Fun in Killarney
Captain and I took Kona to shore around 8am. She got a good play in before we pulled anchor around 9am to head to Killarney. It was so nice outside that I sat up deck and typed my blog. That is fun as I can’t see my screen and basically just type blind while enjoying the scenery pass by with my love. I’m glad my mom insisted I took typing lessons all those years ago! I had to go and proof read later of course!
Killarney is only about an hour away from where we were. As we turned past the lighthouse we saw that all the mooring balls were still occupied. So sad. Captain wanted to spend some time scoping out some little areas near the mouth of the channel to see if we could anchor in them. They aren’t marked as known anchorages, but doesn’t mean they can’t necessarily be used as such. What we found was lot of big rocks, wood and pipes that were sticking straight up and down. Nope, not a good place to anchor for sure, but at least now we know.
We hailed the Killarney Mountain Lodge to see if we could get a slip for two nights. Only one. So we went just a little further down the channel to the Sportsman’s Inn (owned by the same folks) and they did have a slip we could use! The marina is on both sides of the channel and our slip would be on the island side. The employees got on their pontoon boat and headed over to catch our lines. Nice easy docking. We were thrilled to hear they had toilets and showers on this side of the channel for us as well as the use of their pontoon that I have heard nicknamed “tinkerbell” or maybe it was “dinkerbell” as you ring a bell (or call on VHF) and they come and shuttle you across the way so you don’t need to use your dinghy if you don’t want to. They will even take you to the Killarney Lodge down the ways. We declined shore power as it costs additional and since we are having great sun and cheap sailors didn’t need that. Killarney is the first place we have been where that is an additional charge as usually it is all included in your slip fee. Other things included were showers, water, Wi-Fi and use of the Killarney mountain lodge pool, sauna and even free laundry!
After we checked in, we walked over to Herbert’s for their famous Fish and Chips. Captain got a large helping of fish while Cory and I continued to chicken out and enjoyed ourselves a helping of poutine. Captain insists this white fish is the best he has ever had. I’m sure childhood memories of seeing the fishing tug just outside and the swarms of seagulls helps with the warm fuzzies. After lunch we took the dinghy to another dock. This one was for the LCBO which is the Canadian state run liquor store. How fun to take your boat to the liquor store!!?? We found that Empress Gin I was looking for and also picked up a variety of canned mixed drinks to sample before we headed back to Ciara.
Cory went to take a shower right away. I took Kona for a walk and frisbee time. Captain tried to fly his drone but found out the channel is strictly enforced for no drone usage and was not even able/allowed to take off. This makes sense as the channel often has waterplanes and helicopters as well as cruise ships come through often.
Cory wanted to soak up air conditioning (it was a hot day) and free Wi-Fi to download some movies so Captain took them over to the Killarney lodge where they have a large recreational room. We ended up talking to lots of people as the paddled by our boat. It always makes me smile when families come up with young children and the first thing they say is “Do you have a parrot?” instead of “what a beautiful boat.” You know they are talking to their kids about how this looks like a pirate ship especially amongst the white fiber glass boats that dominate the waters these days. I love to respond with “no sorry, but we have stickers!”
Captain and I stalled on taking our showers and by the time we got our bags ready we had seen at least four people head that way for similar reasons. There are only two showers. So we took our dinghy across the way to the main boaters lodge and found six unused showers for our use.
We then joined Cory for dinner at the Killarney Mountain Lodge. We apologized for taking a while but they didn’t mind. The a/c was cool, they were downloading stuff and they got to watch a helicopter take off while we were gone.
As we walked up to the grounds from out dinghy I kept hearing the Kellerman’s song from Dirty Dancing in my head (and maybe starting singing it out loud). I absolutely love this lodge and its sprawling grounds. It feels just like it came out of a movie of the same era. Dark painted wood lodge with red roofs and matching little cabins. Outdoor firepits that are naturally fit amongst the pink granite. A humongous Canadian flag hangs out in the lawn overshadowing the carousel building that houses the main bar. Kayaks for anyone to enjoy and families enjoying the pool that overlooks the mooring field.
We went to the main dinning room for dinner as we remember they had a great Cesar salad from the all-you-can-eat night last year. The menu was quite different then I expected. Very fancy. We all shared the salad as an appetizer as it really wasn’t suited for a full meal. It was delicious. I ordered lamb shank, Captain got bison short ribs and Cory had duck. We paired it with a nice wine and a kiddie cocktail for Cory. Our waitress was amazing and dealt well with Captain putting her through all sorts of jokes.
We headed back to Ciara for a short bit after dinner. Just as we were going down the channel a seaplane left the dock. We got to ride along with him until the end of the channel where he hit the gas and took off. That was super fun to experience! We got back to Ciara in just enough time for me to get my trumpet out and get to the bow to play Last Post. I played well, made one small mistake but was greeted heavily with applause and words of thanks from everyone around. I joked with Captain about my mistake and said “at least they know I’m not AI!” (Just like my writing!)
With the evening cooling I grabbed a sweater and we all headed back to the Lodge to enjoy the evening/night at the carousel bar. We have been coming here now for three years. They always have live music and a great vibe. Tonight, a Thursday, was rocking. Never seen it so busy. Didn’t bother us. We found a place to sit at the bar and found lots of people to chat with. A girl named Montana because a quick friend and we bought her a drink. She bought us a shot called Burt Reynolds which is rum and butterscotch and amazingly easy going down. Other boaters came and chatted with us. Another couple who were kayaking the channel earlier in the day and not here by boat came to talk to us about their dream of wanting to buy and live their summers on boats. All while we were getting live music ranging from Jimmy Buffet to Tragically Hip (a Canadian band that is very popular).
We left just shy of midnight as the crowd dwindled down after the music had stopped. I had to drag Captain out of the recreational room because they had ping pong and what is more fun than ping pong at midnight???
We had a quiet dinghy ride home having the entire channel to ourselves. I’m sure we will sleep in tomorrow. We hope to do some touristy things and enjoy one more day here.
