Georgian Bay 2008

My wife and I have been kayaking for several years now. We bought a couple of Dagger Charleston kayaks and figured we were ready to go. Then we went to a symposium put on by WMCKA and we were hooked. There we heard stories of the solitude and beauty of Georgian Bay and also the Tadoussac area east of Quebec where you can kayak with the whales (which we have also done in our little kayaks, but that is another story). We also learned how much we didn't know, especially about safety and rescue. But I am getting off track. Since then we have been to the Georgian Bay region twice and this year we planned our third excursion. The last two trips launched from the Killarney area and paddled the region around Prince Edward Island. This year we decided to try the more eastern section of the region.

Let me back up a little. This year is our 20th wedding anniversary. I told my wife I wanted to buy her a larger diamond wedding ring. She said she would rather have a new kayak. Now you know why we have been married for 20 years :-)  So, during this year's WMCKA symposium (our second) and a subsequent demo day at Riverside Kayaks, we tried out every kayak we could fit in. At the end of the day, we bought two shiny new NDK Explorers from Sarah. These are 18 foot boats with lots of storage for excursions. Just what we wanted. Amazingly, the boats maneuver better than the 14 foot Charlestons.

Preparation: We spend a lot of time preparing for our trips. We pack both boats in the basement before the trip. This year we got smart and logged everything as it came out of the hull. We then had a nice list of what to pack where, in what order. We used it the whole four days to get everything back where it fit best. We also carry all the necessary safety gear, including a cell phone (not much good there) and a VHF radio with extra batteries. Add a good first aid kit, a couple of flares, and an air horn for good keeping. Of course, a drysuit is mandatory. I have been there three times and have never unpacked it, but you are exposed and the Great Lakes can be a nasty place in a storm. I wouldn't go without one. We also carry one extra day of food, just in case we run into bad weather. Another must have is a GPS and charts of the area. Everything looks fine on the charts (and you need them), but once you are in your kayak everything looks the same and a GPS makes all the difference. I use a Garmin with Bluecharts. It shows me every rock and channel in the region, including one we snuck through that was 3 feet wide and cut off about 4 miles to go around it.

So, off we went from the Ann Arbor area on our way to Parry Sound and a stop at White Squall kayak shop to pick up the charts I somehow lost from the last trip. We got there with 10 minutes to spare (no pressure) and then off to the relatives who live in Point au Baril  for the night. The next morning (after a nasty storm during the night)  we were off to pick a launch point. There are three in this region that I know of. Byng Inlet, Key River and French River. Launching from the French River meant a portage out to the bay, and the kayaks were hard enough to pack, let alone unpack for a portage, so we skipped that one. That left Byng Inlet and Key River. The launch at Byng Inlet is only a couple of miles from the bay, so you get quick access. The launch at Key River is right at the highway, and the paddle is about nine miles out to the bay. If you have a strong westerly, this is a bad idea. There is no place to camp along the river, and it is a long paddle with the wind on the nose. We stopped at Byng Inlet to check it out. Nice sandy launch area, but I wanted to get up near the Bustard Islands quicker so we went to check out Key River.

If you are going to Byng Inlet coming off of 69 going north, don't take the first sign that says "Byng Inlet". It takes you to the south side of the inlet, and you want to be on the north side. Take the second road. We ate breakfast at a nice bed and breakfast right on the inlet. There is only one (I think), so you can't miss it. Not a bad place to stay overnight.

Anyway, we headed up to Key River. I decided this would be best because we had an east wind (unusual) to push us out of the river going west. We launched at the small campground right at 69, packing everything just as we had planned.

Trust me - we had bins and bins of stuff. It is amazing what you can fit in these kayaks. They say you can fit enough gear and food for over 30 days in one of these Explorers, but we decided "they" eat water and jerky for every meal. Not us - we eat like kings.

And so we prepared to launch. Every time we do this, we freak when we pick up the kayaks. Will they float? They are very heavy when loaded. But of course, they did float. So off we went, heading out into the wilderness. Key River isn't exactly wilderness. There are a lot of power boats going back and forth since it is the only transportation to the various cottages along the river and the fishing village at the mouth of the river. It's not really busy mind you, just small boats going along. But it is a lot compared to what we see once we hit the bay, which is very little civilization and very few people. And so we paddled. Nine miles is a long paddle even with the wind at your back, but we made it in a few hours. Cool.  Power up the GPS and let's head out. I wasn't sure where we were going to stay the first night (I never am), but Dead Island sounded cool. That was until I told my wife that it is an old Indian burial ground and rumor is it's haunted. That was a bad idea in retrospect. As you can imagine, we didn't stay on Dead Island. As we got a bit into the bay (open water) the wind started to kick up and the waves began to build. It was cool with the waves breaking over the bow, but we were tired and decided to break off left to one of the islands near the mainland. We found a great little island for our first night. It looks calm in the picture below, but the wind and waves were howling on the other side of this little island.

This area is famous for black bears and Massasauga rattlesnakes. There is even an island called Massasauga Island. Guess what lives there? The good news is that these snakes are very timid and unless you step on one or worse, pick one up, you are pretty safe. They tell me the highest incidence of snake bites is from young men with high alcohol levels. Go figure. They get stupid and pick one up on a dare. Duh. But, the snakes are dangerous and they will hurt you, so a VHF radio is a must just in case. The good news is that the medical center in Parry Sound keeps all of the anti-venon for the area, so it is close. I don't want to scare you - I have never seen one in three trips and you probably won't either. But on that first night, my wife saw a snake and froze. I scoped it out - it had no rattle and a round head - it was a Fox Snake. No worries. We had a great dinner and a fire, and went to sleep under the stars early after a little wine.

