Trent-Severn/Georgian Bay/North Channel

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Riverfever30

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Heading north from Clayton this June and would appreciate any advice on places to see and stay on our journey. Also considering heading over to Michigan and possibly Mackinaw and read a little about Cheboygen and the inland criuse there.

Thanks
Ray and Joyce
 
That is a great trip I have done the Trent system a few times. Once in Georgian Bay I recommend the small boat channel to Killarney then the many anchorages in the North channel. There are several book on the area as well as blogs that would be helpful if you don't know anything about the area.
Enjoy
 
Thanks for the info Ocean. We picked up chartbooks, cruising guides etc.,of the area but it is also nice to get some local and previous experience advice.

Ray and Joyce
 
Hi Riverfever30,

Check out the Great Lakes Cruising Club website - great information on every possible anchorage and town. Membership required but well worth it.
Mill Lake is a great anchorage - NE of Killarney. You can rent a small fishing boat from Mill Lake Lodge and troll for Musky and Pike.

Also, don't miss Baie Fine and a swim in Topaz Lake.
 
Hi Ray and Joyce,

We did The North Channel last year coming from WI (the west). Coming out of Georgian Bay you will arrive at Killarney. I would stay at the Sportsman's Inn. They have fuel, a restaurant/bar and are very helpful. They have docks on the North and South side of the channel, and if possible I would see if you can stay on the North side as it is where all of the facilities are and will allow you to walk to the other places in town without having to take the dinghy anywhere. The Kilarney Mountain Lodge which you will pass on your starboard as you come in is a nice place for drinks etc and they have dockage however it seemed to be mostly sailors.

From Kilarney I would head to Baie Fine. This was by far my favorite anchorage that we visited. We did not anchor all the way back in the pool as it seemed a bit crowded so we found a nice place just through the narrows on the starboard side where we were able to deploy the bow anchor and tie the stern off to some trees. The depths on your charts will concern you a little however there is plenty of water going in (we sat and watched a sailboat come through before we had the courage to go through. Once here I would suggest taking your dinghy back towards the pool where you will either tie up to the dock at the end on your port side or beach it next to the dock and take the 20min walk up to lake topaz. It is absolutely beautiful and an excellent place for a swim.

The Benjamin Islands have some great anchorages and are supposed to be a lot of fun exploring with the dinghy etc but we didn't have time to stay here due to weather. If/When we go back this will be on our list to explore.

Little current is a cute little town as well however we didn't stay overnight. Pay attention to the currents etc when you're going through here as it can be rather swift.

We stayed 2 nights at Gore Bay. The first on our way in as we cleared customs etc here and one night on our way out due to weather. The marina is nice with good wifi and there are places you can walk to within 25mins.

On our way out we stayed at Drummond Island Yacht Haven for 1 night. Very friendly people and we cleared customs back into the US here. They have cars on hand that you can rent for cheap to go to town. If you don't want to stay at the marina there is a good anchorage nearby as well. When leaving we went past detour village instead of going back through False Detour channel which was pretty.

Once you're out of the North Channel, Mackinaw is an easy run. On the way in we took on fuel at Mackinaw City Marina where we were going to stay the night but decided to take advantage of the nice weather and push on to Gore Bay. This was a very nice marina (very new) and is an easy ferry ride over to the island from right next door. The boat we met up with stayed here the night before and suggested staying at Mack City instead of the marina on the island as it is a lot calmer due to being protected from the ferry traffic etc.

We were a bit nervous before we made the North Channel trip as this was my first trip outside of my comfort zone and you'd here horror stories of people touching bottom etc. Overall all as long as you keep your head about you and keep an eye on the channel markers you will be fine. It was truly a trip of a lifetime (and especially since you're coming through the trent will be that much more amazing).

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions.

max
 
Also, you may want to check out the Great Lakes Cruising Club. I don't remember exactly what it costed to join but it wasn't horrible and there is a wealth of knowledge about all things great lakes.

max
 
We boat at the Southern end of Georgian Bay. It took us a few years to get all the way to the North Channel. I'm glad we did it, and we'll return every year! It is that spectacular.

