otherwise they leave green stains.  He is NOT pleased!

Bugs on window screen

Monday, August 13 – Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Fishing has been slow so we are ready to leave this anchorage and the bugs.  An easy 2-hour cruise and we are in Kagawong ON.  This little town is known for a nearby falls and some historical buildings.  

Kagawong ON

We learn this was the site of a wood pulp mill, operational for a few years in the 1930s.  Their claim to fame was providing paper pulp for the Sears & Roebuck catalog.  The Depression and their inability to meet Sears’ quantity demand spelled the end of the venture.

Mill wheel components, Old Mill Heritage Center, Kagawong ON

We take the hike to Bridal Veil Falls, following a groomed trail through a lovely woodland along a stream.

Trail to Bridal Veil Falls, Kagawong ON

We’re seeing lots of poison ivy along trails in this area.  Also lots of warning signs, much appreciated.

Poison ivy, Bridal Veil Falls trail

And this is Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), growing nearby.  It is reported to speed healing of poison ivy blisters.  We bought some soap containing Jewelweed, made locally, for that purpose and hope we do not need to test it.

Jewelweed, Bridal Veil Falls trail

It’s been a dry summer here so not much water is flowing over the falls.  But it was a lovely walk.

Bridal Veil Falls, Kagawong ON

Our route back to the marina takes us past this actual, working phone booth.  Are we out in the boonies or what!

Working pay phone, Kagawong ON

Wednesday, August 15 – Thursday, August 16, 2018

Today we are off to another anchorage, this one near Clapperton Island, barely an hour away.  Ruins of an old resort are visible on a nearby island.  

Clapperton Island anchorage, North Channel ON

Robert heads out to fish and is soon back with dinner.  Yum!

Smallmouth bass, North Channel ON

I kayak around the islands, trying unsuccessfully to get close enough to some loons for a photo.  No luck – they are extremely skittish.  I settle for pictures of these blooming water plants.  Not sure what they are – completely out of my knowledge base!

Blooming water plant, Clapperton Island

We are sharing this spot with several other boats, but there’s plenty of room for privacy.  We had planned to stay here 4 nights but decide to leave early to work our way to a more secure location when we learn a cold front is forecast for early next week.  We enjoy another sunset before heading to town tomorrow.

Sunset, Clapperton Island, North Channel ON

Friday, August 17, 2018

We make an overnight stop in Gore Bay to buy groceries.  Not much to do here but this may be the last decent grocery store we see for a week.  We run errands, do laundry and plan to leave early the next day.  Robert scores a good deal on a used bicycle.  With 2 bikes on board, now we just need to make time to use them!

Saturday, August 18, 2018

A four-hour run takes us to Meldrum Bay ON.  This is just about the end of the road on Manitoulin Island.  Very friendly people here, but end of the season at the end of the road.  Slim pickin’s at the local LCBO.  The grocery selection was equally limited.

LCBO, Meldrum Bay ON

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Five hours cruising today and we arrive at DeTour Village MI.  A quick phone conversation with customs and we are back in the USA!  This is a very nice municipal marina in a small town.  We meet several other boaters here and get together with a group of 8 for docktails.  Tomorrow we leave the North Channel, returning to Lake Huron for our last stop before entering Lake Michigan.

North Channel – Killarney to Baie Fine

Wednesday, August 1 – Thursday, August 2, 2018

We are underway again, moving to some anchorages in this eastern end of the North Channel.  We had hoped to go directly to an area highly recommended, called Baie Fine (pronounced Bay Finn) but the entrance is narrow and rocky and we prefer a sunny day to enter as it’s easier to see the rocks beneath the water’s surface.  Today is overcast and gloomy so we opt to stop at a closer anchorage, Snug Harbor.  Here we follow a sailboat through a narrow passage in the open bay, hoping he finds any rocks before we do!

Sailboat in Lansdowne Channel

After an uneventful hour cruise, we settle in Snug Harbor, an easy anchorage with deep water and a muddy bottom.  A few other boats are here, too, and Robert visits with one by dinghy when he sees the other couple fishing.  Docktails ensue and we enjoy getting to know this retired couple from Quebec.  They spend summers on their boat in this area, then store the boat and move to their motorhome, stored where the boat is kept, and head south for the rest of the year.  They will pass through Texas this winter on their way to their favorite spot on the west coast of Mexico, and promise to get in touch when they reach Houston.

Snug Harbor anchorage, North Channel ON

The next day we dinghy to shore and follow a trail to a small lake.

