July 23 to July 28

Penetanguishene, Ontario to Britt, Ontario (Byng Inlet)

Sunday, July 23rd

Penetanguishene, Ontario, to Port Rawson Bay, Ontario

We were off the dock by 10am following Lionheart, a 54 foot De Fever. Lionheart was carrying Bob and Karen J., the leaders of the flotilla. Their boat, My Bonus, was in a marina about 35 miles north of Penetang and they were picking it up enroute. The morning was clear and about 17 boats left Beacon Bay all in a line. The other boats would be meeting up with us before the day was over. We actually looked pretty amazing—all boats in a single line. As a group, our boats are big for this area and 24 of us is definitely an unusual sight!!!! Everyone called us as we went by, asking about the flotilla. One of the first landmarks we saw was the King's Theatre—it was nice to see it from the water.

After leaving Penetang Harbor we went through the Muskoka Landing Channel—another beautiful area. It was very beneficial to have Bob and Karen in the lead—taking us through waters that were truly beautiful and many of which we would have missed if we hadn't come on the flotilla. We continue to see beautiful houses sitting on rock ledges and/or small islands.

We went through some shallow areas as well as narrow areas. In these areas, you can see the rocks in the water very clearly—almost too clearly. In many cases these rocks rest just at the water level and very near the channel. You could NEVER boat in these waters without charts or at night.

At one point in the day, we heard one of the other boaters tell us to look up and we would see a flying dinghy!!!!! We didn't know what to make of this but….here it is. I guess these are also popular in Florida but none of us had ever seen one before.

Our first two nights would be at anchor in a small remote bay called Port Rawson Bay. This would be a new experience for most of us—we would all be ‘rafted' to each other to make one 24-boat raft!!!!! The Bay was, of course, gorgeous and there were only one or two non-flotilla boats in the bay. They watched in awe as we all came in and rafted to each other. Actually, it was an amazing sight. Bob, in My Bonus , had gone in first and gotten his bow anchor in place and a stern line tied to a tree on shore. With his boat fully secure, he started calling for us to come in, mostly in size order (largest first). By this time, Bob was in his dinghy directing the boat traffic and getting all of us in line. Within a very short period of time, we were fully lined up—quite a spectacle. Chuck backed Ocean Flyer into place as Jean managed the dinghy (we had taken it down as we entered the Bay) and Karen and I managed the lines. We rafted next to Change of Pace and Tom and David were ready to take our lines. It went very smoothly. By the time the next boat was ready to tie to us, we were waiting for their lines. I took some pictures with both a stern and bow view—they're pretty interesting.

Jean, Chuck, Karen and I all took advantage of the beauty of the area and the warmth and cleanliness of the water and decided to go swimming. The water was 80 degrees and as clear as anything I've ever seen. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see that we and quite a few other swimmers had all brought out our noodles!!!!!

Dinner tonight was on board. Chuck made a great dinner of grilled marinated steaks, cooked onions, salad and corn-on-the-cob. It was delicious. Dessert was fresh fruit.

Monday, July 24 th

At anchor in Port Rawson Bay

The morning started with a fishing trip for Chuck and David —a guest on Change of Pace. They went out early in the morning to find a spot to catch some northern pike or pickerel. They were back in a little while with a large pike which Chuck had caught. We knew we'd continue to eat well thanks to Chuck!!!!

On the way home, we decided to ‘race' along with boaters from Change of Pace, Lionheart and Daddy's Farm . All four dinghies left the pack and started racing to an ice cream place that had been previously identified as having great ice cream. Lionheart actually broke off from us and headed straight to its mother ship. We continued the race along with Change of Pace and Denny and Chuck ( Daddy's Farm ). Denny and Chuck tried a few maneuvers to get us off track and we later found out that Denny had once raced boats!!!!! We all made it back to our boats safely with Change of Pace in first place and well….

