Return to Burritt’s Rapids.

Thursday, July 30

First thing this morning I returned the rental to Enterprise then we were off to start the return trip on the Rideau from Ottawa to Kingston. Since I described this going the other way, I may not describe as much detail going back.

Just on the outskirts of Ottawa
we past this piriate ship.

Jan and Loren need to be in Kingston by August 5, so we need to travel a little faster going back. To get a jump on this we did 37 miles and eight locks today. This took us through the Long Reach and back to Burritt’s Rapid. We spent the night above the lock. We should now have time for them to do some sightseeing along the way.

The weather today was near perfect. It was mostly sunny, low humidity and a temperature in the upper 70’s.

Life is GREAT.

Work Days in Ottawa

Tuesday – Wednesday July 28 and 29

Tuesday we spend thoroughly cleaning the boat inside and out. We also had a Yanmar diesel mechanic come for major, routine service. With all the hours we have put on the engines the manual called for a lot of work. Diana got Pictures proofing I was cleaning, they all show the pavilion that has three restaurants and is surrounded by water.

She also got pictures of the beautiful flowers in the park just across the street.

Wednesday we finished the cleaning, rented a car, then went grocery shopping. Then I drove the two plus hours to Kingston. My sister Jan and husband Loren drove in and left their car in Kingston and will do the return trip on the Rideau with us. They got held up by an accident and road construction so it was it little late by the time we got to the boat. We loaded their stuff on the boat and went to the restaurant right here at Dow’s Pavilion. We had a nice dinner, showed them around the boat and then it was an early night for everybody.

Tourists in Ottawa

Monday, July 27

Today’s plan was to see downtown Ottawa as tourists. Ottawa is the national capital of Canada and has an impressive Parliament complex on a hill overlooking the Ottawa River. Every morning they have an elaborate changing of the guard ceremony in front of the parliament building.

We were up and making plans to catch a bus downtown shortly after 8:00, when a heavy rain cell moved in. We checked the radar and it looked like it wouldn’t last. By 8:30 it had quit and we headed for the bus stop. It was a quick easy twenty minute ride, and the bus dropped us off about three blocks from the main entrance to parliament grounds.

By now the sky was clearing and it looked like a nice morning, unfortunately the sign on the lawn said the changing of the guard ceremony was cancelled.

The parliament complex has three buildings as you approach, the center main building and an east and west building. We admired the grounds and took some photos.

Then we headed for an information tent. They conduct regular guided tours of the parliament building, at no charge. The next was in about fifteen minutes. We relaxed and studied the literature. Soon it was time for the tour and our friendly knowledgeable guide, Natalie, lead us off to start the tour. Unfortunately all visitors to parliament must go through security, just like an airport. It delayed the start for another ten or fifteen minutes.

The tour lasted almost an hour and gave us a chance to see much of this beautiful building plus some insight into the workings of the Canadian government. Afterward we walked around the lovely grounds the view is of the Ottawa River looking across into Quebec.

The parliament library is in a separate connected building behind the main parliament building, it is very ornate and is actually older then the main building. The original parliament building burned in the early 1900s but the library was saved.

When we reached the far end of the parliament grounds we were looking across the Rideau Lock Chambers at the beautiful Chateau Laurier Hotel.

From the bridge to the hotel Diana took a picture looking done the flight of locks, then another from down beside the locks looking back up at the hotel.

It had been a long morning of walking; we went on past the hotel and found what appeared to be a nice restaurant for lunch. They offered an outdoor patio, but we choose to go inside, it was rather humid outside. About the time our lunch came it rained hard again.

By the time we were ready to leave the rain had moved on and we walked another few blocks to the National Art Gallery. This is a newer grand building with a giant spider sculpture out front. We spent about two hours at the gallery, most of it in the Canadian Gallery, Diana enjoyed immensely. I think a series art lover could spend a week but we didn’t have the time and old feet were getting tired.

We walked back and found a bus stop, in ten minutes we were on the bus and another fifteen we were back to the boat. It was a fine day in a very interesting and lovely city.

Dows Lake, Ottawa

Sunday, July 26

We were up and away by 8:00 this morning. We had five miles to the next lock and the forecast had a greater chance of showers later in the day. As we started down river from Long Island Locks there was a trailer park just beyond the lock.

This area still has some undeveloped river bank but is more and more developed.

The next lock is Black Rapids; they have a nicely landscaped lock station.

As we exited the lock looking back we could see a lot of water coming over and thru the dam. We have not seen real heavy rain just frequent showers, especially at night, for several days. There has been heavy rain nearby. Normally this time of year the dams are all closed trying to hold as much water as possible. This year they are dumping water like they do in the spring.

Friday night Ottawa had enough rain to cause significant flash flooding. The flight of eight locks downtown that connect the Rideau to the Ottawa River were over four hours late opening Saturday while they dealt with the high water.

I knew the Kawartha Voyageur had turned around the last night in Ottawa and we would be meeting here somewhere. I called heard on the radio to make sure we didn’t meet in a narrow channel and before she could answer I saw her coming around the corner. We had lots of water to pass, we exchange greetings and she headed into the lock we had just left.

Being a weekend there were many people out enjoying the water. These three young women went by in their kayaks at a rather rapid pace.

We are now well into the greater Ottawa area and there are nice homes all along the river bank. We are soon at the next lock, Hogs Back, and through it we have left the Rideau River for good as it flows through a series of rapids down to the Ottawa River. We are now in an all manmade channel.

A mile further we are at the Hartwell locks, a flight of two. All along this stretch there is park with a bike/hiking trail. It runs all the way through downtown and out along the Ottawa River. Note in this picture; it has started to rain slightly and the high water is slightly above the gate of the lock.

From here it is only another mile to the Dow’s Lake Pavilion where we have a reservation to dock for the next four nights. As we leave the lock it starts to rain harder. By the time we are docking it is back to a light drizzle. We get tied up and relax, it is lunch time and we are in no hurry to do anything.

This is the halfway point of our trip. From here we will turn around and basically go back the way we came. There are a few places the route will be different.

We will be here until Thursday; tomorrow we will sightsee in Ottawa, Tuesday a diesel mechanic is coming to service the engines and Wednesday we will rent a car to grocery shop and pick Jan and Loren, my sister and brother-in-law, up in Kingston so they can cruise back to Kingston with us.

Life continues to be great.

Long Island Locks

Saturday, July 25

We were ready to lock down when the lock opened at 8:30 this morning. It was overcast, but otherwise a very pleasant morning. After Burritt’s Rapids lock there is an open stretch called Long Reach, it is over 23 miles to the next lock.

We had a very enjoyable cruise through a variety of scenery. Early it was mostly rural with at lot of undeveloped shoreline. As we proceeded we were getting closer to Ottawa and there was more and more development.

Along the way we past this interesting old small cruise boat.

At the end of Long Reach is the Long Island locks, the locks are in a channel separate from the main river channel. There are two islands between the channels that are joined by a dam. There are 20 to 30 houses on the island with their only access being a swing bridge over the lock. The bridge is opened by a loc k attendant walking around a capstan in the middle of the bridge.

The Long Island Locks are a flight of three chambers. We had planned to go to the next lock for the night but this lock like such a nice lock station and there was the threat of a few showers we decided to spend the night on below the lock.

Here is a picture taken from Memories of the other boats below the lock. We had a few showers but they did not last. It was a pleasant afternoon.

