Tug Calypso's Great Loop Adventure: Enjoying a lay-day in Parry Sound

We are enjoying a lay-day at Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound. Since leaving the Trent-Severn Waterway and beginning our passage through Georgian Bay, we spent two nights on the hook before coming to the marina yesterday. Just when I think the scenery can't be any more beautiful, I am in awe again. This area is also called the 30,000 Islands, but there are probably 3 or 4 times that many islands. There are numerous well-marked channels as navigating safely through the rocky waters is of paramount importance. We anchored the first night in Frying Pan Bay on Beausoliel Island, which is part of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park. We took a leisurely hike around Fairy Lake and only got lost once. The next night we anchored in Echo Bay and had our first experience with Med mooring. In order to cut down on swinging and allow room for more boats to anchor, this technique involves putting down an anchor and then backing in toward shore and carrying a line from the stern of the boat and tying off on shore. Being novices at this, it took us forever and it didn't help that when Mark took the first line ashore (a very old anchor line), it had deteriorated and actually snapped in two places when tension was put on it. Fortunately this happened while we were working with it and not in the middle of the night. While enjoying some down-time in Parry Sound, we have also done laundry, bought groceries, shopped for Canadian trinkets, and gotten a haircut for Mark. Tomorrow is Canada Day and there are big festivities planned here, but weather permitting, we will move on to a quieter spot.