Waypoint Wanderings: Port Severn to Honey Harbour, Ontario

We left the dock at Port Severn at 0850 - just in time to be at the blue line to enter Lock 45. It is the final - and smallest - lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We were there with 2 other boats that were much larger than Waypoint. Since the lock is so small, the lock tender took us and the smaller of the other 2 whose beams started at 16 ft. We were staggered so that the person on the stern of the other boat had to hold our bow off for the short ride down in the lock - 9 feet. We had a nice conversation during the ride. They were a family on vacation for 2 weeks - farmers who for the first time in years could leave their livestock in the care of others to head for a long-anticipated vacation in northern Georgian Bay.

As we departed the lock, the warnings of friends and acquaintances came to mind as we entered the turbulent, narrow channel that would lead us into Georgian Bay. It is wide enough for one boat at a time. Bob did a great job getting us through with no problems, but we did see a steel piling on the edge of the channel and just under the surface of the water. Just the previous week, a boater had incurred significant damage to his boat when he wandered too close to the edge of the channel.

We followed the narrow Potato Channel to the main part of the bay. It was rocky and narrow but very picturesque (1).

1. Potato Channel - east-leaning trees from westerly prevailing wind

We entered the wide Midland Harbor (5) where we would stay for the next few days. It is a beautiful harbor where sailboats seem to dominate the landscape. The channel into the city dock is well-marked with good bouyage and a huge mural on the grain elevator at the head of the harbor. There are more than 30 detailed murals throughout the small town. They were painted by Fred Lenz and depict historic events or themes representative of the area (2).

2. Largest historical mural in No. America

2. King St. mural by Fred Lenz

5. Midland Harbor

5. At the dock in Midland Harbor

We were happy to re-connect with our friends who live in the area. As always, they were very gracious, providing tours of their favorite spots and taking time from working on their boat to meet us for breakfast. My favorite spot was Uncle Roy's - the Chinese/Canadian restaurant that served a great breakfast! (3) Our friends even acknowledged the 4th of July which we celebrated in a low-key fashion - dug out our old Coronado, CA teeshirts and toasted the day. (4)

3. Egg fu yung or just eggs?

4. Happy 4th

4. No teeshirt, still cool...

5. Midland Harbor sunset

Reprovisioned in Midland, did laundry and then headed out on Monday for Beausoleil Island, a federal park. It was a beautiful cruise and was well-marked until we got inside Beausoleil Bay. Once inside, we had to rely on our electronic charts to keep the rocks at bay; but we did so and ended our trip in a beautiful little bay - Ojibway (6) - where there were a few docks and plenty of deep water. We would live off the grid here - solar panels and batteries. We augmented with the generator - gotta have our coffee and tea in the morning.... We were alone for the first few hours but were joined later by 2 other boats. No worry - there was plenty of room. We spent the days chatting with our "neighbors" - lots of local knowledge - and reading, swimming and hiking. OK, if you know me, you know I don't swim. I floated in my life jacket....

6. Ojibway Bay

Our hike was along the Massasauga Trail (7). The trail is named for a protected rattlesnake indigenous to the area. We didn't meet any, happy to say. We walked to Chimney Bay and Fairy Lake. The trail was well-marked, cool and bug-free since we had remembered the Off. The mosquitoes and black flies can be treacherous without protection. We found lots of wild blueberries (8) along the trail - ripe and delicious. Reminded me of the wild blueberries that Bob's sister and I picked years ago accompanied by our niece Penny when she was a toddler. We made delicious jam with them - at least the ones we didn't eat while picking.

Anyway, it was a great hike and our guide, Sophie, loved it. We regret sometimes that there is not enough activity - or grass - for her, so we hike whenever we can.

7. On the trail

We had a lovely 3 days at Ojibway - some rain and heat early, but the last 2 days were perfect - sunny, cool days and nights. We headed out on Thursday and docked in Honey Harbour at South Bay Cove Marina (8). It has great facilities, and the manager loaned us his truck so that we could get groceries in town. It is a beautiful spot, but we are looking forward to the quiet of Frying Pan Bay where we're headed on Monday. We'll keep you posted!