Late in the afternoon two older gentlemen (I would guess about 80) locked through in a large kayak. They set up their tent right beside Memories. We have seen them a couple of time in previous days but not talked to them. They are kayaking and camping the 125 mile length of the Rideau from Kingston to Ottawa. This is day seven they figure two or three more. They wish the rain would stop even more then we do.

There is a circular stone dam similar but smaller than Jones Falls here. It still amazes me that 175 years ago they were able to stack stone blocks without mortar in a way that has held for all these years with limited maintenance.

The final picture is looking down at the lower approach area from the top of the dam.

It was another very good day.

Burritt’s Rapids

Friday, July 24

We wanted to go through the Merrickville locks (three of them) this morning, but the Kawartha would be first. Because of the heavy traffic lately we got underway about 8:20 motored out of the pond were the dockage is, around to the channel so that we could take a spot on the blue line when the Kawartha left.

She was just leaving as we got there. We idled in the channel for a couple of minutes and she pulled into the lock and we tied to the blue line. Diana took a picture of the bow folded up so that the boat is not too long for the lock.

It had rained some over night and everything was wet this morning, it looks like it is not going to be a great day for boating.

Finally it was our turn and we started down the three locks, this picture shows the view from the second chamber.

We passed another adult loon with a young in tow.

Two miles after Merrickville is another lock, the first of three in less than a mile. They try to coordinate the traffic going thru. We locked through the first two with three other boats and they held us in the second lock so that we would pass boats going the other way between the second and third locks. It turned out there were seven boats going the other way.

A few miles further is a swing bridge about a half mile before the Burritt’s Rapids Lock. The lock staff at Burritt’s knows when boats are coming and ride a bicycle up to open it.

This was as far as we were going today. We tied to the look wall above the lock and have settled in for the day. It rained and drizzled much of the morning and hot soup tasted good for lunch. It was only a seven mile day, but six locks.

This is a long canal section and there is a walking trail down the peninsula when it stop drizzling for a while we walked part of it. Diana took this picture looking back at Memories and the lock station.

A Day to Explore Merrickville

Thursday, July 24, 2009

We spent all day in Merrickville. It is a very interesting old town. It is also Stan’s (my dad) birthplace. He left before he was two and the family does not have a lot of history in the area.

Unfortunately it rained hard and then drizzled off and on all morning. I found the library and used the internet for weather, e-mail and the previous posts. Diana spent the time on the boat, painting, croqueting and reading.

Finally mid afternoon it cleared a bit and we had a nice walk around this lovely town. There are many old buildings.

On the way back to the boat the ice cream shop looked very attractive. They have all homemade ice cream with many interesting and unusual flavors, many with local ingredients. I had a rhubarb ice cream that was wonderful.
A good day, less rain would be nice.

After a short rest and some socializing we walked back to the Main Street Family Restaurant for a nice pasta dinner.

The Kawartha Voyageur cruise boat (see Bobcaygeon entry for description) had docked at the blue line for the night. After dinner I walked over and had a nice conversation with Brian, the engineer and John the Captain/Owner.

Then I walked back to the library to check e-mails and the weather.

Merrickville

Wednesday, July 22

It rained hard overnight, but by morning it had quite and it was just very wet out. We were up and ready to lock thru when the lock opened at 8:30. Cher was there also and we locked thru with them all day.

This is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the Rideau system. Montreal follows the European custom of businesses closing and everybody taking holiday (vacation) at the same time. This is the first week and many people with boats have come up the Ottawa River into the Rideau. They are all going the other way, but it means that at the most popular locks overnight tie ups are full early. It also means hearing as much French as English spoken.

After locking down the new combined lock Diana got a picture looking back up the old flight of three.

A mile later we were at the Old Sly lock. It has a large swing bridge just above the lock. They were locking thru three boats going the other way, so we went to the blue line. Soon they swung the bridge to let the three out and we proceeded in. This is a flight of two, but with just two boats it went quickly. There is another old lock office here.

As we exited there were six boats heading the other way. We were soon out of the narrow channel into the river and some very nicely landscaped properties.

This area is all low land and a mix of nice properties, farm land and marsh. Although the water is wide in places except for the channel it is very shallow. In this picture, although it may look like we are going around to the right by the far end we actual leave the picture to the left.

We pasted this tour boat headed the other way, with a full load of tourists enjoying the scenery.

We continue to see many loons, it appears the young are nearing adult size and trying to learn to fly. We also saw several osprey and lots of turns, Diana has not decide which of the tern family

We were soon approaching the Edmonds Lock, a remote lock with no population nearby. This lovely boat was parked on the approach wall.

The lock has a manual swing bridge. The attendant is just visible at the left end of the bridge pushing it open.

We were on thru one more lock after Edmonds and into Merrickville, our destination for the day. Here the tie up space is on the other side of the peninsula that leads to the lock. As predicted even though it was just before noon, things were pretty full. In the corner there appeared to be room on the shore end of a floating dock. We went in slowly rotated the boat between the sailboat and the weeds on the shore. With the help of a couple of line handlers we wedged the boat in, notice there is a fender between the dingy and the wall. Later a 30 foot cruiser came in and tied to the wall in the foreground of the picture.

On one side of the canal are the ruins of the old milling complex. They had lumber, flour, and woolen mills here; it was the original reason to settle the town in the 1790s. They have a small museum in one restored building.

On the other side is downtown with an old church near the river and one of the old blockhouses across the street. The blockhouse has been restored and is now a museum. We toured both the mill ruins and the blockhouse this afternoon.

Merrickville is a set of three locks, but not a flight. Each is a separate lock with a small basin between. The picture is from the swing bridge at the first chamber looking down the two turning basins and lock chambers.

Best of Times, Mike and Jeanette, came through late this afternoon. There was no space to tie up above where we are, so they locked on down and got the only small tie up area below the locks. They went into town for dinner and stopped by afterwards. They came aboard and visited for awhile. After they left the couple in the sailboat just in front of us came aboard and we had a nice visit.

Another fine day.

Rest Day in Smiths Falls

Tuesday, July 21

We spent the day resting, catching up on chores, this blog and sightseeing in Smiths Falls. Late morning we walked the half mile to the railroad museum. The museum consists of the large old depot, with many nice displays, and a good deal of rolling stock. The rolling stock includes a steam locomotive, an early diesel locomotive many box cars plus three cars open for touring, two cabooses and a dental car.

In the 1940s the Canadian Government took several passenger cars and converted them to living quarters for a dentist, his nurse with a dental office. The cars would be moved from small town to town where there was no dentist. The program continues today, however in the 1970s they switched to using RVs.

The display of a dining car table reminded Diana of traveling from St Paul to North Dakota to spend summers with her grandparents when she was young.

After dinner we walked to the other side of the channel where Cher was tied up. We first meet the couple on Cher the night we were at Big Chute on the Trent. They live in Florida but for three years have kept their boat up here and use it as a summer cabin. We had an interesting visit again with them.

Yesterday I mentioned a new lock that replaced a flight of three, walking across the channel tonight Diana took this picture of the old flight.

As we were going to walk back we had this beautiful sunset.

Life continues to be great.

Smiths Falls

Monday, July 20

It was a little cool this morning but warmed up quickly as the sun rose and we had another fine weather day. We did some chores including filling the water tank and a little after nine we were underway. Diana took this picture as we left of the Galley where we had lunch yesterday.
We followed an alternate route back to the main route on Big Rideau Lake and continued on. This nice home was on the shore as we past close by. We saw the deepest water we have been in since Lake Michigan on the east end of Big Rideau, over 300 feet.

