45°53′17″ N 81°30′40″ W (Current location)
We are now en route from Kilarney to Cove Island. We left Kilarney at 7:30 am & should arrive at our destination around 1:00 pm this afternoon. A short passage today of about 40 nm.
We spent last night at a dock in Kilarney at the Kilarney Mountain Lodge. This is a really neat place at the eastern end of the channel that passes in front of the town.
New owners have recently taken over the place and are investing a lot of money into improving & updating the property. They even have 2 bright red Muskoka chairs at the end of every dock for boaters to relax in & enjoy the view.
Not far away from the Lodge is a very unique Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store with its very own dock for their boating customers!
We also met some really nice dockmates yesterday. Tied up in front of us were Owen & Happy, from Madison, IN aboard their 1971, 30′ Palmer Johnson sailboat that they have named EXEAT, which in Latin means “she goes out”. How cool is that? 👌
Owen was telling me that he bought the boat 15 years ago as a bit of a project boat. He repaired the entire deck as well as making many other improvements over the years. Owen & Happy have been cruising in the North Channel for over 10 years. They joined us for a drink after dinner & Chris shared some local charting knowledge with them.
Shortly after sunset another boat came into the opposite side of the dock that we were tied up to. Chris went over to help him tie up his boat & invited him to join us for a nightcap. Rick Stout is a professional boat captain & marine consultant. He specializes in boat deliveries, training skippers on how to handle their own boats, boat repairs, etc.
Rick was born & raised in the Owen Sound area and has been boating since the time he could walk. His father & his grandfather made their living as professional boat captains & Rick has followed in their footsteps. He has so any stories to tell about life & boating in this whole area that he is writing a book about it. He’s not sure when it will be finished but when it comes out I want to buy a copy!
Over & over again we keep meeting such nice & interesting people. That’s a big part of the boating life!
Cheers everyone!