North Channel - Georgian Bay - Lake Huron

El and Bill

Anyone familiar with the North Channel who would care to share knowledge about launch ramps, favorite anchorages and places to visit, special cautions for cruisers? We are considering this area for our cruising next week.

C-Brats shared some great ideas about the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior and we just completed a fine navigation of the islands thanks to their ideas.

Not For Hire · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:00 pm Post subject:

Hello El and Bill,
This topic is too big. Gunkholer's paradise. I have spent more time in the St. Mary's River system than in the NC but all is good. Recommend most highly the Ports Cruising Guide. This is much better than the Lakeland Ports of Call which is okay. The Ports Guide tells you lots of great places to anchor and fiords to explore and waterfalls and ice cream. The Navionic's chart is good for this area but some US elec charts fall short. If you travel as far east as Spanish you can avoid some of the bigger water at the W end of the channel. Spanish has newer marina with lots of parking, good lauch, etc. They charge for parking but I forget how much.
Google on this topic will give you reams but the Ports Guide is the best. In August the crowds of boats will have thinned quite a bit, in any event you have seen much busier places and you can always find a private anchorage. On Manitoulin Island you will be impressed by the "trust" factor. They expect people to behave and everything isn't under lock and key.
Hey Bill, can you say isostatic rebound? Pre-cambrian rocks galore.
I have the guides above and would be happy to send them to you, I won't be up that way until Sept or Oct but I do hope to do some Lk, Mich fishing in the next three weeks.

Mark

C-batical · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:56 pm Post subject:

Hi El & Bill,

Mark summarized his experience in the North Channel very well as only an attorney could. The North Channel is among my favorite spots to cruise and I highly recommend it. The town of Spanish, Ont is a great spot to launch from as it is centrally located and has excellent accomodations. When you are in the area the Straits of Mackinac, Les Cheneaux Islands, The St, Mary's River and Drummond Island are also great cruising areas. Please see my photo album to get a flavor of the areas I mentioned. As Mark has offered, I also have charts, cruising guides, other reference materials, and Navionic Electronic charts of the area that I can send to you. I will not be need them this year as we won't be going up there but instead will be visiting the 1000 Islands In New York in August. If there is anything I can do to help you please let me know.

Best regards,
Rollie/C-Batical

BRAZO · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:00 pm Post subject:

Last year we launched in Spanish and parked our truck there. Great location to reach any of the anchorages in the North Channel. Be sure to listen to Roy on channel. 71 (I pretty sure it is 71) in the mornings.

Some of our favorite anchorages - or like we did with our CD22 - bow on shore spots.

Porcupine Island (tight entry but great spot that non-cdory's can't make)

Fox Island

Pot Hole Portage Mcgregor Bay - by far our favorite only smaller boats can get up there. We had the spot to ourselves.

The pool

Probably the best cruising guide is from the Great Lakes Cruising Club - amazing info but pricy.

Have a great time.

Levitation · Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:41 am Post subject:

In two weeks we will be doing the St. Mary's River - Drummond Island area... I ordered a NOAA chart of the waters to compliment my Garmin Blue chip MFD just in case the magic smoke leaks out of the chart plotter... (belt and suspenders, eh)
I am not likely to spend money of guide books as I figure I will find things out for myself in any case...
This will be the first trip on this boat, so who knows what will happen...

Moxieabs · Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:17 pm Post subject:

The Benjamins, Oak Harbor, the abondoned mill town on Cockburn Island. Gore Bay & Meldrum for provisions and dinning ashore.

