Canadian Waters
September 13, 2024
Before beginning the Loop, we had never even heard of Georgian Bay. After seeing pictures of its rock formations emerging from crystal clear waters, it became the most anticipated destination of the entire adventure.
To get there, we first had to cross the Trent Severn Waterway, which graced us with 240 miles of near-effortless cruising through pristine canals, rivers and lakes. Besides pausing often to ride the 44 locks along the way, most of the planning and work involved with boating was absent. Weather? If it feels nice enough out, go. Navigation? Just follow the line. How many miles should we go today? Doesn’t matter. When we get tired, we’ll just tie up at the next lock wall and fire up the grill for tonight’s dinner.
Whereas walls on the Erie Canal were free to tie to and strictly utilitarian, the Trent offered well-groomed parks surrounded by flowers, trees and clean “washrooms”, as they say up there. It felt like staying at a quaint campground without any RV’s in sight. Parks Canada charges a modest fee for use of the facilities, which is far less than a marina in the US.
At risk of being too unkind to the Erie Canal, it has to be said that the lockmasters in Canada are on an upper plane of friendliness. At one lock we asked a college-age young man if we could tie up and walk our fuel tanks to the nearby gas station. He insisted we allow him to drive us and our tanks with his pickup. It made us think back in contrast to a particular day on the Erie where we encountered so many gruff, grumpy and uncommunicative operators that we wondered if the NY Canal Corp. had just announced the cancellation of everyone’s bonuses.
We can verify the stereotype of Canadian courtesy is mostly true, and we met many kind boaters along the way who helped us stay on track with our journey, invited us on to their boat for pie, or offered advice on must-stop places. All of this goodwill was offered despite the shabby appearance of Novella during this stretch, which Meriah aptly dubbed the “garbage barge”. The mast was still strapped to a wooden cradle on deck, and due to our thriftiness it was soon joined by Puff, our dinghy, rolled up with the crusty barnacle side out. (We usually tow Puff but we were going to be charged an extra fee in the Trent.) Our folding bikes joined the party on deck so we could easily pedal around the towns each day. At a marina near the end, a woman sheepishly asked Meriah if our boat was “the one with all the stuff on it”.
The placid waters of the Trent Severn gently carried our garbage barge on a lazy tour of Canadian culture, beauty and delicacies. We stuffed ourselves on butter tarts, butter chicken, poutine, Tim Horton’s breakfast, fresh cheese curd, and fish and chips. It seemed every business along the route was also moonlighting as an ice cream shop, and we were never far from Kawartha Dairy coolers beckoning us near for just one more “baby” cone, which apparently means it is the size of a human baby. It quickly became obvious the Canadian diet may not be any better than America’s, so we were thankful to be gaining weight in metric units which we did not understand.
In small working-class towns like Trent to the bustling small city of Peterborough, we burned off many of the calories by riding our bikes almost daily. Swimming helped too. The water was inviting, especially as we made it farther north and the water became more and more clear. After a hot day of traveling, it was mandatory to take a quick dip in the cool refreshing waters, and no greater morning exists than taking a refreshing swim out our back door before coffee. It’s unfortunate that most of the Loop took us through water too polluted or cold to swim in, but we made up for lost time in Canada, of all places.
The locks themselves are a big part of the appeal of the Trent, so much so that tourists arriving by land go out of their way to see how they work, watching the boats lift and lower to their intended route. Many of the locks along the way are more than a century old and still use manual cranks to open the massive doors and the valves that allow water to flow in or out of the chambers. These persisting marvels of engineering use no electricity at any point. Three locks in particular are showstoppers: the Peterborough and Kirkfield lift locks and the Big Chute marine railway. These special locks were designed to quickly move boats a great height over a short horizontal distance. The lift locks do so by employing two giant counterbalanced containers of water. (Think of the type of balance scale held by Lady Justice.) The weight of the water in each container is roughly 3.3 million pounds! Near the end of the system, the Big Chute marine railway lifted Novella completely out of the water on an underwater train car of sorts, taking us on a breathtaking ride down 60’ of stone and into the water below. While traversing these locks we became the entertainment for tourists gathered around, and we no doubt live on in several summer vacation photo albums.
