Georgian Bay--Port Severn to Byng Inlet

Georgian Bay is an enormous bay on the eastern side of Lake Huron.  It is surrounded by granite outcroppings of all sizes.  We took the small boat channel which runs along the eastern edge of the bay.  It is well-marked with navigation buoys which is a good thing since the water is strewn with granite boulders--some of which stick out of the water and others are hiding just beneath the surface.  It reminds us a lot of Elephant Rocks ( a state park in Missouri) surrounded by lots of water.

Little Gibraltar--Did we make a wrong turn?

Now this is isolation!

Lighthouse on one of the granite outcroppings.

Granite everywhere!

We happened to time another Canadian three day holiday as we entered Georgian Bay, so we had a lot of company on the water.  Our first night's anchorage was in Frying Pan Bay off Beausoleil Island-- a very popular spot.  We had to try three times before the anchor set, but when it finally did, it set well.  Even so with the help of another boater in the bay,  we wedged a second anchor between boulders on shore for security.  This seems to be a common anchoring technique in this area especially in crowded bays.

Canadian holiday--boats, boats and more boats!

On Sunday, After Taxes decided to join us. Shortly after they arrived and rafted with us,  the winds picked up gusting to 35 knots.  Unfortunately the winds were from the NW, the only direction not protected in that bay.  Our shore anchor broke loose and  it was way too windy to reset it at that point.  Luckily our bow anchor was dug in tight and although we bounced and swung, we held firm. That evening the ladies challenged the men to a game of dominoes and although we were way ahead throughout the game, they managed to slide to victory on the final round.

After Taxes and Raydiance in Frying Pan Bay

Kathy, Tom, Carol, Jimmy, and Gary getting ready for the big game.

Sunset on a windy night.

Monday the winds had calmed and we decided to move on.  The plan was to stay at Henry's Fish Restaurant but when we arrived their docks were full.  Henry's is a well known destination stop and we should have known to make reservations.  But it turned out to be one of those happy mistakes as we ended up anchoring in Echo Bay (about 2 miles away) and it was gorgeous!

Beautiful anchorage in Echo Bay

After a quick dip in the cool, clear water of Echo Bay, we boarded our dinghies and headed off to Henry's.  The restaurant featured walleye (called pickerel here) and whitefish.  I chose the walleye and it was the best fried fish I have ever had.  Lightly coated batter (like Ste. Gen. onion rings!) and just plain yum!  Unfortunately Gary had thrown out his back and didn't feel he could handle the dinghy ride, so Kathy brought a meal and an obscene amount of french fries back to the boat for him.  Using the leftover massive amount of french fries,  Kathy made a breakfast casserole for everyone the next morning.

Henry's Fish Restaurant

Henry's is a destination for many seaplanes.

Sunset shot taken from dinghy on 2 mile ride back to Echo Bay from Henry's.

After Taxes left Tuesday morning to go to  Parry Sound as they were still trying to catch up with the elusive GPS chip.  We did not need supplies so we opted for another night in lovely Echo Bay.  In the afternoon, we took the dink around to the northern arm of the bay and found a hideaway swimming hole surrounded by granite boulders and slabs.  Great fun.

Lighthouse at Pointe au Baril
This is where we left the small boat channel to run outside.

Wednesday we left Echo Bay and ended up at anchor in Hopewell Bay, around a 40 mile run.  The bay was very well protected from the NE wind blowing that day.  There were about 10 boats at anchor in the bay and plenty of swing room.  We would have stayed another day, but the forecast was threatening storms and high winds, so we decided to move on into Byng Inlet on Thursday.

Before leaving Echo Bay we had talked with some local boaters and picked up advice about two passages coming up on Thursday.  Following their advice we ran outside rather than go through Canoe Channel (very narrow) and Hang Dog Channel (possibly shallow).  We re-entered the small boat channel around mm 47 and followed it into Byng Inlet.

Green range lights shining the way into Byng Inlet

We stayed at Wrights Marina about a mile up Byng Inlet.  As predicted heavy rain came and stayed all day and night on Friday.  We used the time to catch up on tasks like cleaning, laundry, blog (yea! internet!).  Friday night we had a delicious meal at Little Britt Inn.  We were hoping another looper couple, Eileen and Larry aboard Moon River, could join us, but they had to drive back to Buckhorn to pick up a prop being repaired--an all too common occurrence here in Georgian Bay.  After dinner I challenged Tom to a game of shuffleboard in the boater's lounge and had him on the ropes 20-18 when I choked and lost!  Look at this picture and tell me now who the bad winner is!!!

Gloating!

