There I said it! For those who have been, it is most likely one of your favorite destinations as well. If you haven’t been, the following posts and photos, although very nice, can’t possibly do justice to what Mother Nature provides the boating community.

The North Channel is located in Ontario, Canada, and resides in a stretch of water 160 nautical miles long at the most northern point of Lake Huron. This body of water is bordered by Georgian Bay to the east, mainland Canada to the north, and the St Marys River/ Sault St. Marie to the northwest. Manitoulin Island separates the North Channel from Lake Huron to the southwest. An interesting side note is that Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island… in the world.

Inside the confines of the North Channel are thousands of islands, interesting rock formations, small waterside villages, well-protected coves for anchoring, including a variety of wildlife such as bears, moose, birds, otters, and beavers, and yes, some snakes all living in or near the crystal clear water. For cruisers like us, who like to explore and check out new anchoring possibilities, the North Channel has endless possibilities to engage a boater. Endless only to the point that, since the boating season is so short in this part of the world, it is necessary to return year after year for the magic to continue.

This summer, we planned a two-week cruise in the North Channel. This will be our third trip, the first in our Ranger Tug, Kismet. We started by trailering our boat north from Traverse City to the Mackinac Bridge, then east through customs, reaching our launch spot in Spanish, Ontario, a few hours after crossing the border.

Stay tuned over the next several weeks, there’s more to come and lots of photos to bring back memories for those who have been or provide inspiration for those yet to come.

The post The Crew of Kismet is North Channel Bound appeared first on Trailer Trawler Life Blog – Cruising USA & Canada.

In light of some of our road trips recently, the one we took today was relatively short. We started by heading north along the scenic route of northwest Michigan. We drove Kismet across the Mackinaw Bridge, through the Upper Peninsula, across the border into Canada, and finally, 260 miles later, we launched her in Spanish, Ontario – right in the heart of the North Channel. We stayed one night at Spanish Marina getting things organized and prepped for our two-week North Channel boating fix, it had been five years since our last visit to this magical Canadian wonderland, way too long for Lisa and me.

Spanish Marina is a good central location to launch a trailered boat into the North Channel.

Spanish is a great spot to launch a trailerable boat. Great facilities and everyone is friendly and helpful. The boat ramp is one of the steepest we’ve encountered (see below) but it all worked out once we got it rolling. It seems every ramp is different, I always do a walk around, at a new-to-us ramp, come up with a plan of attack and convey it to Lisa, so we’re both on the same page, before we start the process.

We arrived in Spanish late in the afternoon, around 4:00, and still had lots to do to get ready to leave in the morning. The biggest job was getting the dinghy and motor down to the boat from the truck, inflating it, and mounting the motor. (We are still investigating the right dinghy mount for the boat, so in the meantime, we deflate it and stow it in the bed of the truck while we’re towing the boat over land)

Soon after dark, we went to bed secure in knowing we were absolutely ready to begin our exploration of the North Channel.

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S Benjamin Islands – Mooring Cove Available for Kismet.

We had one of those magically calm cruising days for the short 12-mile run (approx.) to our first scheduled anchorage at South Benjamin where we hoped to find a well-protected spot snuggled up to a boulder or two. It sounds strange, but a river has formed between the boulders/islands in S Benjamin Islands where natural mooring coves have formed. We’ve always wanted to tie up in this area, but all our previous boats have had too deep of a draft for the spots available in that channel. As luck would have it there was one prime spot available this morning when we arrived at South Benjamin, and our Ranger Tug, Kismet, fit very nicely into it. Time to relax and enjoy the start of our North Channel adventure. But first, we need to secure the boat to those rocks.

The last time we used our long stern anchor line was when we cruised Lake Powell. Some of that red Arizona dirt is still clinging to that line as we get it ready to use.

Tying to shore was a little bit of a project in this cove. First, we dropped anchor at the mouth of the cove, drew back, then tied both starboard and port sides to shore with our stern tie line.

Once settled… a panoramic view of our anchorage tonight (above).

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South Benjamin Island Cove – Time to Relax!

