Georgian Bay August 7 -9

Port Severn is the end of the Trent Severn Waterway but it also becomes the beginning of Georgian Bay. We headed out through the narrow Potato Channel and into Georgian Bay. On the south side of Georgian Bay is a land mass that separates Georgian Bay from Lake Huron. There are several long natural harbors along this south shore. Our first stop was a marina down the Penetang Harbour at the town of Penetanguishene. The friendly folks at Hindson Marine gave us rides into town to the grocery store the first day, and to downtown (pictured) and a great evening meal at the Greek restaurant called Olympia. They also told us about a fellow from Texas that kept a boat at the marina. The last morning just before we left we met Jim Borden who is from Texas but has been boating in the Georgian Bay/North Channel for 10 years. Jim answered questions about things and places we should see and generously loaned me his strip charts of that area with his favorite anchorages marked on the chart.

After two nights at Hindson Marine we left and went a few miles north in the harbor to anchor near Discovery Harbour. This was the site of a British Naval Base in the early 1800's. It was mainly a supply base for the British Fleet in the Great Lakes. Some of the structures have been refurbished and some reproductions built. This becomes an open air museum of life on a British Naval base.











This picture shows a reproduced supply ship the "H.M.S Tecumseth".











One function of the base was to support Hydrographers. These were the marine version of land surveyors. One outstanding Hydrographer was Henry Bayfield, an officer in the British Navy who served at this base. At a rate of 100 islands per day, he was able over two years to document most of the 36,000 islands of the Georgian Bay/North Channel using simple tools to triangulate for distance and lead lines to check depths. He created navigational charts of Georgian Bay that were accurate enough to still be used through the first half of the 20th Century. I have a picture of the sign about his contribution, but unfortunately after I got back to the boat I realized that in order to get a better lighted sign picture I had switched and taken the wrong side of the sign.........the French language side. Canada has dual languages on everything, and I had forgotten that fact.