The next morning the forecast was good (another reason to have the VHF radio) and we launched for the Bustard Islands after a great breakfast. At this point I should mention that this region is all rock. I mean all rock. There is very little dirt, so don't even bother to bring your tent stakes. They are useless. Tents are tied down with rocks. Speaking of rocks, you can imagine what the granite does to a fiberglass kayak. So, we bought a couple of 8 foot lengths of black felt from the local fabric store. These we carried on the floor of the kayaks (very comfortable on the legs) and used them to throw out before we landed. Notice in the picture of our boats on the rocks below that there are black blankets under the boats. These worked great and the black material dried quickly. They are new standard equipment.

   

 
The Bustard Islands are offshore, about 5 miles from where we were. The wind picked up, and we had 12 knots on the nose paddling out. We passed Dead Island (no anomalous behavior noted) and headed out into the bay. The region is very rocky, as I mentioned earlier. You are out in the bay and you see water breaking. Those are rocks, folks. Do not hit them unless you want to practice your rescue techniques. I really didn't want to practice with a fully loaded kayak, a new tight spray skirt, and 12 knots with waves. Better to go around. The exposed rocks are easy to see, but there are a few just below the surface that only show up in waves. But we made the crossing with no issues. My wife is a very strong paddler, and I have to work to keep up. We made the crossing in about 2.5 hours. We weren't in a hurry, and the boats were steady and stable in the waves, so we enjoyed the crossing. Once we got to the islands, we stopped for a nice lunch. We had heard that there were few campsites in the Bustards, so we wanted to check the place out and scope out a campsite for the night. Otherwise we had to leave early for the mainland area to find a camping spot. Well, "they" were right. There are very few camping spots on the Bustards, mainly because the rocks come out of the water steeply and there are very few places to pull a kayak up. So we paddled though most of the islands, enjoying the sights and scoping at the same time. Just as we were ready to call it quits and head back to the islands around the mainland, my wife pointed to a small island between two larger islands. The small island created a sort of river and the water was running through on both sides. It was awesome, and we pulled up for the night. Now you might think you are safe from bears on the islands out in the bay, but think again. Bears are excellent swimmers, and they come to the Bustards for berries and campers (OK, I'm kidding about that second one). But, you have to be bear conscious, so you do not leave food out under any circumstances. It's all part of the "leave no trace" philosophy, and people practice it well in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second night - Bustard Islands

Whipping up a little breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don't want to sleep walk around here - it's a long way down

No caption necessary

The third day we headed north to the mouth of the French River. We had a nice tail wind and the paddle was easy, although my wife didn't like the quartering seas. Once again we avoided the shoals. They were ominous with the breaking waves, and we did not want to go there. Near the entrance to the French River, there is a boat channel that weaves it's way east through the various islands. This was our route, although we were unsure about a boating channel with all the power boats. This ended up being one of the quietest, most beautiful areas of the trip. There were very few boats. The water was dead calm and the sights were spectacular. We took our time, investigating the nooks and crannies this region is famous for. Later in the day, we stopped at a site for lunch. It was easy access for the boats and we found a campsite there. It was totally idyllic and one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. We had lunch and listened to the weather radio. 12 knots today, building to fifteen tomorrow and twenty plus the next day. The problem with this region is that there is a bit of open water crossing no matter how you do it. We had to come out from the shelter of the islands and paddle some open water to get back to Dead Island and protection. So, we could stay here in this perfect place and camp, and possibly end up with strong winds and big seas tomorrow, or we could keep going and get the open water section behind us. We decided to make the trip and be safe (always a good choice), so we reluctantly paddled off (after we both fell in the water sliding on the green moss from the rocks). The water was very warm, by the way. Oh, and I did lock down the site location on my GPS and no, I won't tell you where it is. You have to make your own adventures. The GPS routed us through the rock maze with amazing accuracy as usual. This is where we passed through a three foot channel to avoid a very long paddle around the island. Only the GPS could find it. And so we paddled out of the protection of the islands and into the open bay. It wasn't blowing 12 knots - it was 15 plus. I was ready to turn back but my wife said let's go for it, so out we went. She is tough and continues to amaze me. The boats were once again very stable and predictable. They inspire confidence. We paddled out into the bay, turned the corner around the shoals (interesting in the waves) and headed back for the protection of Dead Island. We made it without mishap, and turned behind the islands to enjoy the flat water and beautiful scenery. It was there that we found our third campsite. This was an obvious camping spot, and we reveled in the nice flat rocks and room. It was also a great place for a little skinny dipping, but I won't tell. And so we enjoyed our final night on the water with a campfire and some wine. And cheese and crackers. And all the other great munchies we brought along. We ate so much that we never did make dinner. Who cares.......

What was the question?
And as luck would have it, we explored our last day on the water and had a nice breeze at our back for the trip back down the Key River. The next day, the winds howled and the rain came in, so it was a good call to come in when we did. All in all, another fabulous trip to Georgian Bay.

 
Georgian Bay 2009 Pictured Rocks 2009 Apostle Islands 2009