Dinner tonight was on board and Denny joined us. We had a meat pie which we had gotten in Penetang. Meat pies are very popular in Canada—you see them everywhere, especially at Farmer's Markets. With the pie, we had a gorgonzola and walnut salad with some leftover roast pork and apple sauce. Denny had brought along some smoked whitefish which we gladly ate as our appetizer. We're continuing to eat well—even when rafted to other boats in the middle of nowhere.

Tuesday, July 25 th

Port Rawson Bay, Ontario to Parry Sound, Ontario

From our anchorage in Port Rawson Bay we headed to a famous lunch spot on Frying Pan Island in Georgian Bay—Henry's. This restaurant is famous for its fish lunch and they were ready for all 24 boats to come in and eat. The restaurant has a series of long finger docks and we were all squished in—in a very short period of time. The locals were there to see this happen and we all got a lot of compliments for moving well with such a large group. Henry's owner, Paul, was very organized and had his radio going the entire time telling each of us exactly where he wanted us to dock. We were one of the first boats to dock and then had some fun helping the other boats tie up. Lunch was also a treat. Jean and I both ordered the house special—pan fried pickerel!!! It was great!!!!!

We were back on the water in no time and headed via the South Channel to Parry Sound, one of Georgian Bay's largest ports. Throughout this crossing we saw more beautiful waters, ledges and some more cabins and homes. The area is definitely becoming more and more remote with each day's journey. The topography reminds us of Maine only with more land and water mass.

We were at Big Sound Marina by early afternoon and we were then ready to see the town. We would be here for 2 days—enough time to see everything.

Parry Sound, which was named after Arctic explorer Sir William Edward Parry, is a large narrow-mouthed indentation about 40 miles north of the Severn Sound area and has many coves awaiting exploration by cruisers. First a logging town, Parry Sound then became a busy trans-shipment port for oil and salt. Salt is still delivered by ship to the salt docks north of the Canadian Coast Guard base and to the docks beside the town's boat works.

Dinner tonight was the fresh fish that Chuck had caught. Chuck both pan seared and baked the fish in some herbs, and we also had a rice dish, a wonderful salad and mixed vegetables. It was awesome.

After dinner, the four of us started a game of Trivial Pursuit—Jean and I against Chuck and Karen. Well….hours later we were still playing with no end in sight. At about 11pm, a winner was declared. While one team did finish first, the other team had all six wedges in place and were in the center but unable to answer the question. Had they answered that question correctly, the entire marathon game would have ended as a tie!!!!!

Wednesday, July 26 th

At port in Parry Sound

Today was going to be leisurely which also means lazy. We got up late and had a brunch meal which took us to almost 11am. We had bacon and eggs with English muffins and fresh fruit—quite the meal. We had learned at the Marina that the nearby Performing Arts Center had five performances daily and that this morning at 10:30 there was going to be a piano concert featuring Gershwin music. Well…we were still eating our lavish breakfast at 10:30 so we never made it to the concert. We spent the afternoon in town dodging a brutal rain storm. Jean and I got caught in the middle of it and got soaked!!!!! Parry Sound was quite interesting and quite large. There were shops everywhere and even a movie theater—which was showing ‘Pirates of the Caribbean'!!!!! We fell in love with Huckleberry's—a great gift store with a ton of wonderful items. I came home empty handed—I wonder if I'm ill!!!!! I seem to be shopping less and less. I probably need medical help!!!!!

Chuck and Karen also were in town and also got caught in the rain. They purchased umbrellas and rain ponchos—which was a good idea.

Dinner tonight was easy and light. We had a chicken Caesar salad. Very Good.

Thursday, July 27 th

We left Parry Sound by 9:30am on a clear sky morning. The temperature was a mild 74 degrees and the water was calm. We were only going twelve miles, to another marina in another beautiful section of Georgian Bay. We're pleasantly surprised at the size and quality of these marinas. It seems like we're in these very remote areas with few houses and then we come to these very modern marinas with full services. Our boats are still pretty large for this area of Canada and the length of our flotilla draws comments from everyone. Our journey took us through several well known inlets including the Hole-in-the-Wall narrow passage. Its entrance is marked by a large smiley face painted on one of the rock walls sitting immediately at the passage.

