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07-29-09 Killarney, ON

[Rick] July 26, 09 was spent in Britt as were the prior two days. Since we had “unofficially” hooked up with Pookie II and Perfect Remedy to go to Killarney and Little Current, we stayed in port as the winds blew in excess of 20 knots and create waves between 1 and 2 meters. That is 3-6 feet. Pookie II is a 25 ft Ranger tug that goes about 8 miles per hour and we had about 20 miles in open water to navigate. So we stayed until we at least had a chance of a good day. The marina was pretty nice. They had decent facilities, and supplied the gas for the grills. They had lots of picnic tables and chairs for us to spend our time. We were well inside a sheltered inlet (4 miles in). The locals said the wind never blew in there, but it blew the whole time we were there! Just more of the weather woes we’ve had.

So, on July 30, 09, we lit out for Killarney. Betsy and I decided to take the Small Craft Channel mainly to enjoy more of the beautiful scenery, and this route also gave us protection from the worst of the waves. This is a route behind some islands and avoids the worst of the open water. Pookie II and Perfect Remedy (47 feet) went outside and had a tough day. Not miserable, but pounding. On the Small Craft Channel, we once again found very narrow passages and some areas where the markers let you know not to get out of the channel. We weaved our way north of the Bustard Islands, and had to go outside for about 6 miles until we entered Beaverstone Bay on the way to Collins Inlet. Our outside run was very pleasant, and we sped past Pookie II and Perfect Remedy, who had left an hour before us, just before heading inland.






Collins Inlet is really a fjord, carved by the moving glaciers 30,000 years ago. It is narrow. It is beautiful. There are few houses or structures. It is about 20 miles long. The inlet is also a haven for boats that want to anchor out and not go to town. It is quiet, peaceful, and I am told that loons make beautiful sounds.


We arrived in Killarney, 65 miles from Britt, about 1430. Killarney lies on the western end of Georgian Bay. So we have completed our journey of Georgian Bay. It has been quite a trip, rocks and all. We tied up at the Sportsman Inn and proceeded to walk around this quaint town. One lady had a bedspread of stuff out in her front yard with a sign that said “Free”. Betsy was thrilled to pick up a thumb piano, a little instrument we’ve seen in the Appalachian Mountains, for free! It needed some tuning, but she was able to do that with no problem, so now she has another noisemaker!

This town is really built on the water. The grocery store has a dock. The Post Office has a dock. The LCBO (liquor store) has a dock. But, the most amazing thing we noticed saw was the flowers. We have seen beautiful and plentiful flowers everywhere in Canada. But, here in Killarney, they are spectacular. Shasta Daisies are 4 feet high. Many of the flowers are annuals, and must be replanted every year.

The waterfront is very busy and they even dock boats across the channel on the island. When we arrived, we had to wait for several boats ahead of us to dock before we could pull in. It is really a bottleneck. A water taxi runs back and forth to take people to and from the town and the overflow docks on the other side of the channel. Fortunately we were on the town side. This is us with Perfect Remedy and Pookie II.

<---West End of Georgian Bay

1 comment:

  1. Looks beautiful, great pix and seems like you have recovered from the previous "darker days"
    Hope the trip will be sunny and smooth now!
    Margaret & Tim

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