Saturday the rain finally let up and After Taxes called to say they were on their way to Byng.  They pulled in around 4 p.m. which meant docktails at 5!  We were joined by Eileen and Larry aboard Moon River and Kathy's brother, Craig, and his wife,  Tess.  Craig was the official white house photographer during Reagan's administration, so he has some very interesting stories--including taking pictures as Reagan made the "This wall must come down" statement to Gorbachev.

Docktails at Byng with Eileen, Larry, Tom, Gary, Jimmy, Craig and Tess

That evening we attended a Lions' Club pig roast fundraiser for the Britt Lions' Club.  It was very well attended despite a slight drizzle.  Tom enjoyed swapping stories with some of the Lions in attendance.

This man was prominently displaying a Budweiser when he found out we were from near St. Louis.

The man on the left is a charter member of the Britt club.
The man on the right is the former owner of the marina
in which we stayed.  He too is a Lion.

Orillia to Georgian Bay

We stayed in Orillia until the August 3rd.  All the necessaries (laundry, groceries, etc.) were taken care of by the 2nd, so Tom agreed to attend a musical comedy at the Orillia Opera House that night.  We saw Mid-Life, the Crisis Musical.  It was a series of short skits, such as:  "Side effects" and "Why did I come in here?"  We could definitely relate!  This theater is over a hundred years old.  The play we saw was held in the small, intimate theater which sat about 100 people.  The larger, elaborate theater upstairs holds 700 and is named for the local celeb, Gordon Lightfoot.

Orillia Opera House

As mentioned on the last blog, the town of Orillia was holding a painted chair contest in the downtown area.  Two of the winners were outside the theater.  Several were in honor of a local author,  Stephen Leacock.

Part of the "Canadian navy", Heather and Robert, that we had met along the way was also at our dock at Orillia.  We enjoyed having dinner with them prior to the play.

Robert and Heather  aboard Care Knot

Friday morning, the 3rd, we left Orillia and headed to Port Severn.  We were held up at RR Bridge 207 waiting for two trains to come through.   After they passed, the attendant walked across the bridge, up the ladder and hand-pulled the motor to start the engine that swung the bridge.

Look carefully and you can see the attendant entering the office 

Once past this bridge we went through 2 regular locks and then reached The Big Chute.  Here instead of a lock,  boats are transported over a hill via a marine railway.  Once all the boats are inside and secured using slings underneath the boats,  the actual trip up and over takes seven minutes.  Pretty amazing.

The bed of the railway platform continually tilts to keep the boats somewhat flat-- similar to the way the cars tilt as they travel up and down the legs of the arch in St. Louis.  There is a you-tube video of the big chute if you would like to see it in action.

Coming up to the Big Chute

Raydiance being loaded

Straps tightening under Raydiance

The water drains out.

Looking back as we start up the incline.

Looking back as we descend.

Tom enjoying the ride from the bow.

Looking back as we exit.

Leaving the Big Chute we encountered a very narrow, tight  turn.  We gave a security call and horn blasts and were mighty glad no one else was coming around the corner at the same time.  We pulled into Port Severn mid afternoon and spent the night at the town marina.  While making a reservation for dinner we ran into the After Taxes crew, so we all enjoyed a meal together.  The owner had a birthday that night and, apparently following tradition, he was treated to a lake bath.  Our waiter, a really personable young man named Andrew, ended up in the water also.  Needless to say, this was casual waterfront dining!

Saturday morning after leaving lock 45,  we said good-bye to the Trent-Severn Canal system.  Since leaving Lake Champlain we have gone through over 100 locks.  Hard to believe we won't be in another until we head down the river system in Illinois.  But now it is time to enter Georgian Bay.  We have heard so much about the beauty of this area that we are very excited to be here.

Narrow channel leading out into Georgian Bay.

Cruising the Trent Waterway with Sarah Aboard

The fam aboard Raydiance waiting to lock through.

Our Canada girl with Canadian flag and Canada Dry

Our favorite passenger, daughter Sarah, joined us on July 25^th for a week.  Her journey began in New Bern, NC and ended in Peterborough, ON after 15 hours of car, plane, train and bus.  Even though it had been a long day, nothing would do until she had given us gifts from her summer travels with Kate Kelly in southeast Asia.  One of them, a hand painted fish windsock, is flying from the antenna as I write this.  Each night she was aboard we viewed pictures of a different country they visited --Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Loas.  Quite an experience!


We left Peterborough on the 26^th, Thursday morning, and went through the famous hydraulic lift.  To realize that this lift was built in the late 1890’s is a marvel.  The premise is that two “pans”, upper and lower, are filled with water.  A foot of water is added to the upper “pan” and the additional weight causes it to lower, while the lower “pan” then rises.  The total lift is 65 feet.  Once the “pans” start moving the whole process takes less than 2 minutes.  Truly remarkable.  You can view a video on You Tube under Peterborough Lift Lock.  The day we went through was rainy as you can tell from the pictures, so we did not pull over after locking through.

