Every great loop north channel cruiser has a moment they remember. You’ve done the Erie Canal. You’ve crossed Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. You’ve worked your way up through the Trent-Severn or around the top of Georgian Bay. And then you clear the Mississagi Strait, the North Channel opens up in front of you, and something shifts.
The water changes colour. The traffic disappears. The mainland falls away to the north and Manitoulin Island stretches east as far as you can see. There are no cities here. No highways running along the shore. Just Canadian Shield, ancient forest, and water so clear you can see the limestone bottom in 20 feet.
Oh — and the water temperature drops. Noticeably. Georgian Bay will not have prepared you for this. (You have been warned )
It’s sometimes said that 25 of the top 10 anchorages in the world are in the North Channel. That’s not a typo. It’s the kind of place that ruins you for everywhere else.
Meldrum Bay is where the great loop north channel western leg begins — and for many cruisers, where the whole trip suddenly makes sense.
The False Detour Channel — Your Great Loop North Channel Gateway from the West
If you’re approaching from Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, or anywhere on the US side, the False Detour Channel is your entry point into the great loop north channel. The channel runs between Michigan’s Drummond Island to the west and Ontario’s Cockburn Island to the east, with the Canada-US border passing roughly through the middle. It’s a deep, well-travelled passage — Mackinac Island is approximately 85 nautical miles to the southwest and De Tour Village, Michigan is 40 nm to the west.
The name has a history worth knowing. Early navigators heading for the main Detour Passage — the established voyageur route toward Mackinac — could mistake this eastern channel for the main route. The “False” prefix was a navigational warning, passed down through generations of charts from the fur trade era. Alexander Henry the Elder was traversing these waters in the 1760s on his trade voyages to Michilimackinac. The same passage that confused early mapmakers is now one of the busiest entry points on the entire Loop.
Navigation note: the Canada-US border runs through the middle of the channel. Once through and into Canadian waters, Meldrum Bay is a short run to the southeast. This area is covered by Canadian Hydrographic Service Chart 2251. Always supplement charts with Great Lakes Cruising Club harbour reports — CHS charts alone are not sufficient for safe navigation among the islands.
Cockburn Island — The Ghost Town Stop
Before Meldrum Bay, Cockburn Island sits off your port bow as you enter from the west. It’s worth knowing about even if you don’t stop.
Cockburn Island was settled in the late 1800s and at its peak had a population exceeding 1,000 people. After World War II the exodus to the mainland began and never stopped. Today the island has a single year-round resident — the township maintenance man — though summer cottages bring 200 or more people back in July and August.
The small dock at Tolsmaville on the island’s eastern shore is a Remote Area Border Crossing for Canadian customs — telephone clearance only, no officer on site. It’s an option for boats coming directly from Drummond Island that want to clear before reaching Meldrum Bay. The island has no stores, no fuel, and no restaurant. Worth a dinghy explore if conditions allow — the ruins of what was once a thriving logging and fishing community are still visible in the bush.
Meldrum Bay — Your Western Base
Meldrum Bay Marina (VHF 68, (705) 283-3252) is a full service marina with 40 slips, fuel dock (diesel and gasoline), pump-out, water, shore power, washrooms, showers, and laundry. Deep water access throughout — the marina describes it as suitable for all vessels using their docks.
The bay itself has a wide mouth of approximately 3 nautical miles. The village sits along the west shoreline near the south end of the bay. A 1,500-foot breakwater provides protection from the north. The marina is marked by a fixed red light. There is a charted anchorage ground to the southeast of the marina for boats that prefer to swing on the hook.
Canadian customs at Meldrum Bay is a CBSA telephone reporting site — call 1-888-CANPASS (1-888-226-7277) from the dock. No officer on site. This is the first and most convenient Canadian customs stop for boats arriving from Detour or Drummond Island headed east to Gore Bay or Little Current. Meldrum Bay is 37 nautical miles from Harbor Island — plan accordingly if you’re crossing from the US side in a single day.
Navigation note: departing Meldrum Bay heading east, leave Batture Island and its small red buoy well to starboard. The bay’s natural protection comes from the east, south and west — northeast winds are the one exposure to watch.
Provisioning in Meldrum Bay is basic — the Meldrum Bay Country Store carries groceries, local produce, and meats. There is no bank or ATM in the village, no marine repair facility, and no medical services. The nearest hospital is in Mindemoya, approximately 1¾ hours east. Fuel up here and carry what you need — Gore Bay at 34 nautical miles east is your next full provisioning stop. For more on sailing and power boating the North Channel, see our guide to the North Channel as one of North America’s great sailing destinations.
