Georgian Bay – Aug. 10

Weather- that seems to be our primary focus the last few days. We’re on our fourth day in Parry Sound at Big Sound Marina. We thought we’d be leaving today, but the weather gods aren’t recommending it. It has been blowing like STINK the last couple of days and that’s got everyone hunkered down. The winds last night were well into the 35+ mph range and it was white capping in Parry Sound. It was blowing so hard I had to latch the stern windows. Just leaving them closed wasn’t enough, the wind could still blow them open. Today we’ll see some reprieve, but we’ve decided to let the waters settle a bit. Tomorrow will be an improvement and we’ll get moving again.

Other than the wind the last few days, we’ve had some really nice weather since leaving Midland. Our first night out, we anchored in Monument Channel and then moved on to Port Rawson Bay. We were enjoying the peace and serenity of Port Rawson so much, we opted to stay there 3 nights. I wish I could take pictures that could show the beauty of the area. Our cove was surrounded by islands lined with rock and jagged pine and hemlock. It is in the Massassauga Provincial Park and so there were no cottages although camping is allowed in designated areas. The only access is by boat. After spending a couple weeks on the Trent Severn Waterway, it was nice to have some solitude. We dropped the dinghy in and zipped in and out of other bays. Maggie and I had some quality kayak time. We chilled a lot, napped some, and relaxed a lot. Night comes late here- 9 pm or so- and I’m usually ready to call it a day when it finally darkens. Late one night I woke up and peeked out my window to see stars shining back. After pulling on some warmer clothes, I snuck outside. OMG!!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a night sky so breathtaking. It was a moonless night, no city or town lights near by, only one anchor light on the other side of the bay gave an hint of any human life nearby and boy did those stars shine. Streaking across the middle of the night sky was the amazing Milky Way. I could have sat on top of the boat forever staring at the beautiful sky if the cold dew hadn’t settled in to make everything outside wet. On my way back to bed, Tim woke up and I had to send him out to view the multitude of stars as well. A certain highlight of the trip.

So what did Maggie think of being at anchor for 4 consecutive nights? Yes, we did have the dinghy in the water and yes, we could have found a place to take her ashore to do her business, but momma said “no”. As a boat dog, she needs to be able to take care of business on the boat. We have her piece of AstroTurf in the aft cockpit and she used it in the Bahamas, but that was 2 years ago. I wasn’t too sure if she remembered what that green thing was for. Tim graciously recommissioned the mat for us, but initially Mags wasn’t going for it. After the first 24 hours and no real grass, she finally gave in to her bladder. It wasn’t until our second day at anchor and after a long dinghy ride that the number 2 came. I don’t know if it was the jiggling of the dinghy or if it was the fact that the dinghy didn’t take her to land that she finally gave in. Either way, I pulled out the freeze dried liver treats and she was praised immensely for her potty action. Such a good boat dog.

Traveling along the Small Boat Channel

Port Rawson Bay

The blue dot shows where we are anchored.

Sunrise at anchor.

Have I mentioned what a good boat dog Maggie is?

Tim’s beautiful sunset picture.

After leaving Port Rawson Bay, we wove our way back to the Small Craft Channel to Frying Pan Island and the renown Henry’s for a lunch of fish and chips. We’d heard that the portions at Henry’s are more than enough for one and we took that lesson to heart. Tim and I shared a fried pickerel meal for $26 and added and extra piece of fish for $6 more. It was just enough and boy was it worth it. Highly recommended.

Henry’s Fish Camp for Lunch

The Chippewa is a small tour boat out of Parry Sound.

With the rising winds in the forecast, we wisely made reservations at Big Sound Marina and came in along with several other loopers and Canadians. This is a chores and provisioning stop for us.

School kids painted murals on the pedestrian walkway.

Float planes are a very common mode of transportation up here.