It’s amazing how we can spend a few days on the hook and not get bored. At South Benjamin Island cove, we both had chores to do, organizing our belongings on the boat, we swam in the unseasonably warm water, played games, read books, cooked, ate, and just plain relaxed. This is our big trip of the summer, we’re taking it well ahead of our son’s wedding in September. Things will be crazy when we get home, so we are enjoying the restful calm right now. Can you think of a better place than South Benjamin Island anchor?

Going to shore to walk around on the smooth rock formations then hike up the hill for photographs and the amazing view.

It was hot during the day so we used our towels to make some shade over the cockpit area.

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South Benjamin – It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

I reference this because we recently spent time at the Benjamins, South Benjamin specifically, and it is our contention that the rocks on this island are gorgeous, Not to mention the blue beauties Jim found on those rocks.

We recently cruised Lake Powell, in Utah/Arizona, the landscape there is ALL rock and water. Both are beautiful, however, the difference between the two locations is dramatic. Lake Powell has very large, rock buttes, plateaus, and mountains, and not much greenery except for Navaho Mountain, whereas the rock formations on these North Channel islands are more intimate and, dare I say sensual. We love the beauty of them both.

Have you been to one or both places? If not, take a look at both locations on our blog and let us know what you think.

We like to talk about the beautiful blueberries we found on South Benjamin Island when we got there. Enough for several bowls of sweet yumminess. Just like the blackberries we find wild in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a real treat when finding wild berries when cruising. To find anything wild and fresh during hikes while anchoring out for long periods is an amazing treat.

More beauties are found on the rocks. These must have been the last of the yummy blueberries because we never found any more bushes with berries the rest of our trip. Jim was fairly proud of himself, risking bear and mosquito attacks to procure those berries.

Our neighbors. Looks like they’ve settled in here for a while. During their long stay, they get friends to visit and bring provisions with them.

The channel at one end of South Benjamin looks south/southeast towards Clapperton Island.

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South Benjamin Island, a Rocky Delight!

Topping off our great anchorage find is the incredible view from the top of this South Benjamin Island. This is where Jim found all those yummy blueberries and where we went to stretch our legs and enjoy the view when we felt cramped on the boat. Great weather during our stay here, hot temps with unseasonably warm water for swimming. Life is good for the crew of Kismet tied up to this little South Benjamin Island.

We took a long hike on the island that sits in front of the Benjamin’s, it protects the whole rocky channel that separates the islands and protects our boat sitting just below in a little rocky cove.

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Covered Portage Cove anchorage – High rocky cliffs and near-perfect protection from the elements.

From South Benjamin Island we made our way past Little Current, Strawberry, and Heywood Islands as we skirted south of Frazier Bay to enter Lansdowne Channel on the way to Covered Portage Cove, just west of Killarney, the old provincial outpost that separates Ontario’s North Channel from Georgian Bay. We had only dinghied to Covered Portage Cove anchorage in 2007 when we had docked our boat for a few days in Killarney. We vowed then to put it on our list as a future anchorage spot.

When I think of the perfect anchorage I conjure up images of a cove with high bluffs, hills, or rock formations on all sides, one that gives good protection from high winds. It would also have a dog-leg entrance to keep out unwanted wave action. If you were to toss in, as an added benefit, sunny skies, a slight breeze on a hot day, and the company of good friends, I think you’d have a pretty good combination of elements, one that matches our Covered Portage Cove anchorage in Canada’s North Channel.

Passing the swing bridge at Little Current (above).

Strawberry Island always provides a visual delight and a great opportunity for photographers to get a Lighthouse dream shot.

This is the dog-eared entrance to the cove (above and below), it’s narrow and very tightly closes the cove from heavy wave action.

Looking out, towards the entrance (above) to the cove as we were cruising in to find a good spot to drop the hook. The shot (below), also looking back towards the entrance, shows how well our anchor spot was protected 360˚ around us.

We dinghied over to shore to take a long hike up one of the cliffs in search of a lookout deck we spotted from below, we failed in finding it, but we had a great hike up and into the woods.

