Rounding Manitoulin - Day 1

I paddled my kayak around Manitoulin Island, the largest island in the North American Great Lakes in 2004. It was a trip done as a substitute for not going around Prince Edward Island that summer - a trip I have still to do! At the time, there was only one hint that anyone had ever done the trip before us, but I was never able to confirm this one way or another. Since then I have not heard of anyone doing it, but It's a great paddle if you have about two weeks free and the urge to paddle some interesting waters.


Once I was back home, I made this logo and put it on a T-shirt to celebrate the adventure. Other than a little article in a local newspaper, I have never published an account of the trip. To correct this, and to fill in a somewhat dull paddling period at the moment, I thought I'd post an account of the trip over the next few days.
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Departing from Tobermory, Ontario, we took the ferry over to South Baymouth. Leaving the car in the care of a local camp-ground, we launched in the late afternoon and headed out counter-clockwise in search of a first camp site. It was my first experience paddling in waves big enough to hide one boat from another, but within a short time my fears of capsizing disappeared and I settled in for a fun ride down the coast.

As dusk approached we began looking for a place to camp. Entering a small cove, we had our first encounter with Manitoulin's limestone shorelines. Rough, flat and strewn with erratics, it was going to be difficult keeping the kayaks from losing all their gelcoat! I don't have pictures of this nasty stuff, but this trip did teach me the value of having a decent waterproof camera. Take my advice however and bring along pool noodles to protect your hulls!

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