Anchorages Within Easy Reach of Meldrum Bay
This is where the great loop north channel earns its reputation. Within a comfortable day’s cruise of Meldrum Bay there are more quality anchorages than most cruisers will cover in a season.
Vidal Bay — First Night at Anchor
Right next door to Meldrum Bay and the natural first anchorage after clearing customs. Vidal Bay is a large, protected bay offering good shelter from north winds — exactly what you want when the North Channel kicks up. Short run from the marina if you need anything, good holding throughout, and on a clear night the stars over the North Channel from Vidal Bay will recalibrate your sense of scale. No light pollution for 50 miles in any direction.
Grant Islands — Privacy at a Price
Privacy doesn’t get much better than Grant Islands. Tuck in here and you’ll feel like you have the North Channel entirely to yourself. One honest caveat: there is very little protection from the weather here. Watch your forecast carefully before committing for the night. On a calm evening it’s spectacular. In a blow, you’ll wish you’d stayed at Vidal Bay. Good holding when conditions allow. Worth it on the right night.
Beardrop Harbour — The Whalesback Channel
Head north toward the mainland shore and you’re into the Whalesback Channel — a 17-mile stretch of islands, deep passages, and wilderness that cruising writer Marjorie Kahn Brazer called one of the most beautiful passages in the world. The channel is covered by CHS Chart 2259.
Beardrop Harbour sits on the north shore of the Whalesback Channel and is one of the finest anchorages in the western North Channel. Well protected on nearly all sides by rocky islands and wooded mainland, with a natural breakwater at the entrance that keeps wave action out even in deteriorating conditions.
The name has a story. The narrow gap at the eastern end of the anchorage, with its high steep walls, is known among the Ojibwe people as “Bear Fall” — from a legend of a bear observed falling from one of the cliff walls into the harbour below. The harbour takes its name from this place.
Navigation note: the entrance requires attention. Small islands create a protected but narrow approach — go slowly, keep your chartplotter running, and GLCC harbour reports are essential here. Depths in the anchorage are good throughout. Bald eagles are commonly spotted soaring over the Whalesback Channel. Blueberry picking ashore is excellent in season.
A note for power boaters: sailboats tend to prefer the more open John Harbour just across the Whalesback Channel on the south side. Beardrop is the preferred choice for most trawlers and larger power vessels looking for maximum protection.
Navigation Notes for the Great Loop North Channel Western Approach
The great loop north channel western approach rewards careful piloting. A few things every cruiser should know before leaving Meldrum Bay heading east.
Depths change fast. Canadian Shield geology means 100 feet of water can transition to 1 foot within boat lengths. Sharp rocks and submerged ledges are common and not always marked. Keep one eye on the GPS and another on the depthsounder at all times among the islands.
Canadian aids to navigation are smaller and harder to spot than American cruisers are used to. Many anchorages have no markers at all. GLCC harbour reports are essential supplements to CHS charts for any anchorage you haven’t visited before. Do not rely on charts alone.
Water levels matter. The CHS provides real-time water level data for the North Channel at Little Current — call 705-368-3695. What was accessible last season may not be this season. Check before committing to any anchorage with a shallow approach.
One advantage over Georgian Bay: anchorages in the North Channel are generally deeper, which means better holding and more swinging room in most conditions. Mud and sand bottoms throughout most of the main anchorages.
Tune to VHF 71 at 9am daily during July and August for the Little Current Yacht Club Cruiser’s Net — weather updates, anchorage conditions, and the easiest way to connect with other boats on the water. Monitor VHF 68 in Meldrum Bay.
Charts for this area: CHS 2251 (False Detour Channel to Gravel Point), CHS 2299 (Clapperton Island to Meldrum Bay), CHS 2259 (Whalesback Channel). Always download the latest version from charts.gc.ca as updates are applied continuously.
The Great Loop North Channel — Just the Beginning
Everything described above is within easy reach of Meldrum Bay — a day’s cruise east or north and back. And this is barely the start of what the great loop north channel has to offer. Over 100 named anchorages in 100 nautical miles of some of the finest freshwater cruising water on the planet.
The Benjamin Islands. Covered Portage Cove. Snug Harbour. Baie Fine. The Pool. Killarney. Our complete guide to the eastern North Channel covers the full run from Gore Bay to Killarney — coming soon.