Here’s what the 1977 Sailing Directions for Great Slave Lake and MacKenzie River

(4th ed.) has to say about it:

Christie Bay, entered between Utsingi Point, at the South extremity of the Pethei Peninsula, and the SW extremity of Redcliff Island, with Tochatwi Bay adjoining, forms a body of water about 65 miles long and almost 10 miles wide.  These bays are bounded on the north by the Pethei and Douglas Peninsulas and on the south by a very irregular shoreline .... The south shore of Tochatwi Bay is high and rugged, rising to almost 800 feet (244 m), and indented by several small bays and inlets .... A group of high, rocky islets lie parallel to the south shore of Tochatwi Bay, providing vessels with shelter from north winds.

What more can I say?  Plenty, as you’ll see,  and I hope you’ll find it useful, interesting and, especially, alluring – because I really don’t want you to take my words for it, I want you to go to Christie Bay and see for yourself!

Christie Bay is Yolaland.  First time I visited was in Big Bird, my 17-foot yellow Siren, winding my way across to Redcliff Island via Utsingi Point and up to  Snowdrift (now Lutsel’ Ké).  The year was 1989.  I proudly dock the boat next to a guy gassing up his Lund.   “Where you from?” he says.  “Yellowknife”.  “How long you take to get here?”.  “Five days,” say I, beaming.

Silence. 

So it’s my turn.  “Where you goin’?” I ask.  “Yellowknife.”  “How long’s it gonna take?”  “Five hours!”

Seven years later the Langes in Annoe and I in Orpheus did a round of the Bay together finding anchorages, enduring frightful lightning and groundings (them, not me this time).  The following year I did another round, by myself.  Next season, back to Christie Bay again to show it off to Janet on our annual cruise, meeting Antoine’s rock, enjoying a 40-knot squall and splashing around for hours in the hot and sandy shallows of the Grand Canyon.  We’ve been back six or seven times since then, always finding new places. And in all the times we’ve been there, we gammed with only one sailboat and saw no others.  Christie Bay is waiting for you, right now, a wonderful and easy place to cruise, interesting anchorages only a few hours apart and always near enough to Lutsel’ Ké with its airport, telephone, fuel and Co-op store.