Latitude: 45 degrees 39.477 N Longitude: 75 degrees 72.515 W

We're back home in Ottawa, having arrived this afternoon after a quick overnight stop in Toronto to see Kevan. It's always a bit of a letdown when a big trip is over but there's another month of summer left and I'm looking forward to getting back on the bicycle after a month-long break, as well as our upcoming trip to Vancouver.

I left the ship's log back on the boat so I will do my best to remember what we did since the last post. (On the boat, my morning routine just after breakfast and a cup of tea is to write a short entry of the previous day's travel and activity.)

July 29: Snug Harbour thunderstorm day, described in the last newsletter. I remember the date because it's my sister Nathalie's birthday and we had no cell signal so I could not call or text her! We tried rowing out of the bay into the main channel but still could not pick up a signal.

July 30: Snug Harbour to Beaverstone Bay

Out on the big water, but the winds were light and it was a pleasant sail.

In the afternoon we bushwacked and fought the deer flies to pick blueberries and got a big tubful.

July 31: Beaverstone Bay to Bad River

We'd heard about the Bad River from some other cruisers earlier in the trip so decided to stop here instead of the Bustard Islands where we'd stayed on the way up. I don't think it's really its own river, rather it's part of the French River delta and may have been named Bad by the fur traders because it is full of misleading channels. It is quite spectacular, and there's a neat bit called the Devil's Door rapid. After anchoring we rowed over to check it out. It is a narrow channel where the water flows between two steep cliffs. I started rowing and was partway through it before the current got so strong that I was rowing but making no forward progress. I gave up and we were swept back into the pool where the anchorage is. Then Andy had a go, and he was able to get us up the rapid. We were laughing with delight. Once through, you are in a maze of rocky channels. We went ashore for a walk and enjoyed the sunshine and the views.

Photo: Andy at Bad River

Photo: Granite and lichen at Bad River

Aug 1: Bad River to Pointe au Baril

Photo: Morning mist at Bad River

This was the reverse leg of the trip that had me seasick the first time. This time there were no waves or seasickness, hurray. However the light winds meant that we didn't get in until 7:30pm. We ate (cold) dinner while underway. It was also calm enough to use the auto-pilot and read so it was a dreamy slow-motion day. We made a rule that after turning the page you had to get up and scan the horizon to make sure there was nothing unexpected approaching.

Photo: Andy at the bow on the open waters of Georgian Bay

Aug 2: Pointe au Baril to Bateau Island

Before setting sail we dinghied over to the Pointe au Baril lighthouse which is open for visitors in the summer. We were too early for the pies, but saw them sitting on the counter ready to be put in the oven. Emmeline is in her 80s and had married the lighthouse keeper when she was 17 and raised 6 kids here. She has now come back with her new partner who also has deep roots in the area and tells stories of the old days, to summer visitors.

Photo: Pointe au Baril lighthouse

Nice sail down Shawanaga Inlet and gentle winds. In Bateau Island we ran into the previous owner of Heartbeat (he bought a bigger boat) who was there for the long weekend.

Aug 3: Bateau Island to Parry Sound

Boat chores! Cleaning, pump-out, scrubbed the deck with Bar Keepers Friend - but as I saw the soapy residue drain into the lake I realized if we do this again it should be when the boat is on land for the winter, so that the soap is filtered through the ground before ending up in the lake.

In the evening we went to a jazz concert at the Stockey performing arts center, part of the Festival of the Sound. Before the show we walked along the waterfront and admired the two tall ships in at the town docks. These are learn-to-sail ships that run summer camps for teenagers and we'd seen one of them, the St Lawrence II, in Little Current when we went through from west to east.

Aug 4: Parry Sound to Toronto (you sure can cover a lot of ground in a car)

We stayed at Kevan's place and enjoyed the happy chaos of Toronto on a summer long weekend. This is the Caribana weekend although the parade was the day before. We walked to the harbour front, checked out the Nautical Mind bookstore, looked in at the Power Plant art exhibits, and found seats at an outdoor terrace for an early dinner. Then we walked back via Nathan Phillips square.

Photo: Nathan Phillips Square

Photo: Andy and Kevan at the harbour front

Thanks to everyone who's read this far! I received a lot of kind words about the newsletter which were much appreciated.

Update: Here's a map showing the places we anchored or stayed at.