2018 North Channel Itinerary - What Trip Planning Looks Like for Us

What Trip Planning Looks Like For Us

Truth be told... I LOVE planning trips and mapping out sample itineraries. BUT we've found over the years that the best plan is to be flexible and follow the wind. This allows us to travel along with new friends we meet along the way, meet up with old friends when we hear them call in to Cruisers Net from an anchorage, and explore new destinations upon the suggestions of seasoned North Channel cruisers.

Even knowing that plans will change, the planner in me still cannot give up mapping out a few sample itineraries before we leave on our trip, and I even have a list of the best anchorages based on wind direction ready in case we need to make a fast decision! 

Here is the Sample Itinerary I developed before we left and thought we might follow. (I always try to add at least 2 new places)  I also know we're most comfortable with a marina visit about every 3-4 days, to recharge batteries and empty garbage, so I try to build that into our plans. 

16 day NC Sample Itinerary (my 4th revision)
Week 1

Thursday - Begin overnight drive from IN to Spanish, ON

Friday- Arrive Spanish Marina, launch and anchor in the Whalesback

Saturday - Long Point Cove

Sunday - Long Point to Benjamin Island

Monday - Benjamin Island to Kagawong Marina

Tuesday - Friday - McGregor Bay (East West Channel)

Week 2

Friday - Sunday - Killarney Mountain Lodge - *The 1 reservation we made in advance

Sunday - Tuesday - Thomas Bay or Covered Portage

Tuesday - Little Current Town Docks

Wednesday- Friday - Le Cloche area (Sturgeon Cove, Bell Cove, etc)

Friday - Spanish Marina

Saturday - Drive Home

2018 Actual Itinerary
Week 1

Thursday - Overnight drive from Indiana to Spanish, Ontario

Friday - Arrive and launch in Spanish, secure overnight dockage

Saturday - Fox Island

Sunday - South Benjamin Island

Monday - Little Current Town Docks (decision made to drop off outboard to Boyle Marine)

Tuesday - Wednesday - Heywood Island (to meet up with friends from home port)

Thursday - Little Current Town Docks (had to go back to pick up outboard from Boyle)

Week 2

Friday - Sunday - Killarney Mountain Lodge (advance reservations)

Sunday - Covered Portage Cove (to meet up with friends)

Monday - Wednesday - Baie Fine, The Narrows (by way of loonnngg trip through McGregor Bay)

Wednesday - Little Current Town Docks

Thursday - Matheson, La Cloche hike (to meet up with friends)

Friday - Croker Island (to meet up with friends)

Saturday - Spanish Marina & Drive Home

As you can see, a few things stayed from our planned itinerary, but most changed mostly so we could meet up with friends along the way. The one reservation we had in advance (since april!) was dockage at Killarney Mountain Lodge. I've found it to be increasingly difficult to secure dockage in Killarney in the past couple years, and this year a weekend at Killarney Mountain Lodge with their pool, coffee shop and amenities just sounded like a nice "vacation within a vacation" for this mama.

We usually decide on one main "goal" for the trip - a new anchorage, or a place we love. This year is was McGregor Bay. As you can see from our actual itinerary... we didn't end up anchoring there! It was a beautiful cruise through the bay for us, but Ben just didn't find anywhere he felt fully comfortable with that we loved more than Baie Fine... so to Baie Fine we went (and found our new favorite place)! That's the beauty of being flexible...and also of having a power boat.  :-) 

Another baby on a boat post...

Sorry, not sorry... he's just so cute! :-) There are plenty of ways for a toddler to entertain himself on a boat. See pics below for proof!

Eat your mac and cheese and chug some water while dada cooks more food just for you

Teach everyone what the orange flag is for (standing on a cooler and waving, obviously)

Test out your balance on the table

Eat snacks, lots and lots of snacks.

Cars can race all over the boat! 

Pull out ALL the pillows and blankets to build a fort

Count your loonies and toonies 

Plan out where mama and dada will take you next.

Use mama's toothbrush while holding your own :-/

Lots of naps are good, but only after fighting them (literally) for at least a half hour 

What? Just sitting here looking cute.

Practice keeping mama and dada on their toes (the window was kept zipped closed after this)

Keep the boat clean

And then just lay back and relax in your queen size bed that you now have almost to yourself... 

