Georgian Bay - Westbound

Thursday, July 26 – Saturday, July 28, 2018

Today we leave Penetanguishine, heading west back along the southern shore of Georgian Bay.  We don’t want to repeat any stops from our eastward passage, so we run 80 miles today, 9 hours to get to Lion’s Head.  We arrive to spectacular views of nearby cliffs and a very nice city marina.

Lion's Head Marina ON

The next day we walk to a nearby trailhead to hike to an overlook on the cliffs visible from the marina.  This is part of the Bruce Trail system, which follows the Niagara Escarpment more than 500 miles from the Niagara River to the western tip of the Bruce Peninsula near Tobermory.

Bruce Trail, Lion's Head ON

En route we find this interesting geologic “pothole”, formed when retreating glaciers scoured holes in limestone.  

Pothole, Bruce Trail

After a nice hike through lovely woods, we reach the overlook.  Predominant rocks are Silurian dolostone.  The water far below is the same gorgeous blue we have enjoyed since we reached Lake Huron.

Lion's Head ON

Lots of rock climbers are scaling the cliffs – interesting to watch!  

Lion's Head ON

One climber’s bored dog is patiently waiting for him to return.  We have noticed most of the Canadians have very large dogs – we’ve seen almost no small or medium sized dogs at all.  Curious!

Bruce Trail, Lion's Head ON

Every Saturday night in the summer, a local astronomy group sets up telescopes on the lakefront, behind the marina, and allows anyone to have a look.  We are thrilled to see clear skies near dark, marred only by the nearly full moon.  Too much light to see detailed stars but we are treated to good views of several planets and an opportunity to compare sizes and types of telescopes. 

Astronomy night, Lion's Head ON

Sunday, July 29 – Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Today we will cross Georgian Bay, 73 miles in 8 hours, to the far northwestern corner, where a narrow channel connects the Bay to the North Channel.  En route we get a good view of the distant forest fire still burning out of control on the north shore.  This is the same fire that put smoke in Tobermory 8 days ago. 

Georgian Bay, smoke from forest fire, center

We stop in the channel in the town of Killarney for a couple of nights, staying at a nice, upscale resort.  You have to realize this is a very remote area and the town is tiny, so “upscale” is relative!

Killarney Mountain Lodge ON

As we walk to the office to pay for our slip, we are greeted by this Eastern watersnake.  Several of these guys are swimming just below our dock, circling the rocks clearly visible underwater.  Ugh!  Not a fan!  But we are assured they are non-venomous.

Eastern watersnake, Killarney Mountain Lodge ON

We were told to make a reservation early for this marina so we did so more than a month in advance.  We hate having such a firm date to meet weeks ahead because it forces us to move the boat in less than ideal weather conditions or shorten our stay at nice stops.  However, this location is the only game in town, moving from Georgian Bay to the North Channel.  We were very glad we had the reservation!  Here’s what the marina looked like when we arrived.

Killarney Mountain Lodge Marina

And here it is 2 days later.  The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club arrived – 31 boats (with a reservation for 16 boats), mostly large, including a couple of 70-footers at this fairly small marina.  What a mess!  Someone at the marina dropped the ball keeping the boat count current.  We had already been told we could stay an extra day, but we were asked to leave afterward.

Killarney Mountain Lodge Marina

We are now meeting lots of boaters from Michigan, especially the Detroit area.  No wonder, as this area is a beautiful summer cruising ground and is an easy 2-day run for faster boats.  We are also getting lots of good suggestions for anchorages in the North Channel, much appreciated!

We launch our dinghy and join the parade of boats running up and down the channel along the Killarney waterfront.  Note the colorful red chairs at the end of each pier.  Nice touch!  We are told this area is a popular winter resort.  The channel and surrounding waters freeze solid and are used by snowmobiles and cross-country skiers.

Killarney Channel

This area is full of pink Precambrian granite – rocks everywhere.  Beautiful but dangerous if we get too close.  We are learning to estimate water depths in the crystal clear water – very difficult!

Killarney Channel

Our dinghy is the easiest way to reach the local grocery store, such as it is.  No major provisioning here!

Pitfield's General Store, Killarney ON

Speaking of groceries, we’re finding most items the same as the States.  Gallons of milk, however, come in these plastic bags!  Wow, not prepared for this!  I need to empty a regular milk jug to have a large enough container to hold the contents!  And, believe me, 4 liters is just a little too much to pour into a 1 gallon jug.  At least there are 3 smaller bags inside the large one, but storage is awkward, nonetheless.

Milk packaging

Here’s another item we’ve not seen elsewhere.

Frozen corn and peaches

And here is the local liquor store.  LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) controls the liquor / wine / beer distribution in the province of Ontario.  We’ve seen a few wine stores, but they are only allowed to sell Ontario wines (not a great selection nor quality).  Larger towns have beer stores, selling only beer, but are also part of LCBO.  A very few grocery stores in major cities (like Toronto) sell a few local wines but no beer.  Very different from Texas!  Prices are not too unreasonable until you add the bottle deposits (20 cents on each wine bottle and 10 cents on each beer bottle) and the 13% sales tax.

LCBO, Killarney ON

As we run around town in our dinghy, we meet owners of another Selene docked nearby.  Then we see two Canadian couples in their dinghies that we met in Lion’s Head recently.  They are anchored nearby and have come to town for ice.  We are invited for “docktails” on their boat, so off we go.

Dinghies heading to Portage Cove anchorage

The next day we take time for a short hike toward a lighthouse.  I say “toward” as we turned around part way there to avoid getting further devoured by mosquitos, enjoying this view from the summit of a hill.

View of Georgian Bay

Our last night here and a lovely sunset, if not the best view.  This has been a fun stop!

Sunset, Killarney Mountain Lodge Marina

Tomorrow we begin exploring the North Channel – mostly anchorages and limited cell and internet service.  Bye bye civilization!