We reached the end of the channel that would take us to Lower Rideau Lake. This is now getting into some low land and the later exiting Lower Rideau there is a very twisted channel through marsh land.

We followed the boats we had locked with into the next section.

Soon we were approaching Smith Falls, our destination for the day; it is the midpoint of the Rideau system. Originally there was a detached lock and a quarter mile later a flight of three. In the 1970 a swing bridge over the flight was replaced by a new larger bridge and a new single chamber lock was build next to the flight to replace it. The flight of three is still there but not operational.

The approached to the entire area is marked by this permanently open railroad bridge. It is the last of its type standing in Canada. We locked through the detached single lock and headed into the very busy quarter mile between locks. In addition to tying on the lock wall the town has finger docks available for overnight mooring with power and showers. It is associated with a camp ground also in the park.

The park does not take reservations it is first come, and they were full. We went across the way and tied to the approach wall right next to a lovely city park.

Smith Falls is the site of the Rideau Canal home office and they have a museum attached. We walked over and toured the museum, it is very interesting. On top of the museum is an observation tower over looking most of Smith Falls, Diana took this picture of the area. Memories is just visible center right.

After the museum we walked to the grocery store. It was a healthy walked to the store and even longer back with four bags of groceries.

Another excellent day.

Len’s Cove Marina – Portland

Sunday, July 19

We awoke to another beautiful day after a quiet night. I said yesterday we spent the night alone but by first locking at 8:30 there were several boats that had come from the last lock, on the blue line ready to lock thru.

We were in no hurry so we waited for the museum in the old lock masters house to open at 9:00 and went over for a quick tour. Again they to a nice job of depicting life on the canal in the mid 1800s.

Then it was back to the boat and lock up through Chaffey’s Lock. From there we followed another narrow channel to Indian Lake. Just around the corner was Dorothy’s Fish Camp, it looks like you could fish from the balcony if you didn’t want to go out in the boat.

The landscape continues to be solid rock.

This picture is interesting for the little green sign above the 10kph sign. Your view is straight ahead for almost half a mile of narrow channel, but it is a dead end. As the sign indicates, just out of picture the canal makes a 110 degree turn to the right out into the open lake.

After several miles through the lake we came to the Newboro Lock. This is a short lift up to Upper Rideau Lake. The yellow sign on the right hand lock wall is a reminder that this is the last up lock. We are now at the high point in the system and will be going down from here to Ottawa. The skipper must remember that now red right is wrong, red left is correct.

We have again locked through with Best of Times; Mike leads the way out of the lock. Once out of the lock they turn off the main route to head for a marina at the west end of the lake in Westport.

We continue on to the Narrows Lock where we lock down for the first time on the Rideau. The Narrows is a very popular lock for road traffic and on Sunday there were lots of spectators. The main route runs some twelve miles to the other end of Big Rideau Lake put we are headed for a marina of the main route at the south side of Big Rideau. We have been locking thru with a local cruiser that is headed home to the same marina; he offers to lead the way.

The lake is large with many islands and has lots of water, but between some of the islands is foul ground, time to pay attention to the chart and make sure we are in the deep water. Along the way Diana got this picture of an interesting building on the point of this island.

Soon we were at Len’s Cove Marina in Portland. We had called and they said they would make room for us. We ended up on the outside of the end of their main dock. Len’s is a nice marina with slips, rental cabins and a nice marine store. They also have a pool, showers and a laundry. Diana made use of the laundry and we will shower in the morning.

The first order of business was lunch, since it was now 1:30 and we had not eaten we decide to walk to the far side of the marina to the Galley Restaurant, it was about a quarter mile and Diana was hungry. We sat on their second storey patio. We had a good lunch though Diana was a little cold; it had been sunny and warm on the dock so she didn’t bring a jacket. After we got to the patio a cloud blocked out the sun and there was a bit of a breeze.

The final picture is looking straight of the bow from where we are docked at an interesting home.

Jones Falls and Chaffeys Lock

Saturday, July 18

It rained overnight but by morning it had quit. It was still overcast but was showing signs of breaking up. Since it had drizzled much of yesterday afternoon after we tied up Diana had not been out to look around the lock station. This morning she got this nice picture of the lock mechanisms.

The crank on the right is attached with chains going both ways to the long bar. When cranked it pulls the bar in either direction, pulling the gate open or pushing it closed. The crank on the left is attached to a chain that runs down the lock wall to open and close the water valve.

These pictures are of the boats at the dock. The sun came out long enough to get the nice reflection of the boats in the water.

Soon we were off headed through more 10 kph canal with spectacular scenery. This rock outcropping is known as The Duke. Most of today’s travel is through a series of lakes connected by narrow channels. For the most part they are deep enough that there is only the occasional buoy. The geographic is lots of granite.

We have been seeing lots of loons, but none closer than this family of two adults and two young. We went between the three and the adult on the other side.

We decided that lowering the bimini was not going to help us get under this bridge, but the bridge tender saw us coming and we waited only a couple of minutes while he swung it.

Soon we were approaching the locks at Jones Falls. This is a major set of locks on the Rideau, there is a flight of three followed by a single 100 yards farther on. Originally this was a 60 foot vertical, set of rapids over about a mile.

We had planned to lock up then tie up and see the sites from the top. When we arrived there were five cruisers in front of us and the lock was working boats down in the upper chamber. I talked to the very busy lock master and he said he thought he could get the six of us in the next locking if we waited for a second locking it would be two to three hours. We waited while they completed the down bound, the lock master then had time to look closer at the five cruisers. He had thought a couple were 26 – 28 feet and he could put them three deep on one wall. They were all 30 feet and with both agreed I would be better off waiting for another lock cycle.

We walked up to the top of the fourth chamber and across to the other side. They have a 1840s blacksmith shop restored to functioning condition. They give demonstrations, make items for sale and also make parts to keep the original lock mechanisms working.

We then walked back across the lock and to the top of the hill to the Sweeney House. Mr. Sweeney was the original lock master and his home has been restored to how it was in the mid 1800s. Notice the window slits in the pictures. This, as many of the lockmaster houses, was built as a defensible house in case of attack. The slits are gun ports and there are wood inserts to plug them that will stop a musket ball.

From there we walked to the observation platform viewing the Jones Falls Dam. When it was built in 1830 it was the largest dam in North America and third largest in the world. It is sandstone block standing on end in an arch, the water behind pushes the blocks together giving it strength. It is 61 feet high and 350 feet long.

On the way back there was a swallowtail butterfly sunning its self. We walked back down to the boat and had a leisurely lunch as we watch the activity and chatted with other boaters waiting. Finally it was our turn and we headed into the first chamber. This picture is leaving the flight of three and heading to the fourth chamber across the turning basin.

We followed Mike and Jeanette on Best of Times out of the lock past the traffic waiting to go down. We first meet Mike and Jeanette on the Trent-Severn and have seeing them ever couple of days, and have stayed at the same place three or four nights.

As we continued there was a lot more beautiful scenery, plus an occasional nicely landscaped yard.

They really want you to go for the trees and stay away from that rock at this narrow pass.

We did a few more miles through Davis Lock and on to Chaffeys Lock where we tied to the wall for the night. The totals for the day, 17 miles and 5 locks. The last picture is of the water flowing just beside the approach wall we were tied to. It was a quiet evening with just the sound of the running water. There were several other boats above the lock but none below the lock.

Upper Brewers Lock

Friday, July 17

Last night we had a beautiful sunset.

