You asked for a more user-friendly blog and we’ve finally had the time, high speed internet and, more importantly, got around to reading all those pesky small print instructions on Blogger to figure out how to do it. I thought that I would do this in Denver during our 5 month hiatus, but I never got around to it, or learning French either. But today, with the wind and rain howling outside here at Spanish, it was a great yin-yang activity to do together. Many of you tech heads already know how to navigate these changes but for “my people”, I am adding the following:
Starting at the bottom of the blog page on www.babygrandadventure.blogspot.com , you will notice a more useful archive. My 260 entries since 9/08 have only been archived by weekly dates which is not very helpful and I can’t even find my own stuff—when were we in Marathon??? Now the weekly dates have the blog titles noted so you can find entries by title.
Want an even easier way to find an area, subject, name etc.-- use the Search This Blog section with a keyword. I had great fun with this and was amazed at all the pirate entries. You will find this new section in the second section from the top of the blog page.
Now for the absolutely most amazing added section—Locate Baby Grand which is featured prominently now in the first section of the blog. I do not pretend to understand it, but it links my blog with Google Earth and is routed through the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruising Association) Looper Locator website. You can download Google Earth if you don’t have it already and see a satellite photo of where we are.
You can also click on Track This Boat in Google Earth and see our entire trip this summer and we will be adding the track for our entire Loop. Zoom in and out of our hot air balloon icon and you will see the satellite photo as well as interesting photos of the area. I played with this for 2 hours, and even though I’ve been to all those places, it was a whole different perspective. Enjoy.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
North Channel Town of Spanish 9-3-10
Labor Day weekend is celebrated here in Canada also, but spelled Labour Day. It marks the official end of summer vacation, but the weather is getting quirky. We have had the most amazing summer of really hot weather but that door is slamming shut now with clocking winds forecast for 20-30 knots, +6 foot seas and temps dropping into the 50’s for the holiday weekend. Great Lakes boaters have to be very patient and wait through all of this as usually warm and calm weather does return but when?????
We really wanted to spend more time anchoring out but with the above forecast, we journeyed west and north through the islands to the McBean Channel to Little Detroit Narrows marked with a range marker and then into the Whaleback Channel and east to Spanish. The town of Spanish is at the mouth of the Spanish River and is marked with a wind turbine and has depths of 4 ½ to 5 feet due to river runoff so larger boats with deeper drafts never make it here.
Spanish has a newly developed, government-sponsored town marina with a multi-million dollar 4 season complex including a restaurant, fitness area, lounge, high-speed internet, trail system and laundry. Unfortunately, it’s losing money now and is for sale for a cool 2 million. We’re the only transients here and with the awful weather forecast, even the local boaters have stayed home for the weekend.
Here are pictures of Spanish Marina complex and the Discovery Trail taken before all the weather hit. I had time to do some teak deck work—notice that the rear cockpit decks are stained and mottled from all the tannin rivers and 100 locks we’ve transited through this summer. I was able to bleach the side decks which are now brighter and not as blemished.
When the rain, wind and cold hit for 3 days, we read, finally updated this blog site on the high-speed internet and fired up the oven for a few great meals. We’re monitoring the weather and hope that summer comes back soon.
We really wanted to spend more time anchoring out but with the above forecast, we journeyed west and north through the islands to the McBean Channel to Little Detroit Narrows marked with a range marker and then into the Whaleback Channel and east to Spanish. The town of Spanish is at the mouth of the Spanish River and is marked with a wind turbine and has depths of 4 ½ to 5 feet due to river runoff so larger boats with deeper drafts never make it here.
Spanish has a newly developed, government-sponsored town marina with a multi-million dollar 4 season complex including a restaurant, fitness area, lounge, high-speed internet, trail system and laundry. Unfortunately, it’s losing money now and is for sale for a cool 2 million. We’re the only transients here and with the awful weather forecast, even the local boaters have stayed home for the weekend.
Here are pictures of Spanish Marina complex and the Discovery Trail taken before all the weather hit. I had time to do some teak deck work—notice that the rear cockpit decks are stained and mottled from all the tannin rivers and 100 locks we’ve transited through this summer. I was able to bleach the side decks which are now brighter and not as blemished.
When the rain, wind and cold hit for 3 days, we read, finally updated this blog site on the high-speed internet and fired up the oven for a few great meals. We’re monitoring the weather and hope that summer comes back soon.
