July 4-16, 2016: Georgian Bay, Ontario CA

Subtitle: The Land of the Sick People. I'll explain as we go.

Parry Sound: We actually drove to Parry Sound before leaving Port Severn while we still had the rental car we used to take Cathryn to the airport. Nice small town with everything you need including a Walmart! The downtown is near the docks and is well-established and well-kept. There is a nice public marina with gift shops and an Ice Arena that includes a Hall-of-Fame for Bobby Orr - the great hockey player and native son of Parry Sound. Since we had left Port Severn before breakfast, we stopped at the Orr Family Diner for brunch - it does not get more down-home that that!

Local Native American War hero.

Orr Family Diner

Bobby Orr hall of fame.

Honey Harbor: We started our day by passing thru the last Trent-Severn lock, number 45 - the 51st of the year and the last until we get to Chicago. Our next 12 miles were a tough introduction to the Georgian Bay: narrow channels and hard turns requiring use of the thruster to stay within the buoys. Beautiful scenery (exposed rock, cottages, islands and clear water), but you really need to pay attention to all of the exposed rock and watch the water for all the rocks you cannot see just below  the water surface. We only went 12 miles today and stopped at Paragon Marina near the small town of Honey Harbor. We then walked about a mile into the town center and had lunch at a little sandwich shop that also served kale chips with the sandwich -interesting. Nice walk thru the trees and then next to the main road, but on the way back Judie started to feel tired and had a bit of a sore throat - yep, the saga begins. We took naps and Ger moved his sleeping gear to the front v-berth to give Judie a better night sleep.

Frying Pan Island: What a difference a day makes - few narrow channels, a lot less boats and clear water to 12 feet down that is a beautiful shade of dark green. We stopped after 30 miles at Henry's Fish Restaurant and secured a slip for the evening. The restaurant is very good and specializes in fresh fish. The portions were so large that we had the leftovers for dinner. They have a sea-plane dock - we saw three come in for lunch or dinner; and a certified hele-pad and we saw 2 of them come in - one private and another a medivac to transport someone to a hospital. It was a beautiful day, Judie still ill  - but functioning.

Typical Island with house/cottage.

Lots of rock.

Henry's - For fresh fish.

One of three!

St. Aubyn Bay: Next day was another short one of 17 Miles to Killbear Marina at the north end of St. Aubyn's Bay. The day was spent enjoying some nice open water followed by 90 degree turns and narrow channels. A nice Marina with small general store, small restaurant, small marine supplies store and our second day of no wifi, phone, or television. We are cruising in the middle of nowhere. A very pretty nowhere. Judie not doing too well so she took a three and a half hour nap and then went to bed at 8:00 after a light dinner. We tried to move on the next morning. It was sunshine and blue sky's when we left at 7:00 and 20 minutes later we were watching the fog roll in and returning to our slip. Spent another day taking naps and doing small chores.

The beautiful morning when we tried to leave the first time.

Britt: We were able to leave on the 8th for Wright's Marina on the Byng Inlet near the town of Britt. The 50 mile cruise was perfect. The first half was fairly open water and just a few narrow channels. Beautiful rock formations and pretty white/red lighthouses. The second half of the trip was into the Georgian Bay and the water was smooth as glass and the autopilot worked it's magic for a few hours. The last 3 miles were in a fairly narrow channel with rock cliffs on either side and plenty of deep water for a change. Wright's Marina is a family run business and is well maintained, friendly, and no restaurant, grocery store, wifi, TV or phone. Judie was feeling a little better after her nap and we made pork chops and corn-on-the-cobb for dinner. Wind was up so we planned to stay another day. We needed to move the boat to allow a catamaran in front of us to leave, and halfway thru the event broke a hydraulic line for the stern thruster - exterior to the boat right as it gets to the thruster. Back into the slip and off to see the resident repair guy. Since it was a Saturday and no way to get a new set of cables until Monday, we sat. On Monday they pulled the boat out of the water, removed the old cables and Judie and I drove the marina car into Parry Sound (70 miles) for the replacements. Back on, touched up bottom paint and into the water by 5:00. Rain and wind the next day, so tried to leave on  Wednesday - still too much wind an we turned around after 4 miles. By now Judie is feeling a little better but Ger is sick as a dog. Went to the local clinic to see a nurse-practitioner who gave him a prescription and arranged for currier service to get it from Parry Sound that afternoon. Canadian healthcare working for it's international neighbors at no cost! Bad weather until Saturday, so it was Ger's turn at the 3 hour naps and eating light.

Byng Inlet Light House.