Unfortunately around the time we crossed to Canada was the time many things on the boat started breaking, despite being brand new at the start of our journey. An auto life jacket inflated in the cabin, rendering it useless. The refrigerator plug melted in its socket. Our Starlink dish failed. Our bilge pump hose fitting snapped. Our Honda outboard developed a new problem to add to the pile, but this one quite concerning: no coolant water was coming out the side. A friendly local couple delivered an outboard stand so we could lift the motor and work on the problem. After days stuck in the marina, hours of work and $200 in scarcely available parts, the problem persisted. More research suggested we clean the passage using weed trimmer line (which the Canadians charmingly call “whippersnipper” line). Our problem was gone.
Once in Georgian Bay, we paid a marina to help us step our mast and Novella became a sailboat once again. We raised our sails, heading toward a dreamland every bit as beautiful as we had imagined. With our pantry and refrigerator full to the brim, we anchored for up to two weeks at a time, as far from civilization as we could manage. We spent days alone in secluded coves of rock carved by glaciers many eons ago. We swam in water so clear we easily could spot our anchor 15 feet below. With so much natural public shoreline (known as “Crown land”) surrounding us, we adopted the local practice of “shore tying”. This process involves dropping anchor then backing the stern as close to shore as is safe. From there we would dinghy, paddleboard or even walk to a tree or rock on shore to tie our stern with a long line. Once secure, we could easily pull ourselves back and forth on the paddleboard for mini nature expeditions. We hiked mossy woodlands, craggy shorelines and our own private beaches. We picked wild blueberries and blackberries. We rigged the hammock between the mast and our bow pulpit for optimal sunset viewing. At night, we would scavenge wood and enjoy a campfire on the beach or along a rock ledge overlooking the water and our tiny floating home. This period was pure magic, living inside scenery reserved for paintings and screensavers. Sometimes it is tempting to long for the easy parts of the life we left behind. A comfortable couch. A full size refrigerator. A dishwasher. But in these moments of overwhelming beauty and freedom there was no room for such thoughts.
In an anchorage up Bad River, we took Puff for a ride through “Devil’s Door”, upstream against rapids through a large cut in the rock. Our 3.5 hp Tohatsu had just enough power to get us inside. We meandered through a maze of crevices and along even more powerful rapids rushing through rock formations dotted with wildflowers.
One night we found ourselves anchored in a gorgeous cove divided from the expanse of Georgian Bay by only a chain of low-lying rocks. After a peaceful night’s sleep, we awoke to the sound of the wind howling through our rigging - a forecasted low pressure system had arrived a day early. On the other side of our glassy cove were waves breaking against the rocks, sending spray into the air. With high winds expected to last for days and Meriah’s parents arriving for a visit soon, we had little choice but to head into the bay. We raised a reefed main and motored out between the rocks. Thankfully we were only 5 miles from safe harbor, so we crashed into the oncoming waves for an hour until we were perfectly lined up with the Killarney inlet, then turned hard and surfed the steep 3’ waves into the narrow rocky channel. Early in the Loop, our hearts would be racing, but we are growing accustomed to more and more challenging conditions.
Meriah’s parents arrived by car to the port of Little Current, Ontario with freshly minted passports and stayed four nights with us in Novella’s tight quarters: two nights in the marina and two at anchor. We sailed them to one of the top anchorages on the Loop known as “The Pool”. We showed them our shore tie process in arguably the best spot in the anchorage, with 360 degree views of red mountains on one side and dazzling white limestone on the other. We floated, swam, grilled out and played many games of Phase 10. We couldn’t leave without doing the mandatory hike up to Lake Topaz, an acidic blue lake cratered up the nearby mountain, surrounded by steep limestone cliffs perfect for picnics and diving.
Next we teamed up with some of our most treasured Looper friends, Brett and Susan aboard Tranquility II, a beautiful vintage trawler. We had met them way back in Titusville, FL and spent lots of time with them heading up the coast of the Carolinas before they rocketed back to their home port in Canada. It was thanks to them that we had the inside scoop on the best anchorages up here - they would watch our tracker and advise us daily on the best places near our position. Together we headed north to the most incredible anchorage in the North Channel. They showed us how to tie to metal anchors left by other boaters in the rocks and tucked us into an impossibly small pool surrounded by rocks jutting from the water. Pure magic. After nights on end spent laughing by the fire, stargazing and hiking the rocks with the crew of Tranquility II, cold winds ripping out of the north signaled it was sadly time to leave the stunning beauty of Canada. After one more hop to an isolated chain of islands to the west, we had reached the northernmost point of our journey.
Here we came to the realization that we had entered the final chapters of our adventure and would be back to our starting point of Tennessee in just a few months. We awoke early the next morning under a fog of melancholy. We hoisted our sails and pointed toward one of the most treacherous sections of the Loop- the Great Lakes.
Daily Travel Log | The Great Loop
Day 218 • coffees and a farmers market, boat chores and provisions, bike rides and board games
Trenton, Ontario
Day 219 • a wonderful introduction to the Trent-Severn (the kindest and most helpful staff), made our way through eight locks, cooled off with an evening swim and float
Trenton to the Blue Hole anchorage, Ontario
Day 220 • pulled into our second lock and ended up spending the entire day inside due to a power outage, still no power by 5 pm so we backed up and tied to the wall for the night
Blue Hole anchorage to the bottom wall at Lock 9
Day 221 • our first double lock, a strenuous quest for cheese, worked too late, shared a platter of yummy food
Lock 9 to the top of Lock 12 at Campbellford, Ontario
Day 222 • a dreary day, ran some errands in between bouts of rain
Campbellford, Ontario
Day 223 • kept busy today with six locks, managed a quick bike ride before grilling dinner and going to bed early
Campbellford to Hastings, Ontario
Day 224 • a long and hot day, didn’t go quite as far as expected in order to rest up and eat some snacks, looking forward to a fun weekend
Hastings to Lock 19 outside of Peterborough, Ontario
Day 225 • a very summery Saturday - bike rides, brewery, fresh lunch, outdoor concert, riverwalk
Lock 19 to Peterborough, Ontario
Day 226 • biked to the mall, downtown patio lunch, read books by the river
Peterborough, Ontario
Day 227 • spent the morning prepping and doing chores, experienced Lock 21 - the lift lock, enjoyed another peaceful night tied to a lock wall
Peterborough to Lock 23 near Indian River, Ontario
Day 228 • slowly but surely making our way up the Trent-Severn, today we were stalled by low lake levels, lightning and lots of rain
Lock 23 to Lock 27 at Youngs Point, Ontario
Day 229 • the landscape is changing - we’re in for a treat, swam in the pools at “Ralf’s Spa”, snuggled by a frog and kissed by a fish
Youngs Point to Lock 30 (Lovesick), Ontario
Day 230 • woke up to signs of a raccoon invasion, went out for fish and chips, bicycled with ice cream cones
Lock 30 to Lock 32 at Bobcaygeon, Ontario
Day 231 • early morning bike ride and Tim Hortons, after work bike ride, evening swim and charcuterie board
Bobcaygeon to Lock 35 (Rosedale), Ontario
Day 232 • a lovely Saturday - coffee in the park, a very narrow canal, another lift lock, lots of swimming and dock time with new friends including a famous Canadian
Lock 35 to Lock 38 (Talbot), Ontario
Day 233 • experienced a major change in water color traveling from the narrows of the “ditch” to the almost aquarium-like clarity of Lake Simcoe, topped off the weekend with a delicious date night
Lock 38 to Orillia, Ontario
Day 234 • ran around making preparations for some engine work, barked at by an otter, went for a super fun bike ride
Orillia, Ontario
Day 235 • turns out after all our effort and expense to fix the motor that some vinegar and whipper snipper line were all we needed, tomorrow we fix the fridge and hopefully end this phase where everything breaks
Orillia, Ontario
Day 236 • fixed the fridge, so many chores plus provisioning, later a big turtle and a couple of frogs
Orillia to Lock 42 (Couchiching), Ontario
Day 237 • having our entire home lifted up out of the water and carried in a sling via a railway down six stories provided quite a thrilling and uneasy feeling today
Lock 42 to Port Severn, Ontario
Day 238 • said ‘see ya later’ to some new friends, barely squeezed into the final lock of the Trent-Severn, ice cream for dinner
Port Severn to Midland, Ontario
Day 239 • a full day of chores - inventory, purging, cleaning, restocking (our biggest grocery bill yet)
Midland, Ontario
Day 240 • even more chores - laundry, dishes, sorted the groceries, scraped barnacles, scrubbed the dinghy, repaired a leak, rinsed the boat, cleaned inside, organized closets and cubbies, installed a camera, prepped the mast - also took a little dip in the pool to cool off
Midland to Victoria Harbour, Ontario
Day 241 • The garbage barge is a sailboat once again! Believe it or not, today was packed full of chores… hot, sweaty, labor-intensive chores. But we are clean, fully loaded, and ready for a month of casually exploring the Georgian Bay and North Channel.
Victoria Harbour to Beausoleil Island, Ontario
Day 242 • we weaved our way through a maze of granite rock formations, waited out a thunderstorm and spent the evening truly in awe of where we are
Beausoleil Island to Wreck Island, Ontario
Day 243 • we’re back to spending our nights on the hook and loving the peace and quiet, got up early for a nature hike and managed a quick swim before dinner
Wreck Island to Wilcox Island, Ontario
Day 244 • our own private beach, swam with a water snake, had a little fire, baby kitty’s first ride on the paddle board
Wilcox Island to Shawanaga Island, Ontario
Day 245 • made some miles motor-sailing, tied up to rocks, actually saw the sunset (it’s been a while)
Shawanaga Island to Bustard Islands, Ontario
Day 246 • freshwater snorkeling, swim-up bar, floating charcuterie, lots of reading and relaxation
Bustard Islands, Ontario
Day 247 • a chill Sunday - explored by paddle board, hiked and gathered blueberries
Bustard Islands, Ontario (traveled west from the middle to the end of Strawberry Island)
Day 248 • blueberries for breakfast, some mild rapids, incredible beauty all around - to which I quote, “Welcome to G-Bay, boyz!”
Bustard Islands to Bad River anchorage, Ontario
Day 249 • a nice and peaceful sail, a close call with a large rock, a big pot of comfort curry
Bad River to Beaverstone Bay, Ontario
Day 250 • traveling, working and eating leftovers - our last night out in the wild for a bit
Beaverstone Bay to Thomas Bay, Ontario
Day 251 • got rocked by waves while waving farewell to friends, tied up in Roque’s Marina, saw a rock man waving his arms
Thomas Bay to Killarney, Ontario
Day 252 • worked way too hard, enjoyed a couple of beers, now we prep for some special visitors
Killarney to Little Current, Ontario
Day 253 • slumber party! Little Novi has a crew of 4 for the week (5 if you count Miss Tild)
Little Current, Ontario
Day 254 • breakfast, provisioning, roadtrip, waterfall hike, sightseeing, ice cream, shopping, soup, game of cards
Little Current, Ontario
Day 255 • a private charter to The Pool, rides on the inflatables, berry picking on the mountain, a belated birthday celebration
Little Current to Baie Fine, Ontario
Day 256 • a diving contest and a picnic lunch at Lake Topaz, more swimming back at the boat, a late night playing cards
Baie Fine, Ontario
Day 257 • extra hands on deck made for an easier work day, checked out the brewery and introduced the new crew to poutine
Baie Fine to Little Current, Ontario
Day 258 • coffee shop breakfast, visitor center souvenirs, Bridal Veil Falls, hiking with frogs, hillside surfing, Providence Bay Beach, chilled our feet in Lake Huron, Discovery Centre, a big chair, playground exercise, Gore Bay, fish and chips for lunch, boardwalk, antique shopping, chocolate factory, brewery, ice cream, provisioning again, gas run, caught up over drinks with Looper friends, tucked our visitors in for their final nautical night
Little Current, Ontario
Day 259 • it’s just the two of us again and we’re off to the North Channel - rainy and windy, a comfy-cozy kind of night
Little Current to Croker Island, Ontario
Day 260 • brick red sand, fairy stairs, a dinghy tour of the Benjamins (from our favorite anchorage expert), late night fire with our fun Looper friends and their family
Croker Island, Ontario (moved over one anchorage)
Day 261 • Sunday Funday - slept in, casual coffee, beach hangout, cards, snacks, frisbee game, cooked on the fire, kitten cuddles, drinks and stories
Croker Island, Ontario
Day 262 • moved to a new anchorage, rafted with our buddies, learned about rocks, danced a jig, fire on an island, a bright moon and a couple of shooting stars
Croker Island to South Benjamin Island, Ontario
Day 263 • special wine, charcuterie and goodbyes - later we climbed rocks, saw some rodents, gathered firewood, and had a little fire thanks to some “woof”
South Benjamin Island, Ontario (moved 100 feet north)
Day 264 • a work-heavy Wednesday made lovely by a visit from some gift-bearing friends that we met during our canal days, another big pot of comfort curry
South Benjamin Island to Bear Drop Harbour, Ontario
Day 265 • if the weather allows this will be our last night in Canada, ate some leftovers, early to bed
Bear Drop Harbour to Turnbull Islands, Ontario
Day 266 • Oh Canada! Our time up north is beyond a highlight, it has been the very best. From stunning solitude amongst only pristine nature to warm days spent surrounded by friends and family. Our hearts were full as we waved goodbye - for now.
