Georgian Bay - Henvey Inlet

Just a few miles from Golden Sword Island, Henvey Inlet cuts deep into the mainland.  There are places along the inlet where boats can tie beam to shore, a number of bays and coves with great anchoring, and islands and shores beckoning to be explored.

Most of Henvey Inlet is not charted - no depths and no rocks noted.  Exploration by dinghy found even more possible anchorages, particularly at the higher water levels experienced in 2016.  One unnamed cove has a narrow entrance and is surrounded by granite ridges.  A full 360° of protection from wind and fetch.  The next visit to Henvey Inlet will find Last Dance in this small cove.

Along the entrance to this cove stands a lone tree, seemingly standing sentry to watch over those who might venture this far.

The stories about fishing being productive in Henvey Inlet proved true.  A small Pike took a large interest in a saltwater spoon trolled behind the dinghy.  Dinner.

Georgian Bay - Golden Sword Island

After a stop in Bing Inlet at the always accommodating Wrights Marina, where they loaned us their car for a long trip to Parry Sound for groceries and some sightseeing, Last Dance made a short trip to Golden Sword Island for a beautiful, secluded anchorage.  Few venture into the coves behind Golden Sword and neighboring Black Bay because the waters are not charted on the Canadian charts.  The outlines of the closest islands are on the charts, but no water depths are given.  With many shallow spots and often large rocks hiding under the surface, it is a must to have some local knowledge or to scout the waters with a dinghy and depth sounder before bringing in the cruising boat.

Three or four islands toward the mainland, a cove was lying between islands providing protection from the high winds forecast.

The island and the land in the Golden Sword area is referred to by the Canadians as "Crown Land", meaning that it is owned by the federal government.  The philosophy in Canada is that if the land is owned by the people, through the government, it is open to the people.  So the shorelines are available for landing and the islands open to hiking.  Georgian Bay and North Channel often have smooth, rounded rocks along the shore which make for easy and secure dinghy landings.

While some islands form coves suitable for anchoring, others create narrow passes of water between them, appropriate for exploration by dinghy and/or kayak.  The pink granite, tree-topped islands make for beautiful viewing and hiking.

And, even narrower passages.

The Inuit indigenous peoples built human-like statues of rocks as a symbol of welcoming or to point to a turn in a trail.  That history and tradition is often duplicated by visitors, leaving an Inukshuk constructed of rocks found along the water.

Nature's Garden.  One hike passed by a beautiful garden created by nature.  Along side, a still pond a garden had planted itself, with a variety of different plants, some flowering, in a mound of moss that had grown in a rock indentation.  There is no soil here, just the moss holding the moisture.

The soil on these rock islands is created over millions of years by mosses, then plants taking root and the remainders of the plant life, such as dead leaves, stacking up and deteriorating into a natural mulch.  Some plants require very little soil to grow.  This blueberry bush has begun life in a small crack in the rock island.  The leaves are red due to a long drought this spring.  Even with the lack of water, this plant has set some blueberries.  One of the adventures of hiking in these areas is finding wild blueberries.  2016 was one of the worst years for this tasty fruit due to a late frost killing blossoms and the drought starving the plants for water.




Wildlife encounters are always a highlight for the Last Dance crew, to the degree that some of them are highlighted here in the blog.  The wildlife encounter at Golden Sword was a first for the crew.  As Jill was picking blueberries on one of the islands, she stepped back onto a rock.  It made a noise, so she removed her foot and continued picking blueberries.  Later, she stepped back again on the rock and it made the same noise.  Looking among the rocks revealed the source of the noise.

This is a Massauga Rattlesnake.  It is the only snake species in Canada that is poisonous.  Fortunately, these snakes are shy and not aggressive.  Of course, if you step on one or stick your hand into a blueberry bush where one is hiding, they will bite, with unpleasant aftereffects.

In case you need to see the rattle on the tail, here is an image from a bit farther away.

Pickings were slim, but enough blueberries were harvested for a recipe that always delights the crew.

Blueberry muffins, one of the many joys experienced near Golden Sword Island.

Northern Georgian Bay

The northern portion of Georgian Bay offers some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world,  The shores are pink granite topped with trees and a wide variety of flora.  Harbors formed by the glacial cuts through the rock and the many islands provide protected spots for anchoring.  Cottage country is to the south and few places have buildings and inhabitants.  Most of the property along the water is public lands in the form of parks or just government-owned land known as "Crown Land."  Canadian philosophy is that government-owned land is public land and is open for visitation.  The places where the Last Dance crew spent time on the 2016 cruise are highlighted on the map with a red dot.  More details to follow.

Georgian Bay - Cottages

Southern Georgian Bay is north of the most populated area in Ontario, Toronto and surrounding cities.  For summer get-a-ways, the people from Toronto have built cottages along the shore and on some of the 30,000 islands.  Above, is an older cottage in the area near Objibway Island.  Some families have been enjoying the wilderness and waters of Georgian Bay for generations.  A big difference between southern and northern Georgian Bay is the cottages - there are few in the north and some southern areas are thick with cottages.

The 2016 cruise found some new construction of cottages, which had not been seen on previous voyages.  The economy in Canada must be doing well if people have discretionary income for summer homes.  This house and the next were being built on islands near Massasauga Provincial Park and the Moon River area.  The red marker on the end of this island, Wild Goose, shows that it lies along the small boat channel in Georgian Bay.

