Day 57-58 2nd year. July 17-18 Lay day in Huckleberry Island and on to Regatta Bay and Snug Harbor. Mile 13 Total miles. 3527

Day 57. Lay day

Woke to clear skies and windy conditions. Decided we’d wait out the wind as we will be in open water on our days journey so we stayed Huckleberry Island. I tinkered with our tentative schedule for North Channel based on the new information we got yesterday and Bill tackled organizing his stuff and the aft head. I got the better end of that deal.

Later in the afternoon we took the dinghy out to explore another shore in the bay. May find more blueberries! Well, found blueberries but not quite ripe enough to pick. We did find rocks to climb and great views of Parry Sound. Also found two new birds, a Hermit Thrush and an American Redstart.

Day 58. On to Regatta Bay and Snug Harbor

Weighed anchor on another beautiful day with 66 degrees.

Headed out past Huckleberry Island to round Killbear Point, which is part of Ontario’s Provincial Park. It’s a favorite spot for camping in this area. The Canadians were in shorts and T shirts and some even on the beach with swimsuits! We were in wind breakers.

Vacationing Canadians enjoying KillBear Provincial Park. Often the Canadians will paint the name of the island on the rocks to help with identification.

Local boaters warned us that part of Canoe Channel was too narrow for a boat our length as it has very tight turns. So we took the outside route past McClelland Rock and its range mark which helps aligns boats to enter the channel to Parry Sound. As you can see in the picture, an osprey has made it their home.

We cruised past Pancake Island, another Provincial Park for day picnicking. Here the Canoe Channel meets back up with the channel that leads us to Snug Island and it’s iconic lighthouse.

Here is a shot of Canoe Channel

Snug Harbor Lighthouse.

We anchored in Regatta Bay’s outer harbor with two other boats. The Inner Harbor was filled. Regatta Harbor got its name because of the many sailing regattas sponsored by the YMCA camp on Franklin Island adjacent to the bay.

After getting settled, we deployed the dinghy and went into the town of Snug Harbor for lunch and to sightsee. Was a two mile dinghy trip into the small town of Snug Harbor which consists of mostly cottages and their famous restaurant Gilly's.

Had a wonderful lunch of the best fish and chips so far in Georgian Bay and their famous fish chowder. Very delicious and since it was such a big meal, I won't have to cook dinner. Yeah!!

We returned to the boat via a tour of the Regatta Harbor's Inner Bay, which was filled with boats stern tied to the rocks. Also we stopped off to rock climb on Franklin Island's park land.

Bill was all tuckered out so he took a nap, while I caught up on the blog. Had a nice sunset and did some start gazing. So many stars to see!

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning. Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel. We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full. We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded. Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray. Crustacean is quite salty now! Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west. I counted 15 total. Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north. Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south. Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows, The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans. Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town. We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats. It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned. Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving. Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...

Crustacean Travels

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