Each morning, at 9 am during July and August, the Little Current Cruisers’ Net broadcasts on VHF Channel 71. Roy Eaton is the NetController and his program consists of the latest weather predictions forthe North Channel, news of the world, sports scores, business reports, local news and happenings here on the Manitoulin. The second half ofthe broadcast allows boaters to check-in with their name and location, receive assistance or advice, have questions answered and do relays between distant parts of our cruising grounds. The antenna is 110’ above the water, mounted on a tower on the roof of the Anchor Inn. Thus, the transmission covers approximately 50 miles of North Channel waters and the northern section of Georgian Bay.

The Anchor Inn has been proud to be the host sponsor of the Net since its inception in 2004. The public is invited to attend a morning’s broadcast in the conference room in the basement of the Anchor Inn. Every Friday, from 3-5 pm the Cruiser’s Net and the Anchor Inn invites boaters to enjoy a fellowship time in the bar area of the hotel. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres are provided by the Anchor Inn staff.

The broadcast was started on a trial basis in July of 2004 when Roy was Commodore of the Little Current Yacht Club (LCYC). The number of boats listening and calling in slowly grew until at the end of the first summer, just over 1,000 calls had been received. At the end of the season, Roy and Bruce O’Hare, an LCYC Rear Commodore were interviewed by a journalist who wrote for the internationally acclaimed CRUISING WORLD magazine. The resulting publicity from that articleand from others in SAIL magazine, numerous newspapers and boaters blogs has increased the number of contacts, pre-pandemic the numbers were 5500. The summer of 2022 we saw around 2400 contacts. Looking forward to more this summer! 

Cruiser's Net is registered with the Canadian and American Coast Guard and Air, Search and Rescue.