Oshawa, Ontario to Squirrel Island, Ontario

Our Great Adventure began on June 27, 2006 when we left Whitby Marina to travel east along the north shore of Lake Ontario to Kingston Ontario. After a short visit with friends we turned west to retrace our path along Lake Ontario from Kingston, past Belleville to Trenton where on June 30, 2006, we entered the Trent Severn Canal System which is a variety of lock systems that carries boats from the water of Lake Ontario to the upper waters of Georgian Bay in the Great Lakes. We entered locks at Peterborough. Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls to name just a few. The next area was Lake Simcoe where we rested for a few days to once again visit with friends.

From Lake Simcoe we past by Orillia, Port Severn and Honey Harbour where we entered Georgian Bay taking us to the famous North Shore area of Ontario. We traveled up the East Side of Georgian Bay to Perry Sound, Byng Inlet to Killarney. This was the roughest weather encounter so far. The sun was shining but the winds created waves, which reached over five feet crashing over their upper deck, forcing us to use the lower helm.

From Killarney we past Little Currant on Manitoulin Island and entered the area called the North Channel where we arrived in the marina at Spanish Ontario to pick up Terry and Eileen, Jeanie's parents who would stay on board for a few days.

This area is loaded with islands but the most famous is called The Benjamin Islands. It has been compared to the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and everyone who has been there has raved about it. This is where we headed for the first night on board. We traveled very carefully using the buoy marker system to avoid submerged rocks, which were everywhere. We went through passages with names like Boston Bar. The islands were made of granite and quarts. The Benjamin’s were unique because of the pink quartz rock from which they were formed. We entered into a lovely inlet, which was protected, from the weather. This anchorage could hold up to 40 boats, but today there were only 5. We had no problem anchoring then dropped the dinghy to explore.

At the back of the cruiser is an inflatable, hard-bottomed boat with oars that will hold four people comfortably and a 15hp motor to power the dingy. We spent an hour exploring this beautiful island in the dinghy. We went through narrow passages, around outcrops of rock and found another mooring where over 30 boats lay at anchor. We were happy with the spot we had chosen, as it was quiet and peaceful. We swam and laughed and swam some more. We had a wonderful meal prepared by Gary from the aft BBQ. This was the life.

The next morning we rowed to the island to explore. Climbing over the rocks we found many blueberries just ripe for the picking, great for blueberry pancakes. We climbed some of the small hills, then had a swim and huge breakfast. Then back to the island to explore once again. We spend a few hours climbing to the highest peak all the while stopping to pick blueberries along the way.

Our second night took us to another Anchorage called BearDrop Inlet. It had come highly recommended. Once again we had a lovely cruise through the islands and by using the buoy marker system found this peaceful out of the way anchorage which we shared with a few other cruisers and sailboats. We once again explored with the dinghy and took many photos, which looked to us like the painting done by the Group of Seven. This is the area that some of these famous Canadian artists stayed during their early days.

The next day we reluctantly left this beautiful inlet to travel westward through one area more beautiful than the next. Our destination was the marina at Blind River Ontario on the north mainland side of the North Channel. Here we fueled the boat and bought provisions. The marina supplied bikes with large carriers. Town was just 10 minutes away. Eileen found the old Anglican Church where her mother and father had been married 70 years ago that very day.

The next day we left Blind River to a warm sun but a bit more wind than there had been the last few days. The waves were 3 feet high and at times splashed over the fly bridge. The temperature was in the 80’s. For most of that day, everyone remained at the upper helm, where the view was terrific.

Our destination this time was the Wharf Restaurant on the water front at Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island. On our way through St. Joseph channel we past many light houses, small islands with swaying pines and quaint cottages. It was the most beautiful so far. Just before our stop for lunch, we pulled into Whiskey Rock for a swim in the clean waters at the north end of the North Channel.

After our lunch on the outdoor patio, we headed north towards Lake George. This was the narrowest part of the trip with the red and green markers very close together.
About an hour later we spotted Squirrel Island with the rock face of our mountain across from it. After traveling this distance we had a great welcome at the cottage with all of the islanders standing and waving to us from the shore. We arrived on August 1, 2006.