Stats for August 9, 2018

Origin:  Little Current Town Docks

Detour:  Kagawong Marina in Mudge Bay

Destination:  South Benjamin Island Anchorage

Distance:  31.9 miles

Speed:  8.4 mph

Time on the Move:  3 hours and 47 minutes

 

While it was great to be in a marina for a few nights, we were ready to get back on the water and see some new things.  We’ve been hearing about a path in Kagawong that leads to a waterfall where you can even go swimming.  This sounded like a perfect adventure for our crew, so we wanted to do our best to squeeze it in.  We also wanted to hook back up with our kid boat looper friends, so we had to do some fancy scheduling to make it work.

We left Little Current early in the morning to head about 2 hours west to Mudge Bay so we could hike to see Bridal Veil Falls.  The skies were overcast for our trip and it was a bit chilly, but it was a great ride with a sweatshirt on, cuddled under a blanket.  We remembered that there is a Cruisers Net broadcast out of Little Current every morning at 9 am where you can hear news, weather, and other local info, as well as boat check-ins from around the Georgian Bay/North Channel area.  We turned it on and listened to info about the fires in the area, a missing boat the Coast Guard was looking for, and then came the boat check in.  Hayley did a great job calling in and announcing that INNTW was on it’s way to Mudge Bay.  Aunt Marti–you would have loved it!

Soon enough we pulled up to the marina in Kagawong and they were nice enough to let us tie up for a few hours so we could do the hike.  The sun came out and we had a nice walk on the path to the falls.  It was right along a river with several other smaller waterfalls along the way.  It was a nice, easy walk compared to the last few hikes we’ve been on and I was appreciative of that!  We passed a stone maze, giant chess board and tree maze along the way.  Some of the boardwalk was painted with ideas of gross motor activities for you to do in that section of the path ie:  twirl, hop, skip, stomp & roar, etc.  It was a fun walk!

When we got close to the falls you could hear the water crashing over the edge.  The kids were so excited and Colin and Hayley walked right in and even went behind the falls.  I just wanted to put my stuff down so I could start taking pictures of them and swim.  Hayley loved swimming under the strong waterfall area with her goggles on.  Toby did a great job swimming, too, but he was a bit more interested in the people who were catching crayfish and minnows in the pond area.  Colin did a mix of swimming, catching creatures, and exploring.  I was impressed that the kids were so interested in swimming because the water was quite powerful and the breeze and spray close up was intense.  What a cool experience for them!

 

 

On the hike back we hunted for frogs, saw a few garter snakes, and had a quick stop at the playground.  When we got back to the boat we had ice cream at the marina and then we were on our way again.  This time we had about an hour and a half of cruising to get to our destination in the Benjamin Islands.

In all my research about the Georgian Bay and North Channel, the Bustard Islands and Benjamin Islands kept coming up over and over again as favorites for anchoring.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to get to the Bustards due to the wildfires, so we were anxious to get to the Benjamins and our friends were anchored there, so that was an added bonus.

Mike and I were amazed at the scenery as we cruised north and the kids were amazed by some movie they were watching down below.  On these short trips, the kids haven’t been coming up top to take in the islands much (unless I make them), but we figure that being wowed by nature kind of comes with age.  We also enjoy the peace and quiet and we need to concentrate on our path to avoid hitting 2383097392 rocks everywhere, so it works out just fine.

Upon arrival in our chosen anchorage in between South and North Benjamin Islands, we found that there were tons of people already anchored there, which doesn’t make for fun anchoring.  Throw in a dash of wind and friends you would *prefer* to be near, and it can be a bit overwhelming.  As our friend says “sometimes you watch the show, and sometimes you are the show.”  So true.  Luckily, we weren’t too much of a show, but we did have to attempt 2 locations before we found a good spot with enough swing room to feel comfortable.  Unfortunately we weren’t too close to our friends, but the kids instantly wanted to paddle over to go play.  The anchorage was surrounded by big, smooth, sloping rocks, many without trees.  It was beautiful, but honestly we’re getting pretty spoiled with beautiful anchorages.  After a few hours of swimming, rock climbing, paddling, and nail painting, it was time to take the kids home for dinner and some uno before bed.

That night was somewhat stressful with many boats in the harbor and some wind blowing us around a bit.  Every time I wake up at anchor I look outside and wonder what direction we’re facing and where the closest big rocks are.  The stars here are amazing, so that is a good part about waking up worrying if our anchor is moving.

The next day was filled with water fun, creature catching (more frogs for Colin and Tobin!!), rock climbing, and friends.  The anchorage cleared out a bit and it was small enough and open enough that I felt comfortable letting the kids paddle around and explore the water and on the rocks as long as they stuck with a buddy and wore their life jackets.  It was great fun for them and awesome to see their creativity and games they came up with.  Some of the girls created a whole “house” on one island and the boys dubbed another island “Frog Island” because…you guessed it…lots of frogs to be caught and tormented.

 

In the evening we all gathered on one of the big rocks to do some planning about what the next day would bring and to catch up on the day’s fun.  Another boat in the anchorage brought their 9 year old son over to play with all the kids and it was great to get to know them.  Erin and Tim were lots of fun to talk to and swap parenting/boating/life stories with.  After a while, we moved the whole gang over to another island for “rocktails” which basically means happy hour on a rock.  Everyone brought snacks and drinks–who needs dinner after rocktails?!  😉  I brought chips, cookies, and twizzlers, so you all know how hard I worked preparing our snacks.  The Herbons topped off our evening with a climb up the LOOOOONG sloping rock at one end of the anchorage to see the view from the top.

The next morning we waited out a short rainstorm and then went back to Frog Island for some more visiting with the neighbor boats and more kid fun before we all packed up and headed off in our own direction.  Our other kid boat looper friends were headed to a marina and starting their trek to Mackinac Island, and our new friends were headed east, back the way we had come.  INNTW decided to take a recommendation we’ve heard from several people and head to a new anchorage for more exploring.

We loved the Benjamins and I honestly wish we would have done more exploring around some of the other islands, but we just don’t have enough time to do it all here.  Plus the kids had such a perfect set-up in this anchorage, it was hard to leave.  Next time we will have to come back and do a month or so just in the North Channel.  Thanks for following and I’ll keep updating as I’m able to with service!!