Tues Aug 1: Midland Harbour to McCabe Pt Anchorage, Beausoleil Island

Happy August!  So begins Part 2 of this adventure-Georgian Bay.

 

But first we had to go for a bike ride and visit Tim Hortons, before casting off from Midland.  Then we made a short stop at Bay Port Yacht Centre (see - this is the kind of spelling I learned at school in Australia, so no wonder I can't spell to save my life) so we could pay Canadians for their fuel, and get them to take poop off our hands.  Success all around...

 

Bye, Midland-places to go, scenery to see!

Then off into the wild blue of the 30,000 islands of the Georgian Bay! If you are like I was, about two weeks ago, you have no idea what that even means.... no worries-I gotcha back:  The northern area of Lake Huron is made of two parts that are distinctly different from the rest of the Lake (due to glacial scoring), Georgian Bay and the North Channel.  GB is the eastern part and the western Northern Channel leads up to the entrance to Lake Superior and/or Lake Michigan.

 

The number of anchoring options in GB is mind-blowing, as are the number of boat-threatening obstacles (lurking below, at and above the surface - damn that granite shield).  It's really hard to know where to start, so we went just an hour to one of the main 'beginner' islands, Beausoleil.  There are lots of Canadian Park’s docks, and well-marked anchorages, all around the island.  There were plenty of boats, but there was also plenty of space - especially once the day boats went home.  Very peaceful.

 

Today’s anchorage.

We read, planned routes for the future, worked on the blog, etc. And Rick went swimming for .05 seconds (the air temps are chilly with a steady breeze)... 

 

 

Rick shrieking like a 5th grade girl at a Boy Band concert!

 

 Can you guess what else Rick did?!

Beausoleil also has, in liberal quantities, the only venomous (and protected) snake in Ontario: the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. We brought hiking boots for this very reason, but might re-evaluate and kayak in the morning instead!

As the sun went down a gorgeous full moon came up (bright orange-possibly due to smoke in the air) and the loons began their haunting calls. Oh, and there were squeals, singing and campfire smells from the YMCA camp south on Beausoleil Island, which gave me flash-backs to my teenage years at MI music summer camp, Miniwonka.  All us white girls co-opting Native America stuff.  Ah, the ignorance of the 70s.

Please pretend this is actually in focus... Or that the blurriness is a wonderful artistic touch.