When we arrived we had only a few neighbors, but by our second day, as you can see, many more boats joined us in this well-protected Cove.

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Rendezvous with Freedom’s Turn in Covered Portage Cove!

Doubling our pleasure comes to mind when we think of our visit to Covered Portage Cove in the North Channel. Not only was it our first time anchoring in this cove, but we also had the pleasure of rendezvousing with friends Charlie and Linda on Freedom’s Turn (above). We met them in 2008 while doing our second Great Loop boat trip and cruised several times together, including a trip to Chattanooga and even the Bahamas. With a lot of shared cruising experiences in common, we were excited for the reunion in Covered Portage Cove. We got there one day earlier, so we were ready to enjoy their company once they got there.

With the picturesque backdrop of our shared anchorage, it felt like old times having happy hour together and eating dinner on the upper deck of Freedom’s Turn. We got to laughing about all the good times we’ve shared during our Loops. The conversation was so easy, almost as if the time we cruised together was just yesterday.

We got in our dingys during cocktail hour to visit some of the neighboring boats in the cove before we met for dinner on Freedom’s Turn. Making the rounds in a harbor like this by dinghy is a great way to meet other boaters.

As you can see Charlie is a big Michigan State fan.

We had a delicious dinner on board Freedom’s Turn along with one of those “Million Dollar Views.” Good friends, good food in a little bit of paradise.

We spent the final morning together hiking up an almost sheer rocky bluff to an incredible spot overlooking the entire cove and Killarney off in the distance.

Can you see Kismet anchored in Covered Portage Cove (above)?

Sitting pretty with Covered Portage Cove as a backdrop to the photo.

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Around lunchtime, our second day, we joined Charlie and Linda in a dinghy ride over to Killarney to take advantage of the famous fish and chips at the Herbert Fisheries Red School Bus, located right on the channel in town. The fish and chips are very good, a little pricy but we enjoyed every last bite.

SIDENOTE:

A Visit to Killarney nowadays does not include a visit to the School Bus Fish And Chips stand. The bus is now gone a relic of the past.

Shortly after lunch, we parted ways with Charlie and Linda. They wanted to dinghy back to their boat so they could get underway and slowly work their way home. We stayed a little longer in Killarney before returning to the anchorage. We spent one more night on the hook, we wanted to enjoy the balance of the day and night before departing Portage Covered Cove to head toward Georgian Bay the next day.

Linda (above) had to climb pretty far up to get on the dock, luckily the dock had boards spaced like a ladder. Killarney’s local grocery store (below) has all the necessities, however, the locals and visitors have to drive to Sudbury for a thorough shopping trip.

Apparently what I thought, at first glance (below-left), was a boat launch is actually an aircraft beaching ramp. Looks like it would serve as a boat launch too, at your own risk apparently. I think this hanging dog, or wolf, is to scare geese away.

Jim and I have cruised past this sign, off the channel in Killarney, many times and always wondered where it led. I decided to find out this time, while Jim manned the dinghy, I crawled up to the dock and went for a peek. The steps led me to this little shrine, the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. A memorial for the armed forces of both World Wars, the shrine has been here since 1947.

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Keyhole Island on the Northwest Side of Georgian Bay.

Georgian Bay is on our cruising bucket list, a trip like this deserves a dedicated stretch of time to explore properly. With that said, we decided to get our toes just a little wet. After we left Covered Portage Cove, we passed through the channel in Killarney for a short, one-day, cruise and anchor in the northwest side of Georgian Bay.

Four miles or so east of Killarney is the western entrance to Collins Inlet and a 10-mile run to Mill Lake. It was Collins Inlet, a narrow channel, where we spent time cruising, enjoying the sights of the small summer cottages dotting the rocky wind-swept, tree-lined shores.

Collins Inlet runs between Philip Edward Island, to the south, and mainland Ontario, Canada to the north, making the narrow channel a favorite of boaters because of the well-protected, safe passage from possible rough waters of Georgian Bay and all the good anchorage sites available.