North Channel Benjamin Islands 9-2-10
It was a 14 mile easy run from Kagawong over to the Benjamins between Secretary Island and the Sow and Pigs Rocks which you can see now on our added Google Earth link. The repaired lower station shifter on Baby Grand is working just fine, but unfortunately storm clouds are brewing which will keep our visit short here in the Benjamin Islands.
Hard to believe that these magnificent pink stone islands were once bored with dynamite and scheduled to get blasted to kingdom come. Sanity and good people prevailed; the islands were saved from mining, and instead, declared a National Beauty Spot for generations to enjoy.
There are so many single-slot gunkholes here, but we chose to anchor in the harbor between North and South Benjamin Islands for our first visit. Here’s a view of the harbor and you can imagine it looking X10 on a sunny day. We took the dinghy in and hiked all over the rocks and saw amazing vistas as well as a bird’s eye view of Baby Grand.
Gathering storms have a great way of making a fabulous sunset. We’ll be back next year for a longer visit.
Hard to believe that these magnificent pink stone islands were once bored with dynamite and scheduled to get blasted to kingdom come. Sanity and good people prevailed; the islands were saved from mining, and instead, declared a National Beauty Spot for generations to enjoy.
There are so many single-slot gunkholes here, but we chose to anchor in the harbor between North and South Benjamin Islands for our first visit. Here’s a view of the harbor and you can imagine it looking X10 on a sunny day. We took the dinghy in and hiked all over the rocks and saw amazing vistas as well as a bird’s eye view of Baby Grand.
Gathering storms have a great way of making a fabulous sunset. We’ll be back next year for a longer visit.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
North Channel Fun in Kagawong 8-30-10
After our docking adventure and shift repair, we relaxed, breathed deeply and explored Kagawong for a few days until the dinghy repairs dried thoroughly.
This 1894 harbor lighthouse is now automated and according to townspeople, was recently serviced by the Canadian Coast Guard on a 300 foot ship—a lot of manpower to change the light bulb. The Mariners Chapel is also in the harbor, has a “bow” pulpit made from the bow of a boat shipwrecked in an August 1965 storm during which 4 crew members were lost.
There are great hiking trails on Manitoulin Island. You can take the trail right from town to Bridal Veil Falls Park through a lattice of streams, waterfalls and shady paths. With temperatures in the 90’s, everybody is cooling off here. The island has its own ice cream plant, Farquhar’s, available at convenient dockside and park locations. My favorite flavor is Rolo which is just brimming with that flavorful candy. Serious chocoholics have to visit Manitoulin Chocolate Works for artisan creations. Kayak rentals are available at Wind and Wave, and I am seriously looking at a collapsible or inflatable version that we can use on the boat and RV.
We’ve had a front row seat for all the dock jumping the past few hot days in Kagawong. Generations of Kagawong kids grew up doing this, and we’ve met people from England who grew up here and wasted no time getting in line to dock jump. Although it was a navigational hazard to us, it really is great fun but watch out for boats first.
There is a small general store/post office where you can meet the locals and overhear the gossip. There are a few galleries and craft stores, including a beautiful African boutique. The town has a great location and a good harbor, used to have restaurants and more stores, but while other adjacent communities have expanded their marinas and facilities, Kagawong has lost ground. It is still worth a visit but make sure to call ahead for reservations as there only a few transient slips available.
The highlight of our visit here was meeting Bob, a 2004 gold Looper, who taught us how to repair our Zodiac dinghy. Thanks, Bob. We’re really ready for more anchoring in the islands now.
This 1894 harbor lighthouse is now automated and according to townspeople, was recently serviced by the Canadian Coast Guard on a 300 foot ship—a lot of manpower to change the light bulb. The Mariners Chapel is also in the harbor, has a “bow” pulpit made from the bow of a boat shipwrecked in an August 1965 storm during which 4 crew members were lost.
There are great hiking trails on Manitoulin Island. You can take the trail right from town to Bridal Veil Falls Park through a lattice of streams, waterfalls and shady paths. With temperatures in the 90’s, everybody is cooling off here. The island has its own ice cream plant, Farquhar’s, available at convenient dockside and park locations. My favorite flavor is Rolo which is just brimming with that flavorful candy. Serious chocoholics have to visit Manitoulin Chocolate Works for artisan creations. Kayak rentals are available at Wind and Wave, and I am seriously looking at a collapsible or inflatable version that we can use on the boat and RV.