Many of the newer cottages have employed ideas from architects, moving away from the rectangular box with a porch on front of the traditional cottage.

One architect had some wild ideas for this house on a very small island.  The lines and design do not fit into the natural surroundings well.

A modern design with impact and openness that blends into the environment was built on an island near Parry Sound.  It is an interesting and appealing design that is much more attractive than depicted in this image, which has the light coming from the wrong direction.

Every island is a candidate for a cottage.  This island, far from any other land, is right on the big waters of Georgian Bay.  When the winds come off the bay it must be quite windy, particularly through the open breezeway running through the center.

Since your home is on an island, boats are your major transportation means.  So, a boathouse often accompanies the home.  This boathouse, near Objibway Island, was built around the side of the island in a more protected cove, while the house was built where a more distant view was available.  Since the Great Lakes have varying water levels depending on rain and snowfall, this boathouse is built on a floating foundation - a large building to be floating.  In 2016, the water level was 2' 9" inches above the charted level.

Another example of a Georgian Bay island cottage and boathouse.

Georgian Bay - Black Bass and Objibway Islands

A group of many islands, including Black Bass in the background, create multiple coves wonderful for anchoring.  Some were uninhabited, allowing for hikes ashore.  The crew member most anxious for hiking opportunities can be seen in the foreground.  Cottagers on Little Black Bass Island gave the crew a chart of the islands and waterways around Shawanaga Island.  The chart was created by their father many years ago and their mother reprints the chart in his memory.  The official Canadian charts have no detail and no water depths in this area.

With new chart in hand, plans were made to visit Objibway Island and the Objibway Club.  The shortest and easiest route was through a passage known as the Hole in the Wall.  This route is only suitable for smaller craft, so a dinghy ride was in order.  With the accurate chart, the dinghy is heading right for the Hole in the Wall.  You see it, don't you?

The chart had the crew headed correctly and as the boat got closer to the passage, a rock wall gave a hint of where the opening in the rock wall might be.

Yes, it is not just a small bay or notch, it is a narrow, winding passage through the rock.  Navigating is always a challenge, more so sitting so low in a dinghy.

You would not want to meet another boat of any size going the other direction, particularly if they were traveling at any speed above idle.

After passing through numerous bays and cuts with confusing shorelines, the back side of Objibway Island was found.  On the other side was the objective - the Objibway Club.  The large building was once a hotel, drawing hundreds of people for recreation, particularly in the 1920's and 30's.  The hotel closed in the 1960's, was purchased by cottagers in the area, and now operates as a club - an open membership club that welcomes guests.  The hotel no longer houses guests, but does have a restaurant with inside and porch dining, an internet room, library, meeting rooms, and a history room filled with photos and memorabilia.  Lunch on the porch was a treat.  The building on the left is a well-stocked grocery giving cruisers the rare opportunity to reprovision in the remoteness of Georgian Bay.  Both the restaurant and grocery had Kawartha ice cream.  The last chance to enjoy this delicacy heading north on the bay.

Georgian Bay - Three DeFevers - Hopewell Bay

Shawanga Island is a large island offshore from Pointe au Baril.  Most of it is First Nation land, land Canada deeded to the indigenous peoples.  It is surrounded by many other islands, creating numerous coves and bays providing good protection, accessible shorelines, and good fishing.  As the Last Dance crew was looking at possible anchorages, a view into Hopewell Bay gave a glimpse of boats that look familiar.  They were - two DeFever 34 Passagemakers were at anchor, Haligan (Harold and Angie Lowndes, Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada) and Rhonda Jean (Tim and Rhonda Peterson, Vero Beach, FL).  Most trawlers have been built in Taiwan or China.  These three boats were all built in the United States, in California, in the same yard, within a two year period, over 40 years ago.  Quite a coincidence that the only three boats in the harbor were not only all DeFevers, but part of a rare group of boats built in the states.

In 1974, Jensen Marine, who also built sailboats, moved from wood construction to fiberglass.  The industry at the time did not understand the strength of fiberglass construction in larger boats, so they built the fiberglass hulls as thick as the wooden constructed boats, resulting in extremely stout hull structures.  They built two designs, the aft cabin 40 (two staterooms, one being aft and one in the bow, Last Dance being an example) and the 34 (a sedan style, one stateroom forward and a large walkout aft deck).  Both designs were called Passagemakers to describe their design intent of being able to make long passages in open waters.  The 34 Passagemaker here is Rhonda Jean.  Thank you Art DeFever for designing such capable and attractive boats.

Anytime two or more DeFevers get together, a Rendezvous develops.  Good times were shared visiting boats, examining modifications and upgrades, sharing munchies and beverages on shoreside
rocks, and telling stories of places visited. This image suffers in intensity from the gray, sunless day, but has some interesting composition with the Inukshuk in the foreground.

Georgian Bay - Snug Harbor

Snug Harbor is always a stop for Last Dance when cruising Georgian Bay.  The harbor has a very protected anchorage behind a couple islands, friendly people living along the bay, a great restaurant at Gilleys (Gilleys and its shallow water marina is the only business in town), and has a famous old lighthouse to visit.

A loon stopped by Last Dance, putting on a show for the crew creating the wildlife experience.

The evening sunset view from Snug Harbor.