JACKIE B III Going Loopy

We left the white cliffs of the Killarney Mountains and headed backs through Little Current to the smooth pink granite of the Benjamin Islands.  We tied up to the shore on Crocker Island, One of the islands that make up the Benjamin Islands because of forecasted winds and the crowded anchorages on the other islands. Plus we had our trusted dinghy and we went exploring. The waters were pristine.  Mike had to go snorkeling. I am a big chicken in cold water. But I did go wading. It felt great on my knees. Everywhere we looked the views were breathtaking. If you look closely you can see many boats anchored in the distance. We really enjoyed this place and wish we had had more time to explore.  We will probably come back next summer. This is the view from our anchorage before we went to bed. The weather is dictating our trip from here on out. Gore Bay is on Manitoulin Island and provided a very safe place to be during the forecasted storms. They even had a water park, but they...

We left Killarney early in the morning.  We needed to get too Little Current for a delivery and unfortunately this was a festival weekend and slips were on a first come first served basis. We arrived in Little Current, but needed to wait for the swing bridge to open.  This is a two lane highway and the only road access to Manitoulin Island. Mike was able to squeeze into the only spot along the dock behind this beautiful teaching ship.  They had many young people on board learning the ropes, even climbing the rigging. Roy in the photo above right runs the Cruiser.Net and is the Looper Harbor Host.  He allowed us to make a huge shipment to his home and he delivered it to the dock. He also invited us to a happy hour in town. This is an example of Cruisers helping Cruisers.  We met these folks at the happy hour and mentioned that Mike couldn’t find a barber. She set up on our stern and our friend Jerry also got a haircut. Mike “paid” her by providing Orange Crushes ...

The next day we made our way through the rocky channels of Georgian Bay to another picturesque anchorage next to Stairs Island.  We were the only boat there that night and it was our base of operations for exploring waters that were non navigable for the Jackie B III. But our little dinghy was up for the challenge.  I kept watch for the rocks and we found the hidden beach before the waters opened up again. Our goal for this exploration was the Ojibway Club.  They have gasoline for our dinghy and a small but well provisioned market.  The locals send their children here for “camp.”  Some bring their children and others drive themselves in various small craft.  We arrived at the end of the day and it was very busy for a while. After picking up a few things from the market we had a lovely walk around the island on the club trails.  It was great to move after being in the boat all day. We made our way back to the anchorage and had a great dinner One of our ...

Today was our last day on the Trent Severn Waterway as we passed through our last lock into Georgian Bay.  I actually felt a little bit sad to be leaving the locks and the wonderful lock tenders behind.  They were all so friendly.  We spent our first night in Midland Ontario.  This was a beautiful sunset as Mike took me out to dinner by dingy.  My knees were really hurting after the long walk to the pool. One of the surprising things we saw was the S.S. Keewatin.  This luxury cruise ship had been taking visitors all over the Great Lakes during the same era as the Titanic.  When I was a young girl this ship was located in Douglas, Michigan near my hometown and we toured her on a school field trip. You can begin to see the rockiness of the Georgian Bay wherever you look. Navigating is tricky up here and the captain needs to pay close attention. We saw many little cottages… …on these islands, only accessible by boat. Mike very carefully guided us into the...