We have an appointment in Ottawa for routine engine maintenance and to pick up crew the week of July 27, we are a couple days ahead of schedule, so we plan to go slowly up the Rideau. This morning dawned sunny, warm and calm, a glorious morning. Since we were not in a hurry Diana fixed blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries from the farmers market yesterday.

About 9:00 we got underway. We saw a little more of the Canadian Shield granite but for the next ten miles the canal goes through an old marsh that is now a shallow lake, there is a long narrow, buoyed channel that follows the old river bed. At the top of the lake there is productive farm land, wheat to port and corn to starboard.

We were soon approaching the Lower Brewers lock; note the bridge in the picture. When we left this morning there were boats locking up at Kingston Mills. They ran faster than we did coming up the lake and caught up to us as we approached the lock. So there were three of us locking up together. When we reached the top the lock attendants manually swung the bridge open by pushing on a bar on the side. It must be well balanced.

Another couple of miles and we were at Upper Brewers Lock which is a flight of two chambers. The picture was taken looking to the side of the boat; the captain is head to pass the green buoy on the port side correctly. We exited the lock and headed for the dock above to tie up for the afternoon and evening. As we did the boats we had been locking with continued up stream. There is room to tie to both sides of this dock we were the fourth boat on the dock and by night fall there were seven. Diana took this last picture of the lock staff a little later in the afternoon.

Although the weather had been nice this morning there was a front that travelled with us all morning and by early afternoon it started to drizzle and though it never rained hard there was a light drizzle all evening. We sat inside and relaxed.

Life continues to be good.

The Rideau Canal.

A few words about the Rideau before we continue our journey. Although similar to the Trent-Severn, they are both run by Parks Canada, there is no commercial traffic (just an occasional tour boat) and every lock is a park site. There are some major differences. The Trent was started in the mid 1800s and not completed until 1920 while the Rideau was started in 1826 and completed in 1832. The Trent has been updated and modernized while the Rideau has been carefully maintained as it was originally built, all the lock gates and valves are hand operated cranks and chains to drive the mechanisms. At the time the Rideau was built there was no concrete, the locks are all limestone blocks hand carved and fitted.

After we got back to the boat we headed out to start the Rideau, much of the early section is narrow channels through otherwise shallow water. There are lots of buoys. After about five miles we headed into a narrow canal between granite walls. This is part of the Canadian Shield and had to be blasted and hand excavated by the canal builders. The signs on the side of wall are “10kph/hr and no wake”. It leads to the first set of locks at Kingston Mills. This is a flight of three locks followed 100 yards later by a fourth.

They were just finishing a group of six boats going the other way when we got there. Two on each wall and two smaller boats rafted off in the middle. When they exited one was a very interesting boat from NY. My impression is of an old Erie Canal boat, but that is just an impression I know nothing about the boat.

We locked through and tied to the floating dock above for the night. Notice in the pictures the limestone block construction. The lock has a railroad bridge high above the middle chamber of the flight and a swing bridge above the fourth chamber. There was a lot of train traffic early, most of it passenger from Montreal to Toronto and on to Windsor. By bed time it had slowed down and we heard only one freight train during the night. It was a lovely park setting, there were a lot of fisherman in the evening but they all left by dark. We were the only boat there.

Another great day.

Tour of Kingston

Thursday, July 16

Today we planned to tour Kingston then go only to the first set of locks for this afternoon. It was a beautiful morning. Yesterday I mentioned getting through a bridge without it opening, this morning we got pictures of the bridge closed, then open with a sailboat going thru. Unfortunately the bridge has a metal grating and is very busy. This produces an almost constant low rumble as vehicles cross it.

We choose the Kingston Marina because we need a place here for guests coming aboard to leave a car. The big marina, Confederation Basin, is right downtown but there is no parking nearby. Kingston Marina is a working marina with lots of repair work and new construction, they said for a fee a car could be left for a week.

They have for sometime built fire and rescue boats. This 65 footer for Tampa is far and away the largest they have ever done. It was started last fall and is due for delivery in a couple of weeks. It is all aluminum with big Cummins diesels. It will get to the destination at over forty miles per hour then the engines switch to driving large pumps that pump 12,000 gallons a minute. They now have orders for two similar, but slightly larger boats. Word is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers paid for the paint job.

After admiring the fire boat, we walked the little more than half a mile to downtown. The first picture is of the city hall built in the 1840s. Next door is the Prince George Hotel built in 1809. Across the street are a nice park and the old train station which is now a tourist information center, beyond the park is the big public marina.

Kingston is a very old city. First the French build a fort in the early 1700’s which was quickly taken by the British and replaced with a fort of their own. Because it is at the junction of the St Lawrence and Lake Ontario it was considered very strategic when all travel was by water. It is also just a short distance across the water to New York and the breakaway colonists. It was feared for a long time that they might attack.

There is a one hour trolley tour of the city. We hopped on the 10:00 tour and enjoyed it a great deal. They start by crossing the river and going to the Royal Military Academy. This is the equivalent of Annapolis, West Point and the Air Force Academy all in one, although they have only about 1,200 cadets. During the summer the cadets are away on military exercises elsewhere, but they have high school students in for special programs. Also on that side of the river is Fort Henry the old British Fort. Diana got a nice picture of the downtown area from across the river.

There are four of these round towers along the water front; they were built as defensive sites.

We crossed back over the river and toured the rest of the city, there are many lovely old homes in the city, the pictures are just a sampling.

After our tour of Kingston, we went to the local farmers market (three days a week) and had lunch at the Iron Duke. Then it was back to the boat.

Kingston

Wednesday, July 15

The forecast was for lighter winds and sunny skies, we awoke to just that. We were underway by 7:40 and head down the Bay of Quinte towards Kingston. The Bay of Quinte is long narrow portion of Lake Ontario that winds between the mainland and a large peninsula (Prince Edward County) that makes it a great boating area.

The water is generally deep and there are no buoys for miles. Occasional there is a shoal on one shore or the other (or in the middle) that requires checking the chart and when it is time making sure you find the buoy. There was more boating activity then we have been seeing. There were lots of boats of all types but more than anything lots of cruising sailboats. Many were motoring some were sailing and some were doing both.

Early in the day we past this family of swans, notice also the calm water.

Sometime later we past this interesting little tug.

As the day went on the wind built a little more than forecast and from the worst possible direction, SSW. As we went past the eastern end of Prince Edward County there is an open stretch before the course goes behind Amherst Island, then again after Amherst Island going into Kingston, these are known as the Upper Gap and Lower Gap. The SSW wind blows in off of open Lake Ontario and catches you right on the beam. It was just bad enough that we rolled a bit. Nothing serious but enough to upset the deckhands and the Admiral, and that is not good.

By 4:15 we were into the Kingston harbor and head up to the inner harbor. Kingston is a very old historic city. They have a great deal of sailboat racing activity, since they were the Olympic sailing site when Montreal hosted the Olympics in 1976.

There is a ferry that runs to Wolff Island regularly, Wolff is the largest of the thousand island area in the St Lawrence River.

There was a bridge that does not open during rush hour and the next opening was 6:00. We were able to lay the Bimini flat, lower the radio antenna and get under with about a foot to spare. The Kingston Marina was just beyond the bridge and we were soon tied up.

A pretty good day, but the Admiral does not like the rock and roll of beam seas.

A Lay Day at Trenton

Tuesday, July 14

We decide that we would take another day in Trenton. I had planned on two days from Trenton to Kingston, we found out it isn’t as far as I had planned and could be done in one. The winds today were down from yesterday but still a bit gusty. Fraser Park is a very nice and friendly marina. Craig and Sandy who run it and are very pleasant and helpful.