SouthLake · Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 1:29 pm Post subject:

Baie Fine and the Pool offer beautiful scenery, places to hike, etc. A little further East and Killarney, Ontario is a nice little town with fuel and supplies, and great fish at the Red Bus. From Killarney you can travel a few miles out Georgian Bay to Collins Inlet and follow it to Mill Lake and Beaverstone Bay. Beautiful, protected, plenty of private anchorages. Burnt Island cove in Beaverstone Bay is probably our favorite place to anchor of all the places we've been. But then you can't find a bad place to stay in that whole part of the Great Lakes. Have a great time!

journey on · Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:16 pm Post subject:

Here's our journey through the North Channel and Georgian Bay with Lake Superior thrown in for free:

Journey On in the Great Lakes

Boris

C-batical · Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:00 pm Post subject:

Hi El & Bill,
Back Again. I have a DVD that you can have of Lake Huron and the North Channel. It is full of information and great to have aboard to prepare your float plan. Unfortuntely, I live about 300 miles south of where I think you will be coming across but I will express mail it to you if there is a way to do it. Please let me know through this forum or email me @ rdittmer@chartermi.net.

Best regards ,
Rollie/C-Batical

El and Bill · Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:07 am Post subject:

Thanks all for the great suggestions and offers. We have charts of the area and with your suggestions, who needs a guidebook? Hmmm!

It would be difficult to receive anything sent but with your comments we know the right guides.

We plan to head over to Spanish in the next few days. Thanks all.

colbysmith · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:06 pm Post subject:

Thought I'd refresh this thread. There is a possibility we might spend a week in the North Channel this summer. Sounds like Spanish is a good place to launch if we get that way. I like Robert Meyer's list of suggested places to visit on the water then, but wondering if there are any updates to the information presented earlier here. My wife and I have passports but have never towed or floated a boat across into Canada. You all know what the basic set up is for the 22' C-dory in regards to living facilities, and we don't plan on changing that. I assume we shouldn't have any problems crossing into Canada from Wisconsin or Michigan, towing our boat. Thanks for any more info. Colby

journey on · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:59 pm Post subject:

I was surprised, but the entry and exit from Canada towing a boat is a lot less formal than arriving by water. They just wave you in and there's no paperwork. Appears you're just towing a trailer, eh? And they don't care about the boat when you exit. Not to say the USA doesn't scrutinize the boat coming back, but no more than any RV. Unless its for clams.

One word of caution, as you probably know. Play it straight with the Canadian Customs Officials. No jokes and especially no smart remarks. My fault.

Boris

colbysmith · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 5:19 pm Post subject:

I've driven into and out of Canada numerous times, and have also flown in and out. But it's been a while. They don't have a sense of humor. No problem as long as you don't try to be funny. Most interesting experience, in the motorhome with our young twins, the customs guy spent a minute or so with some odd questions of the kids...think they wanted to make sure we weren't kidnapping them... Colby

BRAZO · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 8:52 pm Post subject:

We've done it a few times and it was like they didn't even notice the boat in tow. We took our Sundowner Tug by water and two customs agents came to the boat and went bow to stern looking in every spot on the boat. Later we saw one of the customs agents in Little Current and she gave us a ride to her favorite pizza place in town.

Captain Bella · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:45 pm Post subject:

We launched our previous 22 cruiser from both Spanish and Little Current last summer.

I prefer Little Current as a base of operations for several reasons:

1. Good ramp with plenty of vehicle storage at Spider Bay Marina. Numerous anchoring and dockage options close by if the WX is poor on launch day.

2. Good place to fuel and provision immediately prior to launching.

3. Central location to get back to the vehicle if necessary (medical issue, sick doggy, mechanical problems, etc.). The central location is also valuable as Environment Canada's North Channel forecasts are not the most useful and you may wish to change plans with the wind and waves. Little Current provides C Dory access to 75% of the popular destinations within reasonable time, (e.g. about 18 NM to Kilarney). You are going to need more food, wine, ice and so forth...Little Current has it.

Water levels were recovering nicely in 2014, and they will be better this year.

Please contact me via PM if you want to trip-plan via phone. I also have a 5 year old Richardson's chart book that you can have if desired. Most of the rocks are in the same place. I also have a chart of MacGregor Bay available...it's an entirely different piece of the trip.

We lived on the border with Ontario for many years. I crossed the border many times per month, on average. Canada Border Services Agency was ALWAYS professional and efficient, whether in a camper van, car, plane, or boat. I wish the same were true coming back to the U.S.

The North Channel is a magical place. Find time and make the trip. Stop in as many anchorages as possible. You will go back.