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Tag Archives: Georgian Bay

July 1st – Happy Canada Day from Tobermory!

Yesterday’s ride from Wingfield to Tobermory was much more civilized and timely. Only three hours and it was very smooth. We are currently on the town dock which is very convenient. We just hop off the boat and we’re right in the heart of things. Of course, there are a lot of people here and they are very curious about the boat. We met a man from Port Elgin who noticed that we were from Parry Sound and he grew up there – he was a “Beatty brat” and his dad was the principal at Nobel School (which is where I taught for many years).
We met up with our friends from Kenosha, Wisconsin and they have two extra passengers on board this summer – two cats. The cats seem to be doing really well and have enough toys to keep them amused for years.

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There are an awful lot of dogs in Tobermory, parading up and down the dock as well as being in various forms of transportation.

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We went out for supper and it was excellent. There was “jazz” band playing Irish music at the restaurant. It was great music – accordion, fife, guitar and drums. The reason I have jazz in quotations is because that is how they were advertised, so maybe the real band didn’t show up. Anyway, they were really good!

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Today, we have to clean the boat, get a few groceries, do a load of laundry and fill the water tanks. Dennis also thinks we should go in the Canada Day boat parade with the dinghy. We’ll see!

We went to the local grocery store (small but excellent produce) and I saw this sign in the Express check-out. I thought it was kind of funny.

Express Checkout sign – Express – About 8 items

My final picture is for Louise – I know she will appreciate this one! We went swimming over on the other side of the Tobermory harbour and Dennis found a friend. Louise, please feel free to make one of your very witty comments!

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Posted by on July 1, 2012 in Sailing in Georgian Bay

 

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June 29 – Day One of Vacation

My first day of vacation! Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a “fun” day. We set off early from Killbear Park
20120629-182133.jpg before 6:00 this morning. The weather was good but the wind was supposed to come up and within an hour, it definitely came up. We were prepared though and only had minor things fall all over the boat. The anchor, though (of course!) got loose – not too badly – and Dennis had to go up forward to fix it. Luckily this happened earlier in the day when the waves weren’t so huge.
We motored the whole way into the wind, so it was not a good day for being too productive. Dennis steered most of the way while I fiddled with the transister radio until I found the CBC. I perked up when Jian Gomeshi came on.
Later on in the day, I setup the satellite radio and I am ever glad we have that! The CBC was crystal clear and we got to listen to Jian again! I also forced Dennis to listen to Wiretap (one of my favourite shows). Needless to say, he sped up the boat in hopes of either drowning Jonathan Goldstein out or so that we would arrive earlier and he wouldn’t have to listen to him.
We are in Wingfield Basin – all secure. It is a very nice and quiet anchorage and there are a few boats here but not too many. We are in the prime location – right beside the wreck!20120629-183041.jpg

I have included a picture of our track and as you can see, there is a fairly straight line for most of the trip. The strange angle though is when it was getting too rough and Dennis thought it would be better to not have boat going directly into the waves.
We are now getting ready to head out to Tobermory.

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June 9 – Regatta Bay

After leaving Killbear Park this morning, we started motoring over to Regatta Bay but within half an hour, the fog descended upon us so we decided to drop the anchor at The Pancakes. We hadn’t been there since Nick was a little kid and we had Hetarae. It really hasn’t changed much – water, rocks, trees, water, rocks, trees… We did manage to find Nick’s birthday present – see below for a picture!
After the fog lifted, we headed over to the backside of Regatta Bay. Since the weather was good, no winds and a bright sky, we took a chance and got in – it has a long narrow entrance with ledges of Georgian Bay rock jutting out all over. Very spectacular to look at but pretty scary when navigating in a boat. I was on the bow and actually was somewhat helpful, watching for rocks and signaling to Dennis.
We made it in safely and are we ever glad we came here – this is my new favourite anchorage. The rocks are amazing – wild formations of pink and gray granite. The pine trees are all bent and crooked and there are lots of birds flying and diving around. Best of all though, nobody is here!
We will head home tomorrow but the temperature is supposed to be 30 degrees so we won’t be in any rush. It’s too bad that there was a snowstorm in Canmore, Alberta today – it sure is nice here!

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Posted by on June 9, 2012 in Sailing in Georgian Bay

 

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