North Channel Sailing and Island Adventure Tours

North Channel and Island Adventure Tours offers excursions out of Kagawong to Clapperton and Benjamin Island

WWelcome to beautiful Manitoulin Island – Mnidoo Mnising in the Anishnaabeg language – the Heart and Spirit of the Great Lakes of Canada!  You will find yourself again in this nurturing atmosphere of pure nature. 

Manitoulin Island is unique in many ways – it is the world’s largest freshwater Island. It has more than a hundred inland lakes between its shores, and many of those lakes have Islands on them! There are more than two dozen small settlements, first nations and towns spread out across more than 160 kilometers of boreal forest, lakes, rivers, shorelines, escarpments, meadows and alvars.

The people and the communities have emerged through a history as colourful and complex as any in Canada – from the fur trade to free trade, from the ice age to the new age.  Our histories show through at every turn, from fossils to lighthouses, under these same stars, with native and non-native communities across the Island co-existing like no-where else on the continent.  As a result, it is a place of stories.

The Benjamin Islands are a small group of islands that lie towards the eastern end of the fabulous North Channel. The scenery is spectacular. Sculpted and carved by glaciers, wind and weather, these pink granite islands offer breathtaking views, still quiet nights, star studded skies and the shimmering northern lights. The harbour is formed by the two main islands - North and South Benjamin Islands. It is not isolated though. Most times, you will find a number of boats dotting Benjamin Harbour. But worry not, there is room for all in this picturesqe harbour. We offer overnight tours to the Benjamins. Either sleep on the sailboat or pitch a tent on your very own shore. Contact us. 

Enjoy ideal anchorages amongst hundreds of Islands amongst the North Channel  

Go ashore by Zodiac inflatable, pitch a tent, have a shore fire and enjoy the sunset. You deserve to relax, let your hair down and breath in the natural beauty of what the North Channel has to offer. This is a place of healing and feeling at one with mother nature. 
Leave the hustle of the city behind and just be as nature intended to be. 

  The Manitoulin Island lifestyle continues as it has for generations – in close mutual relationship with the environment and resources of the land.  It is a peaceful and spiritual place. It is a place of important community knowledge and traditional skills, and a place where this knowledge and these skills are shared openly and generously. From organic farming to hunting and trapping, from permaculture to aquaculture – the diversity of practice is a diverse as the 24 communities.

  Like all Northern Ontarians, the people of Manitoulin Island are active in the outdoors all year round, and find many occasions to share in healthy celebrations of local foods with neighbours and visitors. A wide range of cultural arts and entertainment activities are found across the Island, as well as sporting and recreational activities in all seasons.

For many visitors, Manitoulin Island is like going back to the good old days – small town friendly, ice cream on the boardwalk, fishing from the dock in pajamas, a canoe ride at sunset, and a story around the campfire about the guy down the road who can fix anything.

For other visitors, it is an explosion of the cultural expression of rural Canada – a rich and fertile mix influenced by the Indigenous culture of the Anishnaabeg – people of the Woodlands – and the generations of industrious settler culture from which emerged our towns, our farms, our communities 

And for some, it is like an awakening to what being Canadian is all about. People are drawn to Manitoulin Island from all over the world, and the Island is by no means homogenous in thought or actions. The first settlers on Manitoulin Island arrived one cold November day in the early 1800’s to conduct an experiment – the Manitowaning Experiment. It was based on the concept of a skills share. The experiment continues to today, and we are all still learning from one another.

Manitoulin Island offers many activities, programs for travellers and special events to take part in. But it also offers the opposite – a place to escape to, a place where you can intentionally set out to get lost, have your own unique experience with the beauty and nature the Island offers, and eventually, you will find your way home. It’s an Island after all. The Heart and Spirit of the Great Lakes of Canada, it is a place of convergence – the mountains with the lakes, the Indigenous culture with the settler culture, the northern eco-zone with the southern eco-zone, and quartzite energy veins with human destiny.

Manitoulin has an abundance of fishing. There are many fishing holes all over the island. If fishing off a pier or the shoreline isn’t to your liking then there we specialize in downrigging for salmon or just a leisure cruise around the lakes.

The North Channel is considered on of the finest freshwater cruising grounds in the world. Pristine waters, countless islands, hidden anchorages, remote ports of call and a big sky all make this a cruising sailor's delight.

The North Channel extends from the St. Mary's River in the west to Georgian Bay on the east and runs between the mainland of Ontario and Manitoulin Island - the largest freshwater island in the world. Its breathtaking beauty has been a magnet for sailors for decades.

Here are some facts about this stunningly beautiful cruising area:

• length: 115mi / 185km / 100nm
• width: .5-20mi / 1-32km / .4-17nm
• depth: 30 ft / 9m
• surface: 3,000sq mi / 7,770sq km

Sailing the North Channel means being on top of your navigation. Water depths can vary significantly within a very short distance. The hundreds of islands can be confusing if you do not continually keep your course updated.

Part of the real attraction of cruising these waters is the isolation and remoteness. This means that your boat must be up for the task in terms of seaworthiness and equipment (and that doesn't mean the most expensive or fanciest electronic kit). Also, opportunities for refueling and provisioning will be much fewer. 

Contact Martin by texting 519-668-9358 to book your evening, day, weekend or week adventure this summer.                                                      
Please contact for pricing and availabilty 







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THEMODASTUDIO MARTIN ANTKOWIAK

We even offer parking and a place for you to pitch your tent before heading out for your Manitoulin Island North Channel Adventure.