Georgian Bay welcomed us with the most open of arms. Our first week in the bay was spent basking in the beautiful weather, exploring a new anchorage each day, and living slowly.

From Midland we made our way over to Beausoleil Island which is part of Georgian Bay Islands National Park. Throughout the park are several anchorages, docks and hikes for cruisers to enjoy. We opted for Frying Pan Bay — a popular choice among loopers with easy access to the Fairy hiking trail. We stern tied for the first time while anchoring which wasn’t as scary as some had made it sound. We quickly saw, however, how intimidating the infamous Georgian Bay rocks are, and cruised with extreme caution. 

Tuesday morning we moved to Hockey Stick Bay. On the map it looks a bit narrow to get into, but we’re so glad we were able to experience this bay with clear water, and we even saw a snapping turtle! Some locals advised us to keep a good distance between us and the turtle because they can certainly do some damage (yikes)!

After Hockey Stick Bay we made the jump up to Wani Bay, which was a highlight for all of us. This open bay is closer to the larger Georgian Bay, making the water a tad colder but with a direct view of the sunset. We enjoyed a dinghy ride that evening weaving our way through all the rocks and spotting fish down below. 

Come Thursday morning we were eager to get to Echo Bay, another popular spot among loopers. Here, we’d dinghy 1.5 miles to Henry’s San Souci — an island restaurant only accessible by boat or seaplane. We were amazed watching a seaplane both land and eventually take off as that’s something we’d never experienced before. Henry’s is famous for their fish and chips, so we each enjoyed the local pickerel (also known as walleye). That evening we started our first bonfire on one of the points in the Massasauga Provincial Park. S’mores, laughs and stories were shared, making it a night on the loop we won’t soon forget.

Once we said goodbye to Evan’s parents in Parry Sound, we backtracked a tad to meet back up with some locals and loopers in Shotgun Bay. This was yet another highlight because we rafted up for the first time while anchoring…again, not as scary as it may seem! From shotgun bay we took our longest dinghy ride yet, eight miles to Moon River Falls, where we waded in the water and climbed the rocks to the top of the waterfall. This too was a loop highlight, which is crazy to think since we’ve only been in Georgian Bay for one week! 

We could skip to Michigan right now and be satisfied with our time here, but we’ve been told this is only just the beginning. We can’t wait to continue sharing all the beauty Canada has to offer, and for cruisers especially. Cheers to continuing this grand adventure.