After 5 days of being in one place, we were ready to move. The 6 AM departure certainly was proof that we were excited to get back to exploring. We left the docks at Parry Sound with Lady Z, Sweet Equity and Ship Faced. We were headed for Bustard Islands and our cruise took us out into the Georgian Bay and then back into the small islands where we finally dropped the anchor at 2:30 in Bustard Harbor West. Since the seas were still a bit stirred up, thanks to Debbie, we were very thankful the stabilizers were fixed.
Once our anchors were set, we dropped the dinghies and went exploring. So much granite, so many rocks and a collection of lighthouse made for some spectacular sights. We hosted Docktails on Three Sons that night and Bob did some fishing. It was a quick visit to this area but a wonderful 35th anniversary!
It was our last day in the Georgian Bay and we had ourselves a day! The weather was exactly as predicted and with the gorgeous day ahead of us and knowing not so great weather was expected in a couple of days, we set our sights of seeing what we could squeeze into a 24 hour period. We left the Bustard Islands and moved to Bad River. It was a beautiful, quick cruise! Once we dropped the anchor, we had breakfast and then Bob flew the drone. We were amazed at all the nooks and crannies between the high pink granite walls. This location is far from any civilization, the remote does not do it justice.
We had read lots about this stop and the exciting rapids that you could ride down with your dinghy. We started tooling around in the dinghy being amazed by the flat rocks and boats tied up parallel against the rocks. We stopped to chat with on of these boats and discovered they were gold loopers. Being from the area, they knew the in’s and out’s of where to go and has they were heading off they invited us to follow along. Ya, an local expert lead once again, we were ready and excited! The train of 5 dinghies plowed through Devil’s Door, which provides the connector form the anchorage are to the other cuts, river channels, bay and rapids. We found ourselves in a magical place where there were wildflowers, lily pads, interesting rock, formations, and clear water. After puttering along enjoying the sights and watching for rocks, we pulled up the engines and removed the salad of weeds we had collected. Continuing on through the small canals we pulled our dinghies up on the rocks and hiked along the granite for spectacular views. Just managing to get the dinghies tucked in and then climb off could have been and Olympic event! However, it was well worth it.
The local couple that we were following was not comfortable ‘riding the rapids’ because they had not done it in a few years. Luckily, they ran into some friends and the new local couple had no issues leading the pack. It was quite the thrill and we were so proud of our 15 horsepower engine and relieved our prop did not hit a rock. The chute we went up was probably about a half a mile and just a little wider than our dinghy. At the top, we chatted and then did it again back down!
After some deliberations of options, we decided to pull up the anchor and move on. It was an absolutely beautiful place but we are told much more beautiful places are to come. We were also told the holding, especially with the direction of the expected winds, was not great. We strategically decided to cruise another 2 hours to que up for the cruise through Collins Inlet and to Coverage Portage. Beaverstone Bay did not disappoint. Absolutely peaceful, remote, calm location. We had docktails on Shipfaced, dinner on Three Sons and some stargazing on the bow. It was a day for the books!
