KILLARNEY, ONTARIO TO THE POOL OF BAIE FINE, ONTARIO

Friday, August 7th, 2015

Day 368

Miles Traveled: 28

Total Miles Traveled: 5575

  Our travels on the North Channel began shortly after leaving Killarney.  It was created by glaciers and has some of the oldest rocks in the world exposed on its north shore.  Some are more than three billion years old.  The body of water is 100 miles long and 20 miles across at its widest point.  It provides a somewhat protected passage along the northern part of Lake Huron.  Because of its length, with a strong east or west wind, this waterway can develop some large waves so we still have to have lower wind for good travels.  Today there was a light breeze and the water was very flat.  We wished all the cruising days could be this calm.

North Channel

   We cut across one of the North Channel's Bays, Frazer Bay, in order to reach a popular destination on the North Channel, Baie Fine.  This is one of the few fjords in North America.  We cruised  the 10 miles from one end to the other to reach the end which is called The Pool.  Here, there is ample space for many boats to anchor.

Baie Fine - a fjord

The Pool - great anchorage

  We picked a spot and dropped the anchor.  When we arrived just before noon, there were only three other boats.  As the day progressed a couple left and a few more arrived, including Jesse & Linda on "Bama Dream".

"Seahorse" at anchor in The Pool of Baie Fine

  After lunch, we launched our dinghy, "Puffer Fish" and went to shore to access the trail to Topaz Lake.  Jesse & Linda joined us as well.  The hike up to Topaz Lake was a little challenging, mostly rocks and uphill.  It was great exercise.  The slight breeze, cloud cover, and bug spray helped to keep the mosquitoes away.  After almost a mile, we reached our destination.  The view was definitely worth the effort.  This lake is appropriately named.  The water was a beautiful blue topaz color and surrounded by mountains with white rocks and emerald evergreens.

Topaz Lake

  The picture doesn't quite capture the vivid colors we saw with our own eyes.  The water looked very inviting, and, both Dan and Jesse climbed down some of the rocks and went for a refreshing swim (the water temp was a bit cold).

Dan swimming in Topaz Lake

  When we returned to the boat, Dan went fishing while Angie relaxed (and worked on the blog).  Grilled some steaks for dinner and called it a great day.