September 13 – 16, 2022

We departed Tobermory and headed to Flower Pot Island, part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. There are many tourist boats (some glass bottom) that take visitors to Flower Pot Island.

There are two distinctive limestone formations that give the island its name. There has been much speculation that the bases of the flowerpots would soon be eroded to such an extent that they would fall over. In the 1960s measures were taken to slow down the erosion process, and the two famous landmarks still stand.

The weather was not the best, so we did not stop. It was amazing to see the “flower pot” rock structures up close from Sunshine, with so many visitors walking the island.

Hiking trails let visitors see the flowerpots, explore a cave and visit the lighthouse located on the northesterly point of the island. Camping is allowed with reservations required.

The water around the island is extremely shallow. In fact, when the water level is close to chart datum, the island is almost inaccessible. The tour companies from Tobermory use specially equipped inflatable tour boats. The island’s docks are also suitable for cottage boats, dinghies, canoes and kayaks.

Here are photos of our cruise around Flower Pot Island.

Cabot Head and Wingfield Basin

We anchored for two nights in the Wingfield Basin near Cabot Head, on the Georgian Bay side of the Bruce Peninsula. There are two sides to the Bruce Peninsula – the Lake Huron side (west) and the Georgian Bay side (east). We are on the Georgian Bay side, heading South to Penetanguishene.

Wingfield Basin is a well-protected natural harbour near Cabot Head on the north-eastern tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Approaching the basin (especially in low-water years), it is essential to line up the beacons and then stay within the narrow buoyed channel.

There are many landing places for dinghies on the shingle beach or the sand beach in the bay. When the water is low, there’s lot of room to walk along the shingle beach, as well as paths through the wood to explore.

We were cautioned about poison ivy and mississauga rattlesnakes, although we did not see any. Our walk brought us to the lighthouse, a heritage building which is being maintained by the Friends of Cabot Head. The Friends sponsor a volunteer lighthouse keeper’s program, where volunteers are selected to live in the lighthouse for a week at a time and perform traditional lighthouse keeper’s duties in exchange for an inexpensive holiday.

The wreck of the steam tug Gargantua lies in the anchorage. When the water is low, the rusty steering mechanism and the wide planks used in the ship’s construction are clearly visible. We could see this anchored aboard Sunshine.

Here are more photos from our anchorage in Wingfield Basin.