Thomas Bay, which is on the Georgian Bay side of Killarney is a great spot for a night or two, Covered Portage Cove, on the other side of Killarney is a fun spot also.

For provisions, I'd skip The Sportsman and go to Little Current. The Sportsman is fun for an evening though.

There are so many spots you can go to. Shawanaga, on the Georgian Bay side, is a great spot to stop on your way. The Bustard Islands can also be fun.

My favourite was the Benjamins. Such a great spot, lots to explore, nice water, and we met lots of great new friends.

We're at Bayport, in Midland. If you end up at this end, send me a note.
 
Thanks for the Great lakes Cruising club tip Mike and Maxwell. We will check that out.

Ray and Joyce
 
Max

Your right about the horror stories. When I started looking at charts and youtube videos I told Joyce she may be strapped to the extreme bow of the boat facing down to look for obstructions. After more reaseach though I'm feeling better. Is the weather as unpredictable as it sounds?

Ray
 
Pratorian

From the videos I could fine it looks like you can pull right up next to the boulders/islands in the Benjamins and and just tie off to them. Are there a lot of areas to do that? It does look a little scary getting in there.
Midland is one of our planned stops on the return trip from Mackinaw. We hope to get the bow into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan waters also. We are planning to start the trip around the 10th of June and allowing 3 months to see everything. How is the weather in June?

Ray

Ray
 
Praetorian

Bustard Islands are on our list, and will be checking out Shawanaga for sure.

Ray
 
There are a number of spots in the Benjamins you can tie up right close to shore. I've seen some boats tied right up to a rock, but I don't think I'd have the guts for that myself. There are quite a few different anchorages among the Benjamin Islands. The most popular one (the biggest and most easily recognizable on a chart) has only one thing to watch for - depth. it drops from say 30' to 200' very quickly in one spot. I heard stories about boats that have dragged in weather and when the anchor hits the 'ledge' they're drifting!

Midland is good in June. Water is a bit cold still (and much colder in North Channel at that time).

Bustards are the only spot that I had almost no cell service, so don't plan on taking any calls there :)

I would definitely join the Great Lakes Cruising club, just to get their charts and recommendations. They can be invaluable.
 
When you visit the Bustard Islands, you must also visit "Devils Door Rapids" at "the bad river" This is spectacular dinghy travels through some rapids. It's Awesome! Just Google it and you will see!!!!
 
Thanks Jim, I saw a youtube video on that but wasn't sure where it was. We will definitely add that to the list.

Praetorian
I agree about having the courage to pull up that close to shore. I'm really hoping to follow a Sail Boat with a deep keel into the Benjamins. We have a lot of shoals here in the 1000 Islands but nothing to compare with your area.

Thanks Again
 
Here are 3 pics of an anchorage in the North Channel at the Benjamin Islands. Our little group of 7 boats traveled the North Channel in July of 2007. We weathered a heavy thunderstorm in this anchorage.

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Yes that was a good time. Kinda cool taking your BBQ, drinks and food over to those flat rocks, enjoying the evening and then taking a short dingy ride back to your boat for a good nights sleep.

I even enjoyed the thunderstorm that came thru while anchored there. :)

You can hike up that rock for a beautiful look out over what is called the "sow and pigs" in Georgian Bay.

Mike.
 
Great pictures Mike. We are really looking forward to cruising that area. Thanks for the pics.

Ray
 
There is a Cruising guide called " Canadian Ports"
It shows you all the entrance routes to all the areas in the North Channel, Georgian Bay, & the small boat route. Worth every penny. We have done the trip nine times, can't get enough. Listed as one of the top cruising grounds in the world. Make sure you take a swim under the waterfall in Kagawon.

Ron
 
Don't forget to plan a stop at 'Henry's'...reknown fish and chips on Frying Pan Island, right on the small craft route, at Sans Souci. This is the heart of our home boating waters...prejudiced, of course, but they're fantastic!

As mentioned, get the Canadian Ports book for the area, and the Canadian Hydrographic Service charts.

www.charts.gc.ca/index-eng.asp
 
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