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.