This passage was not very long but it sure was narrow. We were all involved in the navigation as we went down the inlet—it was very picturesque.

We made it to Killbear in no time and docked easily in clear blue skies. This marina owner was extremely organized. He knew every boat, its name and length. His staff was very efficient and the marina was definitely ready for us. All 24 boats got in without a hitch and in a very short period of time. The marina owner, Will was pretty amazing. We learned that in the winter, he makes furniture—much of it for boats. We saw one of his hand-made coffee tables—made for a boat—it was gorgeous.

This marina was situated at the very end of a beautiful cove. Chuck thought that this was the best marina setting that he'd ever seen. We all took a nice walk around the area—it was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies and a perfect breeze. We found a great spot for some pictures…of course.

Tonight was a group dinner—at the restaurant at the marina. It was a lot of fun. Jean and I ordered fish (what a surprise) and had apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Karen had one of the local dishes, a German-based beef with red cabbage and noodles. Chuck ordered a chicken pasta dish served over spaghetti. U-u-um good.

Friday, July 28 th

Killbear, Ontario to Britt, Ontario

Throughout this entire trip, we're constantly being told that ‘tomorrow will be even better' –and it's been the truth. Each day, the topography is more spectacular and the waters more interesting. Today's path was very windy and curvy with many opportunities to hit rock and scrape bottom. We did neither. The waterways have good, clear markings which are very helpful in traveling through some of the more challenging spots. It's also very interesting to watch our line of boats make its way through the narrow passages.

Everyone's a skillful boater and you can see those skills in play as the boats maneuver the shallow and narrow waters. The rocks and ledges are still everywhere and provide a gorgeous backdrop for the journey. Our pictures are insufficient to show the breadth and beauty of Georgian Bay.

We also continue to see houses on islands, although they're becoming less and less frequent. The area is definitely more remote with each day's travels.

Many of the passageways are so narrow, with so many rocks and ledges that the waterway marks are actually sitting on the rocks or are painted on the ledges. This makes for an interesting and fun way to follow the marks in the water. It also provides for some good pictures.

We noticed on the chart that we were coming to Bogart Point. The name of this point has sentimental value to Jean. She once had a black Labrador Retriever named Bogart—a dog that she loved dearly. She bought him as a pup in Seattle while on a cross-country road trip with her friend Jo. We knew that we'd have to take a picture of this small point.

Right after passing Bogart Point, we saw this beautiful boathouse along with some more houses on small islands. You must be sick of these pictures but….here's some more.

Today we went by Point Au Baril which has an interesting story. This particular point is accompanied by a beautiful lighthouse, and atop a rock is an actual wooden barrel. Folklore has it that in order to better guide boats into the channel, local residents erected a barrel with a lantern on top at the point of land which then became known as Point Au Baril. In 1889, this barrel was replaced with a lighthouse which is still in service.

We then went through Byng Inlet which was just gorgeous. We're just now beginning to see some change in the topography. The trees are getting taller and the water is getting deeper and a richer green—almost a blue.

We made our way to Wrights's Marina, another marina in the middle of beautiful waters and nestled alongside a narrow channel. We all got in safely and, once again, quickly. Karen Jantz told us that at 4pm the ‘bakery lady' would come by with a car full of home made goodies. We were first in line for that treat and got some custard fruit pies, a brownie cake and an apple cake.

The marina is in Britt which, along with Byng Inlet, are two small communities on the rocky shores of Byng Inlet, an outlet of the Magnetawan River. Because the inlet offers deepwater access from Georgian Bay, both communities were settled as logging towns with many sawmills. The towns then became busy trans-shipment ports first for coal and then oil. Oil-carrying tankers still use the harbor every year.

Tonight's dinner was a group pot luck supper held at the picnic tables on site. There was plenty of food for everyone. We brought along some smoked whitefish that we had purchased at yesterday's marina--it was a big hit!!!!!

TO NEXT LOG

July 29 to August 1 - Britt, Ontario to Killarney, Ontario