Honey Harbor, ON
South Bay Cove Marina
July 20-21
We finally left Midland after 7 nights and quite a few dollars on Friday morning. "Kismet" waited an extra day for us after their repairs so we headed off a whopping 10 miles to Honey Harbor across the bay. It felt strange running the boat again and we were a little nervous but the weather was great and "Kismet" led, so all went well. The city of Honey Harbor is right off the small boat channel in the Georgian Bay but the marina we stayed at was two miles up the harbor. The only real obstacle was a big rock called "Jack's Rock" right before the marina. The obstacle was which side to pass it on. We saw the green and red bouys (which were not on the charts) when we headed in so we followed them into the marina. South Bay Cove Marina is quite large with a lot of big seasonal and transient boats. The marina is modern with very nice docks and great dock hands. The ship's store was well stocked and there was a discount for Loopers. Overall this was one of the nicest places we have stayed.
Not long after we arrived, John and Mary on "Passport" pulled in. We had not seen them in a very long time and it was great to finally catch up again. They had some wonderful stories and they looked great. We all decided to take our dingys into town so we paraded back up the harbor to the town dock. This is a very, very busy place for boats of all sizes and they all go full speed. We tried to stay out of the way as best we could. We stopped at the dock and there was a restaurant and small market there. I bought some rolls and we decided to come back the next day for lunch. When we got back to the boat we saw that Bill and Pam on "Seabiscuit" were in port. We had not seen them in long time so - the reunion was on. We had cocktails and then went to dinner at the restaurant in the marina. The ratings for the restaurant were very good so we were expecting great things. The food was good, but the company was excellent.
Not long after we arrived, John and Mary on "Passport" pulled in. We had not seen them in a very long time and it was great to finally catch up again. They had some wonderful stories and they looked great. We all decided to take our dingys into town so we paraded back up the harbor to the town dock. This is a very, very busy place for boats of all sizes and they all go full speed. We tried to stay out of the way as best we could. We stopped at the dock and there was a restaurant and small market there. I bought some rolls and we decided to come back the next day for lunch. When we got back to the boat we saw that Bill and Pam on "Seabiscuit" were in port. We had not seen them in long time so - the reunion was on. We had cocktails and then went to dinner at the restaurant in the marina. The ratings for the restaurant were very good so we were expecting great things. The food was good, but the company was excellent.
The next day was warm and calm and I caught up with some chores until about 11:30, when we left on our dinghys for lunch at the town restaurant, The Country Grill. We had a very nice lunch on the upper deck and then did a little shopping at the market below for some fresh vegetables. When we got back to the boat we saw Marc and Michele on "Marc's Ark" whom we had not seen in quite some time. When I went to see Mark, Michele said he was helping someone on another boat change oil. She said the boat was "Blue Heron" and we were so excited because we have been trying to catch them since they started the loop on the Chesapeake. The owners are Craig and Barb from Cincinnati, Ohio and we met them at the fall rendezvous in October of 2011 when they were planning their trip. What a great time we had catching up and swapping stories. It was quite a reunion. We all decided to have cocktails at a couple of picnic tables and then cook out on the grills provided by the marina. What a great time we had, but sadly some of us were moving on the next day.
A little light house on the way to Honey Harbor
A grocery store on an island with a dock
Jack's Rock
On the way into South Bay Cove Marina
Many of these little statues along the shore
Mary and John from "Passport"
Dean and Beth on "Kismet"
South Bay Cove Club House
A prop graveyard - Many rocks and many broken props
Left to Right around the circle
Craig, Michele, Marc, John, Rusty, Craig, Beth, Bill and Barb
Ginny, Michele, Barb, Craig, Craig and Mary
Sans Souci, ON
Henry's Fish Camp
July 22
It was pretty hard to leave on Sunday for 30 mile run to Sans Souci because we will probably not see the other boats again as we are heading South soon and they will all be going to the North Channel. We got an early start because Henry's Fish Camp, our next stop, does not take reservations. Check out time is 11:00 so we wanted arrive there about 11:30. We headed out of Honey Harbor and up the small boat channel. We led, followed by "Passport" and "Kismet". The channel was very well marked and there were some stretches of open water so we made very good time. There were a couple of narrow passages but no slow zones and we arrived at Henry's about 10:30 instead of 11:30. I called in on the radio and asked for dockage for three boats and the owner said that not everyone had left so he might not have space. I thought we might have to anchor for while and wait but, lucky for us all, Beth got on the radio and sweet talked a place for all of us.
