Scenes from the Canadian North Channel
Message from Bill Penistan - company founder
Welcome to Exploration Sailing Charters, a charter company providing specialty sailboat excursions around Ontario, Canada's Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Come discover what Sail Magazine cites as the top freshwater sailing destination in the world. I know it intimately, and would love to share it with you. Listen to bird calls near South Benjamin Island.
See well preserved fossils in limestone, explore glacially sculpted shorelines, alvars and the crystaline structures of a massive monolith remnant - the Benjamin Islands. Climb the white quartzite slopes of the La Cloche Mountains and observe bear, deer, bald eagles, mink and beaver in their natural habitats.
Exploration Sailing Charters enriches the charter experience by providing guest experts for specialty excursions. Clients will be able to expand their skills in an area of interest while cruising around these majestic windswept islands. Continue reading to find out about the scheduled photography sailing excursion. Together we will design your own charter sailing adventure. Welcome aboard!
Welcome to Exploration Sailing Charters, a charter company providing specialty sailboat excursions around Ontario, Canada's Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Come discover what Sail Magazine cites as the top freshwater sailing destination in the world. I know it intimately, and would love to share it with you. Listen to bird calls near South Benjamin Island.
See well preserved fossils in limestone, explore glacially sculpted shorelines, alvars and the crystaline structures of a massive monolith remnant - the Benjamin Islands. Climb the white quartzite slopes of the La Cloche Mountains and observe bear, deer, bald eagles, mink and beaver in their natural habitats. Exploration Sailing Charters enriches the charter experience by providing guest experts for specialty excursions. Clients will be able to expand their skills in an area of interest while cruising around these majestic windswept islands. Continue reading to find out about the scheduled photography sailing excursion. Together we will design your own charter sailing adventure. Welcome aboard!
Perhaps you want a different kind of family vacation, or have an urge to learn to navigate and sail. Perhaps you just desire an opportunity to observe and appreciate the beauty and diversity of the North Channel environment. Exporation Sailing Charters can customize a holiday just for you.
"Little Wing" Hunter 37
Friday
The New Year - 2011
Over the next few weeks I will be updating the website and revising information on the upcoming specialty cruises. I hope to bring many of them back and add a few new ones. If you are wishing to sail without participating in a themed week, please contact me as soon as possible so I can keep your preferred times available. Bookings are already happening.
In retrospect, the 2010 season was terrific. A number of new clients were able to experience some of the many wonders of the North Channel and we were blessed with some terrific winds. There were days when most cruisers hunkered down in secure anchorages but Little Wing reveled in the 40+ knots and big seas. Never once did she ever cause concern for safety or security. The new sails worked out very well and added greatly to sailing enjoyment.
The entire battery and wiring system was totally revamped, and with the added capacity, the autopilot and refrigeration can now run far longer and there are no worries about starting the engine. We can now enjoy ice cubes the whole trip!
In the fall I had the opportunity to spend a month in New Zealand visiting my daughter. Two of the great highlights of this adventure were the opportunity to sail an Americas Cup boat (former contender Nippon from Japan) in the Harauki Gulf and to cruise a Lotus9.6 (31 ft.) in the Bay of Islands. Above you will find a link to my New Zealand slide show.
Below, "Another North Channel Slide Show" has been updated with images from 2010.
Tuesday
Thursday
Contact Us
By Phone: (705) 989-7135 (Canada)
By e-mail: explorationsail@gmail.com
By snail mail: 28 Whitman Dam Rd.
PO Box B25
Searchmont, ON
P0S 1J0
Sunday
Tough Decision
Making the decision to end the trip was very difficult and there is a sense of failure. However, this is the wrong time of year to do this trip and our route is known as "the thorny path".
We found a wonderful Hurricane Hole to leave the boat. Really, the mooring place is named Hurricane Hole. The moorings appear to be in good condition, the basin is really well protected and the proprietor, Wendel, aka Little Toot, a wonderful, helpful fellow. He has agreed to keep the boat aired out and the motors exercised regularly. And the price is reasonable.
As Hurricane Hole is on Stocking Island, it is necessary to get a water taxi to the government dock. Elvis, the driver, arranged a taxi to the airport for me. All the cabs are connected via VHF radio and I would hazard that as much business here is done with VHF as with cellphone.
There are several places in Georgetown where one can get wireless internet connection. For $15 a month you can get a signal on your boat. I went to Eddie's, a very Caribbean establishment where I could do all my business for free as long as I made a purchase. And why wouldn't I when the local Sands beer is so good and the fried chicken is just as it should be? $7.50 all in. Not cheap but not too bad, either. And if you like the sound of loud locals having a good time, the ambiance is great.
We found a wonderful Hurricane Hole to leave the boat. Really, the mooring place is named Hurricane Hole. The moorings appear to be in good condition, the basin is really well protected and the proprietor, Wendel, aka Little Toot, a wonderful, helpful fellow. He has agreed to keep the boat aired out and the motors exercised regularly. And the price is reasonable.
As Hurricane Hole is on Stocking Island, it is necessary to get a water taxi to the government dock. Elvis, the driver, arranged a taxi to the airport for me. All the cabs are connected via VHF radio and I would hazard that as much business here is done with VHF as with cellphone.
There are several places in Georgetown where one can get wireless internet connection. For $15 a month you can get a signal on your boat. I went to Eddie's, a very Caribbean establishment where I could do all my business for free as long as I made a purchase. And why wouldn't I when the local Sands beer is so good and the fried chicken is just as it should be? $7.50 all in. Not cheap but not too bad, either. And if you like the sound of loud locals having a good time, the ambiance is great.
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