Day 291 - July 2, 2014: Little Current

We departed Baie Fine with regret. It would have been fun to spend several days here soaking up nature's beauty and pretending that the political and economic world around us does not exist. Plus, there were very few bugs and none of the swarming shadflies. Backtracking through the bay, we headed west in the North Channel for Little Current.

The town of Little Current sits on a narrow passageway between the Georgian Bay and the North Channel. It is named for the high currents that frequent this channel depending on the winds that drive water into one end or the other. We passed by the Strawberry Island Lighthouse and under the swing bridge which is the only land access to Manitoulin Island. It opens once each hour for 15 minutes; however, at 18 feet and with our VHF radio antennae down and radar mast lowered, we were easily able to pass under without waiting.

Strawberry Island Lighthouse

Little Current bridge

There is a town dock here which is located adjacent to the small main street, and we arranged to tie up on the outside end of Pier B for ease of departure if the winds and currents are unfriendly in the morning.

The Little Current Town Dock and city downtown in the distance

Coming in early gave me a chance to do some maintenance on the dinghy fuel system, as the outboard has been starting hard and running rough the last few days. It was time to change the fuel filter, blow out the fuel lines, and dump the remaining gallon of months old ethanol gas in favor of fresh. Luckily, there was a NAPA parts store nearby where I got a new generic fuel filter for the motor. 

We ran into couples from two different boats here on the docks that are loopers we had met last year. One couple finished the loop and is just cruising this area for the summer, and the other couple was with us in Waterford during the Erie Canal delays last year. It is a small world.

Then it was off to the grocery store for a few items before our run across the North Channel. Later, we ate at the Anchor Bar and Grill and had the Cajun whitefish which was really excellent.