Boating With Boogaboo: moon river

Showing posts with label moon river. Show all posts

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Mooring Ball in Ontario's Massasauga Provincial Park

I was recently asked by a viewer of the following video as to how one pays for the use of a mooring ball in the Massasauga Provincial Park.

When tied up to a mooring ball in this area (the Massasauga Provincial Park), payment is made to the Ontario Provincial Park's guys who come by in a small boat to collect the fees, as well as take away your garbage for you.

Sometimes, such as in this instance, nobody showed up when we were there, so we didn't have to pay. Not that that's an issue, because it's very reasonable, but sometimes they don't have enough time in the day to drop by every boat at every location. They will also collect a $10/night fee if your boat is tied to shore anywhere in the park. And that goes for all the boats who may be tied to shore together.

What I mean is that we have been there with four boats tied together (us and three friends) with a line running back to shore for stability. When the Park's guys came by, we all had to pay the $10/night. Again, we are good with that, because they will take the garbage away and best of all, tell you where the nicest anchorages are :-)

Have a look at this video I did from a trip there back in 2009. You'll see what I mean about the boats all tied to shore;

:-)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Moon River Falls - Georgian Bay

Another day that we were at Henry's Restaurant with the big boat, we took an all day dinghy adventure tour to the Moon River Falls. This is something we tried to get to a few years back (twice), but fate held us back and the trip never happened.

So fast forward to 2011 and another attempt. I'm happy to report that not only were we successful, but I have a bunch-o-photos and video to share with you :-)

Believe it or not, but the round trip was 30 miles, so we had to make a pit stop at Woods Bay Marina on the way down for a fuel top up. As a matter of fact, I was a little concerned that our on board fuel tank wouldn't be able to get us there, so before leaving I 'borrowed' a small gas can at LeBlanc's (on the same island as Henry's) to fill and have as a spare for the trip. And when I say 'borrowed', I really meant 'rented' to the tune of $20. Plus fuel to fill it.
Note to self: bring small gas can from home to have for trips such as this. Believe it ;-)

A shot of the docks at Woods Bay. Almost all small, outboard powered boats here for the local cottagers. Biggest ship in port that day was a 340 Sundancer;

The store at the marina sold fuel, some groceries and the all important LCBO wares. Probably why it was so busy this day;

Not sure if this was a bad omen or not, but we spotted this turkey vulture on shore as we were making the final approach to the falls area;

Here we are. A popular spot for folks to dingy to;

Wow! Sure was a pretty sight;

This shot looks like a Group of Seven painting. I mentioned to Anchor Girl that this setting looked almost like someone built this to look as pretty as possible. I think 'someone' did and it was put there for us to enjoy.
Thank you.

Nice shorts buddy;

Pretty, eh?

Preparing to get some really cool underwater videos to share with you;

Like a little kid playing in the water;

Here's the dinghy where we parked it on the rocks. As you can see, we had to pull it up on the rock shelf to leave it while walking around. When it came time to leave, we had to work out our quick exit, as there was lots of big rocks just under the surface behind the boat. So the plan was for A.G. to push the dingy back while I dropped the motor and started it.
All good until she shoved us off and jumped into the boat - WITHOUT SITTING DOWN! Of course, I was looking back to get the outboard in the water and start it. When I pulled the cord, she was still leaning into the boat and - you guessed it - got the full force of the back of my hand right in her face!!
S M A C K !!!!!! Right in the kisser :-)
I guess that vulture we saw earlier was a bad omen (for her at least). . .

Here's some wonderful and masterfully edited video of the Falls;

Heading back to the big boat, we spotted a young bear swimming across one of the channels. You can see it here in front of a Sea Ray. I was in radio communication with the folks on the boat to make sure he saw it and didn't hit it or startle it any more than it probably already was;

Here's one last photo we got of it before a couple of jerks raced up to within a 100' of it, full speed ahead in a centre console fishing boat to grab some photos. Fortunately the fuzzy little guy was able to get to shore and quickly disappear into the brush before those goofs got right up to it;

Back at the Boogaboo boat for a lovely evening on The Bay;

Monday, March 22, 2010

Gilman Bay Anchorage - Leaving in Heavy Fog!

