Only in Canada can you get better Internet reception than by going into a smaller town! We are back in Gore Bay after traveling eastward to and through Little Current and to Killarney. More tomorrow; it’s too much of a story to relate after a 6 hour ride through 5’ seas and a couple of post trip / before dinner cocktails.

Okay, back after a little shore leave and nourishments.

We set out from Gore Bay 4 days ago, first to travel to Little Current then on to Killarney. The trip was fine except that we fell off the edge of the earth relative to Internet connectivity. Little Current had erratic Internet connection and in Killarney it was worse! Internet connectivity is vital while traveling by water. However, Little Current is a quaint little town with municipal docks handled by friendly folks willing to help. Their Internet is not so good and maxing out your cell phone data plan is not so good either. But, we had had a good time in Little Current. We watched the Stanley Cup final game in the Manitoulin Bar meeting folks from around Ontario and cheering on the St. Louis Blues to victory. Apparently there are a lot of Ontario based hockey players in the Blues team, so much of the crowd was cheering for the Blues (as was I).

Since we were without Internet all day Wednesday and we had already taken in the sights of downtown Little Current, our intention was to go to Killarney, and decided we would head out Thursday despite the forecast for rain. We eased our way to Killarney in a light but steadily increasing rain and took a wider, southerly path to the outside of most islands to enter Killarney channel from the east, from Georgian Bay instead of the North Channel. When we arrived a dock hand was ready and took our lines while in a pouring rain. It was then and there the Admiral and I decided we needed more than a ball cap to keep our heads dry. Besides, it rains horizontally here!!

After tying up and cleaning up we went to the Killarney Mountain Lodge for lunch. We had a great lunch (me: trout sandwich; the Admiral had a summer beet salad). We noticed the folks whom we met in Little Current were at the KML marina with us. Coincidentally, we ran into them in the lodge and they invited us over for cocktails later in the day. In the meantime, all it’s doing is raining!! We had a fun evening with Orin and Tina and enjoyed a very nice dinner at The Sportsman’s Inn, a sister operation of Killarney Mountain Lodge.

Friday began with brilliant sunshine and we decided to explore the resort and the town of Killarney. KML is a collection of old log cabins with a central lodge consisting of both old and new construction. Your room, in essence, is an individual log cabin varying in size and accommodation. Only recently was a separate two story hotel built. The older building features a heated outdoor swimming pool, old style game room with shuffle board, chess / checker boards, darts, and ping pong tables. The motif is log cabin and because of the cold weather, the smell of burning wood fireplaces are throughout. Apparently there is a hiking trail which leads you to a lighthouse. We were unable to use the trail because of the rainy weather and high water levels. So instead, we walked into town. Town is a collection of buildings fronting the the canal. Most, if not all of the buildings have access from the water and the street including the LCBO! We poked our heads into some of the shops and then returned to the boat to tidy things up in sunshine. For dinner we ate at the world famous Herbert’s Fisheries - known for their fresh caught fish and fish and chips. The fish and chips lived up to their billing! Outstanding! After dinner the clouds began to increase and before too long it was raining again. With no TV or Internet reception we decided we needed to make traveling plans - go to Tobermory (60 miles south and east across Georgian Bay) or reverse track and return to Gore Bay. And where should we re-enter the USA? With limited weather forecast resources but knowing high wind warnings were being issued for Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, we determined it was easiest and safest to re-trace our path and head back to Gore Bay and re-enter the USA at Drummond Island where we had entered last summer. Only one night was spent on Drummond Island last year so this will give us an opportunity to explore the island and hopefully play a little golf. The Rock golf course is supposed to be quite pretty, and maybe the Admiral can find a manicurist!

So yesterday morning we left Killarney in a light rain, some patchy fog, and a building west wind. The journey to Little Current was pleasant and the sky had begun to clear. Once we got past the swing bridge and into the more open water did we feel the effects of the west wind. Our chop of <2’ began to steadily build until we were rocking in 4’ - 5’ waves which were thoroughly drenching the boat. I had maintained a 10 mph (8.5 kts) speed since our departure from Killarney. More speed would have us pounding the waves, less would cause us to have less control and behave more like a cork on the water. It took about 6 hours to travel the 30 nm trip; the last two hours in high seas. It was great to get in the protection of Gore Bay and have a little smooth water for our approach and docking.

We’re here for two nights, departing Monday AM for the run to Drummond Island. I’ll post some more pictures now that we have reliable Internet connection.