Canadian Fun Facts

Canadian Fun Facts

1.      Butter Tarts – small pastries similar to pecan pie (with or without the pecans).  We had heard so much about these from the Looper family, we couldn’t wait to try them!  A big disappointment for us; just like pecan pie, a little too sweet for me.

2.      Poutine – a Canadian favorite, it’s on all the menus.  French fries smothered with cheese curds and brown gravy.  Double YUCK!!

3.      Milk in a bag – milk is sold in a 4-liter plastic bag (think bread bag).  The bag contains 3 individually sealed bags of milk.  We were told you can purchase a “milk pitcher” that holds the individual bag in your fridge.  Canadians are very eco-conscious, so this is much less packaging than a carton or plastic jug (so eco-conscious they charge you 5 cents per plastic bag in the grocery store – bring your reusable bags!).  BTW, never saw Styrofoam packaging in Canada (only cardboard egg cartons and take-out containers).

4.      Boats and BIG dogs – We saw so many large dogs on boats in the marinas we determined that each boat purchased in Canada comes with at least one, maybe 2 dogs.

5.      Beer, wine and liquor prices – Out of sight!!  All that free healthcare has to be paid for somehow (evidently by American tourists).  All alcohol is sold through the LCBO (Liquor Control Board Ontario).  At some stores, you could only purchase beer in singles, no 6-packs or cases.  My tall boy Bud Light (18 oz) was $2.80 Canadian EACH.

6.      Chicken prices – Evidently there are no chicken farms in Canada.  A whole roasting chicken (4 – 5 lbs.) was $14 to $18 Canadian.  Needless to say, no chicken salad was made aboard Stealaway!  Beef and pork were less expensive than chicken (broke Jim’s heart😉).

7.      Nabs (i.e. Lance peanut butter crackers; Jim’s breakfast of choice) – Not available in Canada.  I suppose they expect me to get out the Ritz and Jif and make my own (which I did).

8.      Civic holidays – Canada has holidays just to have a 3-day weekend.  Not celebrating anything in particular (like Presidents Day or Veterans Day), just a “civic” holiday.  We experienced one of these the first weekend in August (when we were trying to get our masts stepped and no one was working).  It was also the craziest party weekend in a marina I have ever witnessed!

9.      Last, but certainly not least, my personal favorite, Radlers – Light beer infused with fruit juice.  We have Bud Light Orange and Bud Light Lime, but in addition to those, Canada has Grapefruit, Lemonade and Apple!  Very refreshing on a warm summer day😊!

The North Channel

Our Segway from Georgian Bay to the North Channel was the boater-focused town of Killarney.  We by-passed the beautifully manicured Killarney Mountain Lodge with heated pool and sauna to stay at the Sportsman Inn.  We chose the Sportsman Inn due to their boat-in “drive-in” theater.  They have a large screen hung on the hillside across from the slips where they project movies each night and broadcast the audio over the VHF radio.  Too cool!  Thought I was going to see a movie before the next James Bond is released😊!  After getting settled in our slip, we inquired about the movie only to learn from the dockhand that the bulb was out and there would be no evening showing.  Bummer!

We lunched on the docks at the famous Herbert Fisheries, our third local whitefish spot.  The takeout fish and chips were good, but our crew voted Gilley’s the best fish shack on the bay.  After lunch we hiked to the Killarney lighthouse.  Very pretty wooded hiking trail leading to the picturesque red and white lighthouse at the entrance to the Killarney channel.  Great hike and fabulous views from the point!

The anchorages of the North Channel were primarily on public or “First Nations” land, allowing us to dinghy ashore and explore.  This was very welcome after cruising the Georgian Bay with so many private islands.  We were also entering a stretch of days with high winds forcing us to seek out protected coves.  Our first stop was Covered Portage Cove where we hiked to the top of the granite walls for incredible views of our boats at anchor 120’ below.  That evening we were invited to dine aboard Alittle Loopy, celebrating Jan & Dayle’s 48th anniversary.  Awesome day! 