It's Sunday evening as I prepare this update and as I cast my sight out through the living room window and onto Lake Simcoe, I remark to Anchor Girl how lovely the bright sunshine looks. I follow that with the observation that it's now 6:45 and, despite the cloudy weekend, the '7:00 Sunday Rule' appears to be back for another year. . .

Or is it?

An article in the local newspaper today referred to the summer weather prognostication by Dave Phillips (the Environment Canada guy). In it, he states that his predictions for the upcoming summer is - wait for it - the triple HHH's. Hot Hazy & Humid. In other words, a traditional Southern Ontario summer! And I'm happy to compare that with my own outlook for a hot, sunny and dry boating season. so, let's get on with it. Only whets our appetites for a return trip to The Bay and further adventures!!!

BRING IT ON!!

**************************

Tonight's review of our time at Gilman Bay represents the last couple of days there and the tail end (sniff, sniff) of our summer holidays '09. I think I might have already mentioned it before, but our overall boating experiences for the 2009 season could be best described as 'Change of Plans'. Every time we hoped to go some place, it seemed that for some reason we ended up somewhere else. To this day, I'm sure there was some Greater Power guiding us - and Gilman Bay was by no means an exception. . .

This first photo shows only Two Sea Rays at the anchorage, as A.G. and I had to briefly depart their company and head all the way back to Parry Sound for an emergency pump out. To get there, fix the problem and return was a six hour round trip! Oh well, at least it gave our traveling companions some quiet time away from the Commodore. Not to mention the fresh air;

This is the 'parting shot' of Glen Burney Marina in Parry Sound, where not only did I have to work on the boat's plumbing, but the actual pump out plumbing at the gas dock, too. Good thing I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty;

Another unique Georgian Bay cruising view - The Georgian Queen cruise ship. Here on it's way back to it's home port of Parry Sound;

The Big Guy's evening swim shower;

A shot of our stern view at the this anchorage. No matter how many pictures I took looking this way, I don't think I was able to capture the beauty of the rock ledge that is here. In person, the moss growing between the cracks in the rocks was beautiful. I think so, anyway;

The morning's weather didn't start off too promising, but after discussing our options for perhaps traveling to another destination, we decided to take the dinghies for an extended trip up the Moon River to a place called Woods Bay for a look see instead of leaving this anchorage;

Getting the Grand reading for the trip. And the sun was starting to make an appearance;

On our way;

Our first stop was a popular anchorage area of the Massasagua called Port Rawson Bay. This is where many of the bigger boats come. One of the unique features of this spot is that the park has installed a few floating mooring balls in the bay to tie up to;

Onward and down the Moon River. Last winter, I sort of discovered this area while doing our planing for the our holiday cruising grounds. The Moon River and into Woods Bay in this area is on the navigation charts, but there are no depth soundings. After some creative searching and a couple of springtime phone calls, I learned that, despite motoring 'blind', one would be able to safely navigate a larger vessel through here. This is why we were checking it out on the dinghies. Glad we did, as this was yet another special place to find, visit and carry as a life long memory;

Turns out the reports are correct and that one can get through here with a larger boat! We were also lucky enough to have gotten a line drawn on our Parks map by one of the rangers when they came by to pick up our garbage a few nights earlier.
"Just follow the line and don't blame me if you hit bottom. . ." I think were the words he said when he handed the map back to me;

This cool little cabin came with an interesting bit of history and unique view on the other side of it;

According to the story we heard is that this was some sort of lodge that had burned down years earlier, leaving only the sizable chimney and most of the foundation. Apparently the old guy who owned it had begun to rebuild but passed away and it's stayed pretty much in this state ever since;

I knew where we were - I had a map;

Pulling back into our anchorage after our 3-1/2 hour voyage of discovery. And to quote Mr. Paul Von A, it was indeed an amazing place;

Ahhhhh, I love summer and boating!!!!!!!

So, the working plan was to leave Gilman Bay the next morning and take the big boats down the Moon River into Woods Bay for some time there, with the intention of visiting the Moon River Falls on the dinghies. That was my original inspiration to visit this area - see the falls. Well, for the second time on this trip, we were unable to get see them, as we left the next morning after the big Keswick storm on this night. Long story;

Here's our friends from Parks Canada to collect our mooring fee - Kevin (driving), Tanner (on the bow) and the young lady accompanying them this trip who's name I can't recall right now.

Tanner takes one of my RottenRow.ca business cards. Wonder if he ever visited the site?

Departure day. Cloudy, but no too much fog as we head out of the bay. Yet;

A nice, slow, winding cruise past all the small islands of the Moon River Basin back to the Small Craft Route;

And then the fog set in;

Can you say Pea Soup?

Look really closely at this shot and you'll see SunAria disappearing in the fog - and she was only about 200' behind us at this point;

After getting turned around a full 180 degrees (me) and needing some chill time after the ordeal, I decided to head into Henry's Restaurant (which was close by) for awhile to wait for the fog to dissipate. After waiting about an hour and a half, we were safely back on our way.
The Water Wings captain, on the other hand, decided to press on and make the top part of the trip down to Honey Harbour in the thick of it. Next time you see Billie Sue, ask her what she felt about that fun voyage;

Coming up, it's the trip back home. Not sure if I really want to relive that part of the holidays. I mean, who wants to go home after a great holiday? We'll see . . .

Friday, November 20, 2009

Anchoring at Lost Channel - The Canada Day Duet

Welcome to Part Two of the Canada day long weekend festivities. For your dining and dancing pleasure we are featuring a ton of photos and a whole whack of videos. I hope you have the capability of watching - and listening - to the videos clips. They help me tell the story. Tonight I'm going to try my best to stick to the topic at hand and not veer into the outer reaches of my psyche. Or physics. Nor even physicality. . . Except for the following - it'll be quick! I happened to watch a documentary on Turner Classic Movies this week about the composer/singer/record company founder, Johnny Mercer. For those of you who are not familiar with his name, you will almost certainly know some of his music. One song in particular will be ringing in your head come FFFvIX. The song is 'Moon River' (wider than a mile; I'm crossing you in style, some day; Oh dream maker, you heart breaker; Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way . . .) and I look forward to including that tune to help score a special segment of the 2009 Year End Video. Can you possibly imagine what that is going to be about? Mr. Mercer wrote an astounding 1500+ songs during his lifetime and this week marked what would have been his 100th birthday. I found an insightful article about him that was written to mark his birthday and I encourage you to read it HERE. The piece talks about his relationship with Judy Garland, who was - as everyone knows - Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz. Toto, I don't think we're in Oz, anymore. . . .

Wizard of Oz? I think I used that theme to great effect in the Year End Video about three years ago. Let's see . . . Wizard Of Oz & Moon River as inspiration. Judy Garland & Johnny Mercer. Coincidence or more of life's karma? Or is it just that I am somehow attracted to the older classics? I tell you, everything happens for a reason and it is all interconnected. Not much is left to chance. Like Mr. Mercer says in the article, he felt that the words for his songs came to him "like you're tuning in to a musical instrument that's miles away . . " Bingo! It's as easy as tuning into those same types of inspirations to bring positive energy to all of us. It's everywhere, all the time - one need only open their eyes and heart to it. I dare you to prove me wrong. Where was I? Somewhere over the rainbow? Yes, yes - I know - on with the show already!