We’ve had a front row seat for all the dock jumping the past few hot days in Kagawong. Generations of Kagawong kids grew up doing this, and we’ve met people from England who grew up here and wasted no time getting in line to dock jump. Although it was a navigational hazard to us, it really is great fun but watch out for boats first.
There is a small general store/post office where you can meet the locals and overhear the gossip. There are a few galleries and craft stores, including a beautiful African boutique. The town has a great location and a good harbor, used to have restaurants and more stores, but while other adjacent communities have expanded their marinas and facilities, Kagawong has lost ground. It is still worth a visit but make sure to call ahead for reservations as there only a few transient slips available.
The highlight of our visit here was meeting Bob, a 2004 gold Looper, who taught us how to repair our Zodiac dinghy. Thanks, Bob. We’re really ready for more anchoring in the islands now.
North Channel Kagawong Catastrophe Averted 8-29-10
We had a perfectly leisurely 19 mile run from Little Current through the West Bay to the bottom of Mudge Bay to Kagawong, another town located on Manitoulin Island. We were cruising along under beautiful blue skies, with 75 degree temps and minimal wind and waves and wondering why boaters in the North Channel were already ending their season.
Kagawong is a really small town off the beaten track with only a few transient spots in this tiny town marina, but in 2000 and 2001, it hosted a Looper Rendezvous when the marina was under different management. We’re here to explore as well as get our leaky Zodiac dinghy fixed. Do you remember on 7/25/09 when the pirates of Poughkeepsie on the Hudson River stole our dinghy, took it for a joyride, dumped it and it was luckily retrieved by the Duchess County Sheriff days later and returned to us? That was the incredibly good news; bad news is that it has had leaks since then and we finally found someone to help us repair it here in Kagawong.
But first, put yourself in the first picture----we were approaching the Kagawong marina while 10 kids were jumping off the dock wall. All of a sudden Captain Bob hollered out that the transmission was stuck in forward and he could not shift into neutral. He had already throttled back, but was still going 3 mph with no room to turn away. He had to make a hard right turn into our assigned dock as there was a swimming beach to the left and a dead end straight ahead. This is every boater’s nightmare—being out of control in a small area with the possibility of injuring people. Bob tried to shift a few more times and concluded that the only safe option was to shut down the engine.
I used my Mom voice which still works to yell to the kids swimming to get out of the way NOW, told adults in the area to help with this, and alerted the dock hand to the situation. Luck was with us as the SW wind increased which helped to brake us a bit, the fenders helped cushion the impact and Collin, the young dockhand, and I were able to secure the boat to the dock. It remained a good day as no one was hurt and not even a scratch on the boat—Captain Bob definitely earned his stripes.
Captain Bob then shifted into fix-it mode. He took apart the flybridge and lower station shifting mechanisms, saw that the cable had broken, but by cutting it, the lower helm shifter worked for a quick fix (tech heads can email Bob at bob1064@gmail.com for the detailed version). Without the required special tools, it will be impossible to fix both stations until we’re at a bigger marina. Fortunately, our little trawler works just fine from below so no need for delays and expense now, so we’ll keep on cruisin’.
Kagawong is a really small town off the beaten track with only a few transient spots in this tiny town marina, but in 2000 and 2001, it hosted a Looper Rendezvous when the marina was under different management. We’re here to explore as well as get our leaky Zodiac dinghy fixed. Do you remember on 7/25/09 when the pirates of Poughkeepsie on the Hudson River stole our dinghy, took it for a joyride, dumped it and it was luckily retrieved by the Duchess County Sheriff days later and returned to us? That was the incredibly good news; bad news is that it has had leaks since then and we finally found someone to help us repair it here in Kagawong.
But first, put yourself in the first picture----we were approaching the Kagawong marina while 10 kids were jumping off the dock wall. All of a sudden Captain Bob hollered out that the transmission was stuck in forward and he could not shift into neutral. He had already throttled back, but was still going 3 mph with no room to turn away. He had to make a hard right turn into our assigned dock as there was a swimming beach to the left and a dead end straight ahead. This is every boater’s nightmare—being out of control in a small area with the possibility of injuring people. Bob tried to shift a few more times and concluded that the only safe option was to shut down the engine.
I used my Mom voice which still works to yell to the kids swimming to get out of the way NOW, told adults in the area to help with this, and alerted the dock hand to the situation. Luck was with us as the SW wind increased which helped to brake us a bit, the fenders helped cushion the impact and Collin, the young dockhand, and I were able to secure the boat to the dock. It remained a good day as no one was hurt and not even a scratch on the boat—Captain Bob definitely earned his stripes.
