While we were at Killbear, we ran into another Looper whose journey had come to an unexpected end. They had left the area to head further through Georgian Bay when the unthinkable happened. They hit a rock. Thankfully, their boat had not taken on water (a miracle, in this situation!), and no one was hurt. … Continue reading Killbear, ON, to The Bustards, ON: Dinghy Exploring

We eased into a quiet morning. I woke up a bit earlier and sat on deck watching the campers groan into the day and the early fishermen ply their trade before the busy weekend day began in earnest. Our plan for the day was to go about 33 miles to the famous Henry's Restaurant on … Continue reading Beausoleil Island, ON, to Killbear, ON: Tight Corners and a Lunch Break

We spent several days in Midland while Owen worked. We were at the Bay Port Yachting Centre, but there is a more popular marina for Loopers right in downtown Midland. We liked the amenities at Bay Port (a pool! that we didn't use, but a pool!), but it was a hike to restaurants, stores, groceries, … Continue reading Midland, ON, to Beausoleil Island, ON: Rattlesnakes, Toads, and Millipedes

Morning came and it was our turn to go through the Big Chute. It didn't open until 9 AM, so we had a leisurely morning waiting. At about 8:30 AM, it started to rain. It wasn't a hard rain, but just enough to make it worth putting on the rain gear. At almost exactly 9 … Continue reading Big Chute, ON, to Midland, ON: Chute, yeah!

We had such a peaceful night at anchor! We pulled our anchor around 8:00 am so we could be at the next lock when it opened at 9:00. What an enjoyable ride! We had a couple narrow spots to go through that required a Securite message over the radio. We could hear that the boat … Continue reading McLean Bay, ON, to Big Chute: Holy Chute!

Orillia turned out to be a nice town for me to have (almost) a week to myself! There are some nice walking/bike trails that lead to nice places, there are shops downtown, restaurants nearby, and a grocery store just a short walk from the marina. The grocery store didn't mind shoppers taking the carts to … Continue reading Orillia, ON, to McLean Bay, ON: What a DRAG!

After two nights in Carthew Bay, the anchor came up in the morning with a little extra effort. We were eager to make the short journey to Orillia so Owen could catch a pre-arranged ride to Toronto to catch a flight for work. We stopped at Bridge Port Marina for fuel and a pumpout. The … Continue reading Carthew Bay, ON, to Orillia, ON: Weeds, Weeds, and More Weeds

After a pleasantly quiet night on the wall, we lined up for the first lockage with a fellow Looper. The Kirkfield Lock is a lift lock like Peterborough. It is really cool, but not quite as cool as Peterborough. On the positive side, Kirkfield has a steel lattice support structure, so you can see better. … Continue reading Kirkfield, ON, to Carthew Bay, Lake Simcoe, ON: Back in the Big Water

I woke up early and went for a little walk around Fenelon Falls before the locks opened for the day. Fenelon Falls is a cute little town. One thing I found interesting is the snowmobile trail through town. There's a large permanent map on the edge of water showing a looooong trail for winter traffic. … Continue reading Fenelon Falls, ON, to the Kirkfield Lift Lock, ON: Prettier and Prettier

We enjoyed our short time in Lakefield. The ice cream store in the marina office came in very handy. We had intended to stay through the week, but after evaluating our schedule and my need to make it to a place where I could easily get to Toronto airport, we only stayed a couple of … Continue reading Lakefield, ON, to Fenelon Falls, ON: Through Hell’s Gate to Paradise