Sept 6 – 8, 2022

Baie Fine, Ontario

Baie Fine (pronounced bay fin) and The Pool are the North Channel’s prime attractions. It is 12 nautical miles east from Little Current, a straight-forward passage.

After crossing the mouth of Frazier Bay, you arrive at the entrance of Baie Fine. As soon as you enter Baie Fine you see the white quartz mountains that stretch for miles down the narrow bay, often called a fiord. The Pool, nine nautical miles from the entrance, is reached by going through a vey narrow two-mile long channel at the end of Baie Fine.

The Pool

The beautiful wooded channel leading to the Pool has little rock islands scattered about. The Pool has a grassy bottom and it can be difficult to get an anchor to hold. Also, large bunches of floating seaweed can foul anchor lines. Many people who anchor here feel the inconvenience of a weedy anchorage is a small price to pay to experience the beauty of the Pool.

We anchored at the Pool for two nights, along with two other looper boats. They complained of the seaweed. We luckily did not have any such problems.

Our friends from Killarney, Ed and Geraldine, told us about the Evinrude home in the pool. Ralph Evinrude and his wife, movie star Francis Langford, brought their yacht Chanticleer from Jensen Beach, Florida to Baie Fine and the pool every summer for over 45 years. It is said the home got its electricity by hooking up the generator aboard the Chanticleer to provide power to the house.

We saw their home just before the pool. There is an Evinrude flag flying which makes it easy to spot.

There are places to tie to shore and hiking trails that lead up the white quartz sides of The Pool. Our looper friends told us of the trail to go to Topaz Lake, where there are spectacular views of The Pool.

We did not know how to follow the trail signs – some red, some yellow, some blue. There was no cell service, so we couldn’t look up a map. We made a wrong turn and realized 30 minutes later we were not on the right path. Fortunately, we ran into a couple hiking who were very familiar with The Pool (they have a place nearby) and they pointed us in the right direction. We were only ten minutes away!

The Pool is within the boundaries of Killarney Provincial Park and frequented by hikers and campers. Our looper book tells of one morning a bear was seen swimming across the narrow channel leading to The Pool. Although bears do not usually cause problems it is recommended to keep pets and children in view!

Here are photos from our overnight stay at the Pool and our cruise through Baie Fine.

Following are photos of the Pool, followed by photos of Baie Fine. The pictures just don’t capture the exquisite beauty of this Georgian Bay wonderland.

Photos from Baie Fine: