Port Rawson Bay, Massasauga Provincial Park, Georgian Bay - Day 3

Nick and Helen returned to our boat to drop off their iPad so we could use their cellular data to check weather, plan our upcoming days, and blog! So very generous of them!  It's a holiday weekend here so we are considering options as the waterways will be very crowded.

Charlie joined Helen and Nick at their beautiful cottage on one of the 30,000 islands for the afternoon. 

Later in the evening, Michael and Munday joined us aboard our boat.  They are another “Face book Live Aboard” connection!  They happened to anchor in the same bay as us!  They shared their local knowledge of the waterways in this area and gave us invaluable information for planning our next several weeks.  What a wonderful experience getting to meet them and share time with them!

Port Rawson Bay, Massasauga Provincial Park, Georgian Bay - Day 2

July 30, 2015

Port Rawson Bay, Ontario – Day 2

We enjoyed a night at anchor and then found we were joined by fellow Loopers Jesse and Linda, Abama Dream, in the same small bay anchorage. The temps and winds were sweet as were the scenic views here. Nothing like taking a nap with the windows opened, a cool breeze at anchor, hearing the rusting of the leaves from the Massasauga Provincial Park woods only yards from our boat.

We had met a new friend, Helen, while locking through at Hastings, Ontario.  She and her sister were ‘spectators’ in the downtown lock as we lifted up. We sparked a conversation with them as we finished locking through and were fortunate enough to know more about her. Helen and her husband, Nick, have a cottage here in the Georgian Bay.  We exchanged contact information and planned to somehow meet up again close to their cottage.  It worked out as they chose to take their boat and join us this evening at our anchorage which was only 15 minutes from their cottage!  Jesse and Linda, Abama Dream, also joined us aboard this evening for Docktails.  We four Loopers were able to give Nick and Helen some insight on our experiences Looping as Nick seems to be very interested in conquering the Great Loop himself! They were gracious to allow Linda access to their wifi data so she could log back in to her Active Captive site for navigation.  Helen gifted me a lovely bottle of local organic red wine!  

Although we are ‘suppose’ to hear weather info via marine radio on U.S. Coast Guard Channel 22 and Canadian weather Channel 21, along with local weather channels via VHF Marine Radio, we are not receiving any of these through our 3 radios.  It was nice having Nick check the next 3 day forecast for us as weather is calling for very strong westerly winds.

 I’m still amazed at how many great people we are meeting along this adventure whether it is from Face book Live Aboard Group, AGLCA, random spectators watching us Lock through, fellow boaters at docks and locks catching our lines or us catching theirs, and/or people in a local shops and restaurants!  There is always someone curious to know more about us, help us, inform us, and share laughs with us! Life is good!

Nick and Helen, Jesse and Linda, Abama Dream, aboard.

Thank you Helen and Nick!

Nick and Helen driving off from their gracious visit with us.

Sunset Dinghy ride for G-Man's potty break (we are careful of rattlesnake's and bears).

Port Rawson Bay, Massasauga Provincial Park, Georgian Bay

July 29, 2015

The Georgian Bay is known as the “Land of 30,000 Islands.

We traveled 40.4 NM along the southeast rim of the Georgian Bay. We docked at Henry’s Restaurant for a few hours to enjoy their infamous Pickerel Fish n Chips, on Fish Pan Island. This restaurant is only accessible by water so we enjoyed watching the sea planes come and go.  We then went in to the Massasauga Provincial Park and anchored in the Port Rawson Bay.  We secured the stern with a rope attached to a steel rod embedded in the rocks on shore.  This area is a very beautiful forest along granite rocks and cliffs. Bear Island is just to the north of us. Garmin used his dingy to get to shore for an evening break as Charlie and I enjoyed floating in the cool waters of the Georgian Bay. Of course, today was one of the hottest days they’ve had here in years with temps reaching 94 degrees F. As the sunset, fireflies were entertaining us!

Chipmunk

Midland Point Lighthouse

Our anchorage.

"Our" Casualties along the Waterways....

(We are going "off-the-grid" to anchor out in the Georgian Bay for many nights....)

Casualties:

1 pair of Charlie’s sunglasses deposited into the ICW (my fault)

1 pair of my sunglasses deposited into the ICW (my fault)

1 Nikon 35 mm lens crushed along the Albemarle Sound (my fault)

1 Nikon Zoom lens busted along the Chesapeake (my fault)

1 Thermo cell donated into the Erie Canal (my fault)

1 iPhone glass screen shattered somewhere between Virginia and New York (my fault)

1 Fender busted from jagged aluminum docks in Haverstraw, New York (NOT my fault)

1 Fender step busted from unknown cause (NOT my fault)

0 Wine glasses broken!
Garmin and I attacked twice by large dogs off leashes at marinas = 1 busted elbow (NOT my fault)

Midland, Ontario

We traveled 10.5 NM today and locked through the oldest lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway, Lock 45 which locked us down 12'.  It is our final lock until we reach Chicago!  We have completed the Trent-Severn Waterway and are now in the Georgian Bay! 

Trent-Severn Waterway Lock Stat’s:

We locked up 616.2’

We locked down 258.9’

Traveled 215.5 NM in this waterway.

We are docked at Midland Town Harbor, Midland, Ontario. The city of murals!

Lock 45, Oldest (and smallest in length/width) Lock on the Trent-Severn, which means it's the busiest.

Really?! Lock 45 dumped us into this "threading a needle" waterway with a strong current! No room for error.

Midland, Ontario

The city of murals

 Wonderful dinner and local wine to celebrate our successes!

Prosciutto wrapped and charred trout in a lemon sauce. Duck ala "cranberry heaven".  Rose Wood Pinot Noir, 2012 (best year yet in this region for reds). The two owners of this restaurant have traveled the world and taken back recipes from their adventures.  Tasty is an understatement.

At port.

Historic Big Chute Marine Railway - Lock 44

July 27, 2015

We were scheduled to go over the Big Chute Marine Railway first thing this morning but the railway lost electricity. We waited until 2:30 to finally lock over it.  We then traveled 7.53 NM to dock at the top of our last lock, Lock 45.

The Big Chute Marine Railway descends your boat on rail tracks 58'.  You steer your boat onto the rail car. Your boat is slung and the railway carries your boat out of the water, over the street, and down a 58' railway back into the water below! WOW!

Props and bottom of boat look good!