We went as far as Mill Lake, cruising around the lake, scoping it out for future, potential anchorages. On our way there we made note of an anchorage called Keyhole Island, we eventually made our way back to that spot to settle in for a serenely quiet night on the hook.

After pulling anchor the next morning we poked around some more on our way back to the North Channel. Just a short distance west of the westerly entrance to Collins Inlet is where we found Thomas Bay. To enter you need to have good charts, an accurate GPS, and/or good local knowledge because if you make the wrong turn you could end up running aground on some rocks. Once inside we found a paradise of a cove, large enough for up to maybe a dozen boats.

Based on our short visit to Georgian Bay on this day, we are excited to return for a more thorough cruising experience in the near future.

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Thomas James – Visit with an Exchange of Boat Tours!

While cruising through the Killarney Channel, on our way to Collins Inlet, we received a call on our VHF. After switching to channel 68, Bill, the guy hailing us, told us that, as he was standing on the balcony of his channel-side home, he noticed our red Ranger Tug slowly cruising by. He said he was so excited to see the “cute tug” he’d love to have a tour and chat with us about it as he had never seen one in person before.

As we were trying to figure out his location, we spotted him, with the binoculars, on his balcony taking photos of our boat as Lisa (unknowingly) was, at the very same time, taking photos of his Thomas James schooner docked in front of his house. We made soft plans to meet the next day on our return from Georgian Bay as we’ll need to pass by Killarney again to get to our next destination, Baie Fine.

After our short trek to Collins Inlet, we returned to Killarney the next day for a much-needed pump out at the Killarney Mountain Lodge before we headed over to Bill, and his wife, Kathy’s, dock to meet them in person, give them a tour of our Kismet in exchange for one on the Thomas James. Bill explained that they’ve been thinking of purchasing a small trawler like ours to cruise the North Channel, Georgian Bay, Trent Severn, and Erie Canal. They were happy for the opportunity to see our Ranger Tug up close and get our thoughts on how, and why, the boat worked for us.

After our visit to the Thomas James and as we’re heading towards Baie Fine, I thought of all the wonderful experiences we’ve had meeting people all over the world while boating around the United States. We could tell immediately that Bill and Kathy (above), are true adventurers all the way around. While at their dock, we felt the excitement and richness of their experiences and left, after a nice visit, taking that feeling with us. Thanks, Bill and Kathy!

Kismet (below) is shoving off the dock the Thomas James calls home.

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Lots of Room in Marianne Cove Tonight!

On our way up Baie Fine, we saw this marker on shore (above). It’s a marking for the red buoy – the channel through this area is so narrow they had to mark it on the rock instead of a red buoy.

On this day we chose to try a new anchorage (new to us) at Marianne Cove. We’ve anchored at the Pool (located at the furthest end of Baie Fine) before and enjoyed that area, but we’ve heard so much about how well-protected and beautiful Marianne Cove is, we decided to stop short of the Pool and try something new. It’s a favorite of cruisers in the North Channel.

Jim is preparing the long line he’ll soon tie to a tree on the shore behind our boat. Stern tying takes some time, but well worth the effort in the end. By the time Jim is done on shore, he will have taken the rope, that is looped around that tree, to the dinghy and back to the boat. It will be tied securely to a cleat. To untie we just have to untie the rope on the cleat and pull the line into the boat. That’s the easy part.

Just after we got our anchor set and line tied to shore, we met Emily (above). She’d stopped by to say her grandparents were also anchored in the cove on the sailing vessel, Ritual. We know Lisa & Fred because we are both members of the Grand Traverse Yacht Club (GTYC) in Traverse City. It’s always nice when we bump into boaters we know while on our cruising explorations.

We dinghied around the cove one evening to meet some of the other boaters. We met the couple on this sailboat and had a nice chat. How could you not be all smiles and serenely happy spending the night on the hook in a quiet Canadian cove?

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Baie Fine, a Canadian fjord, runs east and west up to the Pool.