Captain Bob then shifted into fix-it mode. He took apart the flybridge and lower station shifting mechanisms, saw that the cable had broken, but by cutting it, the lower helm shifter worked for a quick fix (tech heads can email Bob at bob1064@gmail.com for the detailed version). Without the required special tools, it will be impossible to fix both stations until we’re at a bigger marina. Fortunately, our little trawler works just fine from below so no need for delays and expense now, so we’ll keep on cruisin’.
North Channel Little Current 8-27-10
Going to Little Current on Manitoulin Island takes some planning as you have to coordinate your arrival with the hourly swing bridge opening. We expected to spend a half hour getting the anchor up at Mary Ann Cove in Baie Fine, but this time, no grass and the anchor was clean as a whistle. Since we had some extra time, we cruised over to Heywood Island, into Browning Cove, to enjoy its teal colored water and array of birds spending the summer here, and then a leisurely cruise by the Strawberry Island Lighthouse and to the Little Current swing bridge. And, the current is not so little—3 knots at times-which makes docking interesting.
Leisure is not a word we would have used in our 2005 boat delivery trip from the Chesapeake to Lake Superior in 3 weeks. We went from Port Severn at the end of the Trent-Severn Canal to Little Current in 2 days on open Lake Huron; this time, we took 30 days through Georgian Bay and now to the North Channel. We’ve met a lot of Loopers speeding through here to get to Chicago by Labor Day. Our advice: slow down as Lake Michigan is doable in September as well as the Loop rivers in October; or even better, break up your Loop and keep the boat in this area for a full season.
Little Current feels like home as we again met so many of the cruisers we anchored, hiked and traveled with, or are familiar names we’ve heard on the Cruisers’ Net. The Cruisers’ Net is a marine radio call-in broadcast with news, weather, North Channel happenings etc., is heard daily in July and August on Channel 71, and is hosted by the gracious Roy Eaton. We’ve heard similar Nets in the Keys and in the Abacos and it really helps form a community. Community is something we’re searching for—after almost 2 years, we leave the community of Loopers and now join the community of North Channel boaters.
Little Current has done a fantastic job expanding their town dock into a 140 slip modern marina. This is a boating town and you can easily reprovision at 2 grocery stores (ValuMart and Foodland), an LCBO, Turners Department store, a hardware store and a 24 hour laundromat on Water St. Anchor Inn hosts the Friday Cruisers Net Happy Hour from 3-5 pm in July and August and the restaurant does some amazing whitefish dishes. A $4.99 breakfast is available at the Old English Pantry and is guaranteed to fill you up for the day.
It’s all here, plus the most amazing scenery on the entire Great Circle Loop. We will definitely be back here again next year.
Leisure is not a word we would have used in our 2005 boat delivery trip from the Chesapeake to Lake Superior in 3 weeks. We went from Port Severn at the end of the Trent-Severn Canal to Little Current in 2 days on open Lake Huron; this time, we took 30 days through Georgian Bay and now to the North Channel. We’ve met a lot of Loopers speeding through here to get to Chicago by Labor Day. Our advice: slow down as Lake Michigan is doable in September as well as the Loop rivers in October; or even better, break up your Loop and keep the boat in this area for a full season.
Little Current feels like home as we again met so many of the cruisers we anchored, hiked and traveled with, or are familiar names we’ve heard on the Cruisers’ Net. The Cruisers’ Net is a marine radio call-in broadcast with news, weather, North Channel happenings etc., is heard daily in July and August on Channel 71, and is hosted by the gracious Roy Eaton. We’ve heard similar Nets in the Keys and in the Abacos and it really helps form a community. Community is something we’re searching for—after almost 2 years, we leave the community of Loopers and now join the community of North Channel boaters.
Little Current has done a fantastic job expanding their town dock into a 140 slip modern marina. This is a boating town and you can easily reprovision at 2 grocery stores (ValuMart and Foodland), an LCBO, Turners Department store, a hardware store and a 24 hour laundromat on Water St. Anchor Inn hosts the Friday Cruisers Net Happy Hour from 3-5 pm in July and August and the restaurant does some amazing whitefish dishes. A $4.99 breakfast is available at the Old English Pantry and is guaranteed to fill you up for the day.
It’s all here, plus the most amazing scenery on the entire Great Circle Loop. We will definitely be back here again next year.
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