Henry's is just a few long docks perpendicular to the shore and is a very popular place for lunch. The boats that are staying overnight are put closest to the shore for power and the rest of the dock space is for people coming in for lunch and dinner. We all tied up and walked around a little. After a while, Joe and Tara on "Seabatical" and Pam and Bill on "Seabiscuit" come in, so we had another nice crowd for dinner. The place is pretty small and because of bears, it is not a good idea to be wandering around in the woods. Apparently, about five years ago the bears were not such a problem because there was a yearly bear hunt and also because the bears hung out at the city dump. The city went green and separated their trash and put it in containers so the bears could not get in. The local PITA people also helped put an end to the bear hunt, so now there are too many bears with no place to go. The owner of Henry's has shot a few bears this year because they come into his place cause trouble. We had heard that a bear had been coming around at night and that the some of the staff were going to stay up that night and if the bear came in again, they would shoot it. When we got up the next day, several of the people said they heard a shot around midnight, but it was not confirmed if that was a bear or not. Anyway, we all had a good day of relaxation and then went to dinner. I didn't get the fish so I don't know how it was but others did and they said it was good. After dinner Ginny and I went to the boat and watched some TV and hit the sack even though we were not leaving until 8 the next day.
Henry's is just a few long docks perpendicular to the shore and is a very popular place for lunch. The boats that are staying overnight are put closest to the shore for power and the rest of the dock space is for people coming in for lunch and dinner. We all tied up and walked around a little. After a while, Joe and Tara on "Seabatical" and Pam and Bill on "Seabiscuit" come in, so we had another nice crowd for dinner. The place is pretty small and because of bears, it is not a good idea to be wandering around in the woods. Apparently, about five years ago the bears were not such a problem because there was a yearly bear hunt and also because the bears hung out at the city dump. The city went green and separated their trash and put it in containers so the bears could not get in. The local PITA people also helped put an end to the bear hunt, so now there are too many bears with no place to go. The owner of Henry's has shot a few bears this year because they come into his place cause trouble. We had heard that a bear had been coming around at night and that the some of the staff were going to stay up that night and if the bear came in again, they would shoot it. When we got up the next day, several of the people said they heard a shot around midnight, but it was not confirmed if that was a bear or not. Anyway, we all had a good day of relaxation and then went to dinner. I didn't get the fish so I don't know how it was but others did and they said it was good. After dinner Ginny and I went to the boat and watched some TV and hit the sack even though we were not leaving until 8 the next day.
One of the narrow places on the small boat channel
Henry's from the water
Our dock for the night
Sea plane coming in for lunch
They have a dock for planes
Seabiscuit
Beth, Pam, Bill and Dean
Joe, Tara, Jan and Rusty (on Cbay) - John has his back to us because he is showing Ginny where we are on the chart
Killbear, ON
Killbear Marina
July 23-24
We only had 17 miles to travel on Monday to Killbear Marina at the base of Parry Sound. There are two ways to get there. We chose the small boat channel but a couple of the others went outside. Our route was pretty straight forward but there was one place where you had to stop and then make a hard turn to port and then back again to starboard. "Kismet" was nice enough to lead the way, so we followed with "Passport" and "Cbay" behind.
The wind was supposed to pick up and continue for the next day. We arrived before it was too bad and we stayed two nights. We all went to dinner at the marina restaurant and it was very good, especially what Ginny's pasta. On Tuesday, "Seabiscuit", "Passport" and "Seabatical" left which was very sad for us because we had just joined them again a few days ago, but we understand how this works.
Tuesday was very windy and we were planning on leaving Wednesday morning so we were hoping the wind died down. Internet was next to impossible to get so we did not have a very good handle on the weather but it worked out OK because Wednesday morning was light winds. We liked the marina and the scenery was wonderful but we were a little down because we once again we would have to say goodbye to Beth and Dean. I know it did not work out so well last time and neither of us wanted a repeat of that so we all pretended that it was a normal day and agreed to say our goodbyes in the morning.
The wind was supposed to pick up and continue for the next day. We arrived before it was too bad and we stayed two nights. We all went to dinner at the marina restaurant and it was very good, especially what Ginny's pasta. On Tuesday, "Seabiscuit", "Passport" and "Seabatical" left which was very sad for us because we had just joined them again a few days ago, but we understand how this works.
Tuesday was very windy and we were planning on leaving Wednesday morning so we were hoping the wind died down. Internet was next to impossible to get so we did not have a very good handle on the weather but it worked out OK because Wednesday morning was light winds. We liked the marina and the scenery was wonderful but we were a little down because we once again we would have to say goodbye to Beth and Dean. I know it did not work out so well last time and neither of us wanted a repeat of that so we all pretended that it was a normal day and agreed to say our goodbyes in the morning.
Kismet going through a tricky place.
Very shallow and two tight turns
Another wonderful evening
The Killbear Marina office and store
Killbear Marina
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