Wani Bay, Ontario

We were planning to leave first thing in the morning to go back to Bay Port Marina in Midland on Wednesday, August 15 to get the increasingly problematic fuel leak fixed.  But when Jonny went to start the engine, it wouldn’t start!  This had never happened before and was very concerning as we were at anchor in the middle of Georgian Bay!  He decided to bleed the engine and see if that would correct the problem thinking that there was air in the line preventing the engine from igniting.  So we stacked up all the furniture in the saloon and rolled up the rug so he could get better access to the engine room.  With Lynn’s help at the helm, he methodically bled each cylinder and lo and behold the engine started!  What a relief!  

So we quickly pulled up anchor and headed back to the marina.  Two hours later on a sunny pleasant day were back at the same berth we occupied for the last five days.  A mechanic came by to work with Jonny on the fuel leak and while they were doing that, Lynn snuck in some laundry time. 

Before too long, the leak was fixed with some tools the mechanic had which Jonny had lacked.  The day before we left Midland, Jonny had discovered that there was a new ten foot RIB (rigid inflatable boat) for sale at a local dealership.  It was a good price considering the value of the dollar here but we decided to pass on it since it wasn’t a necessity and we had planned to buy a used dinghy, not a new one.  But since we were back in Midland and Jonny’s desire to replace our soft-bottomed inflatable dingy hadn’t abated, we rationalized that fate brought us back to Midland and maybe we should reconsider our decision.  What clinched it was Lynn suggesting that we could buy it as our anniversary present to ourselves (our 32nd wedding anniversary was in two days).  Jonny immediately called the boat dealer and the brand new 10 foot Highland RIB was delivered within the hour!

We then had to fold up the old dinghy and find a place to store it.  We applied sun protection to the new dinghy and Jonny rowed it over to Zendo.  He reconfigured the straps that hoist it onto our davits and it fit perfectly!  Jonny is now one happy guy with our fuel leak fixed and a brand spanking new RIB.  

So we paid our marina and mechanic bill and hightailed it back out to Georgian Bay. It was a beautiful travel day and we passed some lovely scenery and cool looking cottages.

Our thought was to travel about three hours to have dinner at Harry’s, a popular fish restaurant that all the Loopers go to. But as the afternoon wore on, we realized that we didn’t have time to reach Harry’s and find an anchorage before dark.  We didn’t want to chance wandering around the rocky islets at dusk.  So we found a very nice anchorage in Wani Bay, an unofficial name given to this lovely spot by locals.  There were several boats in the anchorage when we arrived but we proceeded down a narrow finger off the bay and found a perfect anchorage with no one else around.  We settled in for the evening, had a dinner of leftovers and enjoyed the quiet of our peaceful anchorage.

Longuissa Bay, Ontario

We got a slow start on Tuesday morning, August 14 because Lynn wanted to write the blog entry for the travel adventures over the past five days.  We finally left Bay Port Marina at 10:40 and made our first foray into the 30,000 islands portion of Georgian Bay. Cruising among rocky outcroppings on a beautiful calm and sunny day was a wonderful experience. 

We passed through the Musquash Channel where we saw a variety of the “cottages”that are so prevalent here.

We explored two other anchorages off of Bone Island but didn’t choose them because they were very small and already had plenty of boats in them.  Georgian Bay is a popular cruising area and we are finding that you have to get to an anchorage early if you want the prime spot and there is more than likely to be other boats there.  Somehow we thought it would be a bit less populated than it is.  But it is still exquisite and there are many fabulous places to anchor.

We cruised a long narrow passage into Longuissa Bay which had been recommended to us.  This was a larger anchorage then the others with two boats in the bay and one in the channel.  We spent quite a bit of time trying to anchor in the narrow area without blocking the channel.  The third time was the charm and we finally got ourselves set, a little closer to our sailboat neighbor than we would have liked but OK no nonetheless.

Jonny went down below to check the engine and discovered a significant fuel leak!  This was very upsetting as it was not apparent in  the five days we were at the marina.  He spent an hour and a half identifying the source of the leak and trying unsuccessfully to address it by tightening screws, making phone calls, etc.  We finally decided to return to Bay Port Marina the following morning to have greater access to tools and parts to fix it.

To work off his frustration, Jonny went for a very long paddle while Lynn read and started dinner.  We caught up with Stephanie by phone and after dinner watched a movie.  It was a very calm anchorage. Before we went to bed,we went outside to look at the night sky.  There was no ambient light so the stars were out in full force. We could see the Milky Way and it was breath-taking.  That night, Lynn slept soundly through the night though Jonny was awakened several times by Georgio for no apparent reason!

Midland, Ontario

We woke up in our beautiful anchorage off of Hope Island in the Georgian Bay on Wed., August 8. After each of us did our daily exercise routine, we took off for a short three hour cruise backtracking a bit to Midland.  There, we arrived at Bay Port Marina where we would stay for six nights.    We were renting a car to drive to Toronto to visit Jonny’s cousin Cathy and her family and from there Lynn was flying to Chicago to surprise her sister Lisa for her 60th birthday.  One of the things Midland is known for is their collection of murals depicting historic events located throughout the town including on the waterfront.