I made another trip to the library for internet access, and then we walked a couple of blocks to a large A & P and picked up a few groceries. After lunch we took a walk on the river walk that leads from the marina back up alongside the Trent River. Diana got pictures of the small restored lighthouse in the park and a picture of the park and marina office from the far side.

Some chores got done and a great deal of time was spent chatting with other boaters. There were three fellows from Toledo, Ohio that had come up Lake Huron, thru Georgian Bay and down the Trent-Severn. They were now headed across Lake Ontario, up the Welland Canal and then west on Lake Erie. There was a couple who had just retired and were headed down the Trent-Severn and were headed for the Rideau the same as we were. There was a gentleman from Montreal who had done the Trent-Severn and was headed home down the St Lawrence. There was a couple on a sailboat from Montreal that had just taken the mast down to go up the Trent and then planned to spent the rest of the summer sailing Georgian Bay, and probably leave the boat there for the winter, and continue next year. There was also a gentleman from the Lake Simcoe area of the Trent Severn that had just purchased a used 40 foot Sea Ray in Connecticut and was bringing it home. He crossed Lake Ontario yesterday from Oswego NY. Each had something to contribute to some very interesting discussions.

A relaxing, enjoyable day.

Trenton

Monday, Jul y 13

Last night Diana took pictures of Memories in the nice quiet setting below Glen Ross lock.

It was a chilly morning, when I got up it was 48 outside, the sky was clear and the wind was light. The forecast was for high winds this afternoon, so we wanted to get an early start. Today we had 14 miles and six locks to complete the Trent Severn Waterway. Since we spent the night below lock seven we got underway a little before 8:00 with seven miles of open river to go before lock six. This got us there shortly after their 8:30 opening. They saw us coming and had the gates open when we go there.

The wind had started to build before we left and continued to build all morning. It was not all that strong but in and around the locks it was very gusty. The boat wanted to go every direction but straight. Every time I planned for the wind to move me sideways it would die and I was sitting in the middle of the lock instead of on the wall.

After lock six there are five more in the next five miles. They all knew we were coming and the gate to each was open as we approached. Diana liked the name at lock 3, Glen Miller, since she did all the singing and loves the old music.

The morning went by quickly and soon we were exiting lock one and under the bridge that welcomes everyone to the Trent Severn, in our case it signaled the end. We had a reservation at Fraser Park Marina in Trenton; it is just 200 yards below the bridge. We called on the radio and they directed us where to go and were there to help us tie up. By now the wind was gusting pretty heavy and we needed the help.

This marks a couple of milestones for the trip. We have completed the Trent Severn Waterway, a major part of the trip (we will do it again the other way) and if we do the Rideau in both direction and don’t go to Montreal, we are at the lowest point of the trip, 243.3 feet above sea level. We have come down 597 feet since Kirkfield.

We had a late lunch and then I went to the lovely new library in town for internet access, then to an ATM and a marina supply story for a chart I was missing. Diana took pictures of the Fraser Park, and the marina.

When I got back I went over and chatted with Craig the very helpful, knowledgeable marina manager. The wind was now steady 25 gusting over 30 mph, Craig said he was expecting three sailboats in shortly. I stuck around and lent a hand, in this wind extra hands are always helpful.
Diana had taken a short nap and then she cleaned inside while I did some boat chores outside. If this wind settles down as forecast we will be headed for Kingston tomorrow otherwise we will see more of Trenton.

Another good day.

Glen Ross Lock

Sunday, July 12

First I need to finish yesterday’s entry; I forgot an important item last night. Yesterday before we got underway I had a conversation with a boater at the other end of the lock wall in Hastings. It turns out he now lives in northern Wisconsin not far from Ashland. They frequently come to St Paul, the Ordway and the St Paul Hotel Grill are two of his favorite places. They bought their boat three years ago in North Carolina. The first year they came up the east coast, the Hudson river and then into the Erie Canal. They left the boat there in Brewerton, NY for the winter. Last year they came out of the Eire at Oswego, crossed Lake Ontario, did the Rideau Canal, the Ottawa River, into Lake Champlain and back to Brewerton. This year they have started up the Trent Severn and hope to get to Ashland this fall. He is a retired civil engineer with 26 years in the Coast Guard. The last three years of service were as Commander of the Coast Guard boot camp at Cape May, NJ. I went through Cape May in 1963 while he was at the Coast Guard Academy.

Today started with a beautiful morning, clear skies, cool at 50 and light winds. We took our time and about 8:45 walked across the bridge to the Riverview Restaurant for breakfast. After that we strolled through the lovely town of Campbellford, it was about five blocks to our destination. Any of you that know me well know that shopping is one of my least favorite things. That may change; we were now at the World Famous Chocolate Factory Outlet. One can only dream of a whole outlet store with nothing but chocolate at true discount prices. Ten pounds chocolate almonds for $20 was more than the calorie police would let me have. A 6.6 oz box of mint chocolate covered cherries for $1.50 was ok. We had one after dinner tonight they are great. We will be back here in a month.

Campbellford has many old brick houses; this picture is just a sample. We walked past this nice church then back downtown. The highly recommended Dooher’s Bakery was not open on Sunday, maybe when we are back. On the way back across the bridge Diana got a picture of Memories with the two dollar monument in the background.

Shortly after 11:00 we were underway to the first lock of the day which was only about a mile downstream. It was a narrow channel separate from the river channel with nice houses down both sides.

The next lock was Ranney Falls, another flight lock with a total drop of 48 feet. The gate was open with a large cruiser waiting to exit. There is a swing bridge just above the lock that had not yet opened. The bridge opened, the cruiser exited and in we went. When we got through both locks we pulled into the lower wall and tied up. There is a suspension bridge across just below the falls and we walked back to have a look. We got a picture of the bridge and the falls. There was not much water over the falls; it was all being diverted through the hydro electric plant next to the falls.

As we left again Diana got a picture looking up towards the bridge and one of the lock gates closed. This shows the lower gate and the high middle gate.

This stretch of the original river bed had a large drop over a relatively short distance. We had three more locks in the next few miles. For most of this time we were in a manmade channel next to the river bed. At Meyers Lock (our forth of the day) there is still an old lock master’s house. In the early days the lock master and family lived on site.

When we got to the last of this series we waited a short time for another cruiser to exited headed the other way. We then had about 12 miles of open river to the last lock of the day, Glen Ross # 7. We locked through and tied to the lower wall where we will spend the night. It was just 4:00. Would you believe there was a small store right across from the lock that sold ice cream cones? Like all the locks this is a nice park setting but with no town nearby.

When we left, the bright sun had warmed the temperature to the low 70s and it felt like it would be hot. An hour later it had clouded over and warmed no more, with a breeze of 10 to 12 it was almost cool.

All in all another excellent day; (next time I go to the chocolate outlet alone).

Campbellford Fueling

Today we bought fuel for the first time in Canada. We took 656 liters at $.899 per liter Canadian. If my conversion is right that is 173.3 gallons at $2.959 a gallon U.S. using a $1.15 conversion on the dollar. We have travelled 569 miles since we last fueled in St. Ignace, MI. Because of all the nights at lock walls we also ran the generator almost 20 hours. Allowing 13.3 gallons for the generator, 569 miles on 160 gallons is over 3.5 miles per gallon. This reflects our slower speeds and is the type of mileage I was hoping for.

