Great Loop Adventures Aboard Next Chapter: A Game of Opposites

Little Current & The Benjamin’s

When we woke from our peaceful little anchorage at Mary Ann Cove there was a noticeable chill in the still morning air with a little mist slowly rising from the water. Was this an early sign of impending seasonal change? It certainly made me think it might be time to begin aiming the pointy end of the boat south. The thought of leaving one of God’s masterpiece landscape portraits was too much so we quickly erased the thought and continued on.

We only had 16 miles to our next port of call, however we had a swing bridge we needed to pass which only opens at the top of the hour. So we weighed anchor a bit early so we could make the bridge at 10 and get an early start on boat chores, laundry and stock up on provisions. Contrary to what we have portrayed in our blog it is not all rainbows and lollipops. With that being said it is still leaps and bounds better than functioning from a dirt dwelling.

What ever the name of the town may try to suggest it is quite the opposite when it came to the current. Ever since we the St Lawrence seaway we have essentially been in calm waters. Not the case in Little Current. The town is in a fairly narrow channel between to big bodies of water creating quite a current. It made for a challenging docking experience but we managed to overcome it.

The town is located on Manitoulin Island that originally inhabited Indians. It is claimed to be the largest fresh water island in the world. Little current was first established as an outpost where an entrepreneurial chap set up and processed firewood for the steamers back then used firewood to drive their boilers. As the shift went to coal the town built a coal pier that was still in use up to the late 80’s.

One of the common themes we have seen in these little towns is the effort to make the most of what they have. First off is they are all fairly neat and very clean. It is remarkable to see the use of flower gardens, planters and hanging baskets that are watered everyday by town workers. When you don’t live in a blast furnace during the summer it makes growing vibrant colorful annuals easy.

It is funny how much it brightens up some of these older towns. We biked around the area and later had a couple of local boaters onboard for Happy Hour. It was great to hear some of their perspectives surrounding Covid, their current political administration and life in general.

We were quite surprised to wake up Monday morning August 14th and find a big 400 stateroom cruise ship tied up to the waterfront wharf. Apparently the town is a staging point for the cruise line to take passengers to some of the local sights. It’s no surprise to us why so many want to experience this stunning area.

We were excited to get underway and head to the Benjamin’s as we would be meeting up with some Loopers Dan and Deb, we had not seen since the Shady Harbor Pig Roast. The Benjamin’s were 22 mile cruise leading to a cluster of small granite islands with hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. When we arrived we were greeted by the crew of Razor’s Edge and Oddesey, Bill and Diane form Boston.

They invited us to raft up and help us with our first Mediterranean Moore. A Med Moore is where you drop your anchor, back up to an island and tie the stern to a rock or tree. There was over 15’ of water right close to the granite shore so no worry on damaging the running gear. In quick order we were secured, dinghy splashed and off we went to explore the area. We spent the better part of the day swimming, hiking and exploring on the dinghy. Once back to the boats we foraged for some wood to setup for a shore fire. Beers were cracked a little early that day which gave us a indication that this would not be a early to bed evening. The chemistry was quite clear that we were in for some fun. After dinner the fire was lit and the crew from another Looper boat Mike and Cindy form Alabama joined the foray. Razor’s Edge had his stern lights on illuminating the crystal clear water between the boats and the shore. Bill shouted, Look at that huge fish!” I looked and saw a air bubble come up from it as it swam by and I said, Last time I checked fish don’t hold their breath underwater.” Turns out it was a beaver swimming by. It was a big evening of Rocktails and laughs. How nobody slipped up and tumbled into the water we will never know.

The weather is changing evident in fewer mosquitos. We went through the whole evening mosquito free. On board from the prior owners I found a perfectly intact first aid kit. Curious if its contents had expired, I brought it to Station 8 on Old Donation just before the trip. The EMT said, “I would use it.” He suggested replacing a few items. The bug repellent made the cut, however when I opened the little packet what came out was very similar in appearance to what comes out of a LAMAS nose…well they say, “you get what you pay for.” Even though mosquito season is coming to a close, I still will get a new spray asap. Something in the color of “mist.”