Before we ever entered Georgian Bay, my ‘minds eye’ set high expectations for the beauty we would encounter. My research of the area had me dreaming big, regarding the topography and environment. While we had been impressed, up to this point, it wasn’t until we entered Black Bay that my mental imagery matched our reality! This post will include two (out of three) of my absolute favorite anchorages in Georgian Bay, where the breathtaking scenery is unmatched!
Black Bay 45° 47’ 36”N, 80° 40’ 02”W
Exploration by dinghy, drone, & foot (including a lot of climbing)
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I absolutely loved the backdrop of windmills in this location, and the drone made it clear, there were a lot of places to explore…so launch the Whaler!
The days were quite cool (for us) ranging from 74-78°. These cool temps (and chilly water) kept us out of the water on most days, but a few times the hike warmed us enough to justify a dip. A swim was especially justifiable if we had warm rocks to relax upon after exiting the water! This location was perfect for a dip.
Absolutely amazing!
Our next anchoring location put us in the middle of the windmill farm. I still felt awe inspired being surrounded by these giants, and I didn’t feel as though they detracted from the natural beauty, at all.
Henvy Inlet 45° 50’ 52”N, 80° 39’ 33”W
Our original plan was to launch the Whaler and do some trolling in Henvy Inlet. Our friend Shelly, from Oh Henry, told us this was the place to catch record breaking Pike. However, the day we arrived it was cold and windy, and we both felt a little exhausted from our recent ‘activities’ calendar. We decided to stay on the boat, but dropped a few lines in the water from the cockpit (which offered good protection from the wind). I landed a nice smallmouth bass, which supplemented our beef/bean taco dinner, with a couple of fish tacos.
Considering the fact that this was the first fish we caught in Ontario, and a fishing license costs $85…this taco cost $43.00 ($42.50 for the fish and .50 for everything else😉) to make…but it was delicious!!
Due to predictions of strong wind, we left Henvy inlet the next day to find an anchorage with better protection. Therefore, we didn’t really explore Henvy.
Bustard Islands 45° 53’ 45”N, 80° 54’ 20”W
Exploration by dinghy
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The tops of these trees would lead you to believe the wind was screaming at this moment, but that is not the case. Many of the trees in this area grow like that…probably because they are usually buffeted by wind from that direction!
Mink! Our first mink sighting was two minks chasing each other along a big rock. We sat and watched as they darted into cracks and crevices then reappeared along the water’s edge. We assumed they were playing, or flirting, with each other…UNTIL the one in the back caught the one in the front. Yikes…the scream that came from the fury of fur was neither fun nor romantic! Once they separated, this guy ran for the water as fast as he could move, jumped in from a rock ledge high above the water, and swam quickly to the other side of the cove. We now assume he was caught trespassing!
Our exploration took us into some very narrow channels.
And on occasion, a little help over the rocks was necessary.
But getting up close and personal is the way we like to explore.
This is the spot we stopped for lunch…spectacular! I would rank this in the top 5 most beautiful lunch spots in my life.
As Keith finished lunch, and stepped into the water to push the boat off the rocks…he found these eggs?? They look to be either from a turtle or a snake, as they were leathery, not hard. However, they were totally submerged in water, so neither a turtle nor snake would survive. We placed them back in the water and went on our way… just in case they were viable (we agreed the blackened egg was definitely dead). Upon returning to the boat I tried to research organisms that might have laid eggs in the water, but everything pointed back to a land nest, from a turtle or snake, getting washed into the water. If I had known for certain they were dead, I would have loved to cut one open to see what was inside…I know I am weird!
If you can identify these eggs, please share your knowledge!
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