A sample North Channel Itinerary
All from memory (with no chart to help).....
Starting at Tobermory, head north to the Bustards for a night or two. After that you might drop in on the Bad River anchorage on your way west. Next stop is Beaverstone Bay, in the south entrance, then west along Collings Inlet to Mill Lake. From there west to perhaps Thomas Bay just east of Killarney, followed by the Sportsman Inn or Killarney Mountain Lodge in Killarney for a night or two. If you stay at the Killarney Mountain Lodge they will be happy to run you over to the provinical park for a day hike in their van. And of course you stop at the town dock in Killarney for fish and chips.
Next stop is Covered Portage Cove NW of Killarney - a must see, even if you don't spend the night. If crowded there you drop a few miles south along the Landsdown Channel to Snug Harbor. From Snug you can drop all the way south to Browning Cove in Heywood Island, just a half day east of Little Current. Or go around the peninsula up the Bay Finn - another must see. Part way down Bay Finn you can stop at Mary Ann Cove on the south shore, or go all the way down to The Pool - the sight that makes Bay Finn a must see. If you stop at Mary Ann Cove a must trip is the hike to the top of nearby Fraizer Bay Hill, with an amazing 360° view of the area.
After all this you head west to Little Current, and spend the night at the town docks. (You could turn further north to McGregor Bay, but that area is less well known, and we'll leave that for another trip.) Leaving Little Current you can head west and then north up the Wabuno Channel and then east to get to Sturgeon Cove, which is a nice little anchorage mostly due to be just a few hours from Little Current. From Sturgeon Cove you can head west along the McBean Channel to the top of the Benjamin Island Group (see below), or stop at a couple of small islands (such as Louisa) that are not that well protected, but have great beaches.
But I would head west to the Benjamin Island group. You could spend the rest of your cruise here with no trouble. First up after you clear Secretary Island is Croker Island around the corner to the east, with its fantastic inner harbor and hiking. Or you head NW to the bay between North and South Benjamin islands, with its world famous views and granite slopes. Spectacular, but can be crowded, and open to the NE. If this area is crowded you could instead head to the cut in South Benjamin, another nice harbor, but open to the south. Or pass around the two islands and head to Fox Island. The entrance is a bit tricky, but worth it once you are inside.
From these islands you head north past "phantom rock" and then west to stay at Oak Bay, which is itself a collection of four or five inner harbors, and contains some marvelous hurricane holes for bad weather.
Now we head further west through Little Detroit, a narrow passage that requires that you give a securite call to alert other boaters that you are about to run the passage. Once through you can head north to Spanish Marina, or head further west to the Whalesback Channel. Along the Whalesback you stop at Sprague Harbor to the south, which is interesting with its old lumbering ruins, but which has pretty poor holding. Or you head further west and around the corner to John's Harbor. But better than either is a stop at Bear Drop Harbor, another fantastic hurricane hole anchorage for all weather. After that we head further west to Turnbull Island, home of several eagle nests, with lots of interesting hiking and exploring ashore.
By now we need to stop in town again, so we either head further west to Blind River, or better, drop south through Scotts Passage and make for Gore Bay. This is a beautiful town with a great food store to reprovision. By now you probably need to begin heading back east to home, so you leave Gore Bay and head either north around Clapperton Island, or make the more exciting "boat" passage south of Clapperton (not recommended in low water years). You might take a day to Little Current, another to Snug Harbor, and another to Tobermory, and from there further south on to home.
Of course all along the way there are many additional islands and bays to stay at, but these are the highlights that everyone should see.
Good luck!
Steve Christensen
