Monday 8/13
The winds were still brisk but we were anxious to move on and explore more of the islands of the North Channel, so off we went saying goodbye to our friends, Joan and MaryLou. As we left the protection of Mudge Bay, we were a bit uncomfortable from the beam seas but as we reached the weather shore of Clapperton Island, we were protected from the seas and increased gusty winds. When we came upon the channel known as Main Passage, things really got dicey as Puffin pitched up and down as she encountered the swelling seas. At that point, we decided to turn around and head for the shelter of Logan Bay located along that weather shore of Clapperton Island that we passed earlier. Along with other boats, we enjoyed the calm until 2:30 in the morning, the lights of the other anchored boats came on as the unpredicted winds shifted and increased substantially. We were in for a very lumpy night and we took turns on anchor watch.
Tuesday 8/14
The winds finally abated enough to leave the bay and we headed for Crocker Island, a beautiful high pink granite island. Our anchorage at Crocker was idealic and ranks as one of our favorites. Hiking on the island awarded us with spectacular views.

Wednesday 8/15
The weather forecast was predicting very high winds the next day and we were planning on meeting with Bill and Janny, our friends from Wisconsin, on Thursday afternoon at Little Current, so we thought it prudent to leave Crocker Is. today, but not before more hiking and swimming. Upon arriving at Little Current, we treated ourselves to fish & chips and more of that yummy ice cream.

Thursday 8/16
We have been listening to the Boater's Net provided by Roy, a local Little Current resident. Roy checks in with boaters within the range of VHF radio and relays their location and current weather. His program includes local weather forecasts and a brief synopsis of current news and interesting tidbits of past happenings. He also acts as a dispatcher of messages to help boaters keep in touch. Since we were in Little Current, we decided to attend his live broadcast that morning, but little did we know that we would be asked to participate by documenting the list of boaters that checked in. Roy acknowledged our presence and told everyone of our plans as loopers on his opening announcements. That afternoon, Bill and Janny arrived from Wisconsin to spend a few days cruising with us. But as predicted, the 20 knot winds gusting to 30 made it an easy decision to stay put at the marina and play around town.
Friday 8/17
With the current condition and forecast of continued high winds and thunderstorms, we decided to stay put. The girls shopped while Bill and I used the free internet hotspot at the Anchor Inn. During lunch on Puffin, Roy happened by and suggested a road trip around the island and also invited us over to his place. At his home overlooking the water with a private dock, Roy and his wife entertained us with a video of another looper's trip. With reservations secured for a recommend restaurant where we could celebrate the coming of all of our 60th birthdays, we were off sightseeing and enjoyed a delicious dinner at a beautiful lodge overlooking Lake Huron.

Thursday, 8/9
The crews of Puffin and Catnip Too were preparing for departure from Killarney when the Catnip Too crew discovered an engine oil leak. Glenn helped them troubleshoot the problem to a leaking seal from the raw water pump housing. After adding about a quart of oil, we ran the engine and felt that we could get Catnip Too to Little Current, a town where she could get repaired. Having decided to spend another day at the Sportsmans Inn Marina, Glenn purchased internet access and worked on the Puffin blog site. For dinner, we had an inpromtu potluck at the marina picnic area with the crews of Catnip Too and Knot Home. That evening we were invited aboard Knot Home, a huge 48' sundeck trawler which really felt like a "home" complete with couches, recliners, flatscreen tv, full size frig, stall showers, covered sundeck, ice maker,etc., etc., etc. Many of the boats doing the loop are much larger than Puffin, but a few area about the same or smaller and most of the vessels are powerboats. While the bigger boats are envious, we feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to do this.





Friday, 8/10
We awoke to a beautiful morning and soon after breakfast, we departed for the town of Little Current instead of our previous plans of another anchorage. The departure from Killarney defines the beginning of the North Channel, a long strip of water defined by Manitolin Island to the south and the shores of Northern Ontario to the north. The big waters of Lake Huron lies to the south of and separated by Manitoulin Island. Little Current is a neat town with many amenities such as an ice cream shop that makes the yummy stuff on this island of Manitoulin.The island is accessible by car via a swing bridge located at the entrance of Little Current. Most boats have to wait for the hourly opening but not Puffin, she just steamed right under, no problem! Little Current, named by the natives because the water of the North Channel flows into Georgian Bay thru a narrow channel along which the town is situated. The North Channel cruising area as opposed to the 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay is similar to the Pacific Northwest as the islands here are in clusters separated by larger bodies of deeper water. The myriads of buoys are absent as is the small craft route.(no more yellow brick roads) We acquired a slip at the new town docks, while Catnip Too tied up at her close by homeport marina where a mechanic friend confirmed our diagnosis and repaired Catnip Too's problem.Royce and I spent the afternoon touring the town and reprovisioning.

Saturday 8/11
This morning, we met up with Catnip Too and headed for Kagawong, a small community and marina at the head of Mudge Bay where we were greeted by the owners and good friends of MaryLou and Joan. It just so happens that the same ice cream is offered at the marina store and so that was the first order of business! The docks of the marina were originally built for ships where a past railtrack connected it to a paperpulp mill which made the paper for the Sears Roebuck catalogs. The mill was powered by a waterwheel from the nearby river and later the mill was converted to a create electric power for the island of Manitoulin. It is now restored as an artist studio and civic office. That evening we along with other cruisers were invited by Bob and Wendy, the owners of Kagawong Marina, to join them for dinner at a cafe located at a nearby town.

Sunday 8/12
The early morning hours of Sunday brought in a stiff breeze which persisted and increased thoughout the day, reaching strenghts of 30 plus knots. At one point the local police boat was summoned to rescue the people on a small boat that lost power and eventually capsized. Fortunately, all were safely retrieved although the boat was still reported missing. Needless to say, we were not going to be leaving Kagawong today! During the day, Bob and Glenn drove to Gore Bay for design consultation on Bob's trawler.(A busman's holiday for Glenn) Later, Bob shared some local sights and history with Glenn.

Fri. 7/27

After a final check of what to take on Puffin or leave on the truck, Glenn washed, parked and covered the truck next to the trailer at the Bay Moorings Marina in Pentanguishene. We departed the marina with some trepidation as cruising the 30,000 islands in Georgian Bay requires careful navigation through many red and green buoys. Any shortcuts or missed marks could spell trouble as there are many rocks lurking below the surface. Using the highly recommended strip charts, we navigated our way from buoy to buoy, checking the numbers on each one to verify our position. Our two hour journey brought us to Bone Island where we anchored in only ten feet of water (many of the anchorages seem to have shallow depths) and stern tied to shore. The islands are low lying with many beautiful rock formations covered with a mixed forest. The "big difference" here compared to the Northwest is the water is warm and fresh! As a result, the swimming is marvelous and makes showering on board unnecessary. While we were swimming off of our stern swim platform, a couple anchored near us, came over and offered to take our garbage as they were "high-speeding it" back to the marina with their dinghy. When they returned, they gifted us with fresh-smoked trout that they purchased in town. "Wow", we thought, these people are so friendly and generous. Later that night, in fact, late into the night, our boating neighbors, along with 3 other boats that rafted with them, partied hardy! "Hmm", we thought, might their generosity have been a peace-offering in advance. We later met them at another anchorage and joked about their partying. At any rate, we have been enjoying their smoked fish during our afternoon wine & snack routine.

Sunday 7/29
We departed Bone Island Sunday morning with fair weather and light winds for what we thought would be our next anchorage; however, upon setting anchor and having lunch in Indian Harbor, we decided the thoroughfare traffic parading pass the anchored boats would not make for a pleasant stay. Upon consulting our cruising guide and strip charts, we decided on what would turn out to be a wonderful anchorage with crystal clear water at O'Donnell Provincial Nature Reserve. Along with more swimming, we dinghied along the shoreline enjoying the sights.

Monday 7/30

Monday morning began with more cruising along the small-craft route until we had to decide upon the two routes to Parry Sound. (The BIG difference cruising here in the 30,000 islands and the Northwest is the rather defined routes. If you opt to not follow the "Yellow Brick Road", you are truly gunkholing, otherwise "STAY BETWEEN THE LINES.") One route skirts along the west side of Parry Island, the other is described as a 12-mile long, narrow, picturesque channel through cottage country. By the way, many of these islands are dotted with summer cottages (some hardcore winter inhabitants stay for the duration). Except for the occasional inconsiderate "yahoo" smoking by at 20 knots, the picturesque channel was just that. Entering Parry Sound, we went through our first swing bridge which to our luck , just opened on its hourly swing when we arrived. As the other "Vern" would say, "Better to be lucky than good!" At Parry Sound, we fueled and emptied Puffin's holding tank. The boat next to us took on over $700.00 in fuel for 123 miles travelled; we, on the other hand, happily paid $40.00 for 70 miles. They, however, got their holding tank pumped for "free" while we had to pay $20.00. Man! Seems like a lot to get rid of your shit! Oh well, that's the price of clean water! In Parry Sound we caught up with the AGLCA group flotilla. We had an opportunity to join the group flotilla from Penetanguishene which would cruise selected areas of the 30,000 island of Georgian Bay; however, having installed a new engine, we didn't want to push Puffin at a constant 7 knot speed to keep up, so we opted to cruise on our own. It was great seeing and socializing with the flotilla group at a wine & cheese social, having been invited by the cruise director to join in the fun, and fun it was as the wine flowed in volumes. Staying at a marina in town also gave us the opportunity to do laundry and provision.

Tuesday, 7/31

During our AGLCA Rendezvous, we met two very helpful, local Looper women who gave us invaluable insider information on routes and anchorages. Our plans were to meet at Parry Sound, but they were delayed due to mechanical issues, so we decided to anchor nearby to contact them by radio (VHF) at their arrival. Our anchorage at Blind Bay was very private as we were the only boat at the head of the bay. After swimming and a long dinghy cruise along the shores of Blind Bay, Glenn started barbequing steaks, when he heard faint distant thunder and approaching dark clouds. Being prudent, we battened down the hatches and sure enough, before the steaks were done, the skies opened up. Glenn dashed in and out of the torrent and when the steaks were done, we enjoyed our dinner in the cozy and dry quarters of Puffin.

Wednesday, 8/1

After a breakfast of pancakes chock full of local blueberries and a refreshing morning dip, we headed out for our next adventure. On our way out of Parry Sound, we crossed paths with Catnip Too, owned by those two helpful local Looper women, and we all agreed to meet later at Regatta Bay, another small beautiful and well-protected anchorage. We are surrounded here by awesome rock formations and evergreen trees. More afternoon wine, cheese and smoked fish, was followed by more swimming and another barbeque. Oh man! LIFE IS GRAND!!!

Thursday, 8/2

So far so good is the state of the systems onboard Puffin. The newly installed diesel engine has been a joy to run. Very smooth, very quiet, no smoke. (Thanks so much to my friend Bill Colson for his unwavering support.) The Espar diesel hydronic heater has provided us with domestic hot water with only a 10 minute run time. It too will provide much needed cabin heat as fall approaches. Our new larger sink makes dishwashing easier and the propane cooktop has been convenient. We especially appreciate the his and hers hanging lockers; it sure beats living out of duffel bags. We have also been pleased with the dinghy davit-no more towing. Today we had our first raft up with our friends, Mary Lou and Joan aboard Catnip Too who joined us at Regatta Bay. We shared a delicious dinner of steaks and corn on the cob. We were captivated by their stories about their trama on the Erie Canal. They were trapped last year between locks during a massive storm which subsequently flooded, raising the water level big time. They had to be evacuated and their boat was damaged by flotsom. One of the boats was actually in the locks and when it overflowed, it was raised over the lock gates and came crashing down on the lower side. These gals have earned the BaccaLOOPerate degree for having circumnavigated the Loop.

Friday, 8/3

This morning we hauled anchor and departed for a bay along Shawanaga Inlet which leads to the resort area of Point au Baril, derived from the days when a barrel with a lantern on top was placed at the harbor entrance. Our stay here was in part to await calmer winds and seas before rounding the exposed points of Nares Point and Hangdog Reef.

Saturday, 8/4

Weather somewhat cooperating, the crews of Puffin and Catnip Too headed out past the charming Point au Baril Lighthouse, navigating our way thru the sometime hairpin turns of the buoys to avoid the numerous hidden rocks of Hangdog Reef. Upon entering the beautiful but countless rock strewn mini- islands of hangdog channel, we were once again protected from the open waters of Georgian Bay. That shortlived odyssey led us to a rock and roll 10 mile trek along the exposed trecherous shoreline until once again entering the calm of Byng Inlet. Up the inlet, we made our way up to Britt staying at Wright's Marina, taking on fuel (33.8L @ 74 nm.), dealing with the usual chores and enjoying the amenities of a marina.

Sunday, 8/5

In boating, you can make plans, but you can't always meet them. So it goes this morning as after a short 1 1/2 hr cruise, we opted to dodge into Sandy's inlet as the winds already at 15 to 18 knots were predicted to increase and our current destination of Bustards Islands would have exposed us to the swells and winds of Georgian Bay. After setting anchor and having lunch, we both had siestas. Our usual swim was followed by a dinghy visit from Mary Lou and Joan who treated us to delicious snacks and entertaining conversation. That evening, we had a bouncing anchorage as the winds and swells shifted from the west.

Monday, 8/6

We contacted Catnip Too at around 7:30 am and decided to hang out here as the strong winds and swells continued . The day was leisurely spent reading, swimming and fixing simple meals as the boat was a rockin. We both commented on our changing state of mind as our days are filled with very little stress and the lack of the often depressing news media. We have not read, or seen any news since our departure from Washington. Around 11:30 pm, the wind finally abated, making for a restful night's sleep.

Tuesday, 8/7

With the wind diminished, we departed for Bustards Island, making our way thru the very narrow passage of Roger's Gut( Pretty much one boat at a time). We really like the Bustards as we are anchored in a well protected cove and there are a lot of places to explore with our dinghy. Royce fixed namasu and steamed vegetables and I barbequed shishkbobs. Yum!

Wednesday, 8/8

We hauled anchor early as our next destination was around an 8 hr journey. This route included a unique 12 mile protected river like route through Collins Inlet as well as a 10 mile bumpy stretch in the open waters of Georgian Bay. The day was long, but we were treated to the quaint harbor of Killarney, located in a narrow channel. After securing our berth at the Sportsman Lodge Marina, we all enjoyed the world famous Mr. Perch fish and chips. A stop at the fuel dock revealed Puffin's fuel consumption at 26 liters for 11 hrs.