Sunday, July 9, we departed Hope Island headed for Tobermory. Per Nebo we traveled 8.5 hours, 69.3 nautical miles. This was a long day for Captain Pat.

Nebo is a specialized GPS device powered by the boat’s batteries and communicates with its own SIM. Family and friends download the free app and can follow Sunshine’s progress and voyage.

Nebo provides Captain Pat with detailed voyage logs and summaries of all boating activity. You can also keep in touch with fellow boaters. AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association) members are shown in Nebo with the AGLCA logo as their boat marker.

Tobermory (population 1,500) is a tourist town attracting boaters, divers and bikers. People drive here to take the Chi-Cheemaun (Ojibwa for “big canoe”), a vehicle and passenger ferry that runs to and from South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island. This is one of only two ways to take a vehicle to Manitoulin Island. The only other way is the single-lane swing bridge at Little Current. It is common to see buses and transport trucks on the ferry as well as the usual tourist traffic.

There are glass-bottom boat tours for viewing wrecks, sunset cruises, and fishing and diving charters. Tour boats also visit Flowerpot and Cove Islands and the caves on the Bruce Peninsula.

We visited Tobermory last fall when cruising Georgian Bay. We viewed Flowerpot and Cove Islands, and climbed the observation tower at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre. (This was the first time Captain Pat learned of the Admiral’s disdain for heights.)

 Docking in Tobermory

I like familiar places and this town fits that bill. Carla the dockmaster asked if we preferred a slip further up or more downtown, where the action is. We prefer near the laundromat. So downtown we docked, in the exact spot we had last year.

A father with two children helped us dock the boat. His young daughter – maybe ten – was an expert with the lines. She even did this fancy knot – see below – and showed me how. I tipped her $5 the customary tip for dock hands.) Boy was she excited! Her father laughed and said she’s been helping the boaters all day, but we were the only ones to tip her.

Boats on the dock are so close you naturally strike up conversations and get to know people. Across the way from Sunshine were a red tugboat named Triumph and a Bennetto sailboat named Belle Bête. This means Beautiful Beast. The sailboat owner has raced his boat in the Mackinac Island sailboat races for 30 plus years. That’s where they were headed next.

We asked Belle Bête’s Captain if he was on Nebo. He didn’t know what Nebo was. After we explained he commented “I’d never get that. I don’t want anyone to know where I am.”

Visiting the Laundromat

The laundromat is always an adventure. Kind of like going to Wal-Mart in Laconia, New Hampshire. Lots of nose rings, tattoos, and blue or pink hair. This one was too busy with both locals and boaters. In these small towns you often run into the same people. I met a woman in the laundromat and later saw her working at the local grocery store.  In restaurants we see neighboring boaters and other familiar faces.

Tobermory Culinary Treats

There are two things I had to get in Tobermory – a London Fog and a Beavertail. The London Fog is hot tea with foamed milk – tea meets cappuccino. The Beavertail is a pastry coated with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. It reminds me of the cinnamon toast my mom used to fix.

Morning Buddies

Early mornings are peaceful. No people out – looks like a ghost town. On my way to the washroom, there are ducks to greet me. They are not afraid at all. They sit there and don’t move, seemingly unaware of your presence.

Rainy Grocery Shopping

We were disappointed to learn the downtown grocery store had moved up the street. It’s a fifteen-minute walk. One day we walked in the rain to the bank and the grocery store. Captain Pat needed popcorn and the Admiral zero sugar lemonade. Turns out no need for more Canadian money as we plan to be in the States in two weeks. It was actually fun, in our rain gear, sloshing along. Turned out to be a sunny afternoon later.

Iffy Weather Meant Another Night

The Captain does a great job tracking the weather. We had planned to leave July 11, but decided not to due to the weather. We ended up staying an extra night – yeah!

Captain Pat’s go to weather app is windy.com. This app has proven beneficial in avoiding inclement weather. It is specially designed for marine and airplane weather tracking. It gives a 14-day forecast and reports on the wind gust, wind direction, and waves. Captain Pat also consults weather.com.

July 12 we departed Tobermory for our next stop – Browning Cove at Heywood Island. Here are more photos from our meanderings in Tobermory.