Goodbye Georgian Bay; Hello North Channel!

On a very smoky Sunday morning, we left Mill Lake to travel through more of the fijord-like channel we had arrived through, cross about five miles of open water, and arrive in Killarney. Despite the smoke, we enjoyed the splendor of the fijord-like passage

and the open water offered only a moderate chop--a nice change from the day before. The scenery through the channel delighted us with steep sides, deep water, and a narrow channel that eventually broadened to include small islands and broader views.

Tucked in the crooks of the channel where it turned corners

were grassy spaces that hosted three beaver lodges and the first Canadian geese we've

seen in a while. As we rounded one corner, we flushed a bald eagle who flared up, rounded the next corner, and then perched in a pine tree to watch us pass. And, of course, we saw cormorants and gulls. After we crossed the open water stretch, Red Rock Lighthouse welcomed us to the narrow channel that passes through Killarney and marks the divide between Georgian Bay and the North Channel.

With a population of less than 400, Killarney is a small town consisting of a half dozen marinas, a granite quarry, a small but not badly provisioned general store, and the Saint Bonaventure Catholic Church. It is also home to the self-purported "world

famous fish and chips" at Herbert's Fish. Guess where we went first? I'm not sure what

kind of fish we ate--probably pickerel as it's known locally or walleye as we would think of it. It was light, flaky, and mild tasting and the batter was light and crisp--not bad. Does it hold a candle to good fish and chips made with haddock? Not a chance.

A highlight of our visit to Killarney occurred when a Sabre 45, identically matching Katahdin in its color scheme, docked beside us in the harbor on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning, we had a delightful chat with Brad and Susan, owners of Northern Light. It turns out that they bought their boat from Craig Tallberg at Coastal Carolina Yachts in Charleston who sold us both the Back Cove 41 and our Sabre 45. He had previously sold them a Back Cove as well. Small world. Brad and Susan were "delivering" their boat from Hilton Head to their home in Boyne City, Michigan.

Monday we traveled from Killarney into the North Channel and to another not so bustling metroplis, Little Current in the greater town of Northeastern Manitoulin. With a population that's down to 1200 from nearly 1600 a decade ago, it appears to be a town that's struggling. Though it is the

center of the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, we found its small downtown village almost deserted on a pleasant early August Monday afternoon. We visited most of the half dozen or so stores on the main street, mostly tourist/outfitter type places, and were the only folks in each--not a good sign. The outlier was the Dockside Restaurant--a pizzaria where you ordered at a window and sat at outdoor picnic

tables. When we arrived around 6:15, it was mobbed. The Admiral grabbed the only available table and I stood in line 10-15 minutes to order. By the time our pizza was ready an hour later, our drinks were gone and, being geezers, we headed back to the boat where we enjoyed the delicious pizza with the Admiral's Netflix limited series of the moment.

Let me leave you with a couple of thoughts. First, the forest fire smoke continues to be terrible. But for that, we would be enjoying the blue sky days of August with cool clear mornings, warm clear afternoons, along with the greens of the trees, blues of the water and sky, and white puffy clouds. It's a shame to be in such glorious, unspoiled back country surroundings and have only gray smoke as the back drop. It definitely dulls the days.

Second, and Little Current is the exception, we have been surprised throughout Canada (and much of the US) that the dock hands, fuel attendants, and pump out folks at marinas are almost entirely all young women. Young women also occupied the bulk of the jobs at the Canadian locks. Many, perhaps even most, are highly competent, customer focused, outgoing, and knowledgeable about boats, their work, and their communities. For most these are repeat summer jobs while on break from college. But, where are the young men? We've asked and the most consistent answer: "Home playing video games." Not good.

Third, while we barely saw a municipal marina in the US, almost all the marinas we've stayed at in Canada are municipally owned and operated. In general, they are clean, well run, very professional and offer the services you need along with marine supplies. Having now spent almost two months in Canada, we continue to be surprised at how similar and how different our two countries are.

Finally, a few pics from around Little Current.