Next stop, Baie Fine, is a 10-mile fjord-like cut leading to an anchorage at the end known as The Pool.  Very protected from the high winds and waves in the bay.  Our first afternoon there, Jim, Jan and I dinghied ashore to make the short hike to Topaz Lake.  Three hours and three trails later, we returned to the boat disappointed.  We had not found the pristine lake we had heard and read so much about.  We did, however, meet 2 young ladies backpacking who had a map of the park!  Having discovered where we went wrong, the four of us returned the next morning and hiked to Topaz Lake.  More beautiful than I imagined; clear and crisp, emerald in color and surrounded by rock cliffs. 

After 2 days at The Pool we backtracked the channel and stopped at yet another beautiful anchorage, Mary Anne Cove, to give the waves another day to settle before crossing to Little Current.  Little Current was our laundry/provisioning stop before island-hopping across the North Channel.  Our five-day trek across the North Channel was centered around finding protected anchorages and staying warm.  The temperatures had dropped to highs in the upper 50’s to low 60’s with overnight temps in the 40’s!

After a stop at The Benjamin’s, anchoring off Croker Island, we headed to the north shore cruising through the protected Whalesback Channel.  We anchored at Coursol Bay, Beardrop Cove and Sanford Island.  At this point, we have added our cockpit side curtains to provide some protection from the wind and rain.  We have also resorted to heating water for indoor sink baths as the water temps have dropped to the low 60’s and our sun showers aren’t heating during the cool, cloudy days. 

Our last stop before leaving Canada was Cockburn Island (pronounced Coburn).  The dockmaster/mayor/fire chief (and only year-round resident) was “off-island” provisioning for the winter, so free dockage!  Absolutely no services (electric, water, bathrooms, restaurants, etc.), just a dock with cleats.  We walked the tiny village and went inside the old one-room schoolhouse with wood-burning stove in the center; it was like a time-capsule complete with desks, books and inkwells.  Pretty cool.

Our 53 days in Canada have been wonderful, but as Jim says, Jack Frost is nipping at our heels and it’s time to head south.

The Georgian Bay

We’ve been sailing the Georgian Bay now for nearly 2 weeks.  The Georgian Bay is the northeastern section of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. 

How do I describe this beautiful sailing playground?  It is 168 miles of rugged wilderness, very rocky.  They call it the 30,000 islands, but I think there are more.  Some of the islands are national park, some crown land, some privately owned with cottages varying in size from small cabins to grand estates.  The water here is so clear and pure the cottagers pump their water right out of the bay.  There are so many anchorages you couldn’t see them all in a lifetime.  But we’re doing our best to see as many as possible in our short time here.  We’ve dropped the hook in Lost Bay, Hockey Stick, Wani Bay, Three Fingers and The Bustards, just to name a few. 

Like Cincinnati’s chili parlors and the Carolina’s barbeque shacks, Georgian Bay is dotted with fish houses, vying for the title of the best fish and chips (fresh local whitefish and pickerel).  We’re determined to try them all and decide for ourselves!

We spent nine nights anchorage-hopping before coming into a marina for necessities like pump out, water, laundry and groceries.  No Walmart’s here; we provision in tiny general stores carrying basic groceries to bait to marine hardware.  We bathe in the chilly waters of the Bay (average 72 degrees) and sleep snuggled under comforters in 50-60-degree night air. We grill our dinner and dine alfresco (when it’s not too windy) surrounded by nature.  We watch the sun set each evening, dazzling us with brilliant colors across the sky and reflected on the water.

We wake each morning to the song of loons instead of the buzz of an alarm clock.  We sail to our next slice of paradise during the morning hours, sometimes over open waters, sometimes through rock-strewn bays and other times through narrow canyon-like channels cut by the glaciers centuries ago.  We spend lazy afternoons swimming, hiking, reading or journaling.  In the evening we pour over charts and guidebooks planning the days ahead. 

It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s simple.There’s nothing like it.