The Bustards, Bad River, and back

For our last venture into Georgian Bay we decided to go back to the Bustards for another night and then explore some new spots in the area. In the Bustards we enjoyed watching other boats have as much difficulty anchoring as we did and also watching a couple of loons (see below) that frequent this bay. We were also told that we just missed a 50 boat flotilla that had anchored on the east side of the island the night before. As the day ended we were treated to a nice sunset. The next morning and after a quick swim (and lake bath), we headed out around 1PM.

Our first leg was to explore the French River and although it was well marked it didn’t have much sizzle when we arrived at the proposed anchorage. We saw some remnants of the turn of the century logging community of French River (pop 2000) as we passed by its supposed location. We decided to head back out and explore the Bad River area just a few miles away. We had heard a lot about this area and were more than pleased when we arrived to find a bay full of boats. Anchoring was easy and we settled in for the night.

The Bad River is a very popular spot because of the exploration opportunities that abound if traveling by dingy, canoe, or kayak. There are a myriad of channels in the area that were formed when ancient rocks cracked and made a veritable checkerboard maze. The map to the left shows some of this pattern. The most unique features are the many rapids that are found when following the small rock channels. The most famous one is the “Devils Door” which forms the entrance to the back water areas next to our anchorage. Although the picture on the right doesn't look to ominous the current is probably running at 3-4 knots and it does present a bit of a challenge powering a small outboard through it. Once past the rapids you will still find current to a varying degree everywhere you go.

The following video will illustrate the back waters of Bad River http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4isdDoKVH7o

We departed Bad River on Thursday morning and headed back to Killarney for some re-provisioning, ice, and other staples. When we arrived in Killarney we found the 50 boat flotilla and had to shoe horned into a massively crowded Sportsman Inn marina. We were again treated to a beautiful sunset. From there we will say goodbye to Killarney for the season and start making the slow trek back to our home port in Saugatuck. We’re in our sixth week and we recognize that the end of another season is quickly approaching. We have less than three weeks left and hope it’s a smooth one.