Amherst Island geographically defines the North Channel of the Bay of Quinte as well as the Upper and Lower Gaps. The southern shore is very exposed to the prevailing winds off Lake Ontario and offers little shelter for sailors. Trust me.

The northern shore, however, with its scattered coves and bays is almost too good to be true. We'll focus here on Stella Bay and Kerr Bay.

Stella Bay, located just west of a conspicuous red and white silo, is quite small and there are a dozen permanent moorings. The bottom falls off quite quickly outside the permanent mooring area. On the other hand, the little cove is quite sheltered and the village has built a useful concrete dock. There is no overnight parking at the dock, which is frequently used by swimmers. However, the dock is a great dinghy landing spot right at the edge of "town", complete with a large garbage can.

The Millhaven ferry terminal is on the other side of Stella, and the village consists largely of older private homes - and a blacksmith shop. Just above the dock is the "Easel and Weasel", stocked with art, crafts, paintings and wool blankets. (Bring lots of money.) The General Store, which supplies ice, is well worth a visit if only to get Haagen Daas ice cream. 

Above, we see The Skipper with his ice cream bar.

Kerr Bay, on the other side of the ferry terminal, is much larger than Stella Bay. The west side of the Kerr Bay is thickly wooded right to the rocky shoreline, while the east side, back toward Stella, is an extended and well cared for "lawn" surrounding a beautiful stone farmhouse. The back of the bay is more of a marsh, and I would have thought a bit 'buggy', but lots of boats are generally  holed up there contentedly. The shoreline of Kerr Bay is all privately owned. The centre of the bay is about 20 feet deep and the bottom is primordial mud. Better holding than Velcro.

There is a public washroom - with razor outlet - at the ferry terminal. This would be about five minutes from Kerr Bay in a motorized dinghy. Landing is easy for dinghies in the small, treed park by the ferry.

A popular spot for cruisers of all sizes, Kerr Bay is just a dash in the dinghy from Bath, across the North Channel. We are told that the Bath grocery store now sells booze. Huzzah!