Sunday August 6 is Day 52 of our trip, and a perfect day to cruise. The winds are light, and the sky is clear, so we head out for our next stop: an anchorage at Stairs Island near Pointe au Baril, 30 miles south.
Because the weather is so fine, we opt to go out into the Bay from Byng Inlet, then head south on the outside in open water, a route which avoids all the shoals and rocks that clutter the inside, protected channel, necessitating as they do a great deal of close – sometimes extremely close – maneuvering, especially round Hangdog Reef. So off we go, and come back inside again at Pointe au Baril, the next inlet to the inside, a distance of 30 miles.
We enter the channel, and soon find our anchorage, which is delightfully peaceful, surrounded by gorgeous rock. Two sailboats are already tucked in there.
We will stay two nights, using the next day to dinghy around the area and visit The Ojibway Club, a vast lodge on its own 42 acre island, built around 1906 for rich holidaymakers. In 1946 it was sold to the Pointe au Baril Cottage Owners Association and is now their community centre, run very much like a country club but with facilities for children, too. We tie up our dinghy at the docks, which boast some very nice speedboats, walk the trails and have a pleasant lunch there.
After our two-day stay, we’re up early for the next leg to Bear Head, a little-known anchorage (recommended to us by Bruce of Ports Books), another 34 miles, this time via the inside channel, and some very tight turns.
Michel takes bow watch as we enter the bay – there are two rocks lurking there, one each side – and anchor in 14 feet of water, joining the sole sailboat already ensconced in the bay.
We only stay one night at Bear Head, since the weather turns grey, and we decide to get closer to Midland for our next anchorage. We have quite a few to choose from in the area just north of Honey Harbour, in the Musquash Channel: Brown Bay, Bone Island and Longuissa among others, and we choose the last one after chatting with Dave and Liz on the phone, who will visit us at anchor that evening.
So Wednesday, August 09, sees us once more heading out to the outside channel for the long sprint of 38 miles, since the waves are friendly.
By 2 pm we are anchored in Longuissa Bay, and it is a luvverly spot. Dave and Liz join us for cocktails in their speed boat around 5, and the next day we kayak and take the dinghy on a trip around Bone Island.
Day 57 is Friday, and we’re up early to get to Midland – a short distance of 17 miles – before the weather changes for the worse, and we have reserved a three night stay at Wye Heritage marina where we will provision, fill up with water and diesel – we’re down to a third of a tank – and empty the holding tank.
Once we fill up with fuel, calculations are made and the news is good, confirming our previous consumption estimates – the engines are extremely thrifty.
Over the weekend we will see family for the first time in many weeks as they drive up to savour some Fish and Chips (pickerel) from Henry’s restaurant in the marina. Bill and Wendy and Stuart and Caitlin arrive for lunch on Saturday, and while Bill and Wendy go back to their cottage, Stuart and Caitlin stay for the rest of the day and sleep over.
Sunday we are joined by Tim and Eleanor and Natalie and Skylar, and we dine on more whitefish and pickerel.
Tomorrow, Monday, will be Day 60, and we will head 11 miles over to Port Severn to end our time in Georgian Bay, and start the 240 mile trip down the Trent Severn Waterway to Lake Ontario again, arriving back there the first week in September.