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.