Heywood Island – July 11, 2023

Cruising the North Channel

The Captain wants to cruise the North Channel, and that is what we are doing. It’s July 11 and we are heading for Heywood Island in Browning Cove. During our 7.5 hour, 47.6 nautical miles, we do not see one boat – not one – until we approach our destination. We did see water – lots and lots of water! It’s like boating on the ocean. Makes one realize just how vast Georgian Bay is, and the North Channel.

Georgian Bay and the North Channel

Perhaps you are like me, who, before the Great Loop, had never heard of Georgian Bay or the North Channel. Below are maps of these areas. I have circled the destinations we have either visited or plan to visit.

Georgian Bay is the northeastern arm of Lake Huron in Ontario. At 5,792 square miles it’s not that much smaller than Lake Ontario (7,320 square miles), earning it the nickname “the sixth Great Lake.” The bay is 120 miles long and 50 miles wide, stretching from Killarney in the east to Thessalon in the West. With more than 1,240 miles of grayish-pink granite shoreline, it is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a summer freshwater playground for boaters, anglers, and kayakers.

The North Channel is the northern part of Lake Huron, where Lake Huron intersects northern Lake Superior and southern Lake Michigan.

It stretches approximately 120 miles and is bordered on the east by Georgian Bay, on the west by the St. Marys River, to the north by the eastern Algoma District and part of the Sudbury District, and to the south by the islands of Manitoulin, Cockburn, Drummond and St. Joseph. At its widest point it is over 20 nautical miles wide, narrowing down to less than 0.5 nautical miles in several places.

The North Channel is considered to be premier cruising for boaters. Many compare it to cruising in the British Virgin Islands. We are so blessed to have this opportunity.

Here are two more maps of Georgian Bay and the North Channel.

Ladybug Rescue

As we cruise Georgian Bay toward Heywood Island, I am underneath in the cabin. I notice a red ladybug caught between the screen and the glass in the porthole window. I catch her with a paper towel and let her out the main cabin door. Off she flies.

What satisfaction, knowing I helped her to finally escape. I know the feeling, little one.

I’ve always heard ladybugs bring good luck. Let’s hope that holds true.

No More Lamenting

Ok, so I’ve lamented on spending so much time on the water. I won’t anymore. It is all in the attitude. Plus it is worth it once we reach such interesting anchorages or marinas.

Captain Pat is so busy while cruising. Consulting the navigation charts and making sure we are on track. My options to keep busy are daydreaming, reading, writing – and napping. I somehow cannot get into the exercise routine of last year – will have to work on that. I became so accustomed to the exercise classes at the gym. I am better with close-ended activities. Not open-ended ones.

After the first hour cruising, the water calms considerably and it is smooth sailing. The AGCLA flag is completely stationary. First time I’ve seen that.

We anchor in Browning Cove on Heywood Island, outside of Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world.

Per Nebo, we traveled 7.5 hours, 47.6 nautical miles today.

Meeting Our First Looper Couple

We meet our first loopers. A couple pulls up alongside our boat in their kayaks. They are Jim and Cuqui, who hail from Key Biscayne, Florida.

They, too, will head to Little Current tomorrow. They share a wealth of knowledge regarding the North Channel. They concur on the recommendation we heard in Tobermory – to visit Kagamong. We add that to our destination list.

They texted us a photo of their boat – Thing 1 and Thing 2 – with their contact information.

Little Current – July 12

We leave Heywood Island the morning of July 12, headed to Little Current.

This is another port we visited last year. Entering Little Current you go under a swinging bridge. One realizes the advantage of having a smaller boat when you don’t have to wait to clear the bridge.

Sunshine slides into a slip at the town docks and we walk to lunch at the same place we dined last year – Elliott’s Diner. We thought of you, Elliott!

I heard on a Hidden Brain podcast on aging that given the option, older people will revisit a familiar restaurant when visiting a city, rather than try a new one. Might as well go with what you know is good.

After lunch we travel to Kagawong where we spend the next three days.

More About the Northern Channel

Although it seems like virgin territory, the Channel has had other lives. European explorers learned from the First Nations people how to use this channel as a major canoe highway for the fur trade in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. In the 19^th century, European settlers came to farm, fish, and log. Some islands still bear the scars of indiscriminate logging.

Many of the towns on Manitoulin Island have preserved that history in their museums. Accompanying the artifacts are historical photographs showing huge wharves and steamers that visited them. It’s hard to believe these small towns were once busy centers of commerce.