Little Current to Baie Fine to Little Current to Benjamin Islands to Kagawong to Gore Bay

Day #678; Loop Miles to Date = 8,066 

Yep…8,000 miles and counting for our Loop trip!

 

So, we backtracked after our stop in Little Current that resolved our generator start battery issue and headed to Baie Fine (pronounced Bay Fin). This stop has been on our list of must see spots for some time and we are really glad that we took the time to get up here. The trip took us about 10 miles off of the Georgian Bay up to an anchorage that is well known and popular. Fortunately, we got an early start and snagged a primo location…by the end of the day, there were about  a dozen boats here. 

Riding into Baie Fine...just beautiful.

Some pictures of our anchorage here...

Dinghy exploring...always fun.



 

Not only is this a beautiful anchorage, but there is a trail on one end of this pool that leads up to Topaz Lake. It was about a ½ hour walk, all uphill, to get to this special spot. The lake is known for its unusual color, as the mineral deposits in the area cause the water color to be a blue-green shade that approximates topaz. It is a popular spot for both boaters and hikers to visit…there were only a couple of hikers there swimming while we visited. It was a great hike and a wonderful day. 

Topaz Lake!

 

Leaving the pool at Baie Fine.

 
 

 

From Baie Fin, we backtracked again to Little Current for one night, and then were off to the Benjamin Islands. This is another popular anchorage, and we found plenty of company here. We first looked at an anchorage on the north side of these islands, but found it well populated. So, we took the 3.5 mile detour to the south side to find another spot. We indeed found a nice spot to anchor, but really struggled to find an adequate place to walk the pups. We got them to shore once, but it was limited, slippery, and a bit treacherous. So, after about 2 hours of deliberation, we pulled anchor and went back up to the north side to find an easier place to walk the dogs. Luck was with us, as a couple of boats had left since we had been there earlier, and we had plenty of room…and multiple choices to pick from to land the dinghy. A bit aggravating, but it all worked out in the end. 

Sunset at the Benjamins.

After a windy and rocky night (our south anchorage would have been much better protected) we departed the Benjamins and headed for a marina at Kagawong. This was a great one-night stop, which included a hike up the hill to see Bridal Veil Falls. This was worth seeing, but the large number of tourists there made it hard to really appreciate. The hike was lovely, the weather perfect, and we had a really nice day. It was definitely worth the stop…one that many Loopers skip over because it is a tad out of the primary route that most take. 

Some hitchhikers that joined us for the ride...fortunately only a couple of dozen of them.

These are the fishing boats of the Purvis Family fishing fleet...they catch the whitefish that is served locally for many of the fish and chips dinners that we taste tested.

Along the hike up to Bridal Veil Falls.

Bridal Veil falls...lots of tourists made it difficult to get decent pics here.

A small community church in Kagawong...the Saint John Anglican Church. An interesting church with an interesting history.

With a nautical theme throughout.

The pulpit is from an actual boat. There was a tragedy in August of 1965, where a local family got caught out in the channel during a bad storm. There were 4 fatalities, and this pulpit was made from the wreckage as memorial to the family.

There was a local farmers market in Kagawong while we were there. This young jewelry maker was selling her wares with her Mom. She designed and made all of this herself, and Sandy found a great necklace that will always remind us of this enterprising young lady.

Sunrise at Kagawong as we were getting ready to depart.

A bunch of heavy weather was approaching (now Thursday morning) and we wanted to make some additional progress. We decided to make a dash for Gore Bay, and got up early enough to beat the nasty incoming weather, and were tied up snugly by 9:30 am before the rains came. Gore Bay is another stop that most Loopers skip…as this is being penned, we are watching it rain, and wondering if it will let up enough to allow us to even wander into town. We could get stuck here for an additional day if the weather doesn’t let up, but will wait until Thursday night or Friday morning to make this call. 

Rainy days on the boat can be exhausting!

 

A quick shout-out to our friends on Act III for a handful of the pictures above. Thanks for reading...