It is now October and I’m just now getting caught up on our postings from September. Like this post on our two trips to Killarney, the bulk was written weeks ago but the end of the season, a boat delivery, etc. demanded our attention. We promise to catch up shortly!
Killarney v1
Our trek from Baie Finn to Killarney included a stop in Snug Harbour, a wonderful anchorage in the Lansdowne Channel. Had our holding tank not been demanding we give it some relief we would’ve stayed a couple of nights there. Alas, the holding tank had to be pacified and off we went to Killarney. Damn those pesky, smelly holding tanks!
We got word through the Facebook grapevine that Killarney Mountain Lodge (KLM) had mooring balls that could be picked up for a third of the cost of a slip. A bigger bonus – whether you’re on the mooring or at the dock at KLM you have full access to all of their benefits – pool, sauna, kayaks, bar/nightclub – how could we possibly pass that up?
We’ve not picked up a mooring ball since our last trip to the BVI but my trips with Women Who Sail had given me some recent exposure. My temperamental shoulder advised that I should not be the one to grab the mooring so I took the helm and Dan grabbed the boat hook. My approach was dead on but my reverse was not adequate to stop the boat’s forward momentum. The result was one boat hook lost overboard but Dan was still on the boat. Second attempt lost the second boat hook. Arggh!
With no boat hooks, Dan got in the dinghy and grabbed the line from the boat and snagged the mooring. I know that some of you are shaking your heads questioning what our problem was. So I’ll tell you. There was no pennant or line to grab on the ball, just the 4” metal ring. And the metal ring was supposed to come up when you grabbed it leaving the ball floating in the water. Nope, the mooring we picked was defective and when you grabbed the metal ring, you pulled up the mooring ball with it. Sheesh!
With Dan in the dinghy, he went to retrieve the two boat hooks. Got one. The other one was apparently not the floating variety. Why would anyone make a boat hook that didn’t float?
After our mooring adventure we headed down the road/waterway to Herberts Fish and Chips – probably the most famous spot in Killarney. Pacified with some lunch and ice cream we stopped in at KLM to check out the amenities and take hot showers – so nice to be clean and sparkly!
We also ran into the crew of Escape (Mike and Kathy) whom we met in Marianne Cove and were hanging out poolside. With an invitation to their boat for happy hour, we returned to Gaviidae where Tai Chi (a boat we met in Fox Harbour) had pulled in. As it turned out, Liz and Steve from Tai Chi also knew Mike and Kathy and the happy hour was expanded and went on well past an hour!
We stayed several days in Killarney to catch up with laundry and other chores. It was also our anniversary weekend and Mike and Kathy joined us in the celebration. Twenty-nine years – amazing!
The next morning we were getting ready to depart and Dan happened to look down into the clear water. There was our second boat hook! The boat had been sitting on top of it the entire time! With snorkel and mask Dan dove down and retrieved our wayward boat hook. I still want to know why anyone would make a boat hook that doesn’t float!
Killarney v2
From Killarney we headed to Covered Portage or Portage Covert if you want the proper French name. It was pretty much the same as it was when we were there in 2005 on the Blue Loon except for the huge house that occupies a key spot in the entry way and the amazingly strong internet signal, thanks to the tower that is a clear shot straight across the bay.
In an effort to protect my liver from the abuses of too many happy hours, I started drinking straight cranberry juice. Throw in a lime, looks just like a cocktail!
After two nights in the anchorage, we headed back to Killarney keeping an eye on a potential weather window for our trek across Georgian Bay to the Bruce Peninsula. You can read about our trek in Dan’s blog here.
September 2-5, 2016 45° 58.062’N 81° 30.365’W 915.2 Nautical Miles
September 8, 2016 45° 58.062’N 81° 30.365’W 920.2 Nautical Miles
For more images from 2016, see our Photo Gallery.