We liked Marianne Cove so much, we decided to make it base camp for a few days. On the morning of our second day, we pulled anchor to take a day trip up the majestic Baie Fine, a fjord that runs east and west. Baie Fine is a total of about 10 miles long, narrowing abruptly for the last two-mile stretch to the confines of its end, “The Pool.”

We had a clear, calm blue sky day for a slow poke of a cruise making it that much easier for Lisa to capture the beauty of the rocky tree-lined cliffs to both our port and starboard. Once we got to within two miles of The Pool, we had to negotiate a shallow, narrow entrance, but the sights are well worth the trip.

We spotted this old tug as we left Marianne Cove for our day trip to the Pool.

At the entrance to the pool sits a cabin built on a huge rock. It was built years ago by Charles Evinrude (Evinrude engine fame), whose girlfriend was Lily Langtree. They had a 120′ yacht they brought to the Pool every summer and tied up to the dock in front of the cabin. They actually powered the cabin from the yacht

As we got closer to where we’d have to make a dog-leg turn to port, to get to the very end of Baie Fine and The Pool, I noticed something moving around on shore. We were a little too far away to make out what it was, so I grabbed the binoculars and sure enough, I saw a black bear. We inched closer, within 30 feet of shore, and watched the bear, never thinking it would stick around. As we idled just offshore, we watched the bear help himself to the fruit from a nearby bush for at least 15 minutes before it wandered off onto the beach. This bear sighting made our day.

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Marianne Cove anchorage, is a popular spot among boaters cruising the North Channel.

We returned to Marianne Cove anchorage to spend another peaceful night in Canada’s North Channel paradise. The view off the back deck of Kismet at sunset (above).

Coffee in the morning on the back deck of Kismet while in the Marianne Cove anchorage. Don’t I look relaxed?

It’s a guy thing (above). Early morning chores getting done.

I love trying to capture the reflections of the trees on shore in the water (below). Okay, I think I have about a hundred of these photos, all different of course, I kept snapping them as the sun slowly made its descent over the cove. The reflections continued to change as the sun set to the west.

Flying all our burgees in Marianne Cove (above-left). This boater stopped by for a little chat, and never a lack of social interactions while boating in the North Channel. There is a definite ongoing community action everywhere we stop to anchor.

Kismet’s nose is pointed toward the entrance to Marianne Cove. The rocks in this cove just glow catching that last ray of sunshine of the day.

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Frazer Bay Hill – You Can See Forever!

On our second day, back at anchor in Marianne Cove, Jim talked me into hiking up Frazer Bay Hill. He’d heard the view, overlooking the Bay, was spectacular and well worth the “climb” up. Well, it certainly was steep and very rocky, but we were rewarded with a view of Frazer Bay that was just plain stunning.

We dinghied a short distance from the anchorage (you can see the sailboat masts peeking out of the cove – top-left) to start our hike up the hill.

We followed these faded red ribbons up the hill, if it were not for them, we would have certainly gotten lost. Not sure what Jim is doing (above-right) but I think he is re-tying the ribbon on that tree.

Jim is at the top here with a view far and wide.

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Little Current – The Biggest Little City in the North Channel!

A trip to the North Channel wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Little Current, the biggest little city in the North Channel. It’s true that Little Current is not only the largest city in the North Channel, but has everything a cruiser might need with gift shops, parks, restaurants, and grocery stores, all within walking distance of the marinas. Little Current is also home to the North Channel’s Cruisers Net, somewhat similar to the net we encountered during our trips to the Abaco Islands.

We had a great time in Baie Fine and Marianne Cover, but time to move on.

Leaving Baie Fine, heading to Little Current, the channel (above) hugs this cliff reasonably closely. I remembered this from our previous trips—a little nerve-wracking to cruise so close to that rock wall.

Little Current, a favorite marina stop for cruisers, is where we halted our exploration to spend a day on land as we’d been on the hook for over a week, so it was time to give the house batteries a good overnight charging with shore power. We also needed to recharge our own batteries by getting off the boat and stretching our legs on a couple of long walks through town, making a run to the grocery store for some provisioning, and giving Lisa a break from the galley by going out to dinner.

