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| Port Elgin, ON |
The trip from Goderich to Port Elgin was on calm water but it was chilly (45) and soupy. Fortunately, the fog lifted enough to make the tight entrance into Port Elgin an easy one. Starting a couple of miles off shore, we had to round an underwater rock and then line up 2 "range markers" and follow them in to our destination in order to avoid the shoal water (translated = 1') on both sides of the entrance range.
Port Elgin was identified by National Geographic as the sunset capital of the world(?) or at least the Great Lakes. They have a marvelous, long beach right next to our marina and a nice boardwalk to be able to enjoy the sunsets. These pictures were taken from the back of Samba, looking out the entrance to the marina.
Jim rode several miles into town to get a fishing license. Not so lucky as their computers were down so he picked up some tea for Carol at a Walmart & rode back.
We had a fairly narrow weather window on Saturday to make the trip to Tobermory which is the gateway to Georgian Bay, the land of 30,000 islands so we left in time to make the turn around noon. We wanted to make sure we had good light in order to see the rocks & shoal water on either side of the narrow turn. Ugghhh.
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| "Keep the Doctor in the Pot!" |
As part of the navigation procedure to make the cut, we were instructed to follow the line created by centering Doctor Island on Flower Pot Island and to not stray from that line or risk touching the untouchables! Here you see the 2 islands & surrounding islands.
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| Massive Chi Cheemaun ferry loading a semi in Tobermory |
TOBORMORY
We arrived Saturday afternoon & tied up downtown. The forecast for Sunday afternoon was for thunderstorms, rain, high winds and 4' to 6' seas so we decided to wait out the storm here. We're glad we did.
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| The clear water 15' under our bow |
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| Lady Slipper orchids growing wild |
Tobormory is a worldwide destination for anyone who enjoys hiking, biking, scuba diving or just sightseeing. The water is crystal clear and Caribbean blue! There are 44 varieties of orchids that grow wild in this area and there are 21 sunken ships to explore in the clear water!
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| Parks Canada visitor center |
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| View from the tower |
Saturday afternoon, we hiked about 1.5 miles to see the fabulous Parks Canada visitor center and observation tower. Truly a world class exhibit. This center is the starting point of the Bruce Trail which ends at Niagara Falls!
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| Observation Tower |
Sunday, even with the threat of bad weather, we headed out to the St. Edmonds Bruce museum which was "supposedly" about 1.5 miles from town. Not. Maybe 4 miles! Fortunately, the lady at the center gave us a ride back to our boat, just as the rain began. PTL!
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| 4 mile hike to the museum |
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| The driving wind and rain hit |
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| Samba in Tobermory, ON |
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| 21 shipwrecks! |
Monday, we will move to an anchorage on this side of Georgian Bay and then cross to the other (northeast) side on Tuesday when the winds are predicted to drop. The bay is over 50 miles wide and around 150 miles long so waves can become ugly in a hurry with storms.
Port Elgin was identified by National Geographic as the sunset capital of the world(?) or at least the Great Lakes. They have a marvelous, long beach right next to our marina and a nice boardwalk to be able to enjoy the sunsets. These pictures were taken from the back of Samba, looking out the entrance to the marina.
Jim rode several miles into town to get a fishing license. Not so lucky as their computers were down so he picked up some tea for Carol at a Walmart & rode back.