Campbellford

Saturday, July 11

It has been a busy and productive day. The weather forecast was for 100 of rain and some thunder storms, not what we would like. After breakfast it didn’t look like any rain soon so we moved straight across the river from the lock wall to Hastings Village Marina. They have pump out facilities and we also filled the water tank.

Then it was back across the river to the Hastings lock which is right behind the low swing bridge. We tied to the blue line for a moment while an up bound sailboat exited the lock. The local blue heron stays close to the lock, knowing where the good fishing is.

We then had about fourteen miles of open river to the next locks at Healey Falls. Much of it was low, marshy shore line that looks like great wildlife habitat. We continue to see lots of gulls, turns, herons and osprey.

There were some sections that have some development along the shore. This is an island just of the river bank with a short bridge and about a dozen properties. The picture is of the first one that appears as if it could be a B&B, someone does a lot of landscaping.

About half an hour before Healey Falls we had a flash of cloud to cloud lighting and a big rumble of thunder and it began to rain moderately but no more lighting. We pulled into the approach wall and tied of. It was after noon so we had lunch while we waited to see what the weather would do. By the time we were done with lunch it had quit raining and look like it would clear. We walked around to the other side of approach channel and out to the dam where we could see Healey Falls. Today they had only one of ten gates in the dam open; it would be impressive to see more of them open when the water is higher.

The water flow today was higher than it might be; there is a twelve mega watt hydro-electric generating station next to the lock. It is currently shut down for expansion and no water is flowing thru it. In fact they have a large portable diesel generate on site to power the construction.

The picture looking done at channel at the lock shows Memories on the other side. We are near the dam and had to walk all the way to the lock to cross the channel then back the other side.

We then went ahead and locked through the flight lock, this is a double chamber that drops a told of 54 feet. The first chamber drops half way then you go through a gate into the second chamber that drops the second half. The picture is as we left the lower chamber looking back thru the open lower gate at the middle gate between chambers.

From there it was less than a half mile to the third Healey Falls lock. Then about two miles to Crowe Bay lock and two more to Campbellford lock. The picture is locking back at Crowe Bay as we exit. In my mind it is typical of the Trent –Severn Locks.

After that it was a short distance into Campbellford. There is an Esso station just before the bridge, they service automotive traffic in front and have pumps in back for boats. We pulled up to the wall with some help from Donna, the attendant, and bought 656 liters of diesel fuel. See separate fuel log entry.

From there it was under the bridge and into the Old Mill Park. This is a city park with a long wall for boaters. They provide free tie up during the day, and for a fee overnight transient docking. They have electric and showers for overnight.

After all the maneuvering today, most in 15 to 20 mph gusty winds, the thrusters have definitely paid for themselves.

Diana got pictures looking across the river at some of Campbellford including an interesting tower on an old building. In the park next to us is a band shell where they have concert all summer (not tonight) and a monument of the “Toonie”. Canada has long had a one dollar coin with a loon on it, so it was the “Lonnie”. In the nineties they came out with a new two dollar coin and it naturally became the “Toonie”. The coin featuring a polar bear was designed by a wildlife artist from Campbellford, so the town erected a giant replica.

When we got tied up the sun was shining and the wind was blowing, an hour later the wind was down and there were dark clouds to the west. We heard distant rumblings of thunder but only get a light sprinkle locally. That cell moved on by to the north and a couple hours later another goes by south of us.

We have left over pizza for dinner, a shower, and then we crash. We are both very tired after a long day.

Hastings

Friday, July 10

It was a very quiet evening in an older small marina, we were far and away the largest boat, and most of the others were all locals. The only power available was a 20 amp circuit on a long extension cord; we ran the generator and stayed on the inverter for the night. We were serenaded all evening by a choir of bull frogs.

This morning the local blue heron that had been around last night was standing on a finger pier right across from us. Diana took this picture from the door of the boat.

At 8:30 Tom the mechanic and his assistant Rick were down at the boat to look at the stuffing box. They had a terrible time getting to it since with the “V” drives it is behind the engine and under the drive housing. They final got it loosened, added one more round of stuffing and tightened it back up. It is still dripping more then I would like, hopefully the new stuffing will swell a little.

It was an absolutely perfect morning; cool earlier but with bright sunshine and light winds it warmed quickly. By 11:00 we were off. Today’s journey was down the rest of the Otonabee River about 18 miles, into Rice Lake for another 12 and 4 miles into the Trent River to the next lock at Hastings, ON.

This stretch of the Otonabee is easy boating with good water (12 to 20 feet) through the entire river. Most of the shore is undeveloped and much is low and marshy, there are occasional stretches of a few homes and cottages. The traffic was light except for many fishermen. We did pass two couples out for a quiet kayak trip.

We came around one corner to see in the middle of undeveloped shore this beautiful old home, it look like it has been there a very long time, Diana was a little slow getting the camera out. The captain was pushing eight miles an hour so things go by in a hurry.

Rice Lake is some 20 miles long and 2 to 3 wide is a large shallow lake. Large areas of the shore are productive wild rice beds, thus the name. The navigation is straight forward, the Otonabee enters the north side west of the middle and the Trent River exits at the south east corner. It is almost a straight shot for 12 miles. The only tricky part is there use to be a railroad trestle across the lake, the trestle is long gone but the underwater cribs it sat on are still there. There are buoys to get you safely through, you just have to find them.

Hastings is a lovely little town right along the river. The guide book said the best tie up was above the lock. As we approached we could see several boats already tied up but it look like enough room for us just in front of the boat at the left of the picture. We went in and tied up and Diana took pictures from the bow looking past the other boats at a very low bridge that is just upstream from the lock gate. The lock attend swings the bridge when he opens the gate. From the other side of the bow the view is of town.

I went exploring, found a RBC bank for an ATM, a grocery store and the town laundry. While Diana did a load of laundry I pick up a few items at the grocery and work on posting the Peterborough blog entries. There is a village marina right across the river and I can pick up their Wi-Fi from the boat.

When Diana got back from the laundry we walked to the bridge and a pizzeria right next to it. The pizza was good and there are left over for another day. After dinner we went for a short walk.

Another very good day.

Peterborough

Thursday, July 9

First no more complaints about the weather (at least for a while). Yesterday was forecast high near 70, light wind and 60% chance of rain, actual three or for periods of light sprinkles (never more than five minutes) light winds and high in the mid 70s. Today was more light winds, beautiful clear skies and high near 80. About perfect except if we were racing sailboats.

The plain for today had been to do less than 20 miles with seven locks and go into the Peterborough Municipal Marina, right down town. Last night I decided that a change was needed. For almost the entire trip I have been getting an accumulation of water in the bilge under the engines. There are stuffing boxes around the drive shaft where it goes through the hull, they are designed to be water lubricated and should leak a very little (or their too tight).

There are three section of the bilge divided by stringers, one under each engine and one in the middle, there is an automatic bilge pump in the middle. The stuffing boxes have been leaking enough that every third or fourth day I would go down and bail the water out, either with a sponge and bucket or use the small shop-vac we have on board. Port engine has been worse than the starboard, but in the last few days the starboard has gotten worse and I need to bail almost daily.

I found in the guide small marina about four miles (and one more lock) beyond Peterborough that showed mechanical services. I called and Tom said he could help us, if we came in tonight he would work on the stuffing boxes in the morning when the engines were cool. I called Peterborough Marina and cancelled our reservation.

