Wed Aug 2: Beausoleil Island to Indian Harbour anchorage

Rick here: As you know we’ve started our journey in the Georgian Bay and we will be following along the “small boat channel”.  This marked channel is a way to weave our way through islands and rocks along the northern edge of the Bay with minimal time exposed to the big open water of Lake Huron.  

Today we moved on to our second anchorage - Indian Harbour - and as we left, we realized the extent of the Georgian Bay part of our trip. In fact, we have roughed out our itinerary and we plan to be in Sault Ste. Marie by August 27 so that leaves us with 4 WHOLE weeks to work our way on up the channel.  I know, it’s a first world problem.

And the channel is very narrow in many places.  As we may have mentioned (Mel here-oh dear, he’s got the bit in his teeth-settle in for info!) this whole area is part of the Canadian Sheild - a huge area of granite that was scoured by glaciers during the last ice age. If you look at a map of the area you can see the long striations - long parallel fingers of rock that show how the glaciers scraped across this whole region.  Wonderful for a geologist, not so fun for boaters!  The rocks are unforgiving and will eat a propeller for lunch!  We are trying to be very attentive to our charts and the channel markers. 

You can see our blue dot on the map above at Beausoleil Island.  The destination- the red dot.  Below a view from our new guidebook.  The solid red line in the middle of the chart is the small boat channel. 

These smooth granite islands are everywhere.  In fact, the area is said to have 30,000 islands!  Many of them have small (or not so small) cottages (it’s used as a verb here-as in, ‘the area is heavily cottaged). We wonder about the logistical challenges of having a summer house only accessible by boat.  What if you need to run to the store?  What if you want to meet with friends for coffee? What do you do with your sewage?  What about electricity?!

Once we wove our way through the very narrow channel to Indian Harbour we found 4 other boats already there, but there was enough room for us to anchor.  After a short time we realized that we had already learned something in this anchorage.  Don’t buy a house (anchorage) on a cut-through street - always go for one on a cul-de-sac.  There are two different entrances/exits to this tiny bay and all afternoon (and evening) small boats roared through, waking the crap out of the handful of us huddled just off the channel.

The sun put on a show as it set.  We are already noticing cooler nights, even though it is barely August.  We’ve had a couple nights with temperatures in the low 50’s.  We’re starting to worry what it will be like in September!  Hope we bought enough long pants. (I apologize to those of you who still have 2 months of 90 degrees to go)

Our neighbors with their anchor lights lit up for the night. 

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.

Mon July 31: Big Chute to Midland Harbour

Well....I must have been really anxious about the Big Chute in the night because I dreamt (did you know that dreamed is also acceptable?  this kind of nonsense with the English language really drives my ESL student crazy - understandably...) that I had to sit for the GRE exams again, and I couldn't remember anything I had ever learned and had to leave them all blank..... 😱😱😱😱 Ima turn it over to Rick now, while I breathe into a paper bag.

Rick here: The Big Chute is a marine railway - literally a big open train car that carries boats over a piece of land where the canal doesn’t go through.  The original railway was built in 1917 as a quick temporary way to complete the Trent Severn canal.  The plan was to build another lock at this site but after some time it was decided to leave the railway and not connect the waterway.  The fact that the waterway isn’t connected stops the spread of invasive species (like Lampreys).  The railway was updated and rebuilt in 1978 and is an important part of the Great Loop.   We tried to take as many pictures as possible (and other people helped) to show you how it works, but it is hard to really understand the scale of the operation.  

The large, open, rail car is like a big dry dock for boats.  It has big slings operated hydraulically that cradle the boat and hold it steady as the car moves over the rails.  The car is moved by large cables that run on large electric motors - like a cable car.  The rail car can carry a number of small/medium size boats but it can only carry one boat our size.  The boat is loaded with the rudder and propeller hanging off the back of the boat. 

Here are some pictures of the rail car: 

At this point we are a bit nervous, and it looks like a big predator lurking.  We got on the blue line two hours early, so we had time to get even more nervous!

This a boat exiting so you can see what it looks like deep in the water.

Once the rail car moves down into the water the operator, using a loud speaker, calls the boats that he wants to move over and get loaded.  Here you see Blue Horizon as we drove it into the back of the rail car. We were the only boat this passage as there were no little boats waiting. (The wind and current were pushing us toward the dam, but Rick smoothly got us into the sling)

Blue Horizon being loaded and adjusted with the slings into the back of the rail car. 

Here the boat is loaded and the car is moving up the track - note that there is no water in the car. We remained on the boat during the trip. 