_ _ _ _ = = = = = * * * * * * * *>^< * * * * * * * * = = = = = _ _ _ _

Leaving Severn Falls on Thursday morning with a light rain falling;

Next stop was Big Chute Marina for fuel and a walk in the sunshine. Wait a minute - scratch that last part. More like liquid sunshine. Rain or shine, it was a good time;

Get the popcorn out - it's movie time. Notice how Anchor Girl is the only one in bare feet;

In retrospect, this part of the trip ended up being a rehearsal for the beginning of our summer holidays - traveling through the system in the rain. I'm so glad that Santa got us those Sea Ray raincoats. Ahh, if you're listening Santa, maybe this year you might want to consider some hats or sun screen. Something that might be bring us some weather more conducive to boating;

Our destination - Lost Channel. You can see it here on the chart - just north of the Severn River and 3,000,000 miles from 'been there, done that';

This is the entrance off the Small Craft Route along the Severn River. Man, Wayne's description was top notch, right down to the sign advertising the fireworks - which ended up including guns being fired off!

Entering the first narrow passage in to the Channel. Nope, it sure don't look like Water Wings is gonna fit;

Ahh, no problem. We sure took it slow through here, though;

In case you missed it the first time I posted this video, here it is again. Right where it's supposed to be;

SunAria is close behind. Remember, Sanja - it's up to you to lead us out from here;

This is just another one of those really cool shots. Beautiful!

Once the anchors were set, we took Sanja's spare anchor line to tie to shore;

Remember Frankie, do it the German way and make it gutentight!

Too bad we got that brand new line all dirty, but it had to be broken in sometime;

Now that everything's secure, Little Pugsely was able to go for a relief run to shore and claim 'Pugsely Point'. Notice the boys' reflections on the water?

Swim shower time;

Next, it was time to help out the crews with the technical stuff. Figuring out how to work Von A's video camera. Hey, skipper - any chance of getting to see some of that there video? I might be able to use it on the year end video;

And helping Sanja figure out how to work her camera. Now, those pictures I already got, thank you very much. We'll be seeing some of them real soon;

Look at that! Here's one of those pictures already! If I recall correctly, I think I was helping Billie Sue to find the number for Casino Rama;

Here's some video Sanja took of the two Paul's trying to determine where Lost Channel was, exactly;

Once all the technical stuff was figured out, it was on to the dinghies and off to explore. What a (and, yes, I realize I use this term a lot) beautiful shot;

Everyone was excited to go for a dinghy ride - even little Ugly Pugsely Wugsely;

Out and about;

Heading into our destination which was a water control dam at the end of one of the little fjords, just to the south of the bay we were anchored in. When we got there, we saw a sign stating that this is part of an O.F.S.C. (Ontario Federation Of Snowmobile Clubs) trail. We didn't see any - not even any tracks;

DAMN! I mean, ahh - the dam;

Not only were there innumerable mosquitoes inhabiting the lower reaches of the spillway, but those little blood suckers were just waiting for some sucker to come down and get . . ahh . . . bitten ;-) Yes, despite the peril I put myself in - for the greater good of my audience - I set forth to capture photos to share with you today. And video. And sob stories to garner any sympathy I can. . . And I think I got a boo-boo on my finger :-( And while we're at it, how come nobody has ever pointed out the fact that I have a tiny (yet highly noticeable from this angle) bald spot on the aft/starboard quarter of my square head?

Here's some of that hard won video from the mosquito basin;

The infamous 'Pugsely Point' where we later saw the illusive Lost Channel black bear;

Von A with a lovely Pike. Though we were only about 15' from shore, we were in about 10' of water, as it dropped off quickly here. The same afternoon as this, we saw a couple of boats (about 24') anchor here, with their sterns tucked right into shore;

A moving review of the moving pictures of the Pike release;

Some of the rugged shoreline leading back to our anchorage;

Blackfly Mountain in the mist. This reminds me of a shot I took up in The Bay this summer, at Gilman Bay - but them photos are for another day;

Looking off to our port side line to shore;

A panning video of our anchorage, all the way from Pugsely Point to Blackfly Mountain;

Despite not being comfortable swimming in water over her head, Anchor Girl made the plunge for a swim shower. Like I told her, if we were going to spend a lot of nights on the hook during our holidays, she better get used to it. She did:-)