With the idea of a relatively long day we got underway a little before 8:00. We cruised the short distance out of the Young’s Point channel into Katchewanooka Lake, the last of the beautiful Kawartha Lakes. It was a six mile run to the first lock of the day at Lakefield. The geology of the area has changed; we are out of the heavy granite and into limestone with much different shorelines. There are more marshy areas and the shoreline is much softer. From Lakefield to Rice Lake we will be in the Ontonabee River. We have been seeing more raptors in this area both osprey and about six bald eagles.

At Lakefield there is a narrow channel around the dam to the lock. We head in and around the corner meet a large trawler headed the other way. We slowed to almost a stop and pulled to the side and he squeezed by. We got to the lock and tied to the blue line as they were locking others up. The first out was a lovely 44 foot trawler cat with a 19 foot beam. I sure glad we didn’t meet him in the narrow channel.

The lock staff said they would leave the gates open and we could go in and tie up, but they had to go back to the dam and make adjustments to the water flow, it would be 15 or 20 minutes. It made for a bit of a slow start. Soon they were back and we were on our way.

From here on the next four locks are between a mile and a half and half a mile apart, the lock masters communicate with each other and try to be ready for you. The next two the gates were open and we went right in. Diana got a picture along the river bank of this blue heron contemplating the morning breakfast menu. Also a picture looking back at the dam structure as we left a lock.

At the next lock the lower gates were open and they were waiting for boats going the other way. When they finally exited there were not only the three big boats pictured but four more small boats in the back corner of the lock. They do an amazing job of squeezing boats into the lock.

We were soon through that lock and the next and then it was on five miles to the lift lock. Much of that is in a channel separate from the Ontonabee River; most is remote and scenic until you come to Trent University which sits right beside the water. This building looked like it could be the library. Soon we had the lift lock in site with the Island Princess coming out. She is a seventy foot tour boat that runs out of Peterborough, through a conventional lock, then the lift lock, and turns around for the return trip.

We had been locking through the earlier locks with a Mainship and a small I/O, we loaded and the lock staff said they would like to get the Island Princess in too. We all squeezed forward and she just got in.

The Peterborough Lock is the highest lift lock in the world at 65 feet, but the operation is the same as Kirkfield. See the Kirkfield entry for details of operation. The biggest differance in the two locks is that Kirkfield has a lot of structural steel and Peterborough is mostly concrete. Because of the problem I have with too many pictures I have created a separate pictures only blog entry of all the pictures from the lift lock.

It was very different to stand on the boat and look down on the roof of the visitor’s center and the cars across the way. Another highlight of our trip.

We proceed down to the next lock only half a mile away and the three of us locked through together, the small boat had turned around and were going back up at Peterborough. The Island Princess apparently had been a lunch cruise, they were serving cake as we locked through, I didn’t manage to get any. We exited the lock and the Island Princess turn into little lake past the fountain to their dock while we continued down river to the last lock of the day about a mile ahead.

I have praised the helpful Parks Canada lock staff in the past, today at Lock 19, Scotts Mills; we meet Chad the champion of hospitality (at least so far). He was friendly and helpful. He asked for our camera and took pictures of us together on the boat, and then he suggested we should know how the lock works and invited us to close the gate.

We left Chad and had another few miles to the little marina with the mechanic; we got there just before 4:00 closing. It was a long day, but very enjoyable, we are both exhausted.

Pictures of Peterborough Lift Lock

Young’s Point

Wednesday, July 8

First, Happy Anniversary to us, we are celebrating fourteen years today.

We started out the day by heading out of Big Bob Channel and leaving Bobcaygeon behind us. Gordon Marina was just across the way from the lock wall, I found last night I could just barely get their Wi-Fi signal on the boat.

We were quickly out into Pigeon Lake, another of the beautiful lakes in the area. It is about ¾ to a mile and a half wide and long. Our route took us in one side down about five miles and out the other side. There is at least five miles more both north and south of where we entered. Somewhere on the lake is the Pigeon Lake Yacht Club. They race scow similar to what I have always sailed. They have M-16s, M-20s and a few “E”s. I was only able to locate the club, maybe before the return trip I can get the location.

We continue to see many lovely homes, many still just summer places. Big boathouses are part of many of them, both new and old.

From Pigeon the Gannon Narrows led to Buckhorn Lake. We continued the ten mile length of Buckhorn to the first lock of the day, Buckhorn Lock. We got off the boat while they readied the lock just long enough to get a picture of the large buck statue at the lock and a picture of Memories on the blue line.

The lock leads to Lower Buckhorn Lake, it is small and shallower. The channel passes close to many small islands. At the end of Lower Buckhorn is the Lovesick Lock leading to Lovesick Lake. This lock is located between two islands and the lock staff comes to work by boat. Since the only access is by water it is the most remote of the locks and a very pretty setting. All the locks are nice park areas but Lovesick is special.

It is only a couple of miles across Lovesick, past more beautiful islands, and sometimes the channel runs close between them even though there appears to be more room on either side (just not much water). Then it is through Burleigh Falls Lock. No picture of the lock but this is the outflow from the dam rejoining the channel.

We are now in Stony Lake, there is no question how it got its name. The channel actually goes thru just a short section of the end of a larger lake, but it is a tight winding channel through lots of rock. Stretches of the channel have names like “Hurricane Bend” and “Hell’s Gate”. Just after leaving Hell’s Gate, St Peter’s Anglican Church sits on its own private island. Worshippers come from all around the area come by boat for services; they have a large floating dock on the backside of the island.

Once we are through all the rocks we are into Clear Lake, it is a nice straight, open three mile run to the other end where we come to Young’s Point Lock. We planned to spend the night on the lower wall, as we approached it looked pretty busy. We tied to the blue line and I went to check, there was a rental houseboat on the lower wall but it looked like there was room behind him.

We locked on through and when we got out he was ready to lock up, we went on by to give him room to get out and turn around then we went in where he had been. Young’s Point was settled by the Young family from Ireland in 1825. Three generations were active in the area and they ran a steamboat company from this location. When the Trent Waterway was proposed they donated the land for this lock.

The grandson lived in a home right next to the lock. Today his home is the Lockside Trading Company. They have a little bit of everything, furniture, cast iron drawer pulls, clothes and much more. Most importantly they have ice cream; we had an anniversary ice cream cone.

If you note in the picture of Memories on the lower wall there is a power pole upper center of the picture. There is an Osprey nest on it, but from the boat we can only see the bottom of the nest. Diana had to walk up the grass a ways to get the picture of adult and young then the adult and young with the other adult just leaving.

We have been seeing lots of birds. There were other Osprey as we traveled today and although we see loons regularly, today there seemed to be more and closer. We heard them many times today.

Another glorious day.

Bobcaygeon day two

Tuesday, July 7

First a word about the blog, I am finding that keeping the blog updated is taking more time than I can afford to put into it. I can write the text and then copy it to the blog when I get internet access, but the pictures must then be uploaded to the blog and they all go at the front and must be dragged and dropped to where I want them. It is a slow and frustrating process. The solution I am going to try is to reduce the number of pictures I put in each days entry. The scenery is going to still be beautiful and the locks interesting but the number of pictures will just be fewer. I will try this for a few days and see how it works. Your feedback would be welcome.

Today was a non travel day. Bobcaygeon is an interesting little down and because it is on an island very compact, everything is in walking distance. Last night I found a hardware store that does propane tank exchanges so this morning I got a full container for the BBQ. I then found a coffee shop with Wi-Fi to do the last three blog entries and catch up on e-mail. Diana walked to the post office (far side of the island) to mail a couple of cards and then did some shopping on her way back.

