FREE AT LAST!!
August 7-9, 2026
For those of you who have owned a boat, it is no better feeling knowing that it is back up and running smoothly. It was really wonderful to get back on the road after being side-lined for almost two weeks. You aren’t supposed to have a schedule while doing the Great Loop, but there is still a pull to keep moving. Our goal has been to do 500 miles per month which would put us back at our starting point of Fort Lauderdale in March 2027.
With that said, a week or two here or there isn’t going to kill us. For now, we enjoy the freedom of a good working boat and head to the Georgian Bay Islands National Park. The hope is to stay at the Cedar Springs dock, but it is a first-come, first choice of dock, so you never know.
It was a beautiful ride out of the Penetang Harbour, into the Georgian Bay and up to Papoose Bay.
Linda driving the boat with Bella on lookout.
Howie taking a selfie at the back of the boat.
We got lucky and found a spot on the T-head of the Cedar Springs dock. It was a gorgeous spot where we were able to swim at the established beach. Bella enjoyed retrieving her ball while I sat in the water. It was a beautiful afternoon. We spent two days at the dock. Unfortunately, the full day we had there it rained off and on the entire day. I got in one walk with Bella, but my bike ride was grounded. We did swim off of the back of the boat in the late afternoon. We put the swim platform about 8-10 inches into the water so Bella can just swim up and onto the platform. As there is no power on the dock (which could potentially electrocute you), it is no problem to swim.
This picture shows the vast number of campground sites they have on the island. We got to the Cedar Springs dock (Tobey dock) about 2 p.m. on Friday, August 7. It was amazing watching all of the people coming in on boats with their luggage, tents, coolers, fishing gear, etc. for the weekend.
Howard kept telling me that there were people doing their paddle boarding “naked” in the far distance. I didn’t believe him, but he kept insisting. I couldn’t see that far without my glasses, so I went in and got the binoculars. Though it did look like the lady wasn’t wearing anything, she did have on a flesh colored bathing suit. This story is important as tomorrow on our trip to Frying Pan Island, we did see the “real thing.”