Devil's Bay Lake

This area is marked by long, narrow peninsulas extending from the mainland.  The geography is reminiscent of northern Maine, although on a much smaller scale.  We proceed on to the opposite side of this peninsula, finding a rocky beach and nice views.

Badgeley Point ON

Friday, August 3, 2018

We’ve enjoyed our quiet cove but decide to move closer to Baie Fine and another easy anchorage.  Another hour run takes us to Heywood Island where we anchor in a large cove with numerous other boats.  Plenty of room here!  We launch the kayaks and paddle around the area for a pleasant afternoon.

Heywood Island anchorage

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Finally, we expect a sunny day and head for Baie Fine.  We travel 12 miles, taking 1.5 hours, crossing Frazier Bay before entering Baie Fine.  The channel here isn’t much wider than our boat.  Yikes!

Baie Fine ON

Notice the rocks underwater at the lower right of the photo.  Our sunny day is now hazy but visibility is still adequate to keep off the rocks, or so we hope.

Baie Fine ON

Baie Fine is a long narrow waterway, ending in a small area called “The Pool”.  Lots of smaller boats anchor in The Pool but we have gotten mixed advice as to whether we should go there.  So we opt for caution and stop at Marianne Cove, about 7 miles before The Pool.  

Marianne Cove, Baie Fine ON

This is our first attempt to “med moor”, an anchoring method where we drop our anchor, then back up and tie the stern of the boat to a dock or land.  In this case, we are tied to a hopefully sturdy pine tree.  Wow!  Were we unprepared for this!  Once we dropped the anchor, we had to launch the dinghy (raising it with our crane and lowering it into the water).  Then Robert had to take the dinghy with a rope to shore to tie to the tree.  All this time we are trying to keep the boat perpendicular to shore, avoiding rocks and other boats.  Thankfully we had little wind but the process was still tricky.  Not fun!  We will be better prepared if we have to do this again.

Marianne Cove, Baie Fine ON

Sunday, August 5, 2018

We awake to a gorgeous, sunny day and decide to hike to a nearby peak for some exercise.  We follow trail markers, climbing steadily up through rocky woods.

Hike to Casson Peak

Our effort is rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding fingers of land and intervening water.  Fabulous!

View from Casson Peak

The peak appears to be made of pink Precambrian quartzite.  Stunning!

Precambrian quartzite, Casson Peak

Robert relaxes with a cigar, enjoying the breeze after a challenging climb.

Casson Peak

We’ve had intermittent email service in our cove with our off again / on again cell signal.  We suspect that is due to being surrounded by tall cliffs on 3 sides.  I was able to post our location on the looper web site and have been emailing another looper who is planning to come to our location.  When we return from our hike, they have arrived with two other boats.  All three boats are home to young families with kids.  What an exceptional experience for these youngsters!  I understand they are being home schooled while they travel for a year while dad works from the boat.

Marianne Cove, Baie Fine

Suddenly skies darken and a fierce thunderstorm blows through.  We struggle to get enough cell signal to pull up a weather radar picture, with limited success.  We are quite sheltered in our little cove but still, our boat blows around a lot, despite being anchored at the bow and tied at the stern.  We later learn boaters in more open locations clocked 60 mph winds.  So glad we were in Marianne Cove!

Marianne Cove, Baie Fine

Monday, August 6, 2018

Today is a bit gloomy but we are determined to see The Pool.  So off we go in our dinghy for the half hour ride.

Baie Fine ON

The wider passage of Baie Fine narrows for the final 2 miles into The Pool.

Entrance to The Pool

Once there we realize we could easily have brought Sauvy B here, but it is full of boats so probably okay that we didn’t.

The Pool, Baie Fine

We are now in Killarney Provincial Park, with several hiking trails that we can take.  We start up a marked trail toward Topaz Lake.  We soon pass a group of 5 young women, 2 carrying canoes, 2 carrying very large backpacks and 1 carrying a very large water barrel.  They are portaging from another water body to Baie Fine.  We later see them part way down Baie Fine, where they have beached their canoes and made camp for the night.  Wow!  Impressive!

Hikers on Topaz Lake Trail, Killarney Provincial Park ON

After one wrong turn, we make it to Topaz Lake.  The deep blue color touted by the guide books is not obvious, due to overcast skies and light drizzle.  Supposedly the lake was contaminated with nickel from a nearby mine decades ago and is completely dead, supporting no fish, grass, nor algae, but contributing to an unusual and lovely shade of blue.

Topaz Lake, Killarney Provincial Park ON

Tomorrow we will head to a dock after a record (for us) 6 nights at anchor!