If you’ve missed any North Channel Posts, check them out here –> North Channel #1 + North Channel #2 + North Channel #3
Hopefully by now you’ve started to plan your trip to The North Channel. It’s an incredible experience and can’t recommend it enough. If you’re able, be on a sailboat.
After leaving Baie Fine, we were a bit perplexed on where to go next. We would need to start heading back towards Drummond Island to check into customs but didn’t know which stops to make time for. We decided on Kagawong because there are Waterfalls and Gore Bay because well we had to.
Kagawong is a smaller town but with lots of tourism due to their beautiful Bridal Veil Falls. We anchored outside of the small marina late that evening. This would be a quick stop for us so we decided to hike to the waterfalls as soon as we got there. Rain was on the way but that didn’t stop our journey to find them. As we walked along the river, we started to see beautifully carved rocks and walkways bridging the gaps of the river segments. Small waterfalls started to appear with water appearing to flow uphill a small incline above the walkway. The river flowed much heavier now and we knew the waterfall was getting closer. Finally, we saw the mist and knew we had made it. We thought the rain would scare others away but there was a small family swimming and a couple sitting beside the waterfall when we got there. My plan was to swim originally but I like my privacy. Plus, I hadn’t worn my bathing suit.
The next morning, we left for Meldrum Bay. It was a very choppy day and caused some 3-4 foot waves for the entirety of our journey. It was a bit scary. We had to motor because the wind was right in our faces. With the wind and waves hitting us, we were only going 4 knots. It would be impossible to make it to Meldrum Bay with these conditions. We settled on Gore Bay instead cutting our trip a good 20 nautical miles short of the original plan. Coming into the harbor, we thought about anchoring but ended up getting a marina to work on our alternator which started to act up right as we were pulling into Gore Bay’s harbor.
Gore Bay is a very nice stop. We had thought about skipping only because we had been running out of time but allowed us to provision, get some boat work done, and enjoy the company of our new friends on Karissa Leigh, a 32′ Nordic Tug. We had met them in Kagawong briefly but parked right next to them on the bumpy ride to the marina.
Because our supply of beer was depleted and we were starving, we immediately tried out a local restaurant named Buoys. My goal was to distract Tharon from work and the engine issues by grabbing a pitcher to share. Go there, the food and beverage are delicious! It didn’t distract Tharon much because he was already attempting to fix the alternator and working the remaining portion of the day. The next day, he did the same.
Early afternoon, I ran the remaining errands and went back and forth from the hardware store and boat to assist in tools we’d need to fix everything. Then, he had everything back in confidence to leave! We left within the hour and made it the anchorage in front of the marina where we tidied up the lines and fenders. Then, the engine began to overheat. We turned around in the harbor and docked up near the fuel dock. Ugh, we were stuck.
Our friends gave us high hopes in getting everything back in working order. They recommended Norm, the local boat mechanic, and called him that evening. They also volunteered to give me a ride to Rogers City so that I’d be available for the charity golf outing and bachelorette party weekend we were now rushing to meet deadline for. They were so nice but we would never be able to allow for that generosity. We couldn’t believe it but Norm came by that evening. It was after hours but would give him an idea of the situation before coming back in the morning with the tools we were missing and a helping hand to complete the job.
We would be leaving the next morning! Hopefully. At this point, I got to spend time shopping and relaxing from all the stress of getting everything in order. I don’t spend a lot but I enjoy postcards and artwork of each city we visit. Soon enough, I got the call that everything was ready to go. Thank goodness!
Our travels from there were smooth and easy. It was difficult for us to leave the North Channel and believe The North Channel wanted us to stay all year. We thought about it over and over because it’s absolutely beautiful. It’d keep us close to family and friends. We’d still have Winter for another year but it definitely would have been worth our time. Nope, we left. We’re looking for more adventure and can’t wait for what the future has in store for us!
Cheers and thanks for reading!
