This blog is a little longer than most... Just an early warning... I waited too long to update... Hope you find it interesting.
Today is Sunday July 6th and Bill and I are tied to a dock at Hot Knots Marina in Atherly, Ontario. Terry and Linda Brooks left on July 4th. Unfortunately they had family and job commitments that needed their attention. We sure had a great time with them while on board. The photo was taken on July 4th in Orilla, Ontario just before they left.
We left our last installment in the small town of Britt in Georgian Bay. We ended up spending 4 nights in that village. We had good meals - on the boat and at local establishments. We sure do not have any problem finding ice cream spots. The boys had a chance to do fishing - on the boat, on shore and on the dingy. Byet Inlet has large muskellunge and pickerel (walleye) and their were a lot of locals out fishing. Terry caught a 31.5" walleye (over 10 lbs)in the dingy. The boys did not have a net and Bill had to grab the fish with his hands to bring it into the boat. I wish I had a camera on that activity. Checking with the locals, we found that it was not unusual to catch a walleye that large there. We had 2 great fish fries meals with that catch.
Along the way we passed the Au Baril Point Lighthouse and a lot of man made Rock statues marking the way. The entrance to the channel was initially marked by a big oak barrel and then replaced with the Lighthouse. Once inside, it was a beautiful day to travel. We had plans to spend the night at Snug Harbor, but it was quite shallow there and we decided to continue to Henry's Restaurant. Henry's is well known for their fish dinners and will provide overnight docking with power. It was quite the place and usually hard to get into. It even is a federal approved airport... bush planes and helicopter frequent this port. We even shared our dock with a plane. Quite pretty and very exciting.
The next morning we proceeded to Honey Harbor and stayed at South Bay Cove Marina. It was a beautiful marina and very friendly and helpful. It was also another beautiful day. The homes along the trip were unbelievable. These homes were not only remote, but very large. Many had their own planes and helicopters... The lifestyle of the rich and famous.
We woke to another beautiful day and decided to proceed to Pentang Harbor. We went to the Town Dock and were berthed between two VERY large privately owned former Coast Guard vessels. That really makes one feel small. As usual, our Captain did an excellent job landing the boat. We meet a lot of locals and learned even more about the area. In addition, the boys continued fishing off this dock. This time the BIG one got away... We continue to see eagles, osprey, mergansers, swans, otters and beavers... There is never a dull moment... We also celebrated Canada Day in Pentang.
On July 3rd, we left Georgian Bay and headed to the Trent. As we left Pentang Harbor we returned to the Georgian Bay small craft channel towards Port Severn. The channel was narrow, rocky, and with sharp, quick turns. The buoy marked channel did not match the chart plotter so we all were on our toes. At times our draft marked 4-5 feet.... Slow and careful. Our white knuckled Captain again did a great job.... beautiful views and we made it safely.
Immediately as we entered Port Severn we came on rapids and our first lock. We managed this quite well and continued on to the Big Chute.... the railway lift bridge. Traffic on the Trent near Port Severn has been slow due to weather and cost of fuel, so when we arrived at the Chute, it was open and waiting for us. There was no time for Linda to escape and take pictures from shore. It was very different and also very easy. Being a catamaran, we just drove onto the platform and took the ride up the hill and over the highway. No lines.... No waiting....
Another beautiful day.... On July 3, we traveled about 65 miles and arrived at Orilla Marina on the Trent at 5:30, after having a very enjoyable ride on the Trent and going through 3 locks and the Chute. There continued to be rocks and fast water, but nothing like on the Bay. In addition, we also began to see homemade watercraft. Orilla is a very nice port town to visit. Als in Orilla we meet our first loopers going the rightway for the loop and heading for July in Michigan...
In Orilla, they have a falconer come 2 times a day to fly Harris Hawks to scare the sea gulls away. It was quite a sight.
Today is Sunday July 6th and Bill and I are tied to a dock at Hot Knots Marina in Atherly, Ontario. Terry and Linda Brooks left on July 4th. Unfortunately they had family and job commitments that needed their attention. We sure had a great time with them while on board. The photo was taken on July 4th in Orilla, Ontario just before they left.For those that are checking us out on Google Earth, we are at 44 36'.774N 079 24' .724W...
