Discovery Harbour
93 Jury Drive L9M 1G1 Penetanguishene, ON, Canada

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Discovery Harbour!

In the early 1830's, Fort Adjutant James Keating encouraged the construction of a church on the base for the men of the Establishment. St. James-on-the-Lines was completed in 1838 and the church has an unusually wide centre aisle so that the troops attending services could march out four abreast. Attending church on Christmas Day was a British tradition observed by military and civilians alike. Back then, the service was delivered by the church's first rector, Reverand George Hallen. The sketch shown here was drawn in 1847 by one of the revererend's daughters, Mary Hallen.

Though not much is written about holiday celebrations at the base at Penetanguishene, we know Christmas at the Keating's would not be complete without plum pudding! One recipe calls for eggs, flour, salt, sugar, milk, plums and beef suet, served with a sweet sauce on the side. Just pudding it out there - does anyone actually like plum pudding anymore?

Monday morning mythbusters: Despite Captain Samuel Robert's long, successful navy career, much has been made of the fact that he lost two vessels under his command and some say his skills as a captain were inadequate. This is simply not true - Roberts was exonerated on both accounts, one ship lost in battle with overwhelming odds against him in 1804 and the other, the HMS Tay (drawing below) having shipwrecked in a storm in 1816. Roberts continuously distinguished himself with his actions and was promoted several times throughout his career. He was eventually knighted in 1833.

Last BRUNCH of 2020! Open 10-4 today, free lemonade! #penetanguishene #midlandontario #brunch #eggsbenny #lemonade

Stay safe, friends.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! And that means Captain Roberts' Table is OPEN! 10/10 recommend the burger for breakfast, truffle béchamel mac and cheese for dinner. Open Friday & Saturday 10am - 8pm + Sunday 10am - 4pm Pro tip: grab a window seat for the region's best water views

Perfect activity for a cozy night in at Captain Roberts' Table!

A Monday morning mini history lesson: Henry Wolsey Bayfield was put in charge of the Great Lakes Survey in 1817, and his work resulted in the chart of Lake Huron you see here from 1828. A hydrographic survey is the plotting and mapping of a coastline, including the topography of that coast; the measuring and marking of the depth of water and the type of lake bottom; and the location, measurement and marking of all islands, rocks and reefs and the magnetic variation of the area being surveyed. Hydrographic surveys are extremely complex, which explains the dreadfully slow pace remarked by Bayfield, "We generally advance at the tedious rate of a mile per day. Eek!

Check out that tree!

Another Monday mini history lesson! Nautical logs were first developed to find the speed of a ship and were simply pieces of wood attached to a small line with uniformly spaced knots. The piece of wood was thrown overboard and as the line reeled out, sailors counted the number of knots that passed through their hands in a given time. This helped determine the how fast the ship was moving - hence its origin as the term for nautical speed. In 1802, Edward Massey patented a mech...anical log (pictured here), and the instrument was used to measure the distance covered by a ship. In this design, the brass rotor trails in the water behind the ship and spins around as the boat moves along. This rotary motion is then passed through a register, and three dials give a readout of the distance travelled in nautical miles. Henry Wolsey Bayfield used two of these instruments to scale coastline sketches when he surveyed Lake Huron in the early 1820's. The records show that midshipman Collins broke one - we can't imagine this went over very well with Bayfield!

Even before the pandemic began the cultural sector was struggling with creating audiences and marketing. Join Creative Communities Culture Conference moderator... Will Baird, general manager of Huronia Historical Parks, on November 10 when he discusses Creating Marketing and Audiences with Gavin Reynolds from Facebook, Alison Durtnall from Georgian College, and Michael Adams from the Stratford Festival. Conference tickets are only $25 and will allow you to participate in our seven other evenings. Purchase your ticket today at www.culturealliance.ca/conference. Town of Midland Town of Penetanguishene G'Chimnissing News Township of Tiny Tourism Simcoe County Sainte-Marie among the Hurons Discovery Harbour #TayTownship

Captain Roberts' Table has the best eats and the best views in #SimcoeCounty. But who was Captain Roberts, and why does he have a restaurant named after him? Samuel Roberts was born in Ireland in 1787 and joined the Royal Navy at the mature age of 10. He spent most of his naval career in action against the French in the Baltic and North Seas before he was given command of the Lake Huron Naval Establishment in 1819. In total, he saw action a total of 53 times in his 47 year na...val career and was KNIGHTED in 1833! His portrait adorns the mantel at the restaurant, so you can bask in his glory when you bring your sweetheart for Holiday Date Night this weekend or next! To make reservations, email [email protected]

Nous nous souviendrons | Lest we forget

It’ll look a little different this year, but First Light is back this year with an unplugged experience!

Henry Wolsey Bayfield was the first hydrographer to chart the gorgeous 30,000 Islands of Georgian Bay. With an illustrious naval career under his belt, he was put in charge of the Great Lakes survey in 1817 and he spent 8 years charting the coastal waters of Lakes Erie, Superior, and Huron using Penetanguishene as his base of operations. He and his small crew worked long seasons in extremely harsh conditions, leaving the Naval Establishment in early May when the ice was not y...et melted, and returning only when the forming ice forced them back in. He and his crew sat in open gigs from sunset to sunrise, with no protection from the elements (and the clouds of mosquitoes!) and often slept in or under their boats. His charts provided the first reliable guides for thousands of ships navigating Canadian inland waters in the 19th century and nautical surveyors still use them to this day. Thanks to Tom Blackmore for the amazing footage! Check out his Instagram @tommyblacck See more

Discovery Canada's #DisastersAtSea is all about life at sea and shipwrecks! The Greak Lakes serve as some of the sets for filming, so check out the premier on Sunday!

Monday morning history: During the War of 1812, the urgency to establish a protected dockyard at Penetanguishene included the pressing need for a land route to the establishment. In the fall of 1814, construction began on the 30-mile Penetanguishene Road from Kempenfeldt Bay to Penetanguishene. The 89th Regiment, supervised by William Tiger Dunlop, certainly had their work cut out for them . Mid-winter work on the road was arduous - before felling a tree the men had to dig a pit in the snow around the trunk of sufficient diameter to allow a man to stand in it and swing his axe.

Have you made your reservation yet?

The beginning of a spooky night of Ghost Tours!

We loved seeing these gorgeous photos! Congratulations to Kim and Chuck who are patiently waiting for the arrival of their little one.

Who were John and Samuel McGarraty? And who were the two soldiers seen standing together, deep in secretive conversation on a cold, misty morning? Join us for a Ghost Tour and find out! Buy tickets online: http://bit.ly/GhostToursDH

There have been sightings of the face of a small child appearing in the upstairs window at Keating House. Perhaps this is no surprise, because the grave of 10-year-old Rosanna McCabe lies just on the other side of the meadow Ghost Tours start TOMORROW! Buy tickets: bit.ly/GhostToursDH

It was a foggy send off this morning for the HMS Bee! She’s landed at Dutchman’s Cove Marina to spend the winter. Thanks to the wonderful staff there for always taking care of her!

Sunday brunch at Captain Robert's Table is everything you need to cap off your weekend