The town docks at Little Current are always a hub of activity. Boats come to get fueled up or pumped out, get provisioned, or have a visit to one of the town’s restaurants. Sometimes, when out in the wilderness that is the North Channel, you just want to get off your boat for a while and see some city sights.

Remember the old tug we saw while leaving Marianne Cover to cruise up Baie Fine, well we found it sitting, at the dock, in Little Current.

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Croker Island – Rocks, Bears, and Blueberries!

As cruising trips go this one ranked up toward the top of our list, but like all good things they must come to an end. We left Little Current to make way for one of our favorite anchorages in a popular cove at Croker Island; this will be the last real stop of our North Channel trip.

The cove at Croker Island has a high rocky bluff that protects anchored boats from high winds and/or foul weather from the big waters of the more exposed North Channel. While we were there, for our last two days, there were indeed high winds from the south, but we were almost unaware of these conditions until we took an afternoon hike up to the top of the rocky bluff. Once there, we saw nothing but big white caps. It felt good knowing how cozy we felt anchored inside the protective confines of the Island.

We spent the last two days of our trip at anchor in the cove at Croker Island, reading, taking dinghy rides around the anchorage, meeting other cruisers, hiking around the rock cliffs on the Island, and playing games, one of our favorite pastimes. It was a great way to wind down our North Channel cruise.

On our second day at anchor, we had a little excitement, we noticed a Tiara boat trying to get into the cove but getting dangerously close to the rocky point that encircles the cove. As we watched, almost wanting to scream a warning (but we were too far away for them to hear), they ended up aground on top of a big submerged boulder. It wasn’t long before all the men, anchored in the cove, were dinghying out to see if they could be of assistance.

It was only twenty minutes or so, with a lot of pushing and pulling, and the boat was freed from the rock and on its way, without any visible damage to the boat. We think they lucked out big time.

Our last beautiful sunset (above) in the North Channel.

Jim retrieved our stern line from the tree it was tied to onshore (below).

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Oh Canada

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
Great prairies spread and Lordly rivers flow!
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea!
The land of hope for all who toil,
The true North is strong and free!
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

more lyrics

We arrived in Spanish, Ontario this afternoon to launch Kismet and begin our trek to Little Current for the 2014 Ranger Tugs/Cutwater North Channel Rendezvous. After a slow start to our summer cruising activities, due to a family commitment, Jim and I are so excited to finally splash Kismet at Spanish.

After passing each other on the highway several times this afternoon, we finally caught up with Gregg and Kathy on their Ranger Tug Santolina. They have trailered their tug all the way from Texas. We each took some time parked in the huge parking lot getting our boats ready to launch.

The friendly and helpful crew at Spanish Marina were a bright spot on a rather dreary weather day, they saw to all of our needs before we shoved off the dock to head for our first anchorage opportunity at Eagle Island.

And off we go, leaving the crew of Santolina and Spanish Marina behind. We didn’t stay at Spanish after launching because we felt we should get moving so that we could accomplish all our cruising goals before the rendezvous.

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After launching the boat in Spanish, we decided to anchor at Eagle Island.

There we spent most of the late afternoon and early evening organizing and storing stuff on the boat. Since Jim organized the rendezvous, we have boxes and boxes of ditty bag items, printed agendas and books to stow on board. We finally found a home for everything and were able to relax on the back deck to enjoy the last remnants of the sun setting behind the island.

Eagle Island, which is 2.25 miles in length, has a large open bay, but we found it to have good protection and anticipated our first night swinging on the hook in the North Channel. Our plan, as always it seems, is to cruise to a few familiar anchorages and investigate a few new ones and finally arrive in Little Current for the 2014 Ranger Tugs/Cutwater North Channel Rendezvous. A four-day event for Ranger Tug and Cutwater owners.

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Rocking On the Rocks

We left Eagle Island early so we would have the best chance to secure a place on the rocks at South Benjamin Island. We anticipated a lot of boating activity in the North Channel this weekend due to the Canadian Civic Holiday falling on Monday. We wanted to get in early in the day to snag a good spot.

