August 21 – 25

You may think if anchored out on the boat, we don’t get much exercise. Not the case – as you can see by the photos above! We swim, hike, row the dinghy, and even do an exercise routine on the bow of the boat, with weights we brought from home. And there is always something to do with the boat – adjusting the anchor, cleaning up, fixing things, working with the dinghy. Captain Patrick today had to adjust the anchor for 40 mph winds today! And he switched out the lights in the kitchen and bedroom to LED, because our batteries are losing their charge. We stay pretty active when we anchor out.

We departed Parry Sound August 21 for a week of exploration and anchoring out – continuing with our gunkholing adventure. Here is commentary from our Looper’s Companion Guide that further explains the fascination with Georgian Bay:

“Georgian Bay is recognized as a premiere destination for boaters. While the Caribbean is a great winter retreat, and the Chesapeake is certainly very appealing, when it comes to the rugged beauty of windswept pines, on colorful rock, scoured clean by glaciers, offering snug anchorages and sunsets, nothing compares to Georgian Bay. The sheer beauty of anchoring out in remote Bays and anchorages is distinguished by picturesque towns and urban ports of call that make Georgian Bay so interesting.”

“Both Georgian Bay and the North Channel offer more anchorages than one could visit in a lifetime. You need a good understanding of your charts and you must always know exactly where you are.”

“When anchoring, use the anchoring technique of those who were there first. If they are all swinging on one anchor – you must do likewise. If they are Bahama moored with two anchors – you must do the same.

For this reason, all cruisers should have two anchors with at least chain rode the length of your boat and 200 feet of rope; plus a minimum of 200 feet of ½ inch plus shore line.”

FYI – Sunshine has three anchors, and the dinghy has one as well. Our main anchor – a plow anchor – has 300 feet of chain. Our second anchor – a Danforth shoreline anchor – has 50 feet of chain and 150 feet of rope.  Our third anchor is a small stern anchor, with 60 feet of floating propeline rope. The dinghy anchor is a fold -up anchor with 30 feet of line. Yes – Captain Patrick may go a bit overboard when being prepared. But it is better to err on the safer side.

The dinghy anchor is in the dinghy ditch bag. A ditch bag is a floating bag of essentials that you have handy in case you exit the boat in an emergency situation. The ditch bag contains survival items, such as flares, bottled waters, vhf radios, etc. and personal items you wish to keep safe.

“There are two routes for cruising Georgian Bay – direct and indirect. The direct route option takes boaters into open waters. These channels are well marked, but are mostly used by the commercial vessels that run ‘on the clock’ and need to get where they are going on a schedule. You will see some sailboats using the direct route because they can proceed under sail to and from Lake Huron.

The indirect route is the “Small Craft Route.” It is the most scenic route and safest and best way to go. This route will take you safely west along the north coast of Georgian Bay, through the popular 30,000 islands.

The scenery is breathtaking, and the cruising arguably the most challenging on the entire Great Loop. That challenge, however, is not a result of danger as much as it is concentration and paying attention. This portion of your voyage always demands an alert Captain at the helm. It is also important to maintain a very slow speed. In this manner, this area is similar to the 117-mile stretch of the New Jersey ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). Only there if we run aground, we run over soft mud. Here, if we venture out of the channel, we are most likely to hit a huge underwater granite boulder.”

I am most grateful for the diligence of Captain Pat at the helm. He is prepared with charts and weather predictions, and stays alert. For the most part we are on the Small Craft Route, but we have ventured at times into the open waters.

Our first four days of gunkholing found us in Regatta Bay, Alexander Passage and Snug Harbor. See photos below: