No, I have not neglected you. We’ve been without decent internet service for several days. Now on our way to Little Current, our phones and iPads have been lighting up with emails and messages. I’m hoping to post after we get settled in.
We’ve been told by so many people that the best part of the loop is Georgian Bay and the North Channel. I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree. The photos that I share will not do the beauty justice. They won’t adequately show the gorgeous pink of the granite rock or the purity of the water. You won’t hear the honking of the geese or the lonely call of the loon. The freshness of the air is amazing. It makes me want to suck in as much as I can and hold it in my lungs as long as possible to clean out the impurities. I have told Tim that this area is ME. I love the remoteness and the simplicity of it. So glad we’ll be up here again next year. Who says we have to go down the rivers?
Pointe au Baril- The location of the legendary barrel that once was lit to guide vessels to safety.
Leaving Britt, we headed to the Bustards. There are a couple harbors in this small island group. We chose the larger cove in the center and ran a stern line to a tree as did several other boats. They here was plenty of room for the 8 or so boats in our cove. A few others chose to anchor in Pearl.
We joined fellow loopers on SeaBatical and Golden Daze for a dinghy out to the 3 lighthouses on a strip of rock to the west of us. Just a gorgeous day.
Sunrise in the Bustards.
After a couple nights in the Bustards, we headed north to Bad River. It seems like every time we move anchorages, we find an even better spot. Bad River had to top everyplace we’d been so far. We were told that fishing here was phenomenal, so we prepared by stocking up with plenty of fresh worms. We dropped the dink immediately and set off exploring. Bad River has all kinds of side channels that run into it. Tim used the Navionics app on his cell phone to run a “cookie trail” for us so we wouldn’t get lost. Good thing we had extra worms. In no time after dropping a hook we were getting bites. Unfortunately most of the fish were small bass, too small to keep. But they were a lot of fun to catch. We met a Canadian couple who guided us through a rapids area. No way we would have done that on our own. Local knowledge up here is priceless.
Beautiful pink granite heading up Bad River.
Sunrise on the Bad River.
We left the Bad River and headed to Killarney to meet up with Barb and David Reinken, fellow DeFever owners who have completed the Loop twice and have cruised the Great Lakes areas for several years. We were excited to soak up some of their local knowledge. Leaving Bad River we took a route through Collins Inlet. We read that this well protected east/west channel was formed zillions of years ago by a shift in a tectonic plate.
We were greeted on the docks at the Sportsman’s Lodge by the Reinken’s then Tim and I headed out for a late lunch. We’ve heard there is somewhat of a rivalry between Henry’s Fish House on Frying Pan Island where we shared a lunch a couple weeks ago and Herbert’s Fisheries here in Killarney. We had to know for ourselves which was better. The coating on the fish at Herbert’s was much lighter and thinner than at Henry’s and we both agreed that we liked it better. But the fish in either joint has to be some of the freshest we’ve ever had. Pure yumminess. We joined the Reinken’s the next night at the Killarney Lodge for our first “fancy” dinner this summer. I celebrated by wearing a dress AND putting on makeup.
Killarney Mountain Lodge
We were excited to be heading to Baie Fine and The Pool. Baie Fine is a long fjord that runs west to east. It abruptly ends in a wonderful protected pool that can hold 15+ boats. 
One of the many delights at the Pool is the hike up to Lake Topaz where the tough skinned can swim in the crystal blue water. From there you can take a short walk across the boulders to a vista where you can look down on the anchored boats in The Pool.
After two nights, it was time to leave. Tim and I will definitely be back to this picturesque area. We had heard warnings of a weedy bottom here. That’s an understatement. While our 80+ pound Rochna had no problem holding, the bridle and all that chain held on to weeds for two nights. What a mess coming up. Luckily a fellow dinghies over with a knife and cut and pulled the mess off for me. It would have taken a good 30 minutes to get the anchor back on the boat otherwise. (Add to our To Do list- raw water wash down.)
With higher winds coming in, we decided to spend a couple nights in Little Current before continuing on. You’ll get that section when I post again. Who knows when or where that will be. Posting has been a huge issue as we have traveled north. Cell service is sketchy and internet service in the marinas has been pretty poor. The only way I’m able to do this now is by sitting in the town library. We find that the best internet in these small towns is usually at the libraries. I’m ready to get back outside, so I’m done here.