27 July, from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island

Having packed everything up last night, it only took us 30 minutes to be out of camp. We have a 8:45 am sailing on the Ferry Chi-Cheemaun to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island which means arriving much earlier.

Coffee and breakfast (muffins and cheese) are in the ferry dock parking lot. As you can see by the photo, its a beautiful morning. After the 6 ferries we took last summer, we are pretty used to the drill. Arrive early, do whatever you need to do in the parking lot.

The ferry trip was uneventful and relatively short, just under 2 hours. We have a campsite booked for 2 nights so we can explore the island a little bit.

We spent an hour or so exploring the marina in Little Current, the only town of any size on the island. Lots of pleasure boats from both Canada and the U.S. docked here. The main water route into the marina from the Georgian Bay side is under (?)  the swing bridge that takes road traffic off the island from the northern side. Road traffic is stopped for 15 minutes on each hour to accommodate boating traffic. To get to Lake Michigan via the Canadian water route is through this passage and west to the locks at Sault Ste. Marie. To get to U.S. waters and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is south of Manitoulin Island towards Mackinac Island.

Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island, located in Lake Huron’s northern waters, is the world’s largest freshwater island with its own fresh water lakes. Part of Ontario, Canada, this 2,766-square-kilometer landmass is steeped in Indigenous history and culture, with significant Anishinaabe communities including the Wikwemikong Unceded Territory. The island’s name derives from the Ojibwe word “Manidoowaaling,” meaning “cave of the spirit.” Its landscape features rolling hills, pristine lakes, forests, and dramatic limestone cliffs along the shoreline. The island serves as both a cultural preserve for First Nations heritage and a peaceful retreat for visitors seeking natural beauty and tranquility.

Little Current

The town serves as “the Gateway to Manitoulin Island” (Northern Ontario Travel) and is strategically positioned at the namesake narrow channel that connects the North Channel to the west with the Georgian Bay to the east (Wikipedia) . First settled in the 1860’s, Little Current soon grew into a major Great Lakes port. By 1880, Little Current, or “Petite Current” as it was known by the voyageurs, was well recognized as the “Gateway Port” and a critical stop-over point for refueling and re-supplying water traffic on the Great Lakes.  During its heyday in the 1880s and 1890s, the town’s docks were lined with passenger steamers. Today, Little Current maintains its role as the island’s primary entry point, accessible via the Little Current Swing Bridge which provides the only land connection to Manitoulin Island.

Our campground, Green Acres Manitoulin Family Campground, has a little restaurant that specializes in the locally caught fresh water fish, whitefish, yellow fish, and pickerel. We’ll eat there for dinner.

It has been very hot today (did I mention that it’s hot?), into the 90s. In fact, it’s hotter here than at home, much further south. Spending a relaxing evening looking out over the water. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.