Snug Harbor, Georgian Bay, Canada

Yesterday I ran the gauntlet through more of the 30,000 islands that this place is named for and ended up in a delightful bay appropriately named snug Harbor. My new neighbors, Steve and Liz on a beautiful Cabo Rico, above, invited me over for a fantastic dinner after visiting the local Lighthouse on an island adjacent to the anchorage.

I woke at 4am to the alarming prospect of being blown onto a lee shore. The winds had swung from West to SW, increased and turned south up the channel I was in and were supposed to be gusting up to 30 knots. So in the dark and half asleep, I managed to move the boat to a safer spot in the harbor. Phew!

Today I am not going anywhere and am looking forward to reading a good book and catching up on some sleep I lost last night.

Cove near Perry Sound, Georgian Bay

it would be hard to imagine a more beautiful place.

I had an awesome sail yesterday up the Georgian Bay to Perry Sound. I thought that I might have forgotten how to sail but it all  came back. Its so quiet in this cove that the silence is deafening. There is a very good reason why They call this place the 30,000 islands. The only signs of life other than the huge pine trees and the fauna are some small birds and the occasional duck. The water is very clear and dark with the skies blue and also clear. I am the only boat in this small cove and there are no houses or residents other than the occasional mosquito. The cell reception is touch and go. It took me half an hour to upload that  photo. At night the moon was full and the haunting echo of the loon travels such a long distance. I can see a faint glow from a solar garden light down the other end of the cove on an old dock with some outdoor furniture on it. Someone a long way away launches off some fireworks to celebrate the long weekend and break the silence. This is a great opportunity to catch up on my reading.

Today I will travel to the other side of Parry Sound and hunker down for a couple of nights while some awful weather passes through Monday.

Beckwith Island

I motored out into light headwinds and anchored overnight in a quiet bay about 20 Nm north west of Midland.

I came across this setup in the marina yesterday morning.

What you are looking at in this photo is a way of recharging those small propane cylinders that campers use for portable stoves and lighting. I had read about the method but never actually seen it before and so I was quite interested in seeing it done. What you do is attached a hose between the two cylinders and put the large one upside down above the empty one. I don't use these small cylinders but even if I did, I probably wouldn't do this because they are only $2 each in Walmart and I don't own a fire suit. Safety aside, I must admit i don't agree with the throw away society we live in and it goes against my grain to throw away these cartridges.

Meanwhile it is COLD this morning. I tried to find a Mr Buddy heater in Midland without luck. I am looking forward to sailing (instead of motoring) north to Parry Sound today where I hope to hunker down for a couple of days while waiting for some weather to pass through.

Midland, Ontario

There are two interesting sights to see here in Midland. One is the 110 year old steamship SS Keewatin that used to run a passenger Service between Lake Superior and here in Georgian Bay and has now been turned into a museum.

The other is a roman Catholic martyr shrine dedicated to 5 Jesuit priests who were killed by the local Indians in 1649.

It is a beautiful morning here and this afternoon the winds are supposed to moderate enough to allow me to motor sail north west about 20 miles to Hope Island.

Stepping the mast

The guys here at Wyes Heritage Marina, here in Midland, Ontario, helped me raise my mast yesterday so I am a real sailboat again. Today the cold wind is blowing from the direction we need to go, out of the north so I will provision and finish the rigging on the boat.

Here is a catch up of all the photos I have been taking over the past few days on the Severn Waterway.

Big Chute Marine Railway

Yesterday I completely finished the Trent Severn Waterway going through the famous Big Chute Marine Railway and ending up at Midland where today I will have my mast stepped. Here is a video of my transit through the Big Chute.

Swift Rapids

Swift Rapids is the name of Lock 43 here on the Trent Severn Waterway in Canada. I have just 2 more locks to go to finish later today before I get to Midland. One of them is called Big Chute where they lift the whole Boat out of the water on a marine railway. Should be interesting.