Little Current, ON, CA
We spent three nights in Little Current, mostly due to high wind warnings for the North Channel and Georgian Bay. We took full advantage of the time to do some provisioning, eat at a couple of the restaurants and explore the town.
Little Current is on Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world. The swing bridge, built back in 1913, is the only land entry from the mainland to the island, making the history of this bridge an important part of Little Current’s culture. We visited the information center, learned a little history of the bridge and saw a detailed model. Then we walked out to see it in action. It began service as a railroad bridge, was eventually converted to dual-use and then, when the railroad stopped using it, was converted to vehicle only use. It is now a one-way bridge, and cars have to stop on either side at a stop light until it’s their turn to cross. The bridge opens every hour on the hour (during daytime) to allow boats to cross under it, and a boat as tall as ours, and most sail boats with their masts up, aren’t able to cross under it as it stands. Sounds like job security for the lucky bridge operators for sure.
We visited several of the shops in town, including Turners’ Trading Post, which has been operating in Little Current since 1879. There was a one-room museum upstairs in the shop that highlighted some of the famous people who have been associated with Little Current over the years. Grant Turner, the original owner of the shop was heavily aligned with the Great Lakes cruising community and made Turners’ a haven for boater’s needs. Ralph Evinrude, of Evinrude outboard motors and his wife, Frances Langford, were also featured in the museum, and made Little Current their main base for summers of cruising the North Channel and Georgian Bay on their 120-foot yacht back in the 1950s. For more on Evinrude, his outboard business and the link to Little Current, read this or this.
While we were docked, we were neighbors with a tall ship called Playfair, which is used by Brigs Youth Sail Training for the purposes of “building leadership, self-efficacy and self-esteem in youth 13-18.” Admirably, the docks were brimming with teens, many who were crawling up in the rigging in high winds getting the boat ready for sailing. It was quite a sight as they balanced precariously over the deck on thin lines. It gave new meaning to “parents, do you know where your teens are?” In all seriousness, it was really impressive, and seems like a great organization that offers an awesome learning experience and opportunity for the young attendees.
