Channel to Channel in the North Channel

The North Channel refers to the body of water between mainland Ontario and a series of islands to the south. The largest of these is Manitoulin Island, which is in Canada. Heading west from Manitoulin you find Cockburn Island, also Canadian, then Drummond Island, which is in the U.S. At the western end of the North Channel is St. Joseph Island, on the Canadian side of the St. Mary's River, which is the link between Lake Huron and Lake Superior to the north.

In the northern part of the North Channel you find other, smaller channels formed by other, smaller islands. I already mentioned the McBean Channel, which is at the eastern end of the North Channel, not far from Little Current. Getting out of the McBean Channel at its western end requires passing through a narrow opening between two rocky islands. The passage, called "Little Detroit," is only deep enough at its very center and requires making a sharp turn halfway along to get out on the other side. To assist boaters, range marks have been set up to show what course to steer to pass through safely. It's always a little exciting to find out if you'll make it or not. Fortunately, we did.

Once through you enter the Whalesback Channel, which is dotted with lots of little and very picturesque rocky islands. Many of these islands are covered with wild blueberries, except, ironically enough, the one called "Berrypicker Island". This is a small bare rock in the middle of the channel which serves as a home for a triangular marker that lets boaters know where they are on the chart. The marker is almost as big as the rock itself!

We spent a night at anchor in Beardrop Harbour just off the Whalesback Channel, so-named because, yes, there are bears around here. We've never seen any, though. The beauty of this anchorage lies in the tall cliffs that surround it. It's possible to find paths to the top where the views are incomparable. This time, though, the weather was gray and drizzly, so we skipped the climb and headed on to Blind River, making tracks while the wind was from the east. After just one night there, we continued on to Thessalon, a small village whose economy rests on veneer mills. This will be our last stop in Canada. As soon as the threat of thunderstorms passes, we'll be off to Michigan, getting ever closer to home.