Barrie to Little Current - June 13 to July 1

We had not travelled far from Barrie, as in only a few miles, when we noticed something was amiss.  Rusty went to the engine room leaving me on the flybridge with the command, “don’t get too close to shore”.  The short of it:  the portside alternator belt was not feeding the dead inverter and so it needed to be removed.  That would require removing the starboard alternator belt.  As we were bobbing around in the bay without power, that was not a solution so Rusty cut the portside belt instead. We were soon on our way and arrived in Orillia in time to pick up some pastries for dessert.

The next day at 8 am Gene, owner of Marine Electric Technologies, arrived to replace the batteries and inverter system.  When we told him about the alternator, he took it to an electric place to have it checked only to find out the place is not open on Saturday.   (The alternator seems to be working).  The job carried into Sunday as expected.  Overnight we had power to the fridge as well as the lights, but not to the water pressure pump.    Rusty brought out the gallon water bottle we purchased last year.  It had been sitting in a cupboard with two moth balls.  And that is what the water tasted of.  We had dinner out and then went to bed early to try and forget our water problem.

Early Sunday morning, we received a call from my brother.  They were bringing lunch (it turned out to be a feast).  What a lifesaver that was!  There was no way to prepare anything on the boat that morning.  In fact the repairs were not completed until about 1:30.  Fortunately there was a nice park with picnic table at the marina and we were able to have an enjoyable visit with Henry, Kathy and their son Scott. 

Monday, June 16, we did the laundry in the morning ($6.25 per load and dryers were $.25 per three minutes) some last minute shopping,  and then headed out.  On the way we stopped at Lauderdale Marina to pump out.  The sign said $35.  My eyes popped and I said calmly, Wow, we paid $10 last time (true).  The young lady said, would you pay $20? A deal was struck.  Then when it came time to pay, she said it was $10. 

That night we stopped at the top of Lock 43, Swift Rapids, remote, remote, remote. Because of the reduced working hours at the locks, we were unable to lock through before 10 am the next day.  The clouds began to get darker and darker and then the rain began to fall.  We pulled up to the town dock at Severn Falls and waited out the storm.  The sole store and restaurant was closed but the owner did come by and offer us the use of the power which enabled us to turn on the heater.  That night we stopped the Big Chute, the railway lock, which we transited the following morning.   To our surprise, Alice and Barry Jones were docked there too.  We had met them in Campbellford, Ontario three years ago when we did the Great Loop.

Wednesday, June 18, was a productive day.  We completed the Trent Seven Waterway (Big Chute Lock 44, Port Seven Lock 45), headed to Midland to shop for a new alternator belt and baked goods at the Georgian Bakery (turns out it was Dutch owned:  bags of black licorice which I resisted; orange flags all over the store in celebration of the recent soccer win, raisin buns, etc. etc.), and then over to the Beausoleil Island dock.

At least once every day from then until now I either said or thought, we have it so good.  The scenery is spectacular.  It is peaceful.  The only sounds are birds and the lapping of water as it strokes the hull of the boat.  The weather has been cool but pleasant often with a light breeze blowing through the cabin. Many times we have been the only boat at a dock or anchorage.

Our one day stay at Beausoleil turned into four wonderful days.   Rusty busied himself with a bridle for the dinghy and in the process has become good at splicing.  I started the annual job of touching up the teak and got as far as doing the windows and eyebrow.   There was a wonderful park tour one afternoon, focused on native plants and their healing properties.   By Friday most of the docks were full of Canadian weekenders and one couple kindly delivered some gasoline for our dinghy engine.  With that we were able to take the dinghy into Honey Harbor on Saturday.  The highlight was discovering a small shop with excellent meats and prepared items.  We later feasted on a really good steak and stuffed Portobello mushrooms.

Sunday, June 22^nd, we left Beausoleil, stopping at the famous Henry’s Fish House for lunch for some rather sad pickerel, and then anchored in beautiful Echo Bay where we ate stuffed cabbage rolls purchased at Sweet Paradise in Hamilton, Ontario.  Yummy!

We have noticed a slight drip at the steering column on the upper helm.  We think it needs a new o-ring but that involves pulling off the wheel with a special wheel puller which we do not have.  The short of it: we had it checked at Sound Boat Works in Parry Sound, Ontario, and it will be ok until we can get the proper seal kit.  Later that day (Monday), we anchored in Snug Harbor and spent two nights while the rain poured and poured.  Tuesday was a day for my homemade split pea soup.

Wednesday, June 25 we travelled to Pointe au Baril where there is a town dock, a combined Home Hardware and grocery store, a community center, a fish and chips stand, a convenience/gas stop with homemade bread, and a small grocer that was starting to stock up for the summer cottage trade.   We were allowed to spend the night on the town dock as they were not busy.   Home Hardware had good quality items, food and non-food, and we took the opportunity to restock for what we thought would be five days at anchor.

Thursday, June 26 we headed for Britt on the Byng Inlet, home of the famous Britt Inn Restaurant.  Unfortunately the restaurant/inn has been sold and so we continued on our way to the Free Drinks Passage where we are now anchored.  It is so beautiful we decided to stay another night.  Tomorrow (Sat) we might go to the Bustards or get closer to Kilarney.  There is some weather coming in a few days so we want to be settled in somewhere protected.

Friday and Saturday nights found us at a secluded anchorage at Free Drinks Passage.  So peaceful.  Then onto Kilarney but we ended up stopping for an hour at the LCBO dock, getting Herberts Fish and Chips, some bread and tarts at Gateway, and then on to our anchorage at (another) Snug Harbor.  We then gave the boat a thorough cleaning.  On the way from Free Drinks Passage we were swarmed with baby flies, hundreds and hundreds of baby flies.  It was so bad that I hosed down the boat for a full thirty minutes while we were underway.  Everytime we opened a door, they would swoop in.  It took quite some time that afternoon to get rid of them all.

On Sunday we reached Kilarney.  Yesterday Last Dance pulled up and we enjoyed sharing travelling stories over drinks. Today is Canada Day and there is a small town fair.     A couple of pies are in the fridge and freezer.  The opening day of the Cruisers Net took place this morning and Rusty called in our position.  What a great service to the cruising community.  Thanks Roy Eaton!