Georgian Bay has been nothing but good to us…that is until this past week. As we rounded out our last miles in the bay before heading into the North Channel, it was only a matter of time before we had a rough day on the water.

After our reunification with both Ripley and Northern Attitude, we departed from Parry Sound and continued north. Our first stop was to anchor overnight near Killbear Marina as they had a cheaper diesel price than anywhere in Parry Sound. When you’re buying dozens upon dozens of gallons (or in Canada’s case, hundreds of litres), a ten cent difference in price matters. 

From Killbear Marina we made a small hop over to Snug Harbour for the main purpose of trying fish and chips at Gilly’s Snug Harbour Restaurant. If you remember a couple posts ago, we also tried the famous Henry’s Fish and Chips which is only accessible by boat or seaplane. Everyone compares the two, so we of course had to make our own opinion. Our conclusion was that the atmosphere at Henry’s can’t be beat, but we did prefer Gilly’s fish and chips over Henry’s. The prices were also similar, so I’d say it was a fair comparison! 

The anchorages continued as we moved 14 more miles north to a popular looper spot known as the Stairs Anchorage. This is a popular spot for two reasons: the famous Ojibway Club is just around the corner, and there is a well-known narrow passage called “Hole in the Wall” for cruisers to dinghy through. We partook in both activities by cliff jumping off the rocks lining the “Hole in the Wall,” and made a stop at the club. The Ojibway Club is another one of those sites only accessible by boat. Although a members-only club, the public can purchase goods from the small grocery store, visit the gift shop and enjoy ice cream or a snack from the snack bar. 

We stayed put at that anchorage for three nights while we waited out a few storms. Apparently we didn’t wait long enough for the open water to calm down because when we pulled anchor Saturday morning, Georgian Bay wasn’t too kind. Luckily we were able to stay in a protected channel for the majority of the day, but there was an hour or so stretch where we had to traverse the open bay. Four to five foot waves coming on our beam made for an extremely uncomfortable ride that reminded us how to use our sea legs and secure everything down. 

Navigating those rough waters was completely worth it once we arrived in the Bustard Islands to a full anchorage of other loopers. From more cliff jumps (with Ripley following behind), sunset dinghy rides and a full moon, this will be a memorable spot in Georgian Bay. 

This upcoming week we’ll make our way into the North Channel, which will sadly be the last stretch before crossing back into the U.S. Cheers to continuing the adventure!