Hopewell Bay, Shawanaga Island 8-13-10

We continue to slowpoke along Georgian Bay and today took a 20 mile cruise to Shawanaga Island. We avoided the shoals and narrows of the Canoe Channel by taking the well-marked alternate channel past the Spruce Island shoals, the Pancakes and Squaw Island and rejoined the small boat channel at Jane Island and continued to Shawanaga Inlet. Bob and I have wondered about the lack of lighthouses in Georgian Bay, but today were greeted by the Snug Harbour Light. This area seems to have more light markers and this one was occupied by an osprey.

We were anchored with sailboaters last night, and when I saw them leave this morning to take advantage of the 15-18 south winds on open Georgian Bay, I had serious thoughts about going back to sailing. I can still feel it in my bones but realized when the open water forecast changed to 4 foot seas and 25 knot winds that I really don’t want to be out there. We instead had a perfect powerboat day of cruising the protected beautiful waters of the small boat channel, negotiating its challenges, enjoying breath-taking scenery, all with comfortable temps and humidity, and great company.

We are the only boat anchored here in Hopewell Bay on Shawanaga Island. It is another very protected, 3 sided anchorage, does have a few cottages on shore, but there is some public land to the west. We took the dinghy there to explore for the afternoon.

We have been meeting a lot of boaters from Lake Eire who remark that their Great Lake is great (like our Lake Superior) but lacks protected anchorages and a small boat channel, noting always, “when you’re out there, you’re out there and it can get really mean fast.” Truth be told, I always slept with one ear open at anchor in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior expecting the winds to shift and have to change anchorages at 2 am. Here I sleep really well, and we now have a Canadian low-powered anchor light—a $7.00 solar-powered garden light which really saves the main boat battery.

Killbear Provincial Park 8-12-10

The park name caught our attention, too. Legend has it that maybe a bear killed a logger or a logger killed a bear in the 1800’s, but the First Nation stories say that the name commemorates the seasonal water journey bears take between the islands here or that the land was first frequented by the Bear Clan and the name was mistranslated. Not sure which is accurate, but today the name was almost a reality when a car hit a juvenile bear in the park but it scampered away luckily unscathed.

This land-based park is located on a peninsula just 10 miles west of Parry Sound and offers anchorage protection in Kilcoursie Bay behind Scott Island. Be prepared to put out a lot of rode as depths here range 20+ feet but you will be anchoring in clear blue water with a sandy bottom. This is not an isolated quiet anchorage in August as Canadians are here in the 800 site campground and launching their watercrafts in the bay. But, if you get up early in the morning, you get a beautiful site, can have a quiet walk for miles on its sandy shores and then settle back with your favorite book.

When jet skis and runabouts start waking the anchorage in the afternoon, we just took the dinghy to shore and walked for hours on the hiking and bike trails. Lookout Point Trail was our favorite for the view. As we walked back to the dinghy through the campground, we were a little disorientated about what adventure trip we were taking as it was so familiar. This spring we started RVing and we would definitely come here by land as well. The park quiets down again at night for a beautiful sunset and a billion stars.

Parry Sound 8-10-10

We did not expect to be here for the third day at Big Sound Marina but here we are. Nothing wrong, no breakdowns, we’ve just found Parry Sound a great place to get boat things done as well as have some fun. We arrived here on an all day pouring rain Sunday, but my philosophy is you might as well get wet and do 4 loads of laundry. I have met some of the most interesting boaters doing this as we spend the afternoon sharing machines, coins and stories and have a take-home to show for our efforts.

We have pared down our refrigerator supplies with the purpose of doing the dreaded defrosting job—not my favorite. With 2 inches of ice on the outside of our small 7x10x12 inch freezer section inhibiting opening the darn thing as well as a funky smell in the fridge, this task has forced its way to the top of the list. Armed with a hairdryer and hot water, we attacked the arctic ice and then lobbed our refrigerator icebergs into the bay which I swear lowered the water temperature.

With everything clean, it was time to do a massive reprovision so I took the courtesy van to Soobys grocery store in Parry Sound Mall. Prices are noticeably higher here in Canada but this store has great variety and selection. I am also a fan of M&M meat store as they have frozen vacuum-sealed selections which are just perfect for restocking a freezer. Canadian Tire (like Home Depot) is also in the Mall so take the van for this also. Luckily, at the end of the day, other boaters revived me with some liquid refreshment and were taking bets on how many miles I had logged in my flip-flops today (Monday).

We have definitely earned a day of fun for Tuesday. We started with the 4 mile Rotary Fitness Trail along the bay shoreline and watched young sailboaters learning to race. There are fitness components on the trail and here’s Bob catching his breath going up the bow-shaped staircase. Follow the trail even further and it becomes the North Shore Rugged Hiking Trail which will have you leap-frogging over some amazing rocks. After lunch at Christina’s on the Bay (food ok but needs more spice), we took the other end of the trail by the railroad tracks over to the Museum on Tower Hill. This small museum is very well done, has interesting presentations on the First Peoples tale of Nanibush hitting the stone beaver which then dissolved and created the Georgian Bay islands as well as how logging, Great Lakes shipping and the meager farming here led to young Canada branching out to the west and sowing the seeds of nationhood. There is a lookout tower on Tower Hill so here’s a picture of Parry Sound from the top.

We’ll have a dinner of fresh trout tonight and attend a free Bands on the Bay outside concert at the Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts which will round out our 3 days here. Now that we’re cleaned-up, pumped-out, topped-off, tossed-out and loaded-up, we’re ready for some anchoring in Killbear Provincial Park.

Massasauga Provincial Park 8-8-10

Henry’s is the perfect jumping-off point for a trip into Massasauga Provincial Park in the Moon River area. It is a boat-based park covering hundreds of islands, some with their own inland lake. This is great gunkholing territory with lots of secluded, protected anchorages tucked into its many coves and bays. This is any boater’s dream, especially if you are a sailboater as you can go to the outside waters of Georgian Bay for an exciting 15 knot sail and then duck back into the park for a peaceful wilderness experience. Everywhere you look you will see dramatic landscapes of windswept pines clinging to smooth, color-etched granite and you soon become engulfed in its beauty and stillness.

With so many options, you cannot go wrong. We chose Port Rawson Bay and found some markers along the way to help us in the channel. We tied on to a mooring ball and here’s our view from the bow. I love the self-sufficiency of anchoring—you have what you have and you make do. It’s a time to daydream and my favorite time of day is sunrise which holds so much promise. We used the dinghy to explore the shoreline and also to say hello to fellow boaters, especially those flying a Looper or Great Lakes Cruising Club (GLCC) burgee. There are only 3 developed trails (Baker, Wreck Island and Moon Island) in the whole park and we tried to bushwhack a few more but it is pretty solid forest. Bob even found time to recondition our old water pump so now we have a spare.

We find that our anchoring time is limited by the 30 gallon capacity of our holding tank so after 4-5 days its time to head back to town and pump-out, do laundry, stock up on provisions and head out again. We’re going to Parry Sound for this, and then out again to explore Killbear Provincial Park.