July 20th was a very special day for Dave. As a child, Dave spent many summers vacationing in Sand Bay with his parents and four siblings. It was just as he had remembered and he was thrilled to see it again. Needless to say it brought back many fond memories.
Our flotilla continued on the SCC past the Point au Baril lighthouse, which was built in 1889 and is still in service today.
After a short 32 mile run we arrived at Stairs Island. After the anchors were set, the captains quickly dropped the dinks and went exploring.
Even though the water temperature was only in the 70's, a swim at the end of the day was usually in order. The water was so clear you could see the bottom!
We stayed at this anchorage for several days because of forecasted high winds. It was well protected and peaceful. We took the opportunity to do lots of dinghy exploring. We found a small white sandy beach which was perfect for onshore "anchortails" (cocktails while anchored!), hence the evening dinghy flotilla!
After three wonderful days on anchor, we headed to Wright's Marina in Britt, Ontario. This day really challenged my navigating skills and Dave's captaining skills as we traversed the infamous Hangdog Channel. It is a narrow channel in somewhat open waters where the rocks are so close it seems like you can reach out and touch them. The green and red buoys were hard to see, which added to the "fun"!
It was like a croquet course and our flotilla was happy that we were leading the way and that we all survived without hitting anything!!
There weren't many houses in the GB, but the ones we saw were all very interesting.
But there were plenty of "obstacle courses"!
Our next stop was a favorite spot of Loopers ~ the Bustard Islands. We were expecting a few days of high winds, so after we dropped the anchor Dave took a stern line and tied it to shore to keep us from rockin' and rollin'.
It was another perfect spot for dinghy exploring, including a group picnic lunch on a tiny granite island.
On Wednesday, July 27th, we left the Bustard's early and under a beautiful morning sky and headed for our final destination in the Georgian Bay.
This last stretch of the GB was more mountainous, which you can see if you look closely.
After about 10 miles of open water, we found ourselves back amoungst the rocks.
The entrance to Collins Inlet was very narrow. It would have been very interesting if another boat was coming out of the inlet.
Once inside the inlet, we were again amazed at the beauty of the land. The granite was a vibrant coral color.
Along the way we picked up a few more Loopers and ended up with a line of eight boats ~ what a sight!
After 168 miles and 16 days, we completed our journey on the Georgian Bay and arrived at the Killarney Mountain Lodge.
It was a beautiful resort with a great pool and restaurants, which we enjoyed after many days without civilization.
An amazing sunset was icing on the cake!
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