Georgian Bay Cruising

[scottbr]

Water levels are actually up from last year by 4-6". Depths are not really a problem. We draw 4'-6", most of the channels on the inside of the islands and shoals are 6-8 ft. deep and more. I rarely run into any spot that I get nervous and have to watch the chartplotter carefully.

The Bay out of Midland and Penetang are plenty deep and out to Giants Tomb / Beckwith has lots of deep water. You do have to watch where you're going as there are areas in clear open water that have shoals below the water, not to mention the constant flow of boat traffic. Once you get out close to Giants it thins out enough that you can relax for a while. One good thing about the gas prices is the bigger boats are tending to stick closer to Midland

The inside channels are well marked and sounded and you won't have any problems. Only real issue is further north above Parry Sound, which is a days motor / sail away.

[scottbr]

bushrat, I can see that stocking up for supplies would be expensive and there not a lot of other things to do around Killarney other than sailing.

[ichorniy]

Jjns, check out Doral Marine Resort. They have "August deal" at the moment. If you pay for 2009 now you will get half of the 2008 season and 2008 winter storage for free.

[cnc33voodoo]

for the price i found bay moorings is probably the best deal in the penetang-midland area.
for my 33 i pay $2650 a year which includes -haul out/launch,unlimited pump outs,dockage,electricity and water
the marina has very nice sized docks,clean grounds,a marine store,gas dock,hotel,restauraunt/bar,private washrooms and a nice sized pool.
they have heated indoor or outdoor storage,on site services etc.
there is a beach next door to the marina,grocery store,beer store,lcbo,canadian tire are all 5 minutes away.
heres a pic of my dock so you get an idea.

phone number there is (705)549-6958.best person to speak with is amanda and the early fall is the best time to shop for a slip.
b.t.w-when i joined the marina they had the same deal as doral. you would have to ask if that still exists.

[surftom]

Sigh... We're thinking of doing the same thing next year. I'm in the Outer Harbour Marina in Toronto (26 footer) and will probably move to Georgian Bay next year or the year after. There's just not enough sailing/exploring for the kids on lake Ontario. I'll probably winter over in the OHM and then move in the spring... or next.
We live in Richmond Hill so if we time it right, the 2hr drive will be worth it

Tom

[scottbr]

Hey Voodoo, I recognize that dock !! My mast is just up and to the left, slip 223. I will second Baymoorings as being an excellent marina. Amanda is second to none and is the heart of the marina.

One thing I don't get, is the graduated fees. My 33 is $ 2,900 and is probaby a further walk from the parking lot than you at 501.

Surftom, there's lots of things for the kids in this area. You can sail to Giants Tomb or Beckwith and both have awesome, clean, clear water beaches that you don't find in Lake Ontario and are within 2-3 hour sail or motor of our marina. Beausoleil Island, 1 - 1.5 hour sail / motor ( depending on the wind I did over 8 knots steady SOG one evening over to there) is a National Park and had hiking trails, small Interpretive Centre, playground or just space to get out and get around.

There's lots of areas close by or further that are great for anchoring out overnight. A good solid day sail / motor is Kilbear Provincial Park where you can anchor and use the park for a day fee and has lots of beach, hiking trails and a large new Interpretive Centre.

[Phreak]

Slight sidebar,

I'm STILL looking for a boat and thought that Georgian Bay would be a great place for cruising but a friend told me that you would need at least a 30' for the bay due to choppiness etc., yet I seem to see some slightly smaller boats in the pics, what exactly would be required?(bare minimum)

[sailingdog]

There are a lot of boats <30' LOA that would work up there. You really should start your own thread though.

[Phreak]

Sorry about that, thats all I needed to know, carry on with your conversation.

[scottbr]

It's not like any other posts have gotten slightly off topic before.

Phreak, Midland Bay, Penetang Bay and the area out to Christian Island, Hope and Beckwith are fairly protected waters and you can spend a good days sailing in those areas. It's not until you get beyond Christian that you are out in the open "Bay". Some days it can be nasty, some days it can be calm. I know lots of smaller boats that cross the Bay, but only under ideal conditions as it can kick up a substantial storm that you would not want to be out in a larger boat let alone a smaller boat. But it all depends on etc. etc. and is a bigger discussion than this thread.

You can also get into the inland channel without going into the main part of the bay and cruise for days in fairly protected waters.

Bottom line.... there's lots of smaller <30' in this area.