Weather reports are not always accurate, so instead of high
winds and rain, we woke to sunshine and calm waters. Anne was feeling better,
so we abandoned the idea of going to Little Current, tossed the lines, and
headed up on a 25-mile side trip further north to Baie Fine (Fine Bay).
This feels like genuine cruising to me, when you can just choose to go wherever
you want, rather than keep chasing a never-ending, linear series of
destinations.
The channels here are wide, and there are high, tree-lined mountains
scattered with rocky cliffs rising above the waters. I enjoyed following the
colorful names on the charts as we passed, such as Powderhorn
Bay, Landsdown Channel, Lions Hump,
Underhill Point, Partridge
Island, and Steamer Reef.
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| Landsdown Channel |
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| Mountain rocky cliffs |
The opening to Baie Fine at
Frazer Point
is narrow, but the bay is eight miles long and shaped like a carrot. When
entering, there is no marked channel, so you are on your own to choose a path
by following the chart. This is a very desolate area surrounded by national forest
lands, and there are no cottages visible along the channel. Our destination was
a tiny finger at the very end called The Pool, and as you enter, there is a
right turn which goes around a small point with a cottage built by the
Evinrude family (outboard motors). The cottage is in a pristine location, but somehow
seemed out of place given nature’s surrounding beauty.
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| Shoreline along Baie Fine |
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| The Pool (vertical on the right) at the tip of Baie Fine |
The Pool is a popular cruising destination because it is
isolated, protected from winds, and large enough for groups of boaters (many of
which anchor and tie their sterns to the shore). We anchored at the south end
up near a high, tree-lined ridge for wind protection overnight.
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| North end of the Pool, showing the Evinrude cottage |
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| Anchoring spot at the south end of the Pool |
As a bonus, you can dinghy to the northeast end and hike up
a couple of miles to an outlook over
Topaz
Lake. This lake is
unusual in that its water is crystal clear and turquoise in color; yet
there are no plants or fish in the lake. Some believe that local mining may have caused this. The climb was steep, and the trail
rather poorly marked, but we found the top with the help of another group
(surprisingly from
Ann Arbor,
Michigan) scouting ahead. The view was
well worth the climb!
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| Topaz Lake outlook |
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| Crystal clear, turquoise-colored water |
This evening I swam in the lake, then we barbequed salmon
for dinner, and later both of us relaxed with a good book.
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| Evening serenity disturbed by storm clouds on the horizon |
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