The wilds of Georgian Bay and the North Channel by J.C. Kavanagh

Darkness Descends, 

Book 2 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series

It's been a spectacularly hot and sunny summer here in Ontario and I've been fortunate to spend much of it on my sailboat, Escape Route II, cruising Georgian Bay and the North Channel. It's been said that the North Channel is the Number One destination in the world for boating/sailing. Yes, it beats the Caribbean and Mediterranean for best cruising spots.

I can attest to the fact that the water is the clearest and cleanest of all the places I've sailed (including the Caribbean). The same applies to the scenery. Rock cliffs, boulders of every size and shape, quartz covered mountains, calm waters and savage, storm-wracked waves keep the views ever-changing. Me and my partner Ian spent a month sailing from Midland, Ontario (the southern point of Georgian Bay), up to Beausoleil Island, Hopewell Bay, Parry Sound, The Bad River (where you'll find the Devil's Door Rapids I write about in my book, Darkness Descends), Killarney, Little Current (which it's not), the Benjamin Islands, Wingfield Basin and Christian Island. We anchored 29 of 31 nights. 

Ian has such a great sense of humour and is a superb captain. Being in such close quarters for a month can be trying for some couples, but not for us. Below is one example of how every day is an adventure with Captain Ian.

When I asked for more cream cheese

Yup, we like to keep things fun!
If you like to see pics of nature and the beauty around us, including native animals and birds, and believe that vacation pics are not punishment (as per Betty White), check out my photos below. You'll see from the scenery that many parts of Georgian Bay and the North Channel are still wild and untamed.

A curious porcupine near Parry Sound, Ontario

A pileated woodpecker at Kilcoursie Bay, near Parry Sound

A pair of loons and their babies, north of Beausoleil Island

Cell Tower - they should all be made like this (outside the Shawanaga Inlet)

Granite cliffs are the backdrop to the 

Escape Route II at anchor, The Bad River 

Part of the Devil's Door Rapids at the Bad River

Mountains surrounding Baie Fine, North Channel

Beavers at dinner, Covered Portage Cove near Killarney

Executive beaver lodgings

Overlooking The Pool anchorage, North Channel.

Me and Topaz Lake

Storm threatens at the Benjamin Islands, North Channel

The Screaming Tree (not The Scream by Edvard Munch) at Covered Portage Cove

Anchored at The Cove

My 27" pike - was a yummy dinner!

Morning mist over the mountains of Killarney, Ontario

Navigating waves and the 40 knot winds. 

When you're sailing, every day is 'bad hair' day :)

Georgian Bay waves at 

Wingfield Basin near the tip of the Bruce Peninsula

Remnants of the Gargantua, 

a barge built in 1923 and sunk in 1952 in Wingfield Basin

The Gargantua in 1923

J.C. Kavanagh 
The Twisted Climb, voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers' Poll 
AND 

The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2) 

Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart 

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com 

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh 

www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh 

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)

Prepare for punishment by J.C. Kavanagh

WINNER Best Young Adult Book 2016, The Twisted Climb

Summer is over - at least for school kids - so it's time for the punishment to begin: picture punishment. Let me clarify. Betty White, one of the funniest people on the planet, made a statement on a TV show many years ago that explained the purpose of sharing vacation pictures. It was PUNISHMENT, eye-rolling eyeball-agony, plain and simple. She basically said, "Who cares?" what you did or what you saw or what you were wearing and who gives a fat-rat's bottom anyway? Looking at someone's vacation pictures is just cruel.


Well, prepare for the onslaught.


I had a fantastic summer, thank-you-very-much, and I'll show you just how fantastic it was.
Brace yourself.

 
 

Deer everyday at our campsite, Killbear Provincial Park,
Parry Sound, Ontario

There were no bears this year at Killbear - surprise! But deer came to forage behind our site three times a day, bringing fawn and even 8-point daddy.

 Posing with my sister-in-law on her super-fast Hobie Cat.

 

Before and after the storm pics, Georgian Bay.

Gah - there are more pics - the visual punishment continues....

Below are pics from my sailing vacation throughout Georgian Bay and the North Channel (Ontario) - rated one of the best sailing destinations in the world. The waters are clean and Caribbean-clear. Stunning. Me and my partner, Ian, sail a beautiful Catalina 36 named Escape Route II.

Anchored off Hope Island, Georgian Bay.



Escape Route II, at anchor in
Covered Portage Cove near Killarney, Ontario

 

Delicious pike caught in Baie Fine, close to The Pool anchorage and Lake Topaz.

At anchor in The Pool. The quartz mountains around Killarney are the breathtaking backdrop.

Overlooking Baie Fine and McGregor Bay. At the top of this 500m climb are the ashes of Stuart Fraser Cork, one of the famous Group of Seven painters. This was one of his favourite painting perches.

 
Posing with the coolest blow-up duckie in Killarney :)

At the Benjamin Islands, North Channel. Note the 'crooked' trees. They grow that way, adjusting to the prevailing northwest winds. These trees are often part of the Group of Seven paintings.

The pain is almost over......

Me and my captain, Ian.

Well, that's it for my eyeball punishment to you. If you made it this far - thank you!


I'm getting ready for three book signings in October so if you're in the Greater Toronto Area - come see me!


Toronto Eaton Centre, Indigo: October 14
Oshawa Indigo: October 21
Barrie Chapters: October 28

J.C. Kavanagh

The Twisted Climb

A novel for teens, young adults and adults young at heart.

WINNER: Best Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers’ Award

Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/J.C.Kavanagh

www.amazon.com/author/jckavanagh

Twitter @JCKavanagh1 (Author J.C. Kavanagh)