Upon arriving, we took advantage of a nightly briefing on cruising the Georgian Bay conducted by one of the marina owners.  The almost two hour briefing was most informative and he was even available to mark routes and anchorages on our charts!  The marina was well equipped with every convenience including capable staff and they gave amazing deals to Loopers which resulted in costing us only $30 a night!  

Afterwards, we got a ride into town and walked around a bit.  Midland is a very nice mid-sized town with all the amenities that cruisers need.  It was quite an attractive town.

We had dinner at an excellent restaurant called the Explorer’s Cafe’.  The owners were a couple who had met on explorations in Antarctica and were married among a colony of penguins! The menu was quite unique and delicious as were the decorations that reflected their far flung travels.  

On Thursday we rented a car to drive two hours to Toronto where we stayed overnight at Jonny’s cousin, Cathy’s.  A highlight was a visit to the Art Gallery of Ontario where Cathy’s daughter Natalie now works.  There was a great exhibit of art from the Canada’s First Nations peoples that was really quite amazing, as was the museum building itself.

Cathy made a delicious steak dinner for us all. The steaks were so good that Jonny went to Cathy’s butcher the next day to stock up on meats for our freezer.  It was a great visit with Martin, Cathy, Natalie and Rebecca.

On Friday morning, Jonny dropped Lynn off at the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto that is located on an island in the middle of the city.  Lynn actually took a short ferry ride to get to it which provided a nice view of the city!

Upon arriving in Chicago, Lynn was picked up by Ellie, Lisa’s youngest daughter.  Lisa was totally surprised at Lynn’s arrival which was perfect!  That night Lisa, Lynn, Maddie, Ellie and Danny all went out for dinner in Evanston where they live.  The following day we spent getting ready for the birthday party.  The guys were stringing lights and we all worked together making the yard beautiful.  Lisa’s party turned out to be a blast with lots of food and drink, darts, and karaoke! It was hilarious and everyone, especially the birthday girl, had a fabulous time!

Other highlights included drinks at the lovely rooftop restaurant where Ellie is working one of her two summer jobs.  It was another beautiful night. We really lucked out in the weather department!

While Lynn was away, Jonny did innumerable boat chores including changing the oil and filters in the generator and the main engine.  He cleaned the carburetor on the outboard, explored Midland by bike and even did some laundry!  He also got to watch a special show put on for some newly arrived cruise ship passengers.

After a wonderful three day visit with the Makoul’s, Danny, and Lisa’s friends, Lynn returned to Midland on Monday by train, plane, car and van!  Jonny welcomed her back home on Zendo with a delicious dinner including the special patented Mirai corn on the cob that Lisa bought at a farmer’s market in Skokie.  We were now ready to continue our journey through the Georgian Bay amdNorth Channel.

Hope Island, Georgian Bay

The first thing we did on Tuesday, August 7 was to take turns with the paddle board.  After breakfast, we took  Zendo from our anchorage off of Discovery  Village to the town dock of Penetanguishene.  The locals shorten it to Penetang which is a lot easier to pronounce!  The name is obviously an Indian name and it means  “land of the white rolling sands”.  The name is quite descriptive of the undeveloped areas we’ve seen here and we were sure that it all must have been quite pristine. 

The town’s history is a reflection of three cultures  -  Native American (Heron), French, and English which gives it a uniqueness and something of which that the residents are quite proud. The waterfront is very impressive and it obviously caters to a boating crowd.  There were probably 120 boat slips at the town marina and there were other large marinas nearby.

The friendly woman at the nearby visitors bureau pointed us to the short walk into town where we saw that extensive infrastructure work was underway including new sewers and sidewalks all along the main drag.  The town looks to be well kept and attractive overall.

We visited the local Catholic church, an impressive edifice towering over the town.

We also saw evidence of the local sporting culture!

Our favorite part of the town was a lovely park that extended from the church to the waterfront.  It was beautifully landscaped and had about a dozen statues, all by the same sculptor, commemorating important figures in the history of Penetang - many of them associated with the church and the town’s multi-cultural roots  The town also had two reconstructed historic villages that we didn’t have time to visit.

From there we traveled on a beautiful, but slightly overcast, day to a group of three islands owned by the Beausoleil, a native American group.  We cruised through them to select our anchorage for the evening.  We were eager to stay nearby because the waters were reported to be Caribbean crystal clear and they really were!   

We found a great anchorage by Hope Island and ventured out in the dinghy to the nearby beach. 

 It  was a perfect combination of sand and rocks and we strolled along the beach for about a mile before returning to Zendo.

That evening we relaxed, ate leftovers and just communed with nature. There was not a building in sight in this tranquil setting. This was a perfect introduction to our highly anticipated trip to Georgian Bay!