7/16 - Byng

We continued our stay at "Wright's Marina" because the winds increased and it showered on and off all day. This allowed us to catch up on some chores, make some phone calls, write some emails, and cook a great Italian dinner aboard.

July 15 - Byng

Pointe au Baril Light House

Barrel at Pointe au Baril
(Canadian Aid to navigation - If you can see the barrel you are in safe waters. If you can see it very well you are on the rocks.)

Reflection tied up very snuggly at Wright's Marina

We traveled approximately 33 miles in the company of "Adagio" this morning to Byng Inlet and the village of Britt, Ontario. Thirteen of those miles were on the open waters of Georgian Bay which can become very uncomfortable when the wind is in a westerly direction. Luckily, today it was from the southeast, somewhat on our stern, and we got into the inlet before things really picked up. We stayed at "Wright's Marina", which is a small family-owned operation in existence for over 35 years. They even offered us a courtesy car, but there really is no town to visit, so to speak. Though it was raining, we had dinner with Dave and Pam from "Adagio" at "The Little Britt Inn" which we had been advised to not miss because it is on "The Best Places to Eat in Canada" list. One of the items on the menu was "Elk Medallions"! That and the conversation we had with our restaurant driver regarding the 35 degree below zero temperatures here in the winter with copious amounts of snow, and how he has spotted bears along the road mere steps away from our boat reminded us that we are a long way from New Jersey!

A special note:

The crew of Reflection would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and condolences on the untimely loss of our beloved Ice Maker.

A sad day aboard Reflection

The Ice Maker 1987 - 2009

Gone but not forgotten.

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We are sad and disheartened to bring you the news of the loss of one of the most valued members of our Reflection family. Our faithful servant, the Ice Maker, passed away three days ago. For the past 18 months that we have known it, it has served us well, producing thousands of ice cubes without asking anything in return. Three days ago it stopped running and after many attempts we were not able to resuscitate it. It was the compressor - after 22 years of service it just gave out.

Killbear Point Light

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We decided to get underway today at 8:30 a.m., because the wind had finally lightened up. When we left, the marina looked like a ghost town, because some boats that had waited out the weather there for as much as five days couldn't wait to make a run for it even earlier than we did! It was only in the low 50s with a breeze, so we had on our storm gear, socks, gloves, etc (luckily there was no snow forecasted) . This was certainly the coldest July 14th we had ever experienced! George carefully followed our GPS and the charts on our 29 mile trip, which again took place amidst rugged yet beautiful scenery. The water was pristine, and it changed color today to almost a Caribbean green.

After we anchored in this roomy bay, we were joined by 9 other boats, with five of them forming a raft-up. A short time after our arrival we heard that a "Mayday" had been called in our vicinity on the Marine Radio. One of a group of kayakers had a serious breathing problem and needed emergency care, but they were on one of the rocky islands. Boats were trying to come to the rescue, but couldn't get close because of the rocks. The Coast Guard was on the line, and we didn't hear the details, but somehow the patient was transported to shore where an ambulance was waiting.

After the excitement we had a quiet afternoon and evening. There was light in the sky until well after 10:30 p.m., and we believe it was the glow of the Aurora Borealis (yes we are that far north)!

7/13 - Parry Sound

Because the wind was still blowing hard, we decided to stay another day and do chores around the boat, laundry, and food shopping. Food (and everything else) is very expensive here compared to the U.S. (rib eye steak $16 - $17 per pound, Kleenex tissue cube $2.69, and on top of it all add in 13% sales tax on everything except food) and we do miss some of our favorite brands. George is also shocked by the liquor, beer, and gas/diesel prices (six pack of Coors Light $13.50, 1 3/4 liter of Absolute vodka $54.50, gas near $4.00 per gallon and diesel about $3.20 per gallon U.S. dollars). Transient prices at the marinas, however, have been quite reasonable compared to those at home. We invited Pam and Dave from "Adagio" aboard for cocktails, and shared with them some info we had on marinas in Florida. After they left, we then went to a local café for dinner where we had a pleasant conversation with a Canadian couple from our marina at the table next to ours.

7/12 - Parry Sound

After a lovely evening at anchor we made our way to Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound. Several familiar boats are here and in the adjacent marina: "Adagio" from Ohio,
"Maya Lisa" from Virginia, and "Houlegan" from Mississippi. We are all "Loopers", and are all on relatively the same schedule more or less. On some days some may go ahead, and others catch up at other locations. Although it was a sunny day, the wind was howling here, and many of the local Canadians were moaning about the fact that the weather has been about 20 degrees cooler than usual. Since their summer begins to wind down around August 15th, every day counts for them! We have to agree that it feels more like fall here than the middle of July!

July 11- Kineras Bay

Our anchorage at Kineras Bay

Despite some early morning showers, and the continued high-wind warnings, conditions seemed fine for us to continue on our way. "Maya Lisa" decided to head to a marina in Parry Sound today, but we wanted to spend another night at anchor, so they headed out ahead of us, and perhaps we will catch up to them tomorrow. What is great about this trip is that we see familiar "Looper" boats from time to time, but everyone is on their own schedule. Just like yesterday, we attempted to go into another designated Canadian public land "Over-night Anchorage". Some have small docks where you can go ashore, and/or tie up to rings on the land, or moorings (if the boat is less than 35 feet). Many of the boats anchor Mediterranean -style by putting down a forward anchor, and then tying a stern anchor to a tree. Once again this kind of anchorage was not a good idea for us, because on the week-ends they are jammed, and we like a lot of room around our boat. Instead, we again went a little farther a field and found beautiful Kineras Bay, where we were the only boat anchored.