Turnbull Islands, Ontario, Canada to Harbor Island, Michigan, USA
Day 267 • went to the market, rode some heavy and cumbersome bikes, went out for linner, enjoyed an easy evening
Harbor Island to De Tour Village, Michigan
Day 268 • up bright and early, sailed to Mackinac Island, rode bikes around the entire island, climbed 207 steps, dinner out, caught up with sailing friends we met on day 114
De Tour Village to Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 269 • strenuous bike exploration and a scary crash (junkyard, graveyard, caves, cracks & horse crap) - celebratory pizza party with our cool cruiser friends
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 270 • extended our stay due to weather - biked to Devil’s Kitchen, Brown’s Brook Trail, British Landing, 1814 Battlefield, Point Lookout, Fort Holmes, and Skull Cave
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 271 • we secretly hoped the weather would keep us here one more night - booty night
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 272 • a wavy work day, another bike ride around the island, story time with Captain Eddie and Amy
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 273 • the cruiser gang spent an afternoon out on the hogs - donuts, beer, double fries, secret garden, sunset rock, cliffside trail, airport checkers and a bear
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Day 274 • made it to Mack City - rough waters, walked the town, candy store, and brewery
Mackinac Island to Mackinaw City, Michigan
Day 275 • a short bike ride to survey tomorrow’s bridge, a movie and popcorn, dinner out with some lovely friends
Mackinaw City, Michigan
Day 276 • our earliest start yet, a full day of travel, a brief walk about and a couple of mushroom houses, dinner again with affection
Mackinaw City to Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 277 • worked late, made it to shore in time for a short walk on the beach and a trip to the grocery store
Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 278 • long work day, reprovisioning and buying the most expensive fuel we’ve seen so far
Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 279 • looks like we’ll be here for awhile… making friends with the local birds and loading up on candy
Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 280 • complications leaving the anchorage (saved the stern anchor but had to cut the line), tied up at the marina, showers, laundry, watched two boats brave the waves, spent the rest of the day cozy under blankets
Moved from our anchorage on Round Lake to the Charlevoix Marina
Day 281 • cute breakfast, more boat vs. wave action, long walks and nature hikes
Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 282 • a lengthy bike ride on borrowed beach cruisers, featuring a wooden bridge through fall foliage and beautiful views of Lake Michigan
Charlevoix, Michigan
Day 283 • we are back in action, an uncomfortable day on the water and our latest docking yet
Charlevoix to Leland, Michigan
Day 284 • making up for lost time is making us tired, we’re enjoying the scenery as we pass by and having fun when we can
Leland to Frankfort, Michigan
Day 285 • a decent Wednesday - frozen yogurt for lunch, dinner out and tales of true love
Frankfort, Michigan
Day 286 • the weather is nice and warm with the winds in our favor, we are making progress and enjoying the quaint lake towns
Frankfort to Manistee, Michigan
Day 287 • a top notch day of sailing made for a very excited captain, took our beers for a walk before heading back home for a chill Friday night
Manistee to Ludington, Michigan