Kismet On the Rocks!

We had previously anchored in a small cove near the southwest entrance to the channel. Although that spot was free when we arrived, we soon spotted another location further in where we had seen boats tied up before, it looked interesting and it was empty. Only one other boat, a sailboat, was tied up in the channel when we arrived so we made a quick decision to try the new spot – we were glad we did.

At first, we tied up side-to the rocks, but just didn’t like the looks of that for our boat so after a few minutes we rearranged and dropped the anchor and motored back to tie two lines, off the stern, to the rocks. Much better. Later on, Jim took a bow line to the rocks in front of us and we were good for the duration of our stay.

Just over the big rock, we were tied to is this other inlet. Over the course of three days, we saw several boats tie up there too.

Coffee in the morning, cocktails at happy hour, all on the big rock behind our boat. Time to reflect on the astounding beauty of nature while relaxing together. This is a great opportunity for a lively debate on future cruising destinations for the crew of Kismet.

Shortly after we got tied up to this rock we saw a muskrat swimming around our boat, later in the day we saw these two minks crawling out of the water. No other wildlife sightings at South Benjamin, but we did have a mouse on board a few nights and he was noisy.

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Two Ranger Tugs on the Rocks – North Channel, Canada

Coffee tasted extra good high up on the granite rocks this morning. Jim and I discussed how long we should stay in this spot at South Benjamin Island before we headed to the Ranger Tugs Rendezvous in Little Current – we both agreed, it might be one of those long three-day stays. We only have five days before we need to be in Little Current for the rendezvous and sometimes it’s just not as relaxing to move every day or two to cram several spots in. We figured it doesn’t get much better than this and we should stay put.

We are anticipating the arrival of another Ranger Tug, Illusions. We have been corresponding with friends Mike and Jess for several months planning where we’d meet while we were both in the North Channel for the rendezvous. It’s a good thing we agreed on South Benjamin on August 2nd ahead of time by email because we had no phone reception and could not raise the crew of Illusions on the radio. Soon there will be two Ranger Tugs at South Benjamin Island.

Finally, Jim was able to get Mike on the radio this morning and we heard they were just a few miles away. We hopped in the dinghy and went outside the channel to greet them.

Jim guided Illusions into a spot right next to Kismet with the dinghy and helped them secure their lines. It was funny because during the process a crowd of people showed up from over the rock near their boat, they all hopped into the water and swam between our boats to the rock behind us. We had to remind ourselves about the Canadian Civic Holiday is in full swing and it would probably just get busier.

The first order of business was to dinghy, along with Mike and Jess, over to the island across the channel for a view of our boats tied up below.

The equivalent of our Coast Guard is outfitted in all black and while we were on top of the island across the way they cruised through the channel checking to see that everyone was staying safe and had the required number of life jackets etc.

Mike and Jess cooked dinner on their grill for all of us the second night they were there. It was fantastic.

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Fox Island Provided a Beautiful Rocky Hiking Trail Lined with Berries

When we left South Benjamin Island we headed for Fox Island, located only about four miles from South Benjamin. We had anchored here once before with our Silverton and remembered how beautiful it was. The landscape is rocky all around the anchorage’s perimeter, offering good hiking and photo opportunities. When we anchored here previously, we were the only boat on the hook in the channel, this time there were several boats already at anchor. Our boat has a very shallow draft, about 2.5 feet, so we can usually get a spot where bigger boats don’t dare. In this case, it was way up almost to the reeds at the tip of the inlet.

We were looking forward to our afternoon hike on the island. Some parts are just challenging enough, we had to figure out how we could continue along without wading through water or climbing up the steep side of a smooth rock. Just over the crest of the rocky shoreline, we were surprised by this little landlocked natural pond (below). It looks like it is home to some very lucky birds, animals, and aquatic life.

Next, we followed the eastern shoreline around the anchorage to see how far we could get before turning back.

We found lots of berries on the island, so we picked handfuls of blueberries and raspberries and ate them while we walked.

