Sept 20, Killarney, ON

Today was a very interesting day. We left Byng Inlet about 10 am heading north, with the wind blowing about 15 mph out of the west. Sky is clear and temperatures in the low 70’s but we are expecting a front to come through with a little rain and a change in the wind direction. We began the day by going north through more of the 30,000 islands of the eastern Georgian Bay. This is another pretty day. We travel in mostly protected waters, through well marked and some narrow channels and around many beautiful islands. This is a wilderness area with a few homes and three or four fish camps along our way. After about fifteen miles we turn west (this is the very NE corner of the Georgian Bay) and head west again along the coast going in and out of small channels and around many granite islands.





There is a Bald Eagle in the top of that tree

We go left of the red marker in the center and right of the rock. Lots of these narrow channels.

Kayakers from Byng Inlet

Another narrow channel

Very narrow maze. We went left of the green markers and right of the rock in the center of the channel. All in about 100 feet with a 48 foot boat.

One of the narrow passages was so narrow that we came to a complete stop and looked at it for a few minutes before attempting to go through. Linda got out on the front of the boat to help guide us and we made it just fine. Unbelievable! We went past the entrance to French River and saw the kayak group that set out yesterday from the marina at Byng Inlet. They looked very comfortable paddling along.

Lighthouses at the Bustard Islands

Thirty foot waterfall

We had and outside run of 15 miles and the front had not yet come through with the hoped for change in wind direction. The wind remained from the SW at 15 mph but we “stuck our nose out” and it seemed ok so we continued on past the Gun Barrel channel and the Bustard Islands to Beaverstone Bay where we ducked back inside. As we entered Beaverstone Bay and the weather front finally came through. We never got any rain but we could see rain all around us and the wind changed in 5 minutes and is now coming out of the north at about 15 mph. The temperature dropped 15 degrees in 10 minutes. We are now bundled up but happy to be out of the open water of the Georgian Bay. We motored 5 miles north on Beaverstone Bay, which was nice and then turned west into the spectacular gorge of eastern Collins Inlet.

Collins Inlet begins here

Can anyone find a "Crabby Indian". Click on photo to enlarge.

This is the prettiest stretch of shoreline on our entire trip so far! There are tall Granite walls that come right down to the water on both sides of the boat. In several places the distance from one side to the other seems to be 100 feet, in other places 500 feet. We pass through Mill Lake and then the western narrows of Collins Inlet where it is just as steep sided and spectacular as the east Collins Inlet. Really beautiful! Our guidebook says these granite rocks are some of the oldest rocks in the world. Three billion years old. I wonder how they can estimate the age of rocks.

We leave Collins Inlet and reenter the Georgian Bay for a short stretch finally reaching Killarney about 4:30 pm. Killarney marks the end of the 30,000 Islands area of the Georgian Bay, which stretches from just south of Sans Souci to Killarney, a distance of 165 miles.

Lighthouse at Killarney.

The end of a great day. Weather turned colder.

Approaching Killarney

Catholic Church in Killarney

Sportsman's Inn

Herberts uses an old school bus as a kitchen and serves a very popular takeout dinner of fish and chips.

Plenty of dock space. Season is almost over.

Killarney is in a pretty setting with several marinas and other businesses along a mile long channel that is 150 foot wide. We are at the Sportsman’s Inn (under renovation) with 50 amp power but no internet. We have a perch dinner from Herbert Fisheries (take out is from a converted school bus) and bring it back to the boat where we watch Florida beat Tennessee 30-6.