Gene replaced the other 6 batteries and we were on our way from Victoria Harbour by 11:00.  I had walked up to Foodland and bought a few groceries while he was on-board making the exchange and attending to some of the other instrument issues.  We travelled up the west shore of Beausoleil Island and joined one of the small craft channels.  We went through the canoe channel around 4:00 and continued on to Snug Harbour.

We anchored for the night in Regatta Bay around 7:00, there was one other boat in this bay.

On Monday we left shortly after 7:00 and passed Port au Baril, and then traveled through the hangdogs-  with the extra water and calm seas they didn’t look as ominous as  the other times when we had passed through them.

By about 10:30, I started seeing some wind turbines in the distance.  I didn’t remember them from our last visit to Georgian Bay in 2017.

By 11:00 we entered the channel leading into Byng inlet.   We topped up our diesel, I did laundry and then we went out to ice cream on the rocks for you guessed it– Kawartha ice cream.  We visited with Brook and Adrian who we had met in 2017, we also met Sylvie, from Lil-hideaway,a  Gold loopers that we had met in 2018 in Campbellford.  I took the hose out and washed down the boat and anchor, which still was covered in mud from our previous night’s anchoring.

We left the next morning at 6:15, it was another nice day,  we traveled though the protected channels, which is where the wind turbines are located.  We were told that the installation of the wind turbines somehow caused one of the forest fires last summer, so they are not yet operational.

We continued  through the channels  until we reached the Bustards around 9:00 and then we went past a lighthouse and out into open water past Killarney.

At 1:20 the lighthouse at Little Current came into view.

We waited until 2:00 for the swing bridge opening.

  We were parked  at the port of little current dock by 2:20.

The dockmaster, told us about another looper that had docked earlier—Sum Escape- Tom and Julie Van Hall—Andy had first met them in the fall of 2015 in Illinois, but we had crossed there path several times since.   After a stop at the LCBO and Turners for a couple more charts, we met Julie and Tom for docktails and a good catch-up.  Andy and I went to the Anchor inn for supper.

 

We left  Little Current at 7:00, it was overcast and felt like rain, sure enough in about 15 minutes we had a short shower.    We passed the Croker islands and the Benjamins,  the extend of where we had gone in 2017.   We continued on to areas that I had not seen before however the water looked the same, just some new  rocks and islands.   We passed through the Detroit cut

and continued on to the whale back channel. The water was extremely calm with little wind.  We had originally planned to only go as far as Blind River, but had called ahead to Thessalon, and found that there was space available there, but we needed to be there by 3:30 in order to pay and get dock assistance.

We arrived at 3:20- cutting it close.  After tying up, we walked into town in search of a hardware store and a postcard to send to my Mom.    While walking down the street to see if the bakery was open I saw this very ornate bench, carved as fish ends.

That evening we were entertained by the town’s fire pumper truck coming to the marina, three times to fill up from the lake.

We left Thessalon at 7 am, we passed Bruce mines and entered the St. Joseph channel passing this lighthouse shortly after 9 am. 

Saw this second lighthouse a little later.

I saw our first freighter in the other channel going towards the Soo  around 10.

We started passing in and out of the United States as we progressed up the channel, many American cottages on our port side flew the US flag.

We got to Lake George which was a very skinny channel at the south end with less than 10 feet of water in places. The North side of the lake was much deeper. 

 

We arrived at the Bellevue marina around 2:00,

and topped up our diesel and water- as both are not easy to get on Lake Superior.   Pat and Marcia came to the marina after 4 and took us to Wacky wings for supper and then a grocery store and finally a little tour of the Soo.  Pat is going to jump on board and help us through the Canadian lock tomorrow morning. and Marcia offered to do a load of laundry for me tonight.

We’ve  come almost 450 miles since leaving Buckhorn , it’s hard to believe we crossed Georgian Bay  and the North Channel in 5 days.    We will have more time  to explore on our way back after the gathering in  Marathon.

I’ve been off work for 2 weeks now, and am  finally starting to relax.  This will be our last night at a marina- as they don’t exist  where we are headed.  Marathon has a dock that we can tie up to so no anchoring while we are there, but we will be putting  our anchoring skills to the test before that .     The adventure will continue tomorrow morning  as we enter into Lake Superior– I’m really hoping for some heat and no wind for the next few weeks.