When we were anchored off South Benjamin with Mike and Jess, we all took a walk on the outer island, the one that protects the anchorage from the open channel. One thing we noticed while there was an abundance of spiders clinging to the evergreen trees, EVERYWHERE. That is where Mike and Jim procured a few aptly coined “spider sticks” to forge ahead while swiping the air in-between trees for spider webs. Even though we noticed the absence of spiders and webs on the trees, Jim found a spider stick anyways, saying he was protecting his “woman.”

We ended our stay with a dinghy ride through some reeds and rocks, the little channel opened up into a little well that we decided we’d keep in mind for a future anchorage.

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On our way to Orillia, Ontario, Canada. One night we’ll be boaterhoming in Canada before we reach Lefroy Harbour.

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Before the Rendezvous, we launched the boat at Lefroy Harbour — Ontario, Canada. Great Spot, close to Orillia, where the rendezvous took place.

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Trent Severn Waterway – Canada’s Renowned Inland Passageway –

Jim and I cruised the Trent Severn Waterway once before, it was on our first Great Loop trip, in 2005/06. That time we did the whole waterway, this time we will only do the stretch from Lake Simcoe, south to Trenton. No Big Chute for us this time. It will be interesting to do this waterway from north to south. Last time, we were traveling home to complete our “Loop” in Charlevoix, Michigan, so we went from Trenton to Severn, ending up in Georgian Bay.

Our end-of-summer trip plans start with the Trent Severn Waterway and will end by cruising the Rideau Canal to Ottawa and Montreal. We’ve never done that route before, neither one of us has been to Montreal, by land or sea. So, on this trip, we’ll be combining the old with the new.

We left the Ranger Tugs rendezvous in Orillia late Monday morning to cross Lake Simcoe.

The weather forecast called for windy weather the next day, so we needed to get going. We wanted to get out of the lake as soon as we could. Lake Simcoe is bigger than you’d think. It was windy, but nothing our little tug couldn’t handle.

We’ve waited a long time to cruise the Trent Severn Waterway again, 12 years to be exact. I remember the grassy canals, the quaint locking system with friendly lock masters, and little Canadian towns within walking distance of a lot of the lock walls where we’d tie up to spend the night.

Lock Up! Lock Down!

There are 44 locks in the Trent Severn Waterway. Because we are not starting to the north, in Severn, we only have 41 to complete. The Rideau Canal has 49 locks. Looks like we will be up to our eyeballs in locking our boat up and down for the next six weeks. It’s an interesting adventure, having to first lock up, as the topography climbed ahead of us, and then after reaching the Kirkfield Lift Lock, it will change and then we’ll lock down. The scenery is hard to beat as we remembered our first day out. No big cities along this route, small Canadian towns welcome boaters on the waterway.

Small summer cottages dotted the shoreline of the whole waterway, and few big mansions or overdone houses. We saw water toys, docks, small boats, cabins with decks, and lots of chairs to sit outside. This is what I will always remember about this area, friendly Canadians like to spend time outside.

There were several Ranger Tugs that headed out onto Lake Simcoe on Monday. We were all headed to Gamebridge to enter the canal. First on the list though was a fuel and pump-out stop at Bridgeport Marina. Ranger Tugs at the fuel dock included: Bucket List, Audrey Rose, Evolve, and Kismet.

Leaving Lake Simcoe to enter the Trent Severn Waterway (above).

We received our canal and mooring pass for the Trent Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal at Lock 41, our first lock on the waterway.

You will often get paired up in several locks with another boat, and travel that way until one of you stops for the night, on a lock wall or a marina.

Don’t get too many photos like this, green pastures out the starboard window of the boat. Looks like we are cruising through a sunflower field.

Meeting up with our Ranger Tug buddies again at Talbot – Lock 38.

The other tug owners pressed on, as they are on a tighter schedule than we are. They want to see as much as they can in a week’s time. We were tired from the rendezvous and decided Lock 38 would be a good spot to tie up for the night. After exiting the lock we moved over to the dock connected to the lock wall and tied up on the front end. Beautiful, serene, and quiet!

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