Being loaded - note the water still underneath the boat. 

The loading is supervised by professional park employees - these are not young college students. Here he is trying to make sure our running gear is well placed before he lifts the carriage out of the water.

We asked the park employee to take a picture of the running gear as we moved out of the water. Everything looks good! The insurance company paid a lot for this new gear-we so t want to ask them to do it again. 

Our friends on Sea Wag (another Looper boat) took pictures of us as we crossed the street down to the other side. I’m on the back waving and Mel is on the front.

And here, moving down the other side of the hill.

The Big Chute is like a lock in that it does lower us about 65 feet from one side to the other.  We continue our down stream trip to Port Severn.

A picture from the back of the boat. You can see the boats lined up on the waiting dock behind us. Each boat takes about 20 - 25 minutes. 

A shot from the front of the boat as we travel down to the lower pool.

Continuing down the hill.

Shot of another boat as it reaches the lower pool.

Blue Horizon reaching the lower pool.

Water fills the car and we get ready to float off.

A shot out the back of the boat as we start to float.

We start the engine and carefully maneuver our way out of the car. 

It was all over so fast and the relief of having it done was wonderful.  BUT-we couldn’t celebrate in the moment because we had several narrow stretches, and the very last lock on the Trent Severn canal to get through.

The last lock #45 at Port Servern.  Turns out also the smallest lock on the whole canal, so it was only us in there. 

We cruised out into the Georgia Bay and over to Midland where we pulled up to the dock at the Midland Town Harbour.  We were happy and relieved to be done with the canal and now on to Georgian Bay.   The actual cruise for the day wasn’t that long so we did a bit of work on the boat (see below) and walked around the small down town, stopping of course at the grocery store.

Midland, Ontario

Defrosting the refrigerator

Blue Horizon at rest and waiting for Part 2 of the adventure

Sun July 30: Orillia to The Big Chute free doc

It was an absolutely gorgeous day when we set out - calm, still water, bright sun, cool temps.  The only cloud on the horizon was the sad deflation of Rick's balls.  But that was quickly remedied - see before and after pics below!  I know you all like to start your morning thinking of Rick's naughty bits...

It was a long day, mostly because the Trent Severn, in this area, is made up of tiny channels connecting many small lakes - summer homes are all along the banks, so we keep to an even slower speed then usual so as not to wake the banks/docks/swimming kids.  Rick made us listen to Gordon Lightfoot; and after just a few songs we both agreed there is a reason we don’t do so on a regular basis

We are basically IN people's backyards.  

A local canoe club out for a morning paddle - perfect day for it. For now, at any rate...

You can see what's happening to the pretty day.  Blue sky to the right - NOT the direction we are heading... Oh well, usually the afternoon rain is over quickly.

Isn't it pretty up here?!  Lots of conifers, little islands, cliffs - oh, and day boaters.  So. Many. Day boats. We do have a rule about staying off the water on Sat/Sun, so that's our own fault. We are anxious to get to the BIG CHUTE!

Looking back at the largest traditional lock (largest drop) on this system-Swift Rapids. You can see the dam on the right and the large doors on the left.  They creaked open, and slammed resoundingly closed, like the Doors of Mordor…

This is the famous Waubic Restaurant-reachable only by water (even float planes come) it is THE destination for lunch/dinner during the summer.  We had intended to stop, but there was no dock space. Oh well-it’s impossible to see everything. 🤷‍♀️

We were delighted to find dock space at the Big Chute, near people we know.  We all tied up and immediately went to see the challenge that will greet us tomorrow morning. I will let Rick bore you with the details tomorrow, for now let me tell you that this very unusual ’lock’ is actually a ‘marine railway’ (they don’t like to be called a lock); the only one of its kind in North America.  It carries boats from one big lake, over a hill and into the next big lake. Of course it does.  That is the kind of zaniness our readers have come to expect from us!

Random boat-into the sling in the railroad carriage.

Starting up the hill.

This boat is small enough he can go all the way into the car-in our case our prop/rear will hang off the back.

Over the hill and back into the water on the other side.

The carriage sinks into the water and the boats float free.

The whole thing is completely crazy-pants, and it makes no more sense than an airplane staying up in the sky.  We are excited and nervous to do it tomorrow.  In fact, we talked about moving over to the blue line so we would be first tomorrow-but that’s more of that zero sum silliness.  We will all get through.  It will be fine.  IT WILL, I tell you.

Rick bonded  with the neighbors.  Oh my lord-he’s now doing nothing BUT fishing…

Good night!