Entering the Peterborough Hydraulic Lift Lock

Gate closing as we get ready to lift

View from the top

Cool window inside the lock

Halfway through the lift

The scenery along the canal is so interesting.  I am going to include pictures to show just a taste.

Love the reflections in the water.

Wouldn't this be a great place to sit and spend a day?

Lovely home on the canal.

Granite, granite everywhere!

Rock edges on the canal.  Don't want to get over too far
as they continue into the water!

Now this is what you call waterfront property!

That night we stayed at a lock called Lakeview. We taught Sarah how to play Five Crowns, which we all enjoyed—especially me.  They tell me I’m a bad winner!  Can you believe that?

The following day the weather was sunny and cooler.  We spent the night at Lovesick Lock.   I had  Sarah stand by the sign for a picture as it seemed appropriate.  Our daughter is very happy and very in love with the young man she met in Key West, Mike Lawrence.

The picture says it all!

The couple in the boat in front of us on the lock wall were Mexican train domino players, so we had a challenge that evening.  Our game quickly ended when raccoons decided to invade the outer deck of their boat to help themselves to sweet corn stored in a cooler.

Sarah taking a picture of me taking pictures.

Capturing the Captain off duty.

Sarah bought a new camera for her SE Asia adventure and had a great time snapping shots along the canal.  Several that I am using are actually her pictures. 

Family portrait at Fenelon Falls

In position on the swim platform for locking through.

On the 29^th we were lucky to find space on the wall at Fenelon Falls.   The town has put in additional wall space complete with 30 amp power and potable water. It is very popular, so we were thrilled to have space available.  Here we met up again with “the Canadian navy”, a group of three boats we had first met at Hastings.  They were very helpful with information about upcoming Georgian Bay.  We had dinner that evening on the patio at the Falls Restaurant overlooking Fenelon Falls. 

Sarah by falls at Fenelon Falls.

This one is for you, Uncle Dick.
Sunflowers in Canada.

Beautiful sunset

Monday, the 30^th, we traveled through the other hydraulic lift at Kirkfield.  This time we were going down, so the approach was a bit scary.  As we drove into the lift, it looked like we would go right off the other end, a 45 foot drop.  Since the weather was sunny, we pulled over after going through the lift and took pictures of other boats as they went up.  This lift was built after the one in Peterborough, but still is over 100 years old.  A road actually passes under this lift. 

When entering this lock, it feels like you
are going to drop over the edge.

The road going under the lock. 

Boats enter lock and throw a line
around one of the yellow cables.

A gate rises.

Boats and water are enclosed in the lifting "pan".

Going up

Still going up.

At the top

That night we stayed on the wall at Thorah Lock.  Tom tried his hand at fishing again, but as you can see, weeds were the only catch.  Still waiting on the walleye.

Catch of the day. 

Sarah and Tom with pirate windsock. ARGH!

Tight fit when meeting another boat in the canal.

1905 Hole in the Wall bridge

Very narrow channel leaving the Trent Waterway.

Entering Lake Simcoe on our way to Orillia.

Hole in the Wall Bridge

Tuesday we said good-bye to the Trent Waterway and entered Lake Simcoe.  The day started
okay, but shortly after entering the lake, we could see storms closing in on our weather radar.  So we went the 20 miles at full tilt, arriving in Orillia in the rain, but not storms.

 The Port of Orillia invested 3 million in new docks this year and they are wonderful—wide, with 50 amp power and potable water.  After Taxes, with Kathy and Gary and their friends Carol and Jim, were also at Orillia.  They are new loopers that we had first met at Peterborough.  They were having some GPS chip issues that Tom was working on with them.  While he was doing that Sarah and I had a ladies only afternoon of shopping since downtown was only a few blocks from the marina.  A good meal at Zats was a fine end to the day.

Sarah and I had a laugh over the snowflake
and hanging basket on the lightpost
at the same time. 

Fish topiary in city garden by the marina.

When it's there, you have to do it!

The city was having a painted chair contest.
Seemed like a good place to rest a minute.

The next morning Sarah was picked up at the marina by a shuttle that took her directly to Toronto airport.  She had an interesting, exasperating trip back with delays, gate changes, and missed flights due to the delays, but she finally made it back to New Bern and Mike. 

As always, the week went by much too quickly.  But it was SOOOO good to have Sarah on board.  Even though we talk on a regular basis, nothing compares to seeing her in person.

Full moon over Raydiance on Sarah's last night aboard.