Day 7: Running for Cover in Killarney

Uh oh!

Day 7: Thursday, July 21st - Covered Portage Cove to Killarney 

Sportsman's Inn, George Island side

We parted ways this morning with our friends Kurt and Beth on Petry's Pet, as they headed back west and we moved forward toward Georgian Bay.  As we looked at the radar though, we got a little nervous about the impending storm... and ultimately decided to head to Killarney to tie up on a dock.  Without the baby aboard, we may not have made this decision, but we were playing it safe on this trip!

Storm clouds move in

Meanwhile down in the cabin... RJ is just chillin and watching Blaze (and the Monster Machines)

The storm passed pretty quickly without really amounting to much, but we had already paid for overnight dockage, so we decided to make the most of the day at dock!  This was our first time staying on the George Island side of Sportsman Inn Marina, and we enjoyed the peacefulness. :-)  

Storm? What storm?

Ben doing some fishing off the dock at Sportsman Inn Marina

Lunch at Herbert's - Fish and Poutine yummmmmm

RJ trying some Herbert's - I think he liked it!

This was our first time eating at the new Herbert's restaurant!  It was nice to have a place to eat indoors (it was pretty hot that day), but we definitely missed the old schoolbus! We were lucky to get there at an off time, so there weren't many people there and we were able to get a table indoors.  

We otherwise had a pretty quiet day exploring and napping, and saving up our energy for more adventures to come!

Mama and baby bear :-)

The whole Seapickle crew in Killarney

Trailer Boating to Put-In-Bay, South Bass Island, Ohio

A rest stop somewhere on the Indiana Toll Road

August 19-21: We were looking for a quick getaway and to explore someplace new, and Seapickle had never been on Lake Erie, so we made the decision to pack up the boat, truck and trailer for an about 4 hour tow on the Indiana and Ohio Toll Roads to the Lake Erie Islands!  As far as trailering goes, this was by far the easiest tow we've done with the most convenient access to trailer-friendly gas stops along the way.  We did, however, rack up about $80 round trip in tolls!!!

Arriving at Mazurik Access Area on Lake Erie

Seapickle launched and ready to go. Very nice launch ramps.

A beautiful, calm Lake Erie greeted us after the storm passed

Before leaving, we did some research on various places to launch that would also allow a secure place to store the truck and trailer for the long weekend.  The Mazurik Access Area on on the north side of Marblehead Peninsula offered concrete ramps, a huge, well lit parking area, and was just 7 miles South of South Bass Island.  I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone when I called to inquire, but we had no problems leaving the truck and trailer parked in the lot for 4 days.  Oh and the launch was free!  Just as we finished putting the canvas up, we had to wait out a heavy, but brief storm before launching the boat.

Put-In-Bay - Perry's Monument in the distance

Passing south of Middle Bass Island and the remains of the Lonz Winery

Turning into the bay and Perry's Monument from the water

First night's dinner stop, The Boardwalk, from the bay

Ben found and ordered a Lake Erie chip for our gps on craigslist before we left, and the 7 mile trip from the launch ramp to Put-In-Bay was pretty straightforward with no hazards.  Only when we neared the island did we have to make sure to go around north of Ballast Island (between Ballast Island and Middle Bass) instead of between South Bass and Ballast Island.  We entered the bay without any problems and scanned the shore to figure out where to find our dockage for the night at Miller Marina.  As soon as you enter the bay, the no-wake starts pretty immediately.  The Boardwalk mooring balls are immediately to starboard and we had to go around them to get to the marina.

Seapickle docked at Miller Marina, Put-In-Bay, Ohio

Docked at Miller Marina, looking out into the bay and Gibraltar Island

Sunset over the bay from Miller Marina

 We arrived at Miller Marina just before closing time (5pm) as we usually seem to do!  We got tied up for the night, with the harbor master requesting we set out extra lines (uh oh!) and would settle up in the morning.  We knew from researching and looking at photos of the marinas that dockage at Put-In-Bay was.... interesting... but we were happy to be at a marina with a reservation and settled in for a few days.  We'll expand more on a review of Miller Marina in the next post, and then also more information about Put-In-Bay and South Bass Island!

Memorial Weekend 2012

Memorial Weekend 2012, a set on Flickr.

Enjoying the long weekend on Lake Michigan at Boater's Beach with friends.