August 23, 2008: Kagawong, Manitoulin Island

We pulled out of Little Current just as the deluge began. We had spent the morning cleaning the boat, Tom the outside, and me the inside, to warm sunshine and a steady breeze. Tonight we planned to make it to Kagawong because there is a church there. The water was gray and choppy as we proceeded up the North Channel and there was lightening flashing in the distance. It rained so hard that the water streamed into the upper deck around the canvass top and isinglass windows which were all zipped up tight. Tom switched the chart plotter to the radar, and just like an airline pilot, recalculated our route to avoid the “dark green” on the screen as best he could. We arrived in Kagawong with it still raining and were glad to have a couple of dock hands come out to help us tie up at the Tag-a-long Marina.

When it finally stopped raining, we took a walk around town and discovered that this little village has a very unusual public park. The first thing we came to was a huge paved game board, where you would walk around to move your checker board pieces. Next there as a maze created by a forest of 6 foot tall cedar bushes/trees where you entered by a gate and then tried to reach the pole in the center. There were obvious places where players had cheated by creating unofficial holes in the hedge, but it was fun to find the right way all the way in and all the way out. Next we came to a maze which was laid out with stones on the ground so that you could see your friends as you played. It looked like a great place to play with a four year old grandchild.

Kagawong was settled first as a timber town with a sawmill built in 1873. Kagawong is a Ojibwe word which is translated to mean “where the mists rise from falling waters” and is a reference to the Bridal Veil Falls on the Kagawong River near by on a hiking trail from the city park. We will try to find them tomorrow.