North Channel - Killarney to Blind River to U.S. Waters

After Chuck & Chris left us in Killarney we picked up Bill's brother Tom and a college buddy Fred. They were visiting Bill and Gail for a week from Killarney to Blind River. We first went to an anchorage only 3 miles away called Covered Portage Cove. It is one of the best anchorages in the North Channel. Partway into the entrance is a rock formation called "Indian Head Rock". Stacy and I anchored in the part of the cove where this could be seen.

Bill & Gail anchored JUWIKA further into the smaller cove and we hiked up to the top of the surrounding rock hills for a view back down to the cove.

After one night here we headed for Baie Fine (pronounced Bay Fin). We were told that the "pool" at the end of the bay was choked with weeds so we stopped at Mary Ann Cove and again hiked up to the top of the hills. This time Frazer Hill with an amazing view of the entire bay and McGregor Bay further north.

We only stayed long enough to do the hike and decided that since our anchor was not holding on the rocky bottom to head on in and look at the conditions of the "pool". The pool was full of weeds but we went in and anchored anyway. Bill & Gail rafted to us and Tom and Fred started fishing. Tom caught a small catfish from the boat and a couple of smallmouth bass later from the dinghy. This would prove to be the last fish they would catch for the week (in an area that is supposedly fabulous for fishing).

When we left the next day I had to clear a large ball of weeds from the anchor chain and anchor. After we left the weed filled pool, I dove down and cleared the remaining weeds that remained wrapped around our prop shafts.

We left Baie Fine and went to Little Current. This is a great stop and is a channel where every boat transiting the North Channel must go through. The marina there was very nice and they would allow daytime docking (including electricity and water) for free. The only charge was for overnight dockage. We took advantage of this and docked for the day and hooked up power to fully charge the batteries and heat our water. We also filled our water tank there.

We did eat out at a local restaurant so the purpose of the daytime docking was accomplished. Bill & Gail stayed at this marina overnight while we anchored behind an island a couple of miles away. While we were leaving, we passed by Essi Anna, Chuck & Chris's boat where they had left it for the winter. It was not put inside yet and it was hard, once again, to realize that they had to leave so suddenly.

The next day we headed for the Benjamin Islands. This is reported to be the most popular anchorage in the North Channel. When we got to the islands we saw more boats anchored there than we had seen since leaving New York harbor. We could not get in to anchor and started to head for Oak Bay further north when we saw some space in a cove on the southwest side of South Benjamin. This proved to be a great spot and we explored the entire Benjamin islands by dinghy. These islands are unique in that they are solid pink granite. This is not found in any other areas of the North Channel.

Stacy adopted a group of ducks to feed stale Cheeze-Its and they came back the next day with their friends. We swam in the water periodically. The water temps were around 72 degrees everywhere we stopped which was cold to me but Stacy had no problem. She took advantage and washed her hair from the swim platform.

After departing South Benjamin, we headed for Oak Bay. This was a great bay for exploring in the dinghy. We tried fishing again but to no avail. From Oak Bay we headed to Beardrop Harbor which would be our last stop before Blind River and Tom and Fred's departure. They were determined to catch fish so Fred was out fishing first thing in the morning still in his robe. I caught a small perch from the boat towards the end of the day.

We had a cigar on our aft deck to close the day and headed for Blind River the next morning.

We had a nice dinner at the marina cafe that night and Tom and Fred left the next morning. We departed as well to make our trip to Drummond Island and check in through U.S. Customs. We had no reason to stay at the marina so we anchored behind an island close to Drummond after the check-in. Now I could remove the Canadian courtesy flag I had been flying since we crossed Lake Ontario.

Since we knew Bill & Gail would be leaving their boat in Petoskey, Michigan while attending their reunion, I needed to get back my spare anchor rode that Bill had been using since his towing in Georgian Bay. I had a 300+ ft spool of 5/8 line on board and Bill was able to purchase a thimble and shackle. I spliced the thimble into the line while at anchor in Drummond. The plan is to switch back once we get to Mackinac Island.

The next day Stacy and I headed for Mackinac Island and Bill & Gail headed for Hessel for one night. We had reservations for 3 nights at Mackinac but Bill could only get reservations for 2 nights. The marina reservation system in Michigan is unique to us. If we only knew exactly where we would be and when we could reserve space. However, as most boaters are aware, the most dangerous thing to have on board is a hard and fast schedule.