It has been an eventful week! We have left Georgian Bay and have finished touring the North Channel of Lake Huron (nestled behind Manitoulin Island between Killarney and Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island). Along the way, we have rescued the boat from disaster twice and drug our dinghy through heavy seas — upside down! And Kitty had a birthday!

But first, back to Rogers Rock at the top end of Georgian Bay…

We pulled into Rogers Rock and spied the rock with the tie-up posts on it. As we approached, Hervey had to jockey the boat, forward and reverse, to line up with the mooring and the starboard side of the boat. Kitty heard it first and we shut down the engines to find that the yellow polypropylene rope towing the dinghy had become fouled around the starboard shaft. We had to move quickly and down went the anchor! Hervey grabbed his mask and snorkel and dove over the back to try to free it: he took a knife with him. He soon surfaced and ran to the medical kit to bandage a cut across the knuckles and a stab wound (how did that happen?) before diving back in to resume the effort.

We seemed to be slipping on our anchor a bit, so we started the engines again and raised the anchor — moving out of the shallow water to a deeper spot on the port engine alone. After a quick break to gather ourselves, we came back into the mooring and tied up properly. With the engines shut down, Hervey attempted to start the generator but it would not turn over. So we did what every book recommends one do in this situation: we took a nap!

In the middle of our brief rest (without the generator, we would have had to limp to the nearest port for repairs on one engine!), Hervey remembered advice from a mechanic who had worked on the generator and jumped out of bed and climbed down into the engine room. After a little fiddling, the generator started right up and kept running for the next three days while we enjoyed this unique spot.

It was a highlight of the trip! Even though Hervey had to dive on the boat for the next two days to get all the fouled rope off the propeller shaft, it was a magical time. We were all alone and the weather was perfect for us to just relax and be together. We did not do much: sleeping and eating and walking and fishing. But we had all the comforts of home and plenty of supplies and air conditioning. Our best life on the water!

A day of travel on August 5 took us to Baie Fin, a ten-mile-long fjord just beyond Killarney with azure water and quartz mountains that looked like they were covered in snow. It was beautiful spot and we pulled into the Okeechobee Lodge at the opening of the bay. It was an old school lodge (warm wood, stuffed animals, helicopter pad) that had seen better days (the bar, restaurant, and other services were not operating) and was utterly charming.

We took the dinghy for a trip down Baie Fin today, trying to get a feel for the boat and enjoying the adventure of the sportier outboard. We took about two hours to travel the ten miles in, took a nap and had a snack, then motored back (with more confidence) in an hour. The rocks were amazing, both the white quartz on top and the underlying folds of the igneous rocks of the Canadian Shield. And the water was very clear down to 20 feet or more. The quartz rocks ran down to the shoreline and up to the heights above us. Later in the day, the St. Lawrence II came sailing in: it is the same kind of ship as the “Surprise” from the Patrick O’Brien seafaring novels.

On the run today from Baie Fin to Killarney, the waves were higher than we expected. The dinghy came loose from one of the ties holding the back of the boat to the davits and the boat turned upside down and was dragged through the water for an hour or so. We lost a few things from the inside of the dinghy but nothing we could not replace. And righting the dinghy took little time at all. But the engine was soaked and would not start. It provided immense entertainment for all those clustered on the docks, but we were getting used to the attention.

We fixed the ties and hung the dinghy from the davits again — and carried on! Dinner that night was very special: among the best meals we have had on the Loop! The Ranch House at Killarney Mountain Lodge was first class and the food, drinks, atmosphere, and view were beyond compare. The beginning of Kitty’s birthday weekend!

Here’s a video from the water at the top of Georgian Bay, the beginning of the North Channel of Lake Huron, with Killarney and Baie Fin on the horizon.

We left Killarney early on August 8 and headed for Gore Bay, watching a storm develop in the west and doing our best to get into port before it hit. There were interesting places to visit on the north coast of the bay, but we were feeling the need to head south for Hervey’s flight from Traverse City, Michigan for a family reunion in North Carolina.

The weather radar showed a storm building off of western Lake Superior and we decided to get to a harbor of safety. The waves and wind began early and, although it was a safe passage, there were some narrow spots and one call for assistance that was taken up by a fellow looper closer to the emergency. We got into Gore Bay at about 2:30 and the storm hit at 4:00. Then a second wave hit at 5:00! This second wave of storms had gusts of 45 knots and hail. And in the middle of the storm, the wind suddenly reversed directions and pummeled us. Boats were losing canvas and solar panels, and one boat came in through the storm and managed to dock under the most trying of circumstances.

After the storm, the rainbow. You can hear the hail hitting the boat rails in the video and sense the strength of the wind as it dies away.

August 10, Kitty’s birthday. And we made a long passage to De Tour Village harbor. We were traveling with two other looper boats for a while, but they were a little faster than we were and, after a conversation on the radio, they took off ahead of us. Hervey watched them go around Drummond Island, noticed “Prop Island” and a lot of exposed rocks, and decided to take the longer, safer route around “Saltonstall Island”. This was our return to the US.

DeTour Village was our re-entry into the US and we passed customs with little fanfare. We were blessed with otters in the harbor here, as well as fellow loopers with whom we had traveled for several months. We celebrated Kitty’s birthday with a couple of FaceTime calls and a gift opening, but the only restaurant in town was not serving so we ate pasta and salad on the boat. We watched the ships going by, from Sault Ste. Marie to points south, and you can hear the soundtrack from our journey in the background as we quietly celebrated our return to the States. Next stop? Mackinac Island!

Happy Birthday, Kitty!