Day 156 - No More Locks

Soon after getting up, I usually take a look outside from the upper deck.  Today I saw what looked to be an otter loping along on the fuel dock at about 7:15 am.  I ran for the camera, but he was already gone.  The skies were mostly cloudy and it was much cooler than the past few mornings.  On Saturdays, the locks were open at 9:00 am rather than 10:00 am and we left the dock right at 9:00 am, cruising by Rawley's, where we ate the night before, right into Lock 45 at 9:10 am.  This is the smallest lock on the system and we filled it up quite nicely.  We were out at 9:18 am.  Yes!  No more locks!!

 

 

The passage from the lock to a nearby bridge is very narrow, shallow and has a stiff current to it.  The Captain maneuvered that just fine and soon we were out on the Georgian Bay, a large body of water that has plenty of depth in the center (up to 80 feet or so), but also has small islands, shoals and shallow points, especially to the northeast.  Captain Randy had had enough of shallow water and we didn’t have the charts for the north or “small craft route” so we decided to cruise the southern shore of the Georgian Bay.  We headed west, planning to stop at Midland, a short distance away.  Instead, we decided to cruise by it, then go a little further along the Bruce Peninsula (the southern route) to Owen Sound. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge mural depicting a European settler and a native Canadian Indian is painted on the Ogilvie Flour Mills in Midland.  Midland has several large marinas and, of course, its shores are lined with huge homes

 

 

It was windy and we ran into 4 foot waves out in open water.  The Captain asked if I was up for another 2 hours of the rough water and I told him I was fine with it.  The Kristin Says can handle rough seas.  As we passed a few large islands, we noticed a few boats anchored in their protected bays.  We were one of the few crossing the Bay.

The southern shore of the Georgian Bay is wooded and reminded me of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan.  There are apple orchards in the rolling hills.  We went by Cape Rich and soon into the Owen Sound.  The closer to shore we got, the smoother the water.  We started seeing small fishing boats again.  We called Georgian Shores Marina for a slip and they directed us in at 2:45 pm.

 

The dock attendant told us that Die Zauberfloat had been there a week earlier.  This boat, another 42 foot Tiara Open, is on our dock at Diversey Harbor.  The owners like to cruise the North Channel and also venture into the Georgian Bay.  I really felt like we are getting close to home now.

Owen Sound has a grain milling and transportation history and large grain elevators sit on the west side of town.  Two railroads went through here and they did some ship building during WWI.  A Marine and Railroad Museum is located near the downtown harbor, but it was closed when we went by.

There isn’t too much to the downtown, a few shops and restaurants and medical offices.  We walked from the marina and went by the Canadian Legion Hall.  Every Canadian town seems to have one of these, and they tend to be large and very active.  We ate dinner at Shorty’s, a popular bar and grill.  I tried a red Owen Sound wine and it had a nice flavor although not the smoothest of finishes.  In  Canada, the servers bring the check and a handheld credit card machine that processes the payment right at the table.  This method seems much more efficient than the American process of leaving the check, taking the credit card and running it through at a central point, then bringing it back, the customer adding a tip, then the card is closed out back at the register.

 

 

 

Another observation I have made while in Canada:  on average, the women dress better than American women.  Even in a small town like Owen Sound, women of all ages are wearing stylish (not formal or faddish) clothes that fit well, are of good (not expensive) quality and it is clear that they have given some thought to how they are dressed.  I am very impressed!

The town was quiet on the walk back except for 1 place – the Bingo parlor.  It was jumping!  We did not stop and play, instead we walked over a footbridge through the park and back to our boat.