We left our last installment in the small town of Britt in Georgian Bay. We ended up spending 4 nights in that village. We had good meals - on the boat and at local establishments. We sure do not have any problem finding ice cream spots. The boys had a chance to do fishing - on the boat, on shore and on the dingy. Byet Inlet has large muskellunge and pickerel (walleye) and their were a lot of locals out fishing. Terry caught a 31.5" walleye (over 10 lbs)in the dingy. The boys did not have a net and Bill had to grab the fish with his hands to bring it into the boat. I wish I had a camera on that activity. Checking with the locals, we found that it was not unusual to catch a walleye that large there. We had 2 great fish fries meals with that catch. The weather was still iffy when we decided to leave Britt, but it was time. We left the Byet Inlet and had to cross some bouncy seas dodging rock piles for about 10 miles until we entered the MacDonald Channel and Hangdog Reef. The Canadian Coast Guard sure does a great time marking channels and keeping their charts up to date. Linda was very glad when we got to the inside.
Along the way we passed the Au Baril Point Lighthouse and a lot of man made Rock statues marking the way. The entrance to the channel was initially marked by a big oak barrel and then replaced with the Lighthouse. Once inside, it was a beautiful day to travel. We had plans to spend the night at Snug Harbor, but it was quite shallow there and we decided to continue to Henry's Restaurant. Henry's is well known for their fish dinners and will provide overnight docking with power. It was quite the place and usually hard to get into. It even is a federal approved airport... bush planes and helicopter frequent this port. We even shared our dock with a plane. Quite pretty and very exciting. 
The next morning we proceeded to Honey Harbor and stayed at South Bay Cove Marina. It was a beautiful marina and very friendly and helpful. It was also another beautiful day. The homes along the trip were unbelievable. These homes were not only remote, but very large. Many had their own planes and helicopters... The lifestyle of the rich and famous.
We woke to another beautiful day and decided to proceed to Pentang Harbor. We went to the Town Dock and were berthed between two VERY large privately owned former Coast Guard vessels. That really makes one feel small. As usual, our Captain did an excellent job landing the boat. We meet a lot of locals and learned even more about the area. In addition, the boys continued fishing off this dock. This time the BIG one got away... We continue to see eagles, osprey, mergansers, swans, otters and beavers... There is never a dull moment... We also celebrated Canada Day in Pentang.
On July 3rd, we left Georgian Bay and headed to the Trent. As we left Pentang Harbor we returned to the Georgian Bay small craft channel towards Port Severn. The channel was narrow, rocky, and with sharp, quick turns. The buoy marked channel did not match the chart plotter so we all were on our toes. At times our draft marked 4-5 feet.... Slow and careful. Our white knuckled Captain again did a great job.... beautiful views and we made it safely.
Immediately as we entered Port Severn we came on rapids and our first lock. We managed this quite well and continued on to the Big Chute.... the railway lift bridge. Traffic on the Trent near Port Severn has been slow due to weather and cost of fuel, so when we arrived at the Chute, it was open and waiting for us. There was no time for Linda to escape and take pictures from shore. It was very different and also very easy. Being a catamaran, we just drove onto the platform and took the ride up the hill and over the highway. No lines.... No waiting....
Another beautiful day.... On July 3, we traveled about 65 miles and arrived at Orilla Marina on the Trent at 5:30, after having a very enjoyable ride on the Trent and going through 3 locks and the Chute. There continued to be rocks and fast water, but nothing like on the Bay. In addition, we also began to see homemade watercraft. Orilla is a very nice port town to visit. Als in Orilla we meet our first loopers going the rightway for the loop and heading for July in Michigan...
In Orilla, they have a falconer come 2 times a day to fly Harris Hawks to scare the sea gulls away. It was quite a sight.The Marposa Bakery is to die for and could become habit forming... Our waist lines would not allow too long of a stay, so Bill and I decided to leave on July 5th, after Linda and Terry left for home. We pulled our lines and tried to back out of the slip and encountered our first boat problem. The port gear shift and throttle would not go into reverse, so we pulled back in and called the Hot Knots Marina for help. They came right away and fixed it so we could get to their marina for a permanent fix. A small plastic clip had broken on the cable... We are now all fixed and ready to go but.....Once there, we saw the weekend traffic on Lake Simcoe and decided we would stay put for the weekend. It is now our plan to start again on Monday. It is hard to believe the amount of boat traffic on Lake Simcoe. I bet over 1200 boats have passed by our boat... Quite interesting... The Hot Knots Marina is also very nice and well run. It has covered slips and the boats are winterized and lifted up in their slip. Each have a private patio, barbeque and picnic table.
To Close... I wanted to share some awesome sunsets and sunrises.... Yes.... I got up at 5:30am to take pictures.... Sick isn't it!!!!