Since it was a cold rainy morning, we had gotten a very slow start; it was now almost 1:00. While I was on the internet this morning I checked the Ontario Waterway Cruise’s web site for the schedule of the Kawartha Voyageur knowing she was somewhere in the area. It showed she should be through Bobcaygeon today. I check with the lockmaster on the way back and was told she was expected within the hour. This is the cruise we did in 2005 to interest Diana in this area.

Sure enough about 30 minutes later there she was. She is a big boat for these restricted waters. She locked through then pulled to the wall across from us for a couple hours before continuing to Rosedale for the evening. This gives the passengers a chance to stretch their legs, see the nice little town and keeps the local merchants happy to have the Kawartha Voyageur around.

We then had a late lunch and walked back into town for some groceries since it was only a block and a half. When we got back it looked like space had opened up on the wall below the lock, I went done and verified it and came back and told the lock master we would lock down when they could be ready for us.

We got underway did another 180 in tight quarters, but with less wind today, locked through and tied to the lower wall. The picture shows the view looking back at the lock from our new location. Now we can be on our way in the morning without waiting for the lock.

It was another good day, if somebody would just turn the heat on. The temperature has been in the low 50s over night and struggles to get to 70 during the day. This is well below normal for this area.

Bobcaygeon

Monday, June 6

We left Kirkfield behind us and head out the long man made cut that leads to Balsam Lake. We are now at the highest point on the Trent Severn Waterway, 840.4 feet above sea level. I have read that this is the highest you can navigate a boat direct from the ocean. The area we are in now was the divide between the Trent water shed and the Severn. The area is all limestone and in the late 1800 they just trenched the canal through the rock and piled the rubble along the bank, the piles are still visible today.

We head across Balsam Lake and soon were head to the Rosedale Lock. This is our first down lock of the summer; it is only a four foot drop. From there it is only 3.5 miles to Fenelon Falls and the next lock. As you approach the channel into Fenelon Falls there is an old swing bridge that is permanently open but it looks a little intimidating but actually has lots of room.

We head for the lock and there is a row of small shops right across the street from the approach wall. We wait for a couple of boats to exit the lock then we lock through. It has been a bit cool this morning so we decide to tie to the wall below the lock and have a bowl of soup for lunch.

After lunch we got a picture of the garden in the park across the canal from us and took a short walk to stretch our legs. We got a picture of Memories and the falls.

We continue to be impressed with the helpful courteous Parks Canada staff at all of the locks. Without exception they have been very helpful and friendly.

We decide our break is over and get underway again. The next stretch is a river section heading from Fenelon Falls down to Sturgeon Lake. There are lovely homes and cottages along both banks and there appears to be no set back requirement in the building code.

Sturgeon is a beautiful large lake, it is “Y” shaped with most of it being one to two miles wide. Our route enters at the top of the “Y” goes down around the point and then up the other arm to exit at the top on the other side. The total distance we travel on the lake is just over twelve miles. There are now nice homes all around the lake, but the point was originally a summer area for people that arrived by train then a steam ferry out to the point. These are some of the homes along the point.

We exited Sturgeon Lake and were quickly at Bobcaygeon. Bobcaygeon is built on three islands in the river and a lovely little town with everything in walking distance. The two private islands as you approach the lock are in addition to the three the town is on.

We had planned to lock thru and spent the night on the lower wall. We pulled to the blue line and I went to check if there was space available, it didn’t look promising. After consultation with the lock staff we decide to do a “U” turn and tie across from the blue line for the night.

The area I had to turn the boat around is only about 80 feet wide and narrows as you approach the lock, in the other direction there was boats on both walls, and the wind was blowing towards the lock at about 20 and gusty. We made the turn without any problem and had lots of help with lines when we got to the other wall. The thruster helped a lot. I think I could have done it without them but it would have been tense and taken a lot more work.

I am very pleased with the thruster. With all the maneuvering in and out of locks they make life much easier.

We walked into town and found the chamber of commerce, they answered our questions for all the errands we need to do tomorrow.

Since we have an anniversary in a couple of days we walked back up town and had a lovely Italian dinner to celebrate a little early.

It was another good day.

Kirkfield Lift Lock

The two lift locks, the other is at Peterborough, are marvels of early twentieth century engineering, they are both over one hundred years old. The principal is a huge hydraulic ram that lifts a tub of water. The secret is that there are two pans and their hydraulic rams are cross connected. The cross connection is closed, the ends of the tubs fold down to allow boats access, and when they are loaded, the ends closed; the cross connection is opened and since the upper chamber has been loaded with an extra foot of water it becomes a giant teeter-totter.

Here are pictures of the far chamber up and the near down and then reversing their positions. Although the total time is longer because of opening and closing of valves and adding water when the chamber reaches the top, the actual travel time to go up 47 feet was just over two minutes. The size of the tank is 100 feet by 30 by 6 feet deep, note the lock attendants in the red shirts in the pictures for reference. There is also a road that runs under the approach to the upper end of the chambers.

Monday morning it was our turn. The pictures are looking forward and back as we entered the chamber, then Diana looking off the back, looking forward and back after we reached the top and finally looking down at the road as we exit the chamber. Amazingly the chambers go down into a pit that although below water level is dry. On the shady moist wall of this pit is a healthy growth of ferns.

The final picture is looking back as we leave the lock; in the middle distance are guard gates that can be closed to stop water from reaching the lock. This is done for maintenance and in the winter to dry the system out and prevent ice damage. In 2005 Diana and I cruised on the Kawartha Voyager, a cruise boat that plies these waters. The company has an arrangement with Parks Canada that they but the boat behind the guard gate and when the water is drained they have their vessel in dry dock for the winter.

Orillia to Kirkfield

Sunday, July 5

After a nice day in Orillia yesterday it was time to continue our journey. The morning dawned bright, clear and winds much lighter than the last two days. The first photo is as we are leaving the marina. From there it was about two miles across Lake Couchiching through the narrows into Lake Simcoe. The narrows being between the two lakes is a hub of local boating activity, there are five marinas there, catering mostly to the locals though some will accommodate transients.

The mural on the end of this row of slips is of a small outboard capsized, with a man with a bottle lying on his back. The dog in the bow is howling, a gull is on his chest with a fork and napkin around its neck, while a turtle uses his life jacket as a raft and sets a sail on it. The caption reads “This man is sinking, because he has been drinking”. I have noticed a big effort here in Canada to combat drinking and boating, I don’t know if this is a strong proactive campaign or a reactive one to a major problem. There laws on drinking while boating are stricter than those in the U.S.

We then headed for the fifteen miles of open water across Lake Simcoe to the Talbot River section of the Trent. The 10 to 12 mph wind was on our beam and we rolled a little for the two hour crossing, but soon we were headed in behind the break water. The Talbot River follows a rather winding route and when the canal was layout this section was done with a man made stretch of channel that is mostly straight and crosses the river several times.

In this stretch there are five locks in a stretch of about four miles. These are all old manual locks with the gates and valve hand cranked. The total vertical lift of the five locks is 73 feet. We approached the first one and tied to the blue line. The lock attendant came down and said they were waiting for boats coming the other way and it would be about 15 minutes.

Soon we were into the lock with two other boats and they closed the gates, and opened the valves in the upper gate to let the water in. From here on the next four locks had their gates open waiting for us. When they had just locked a group of boats through the other direction traffic got a little tight.

At one lock Diana got a picture of the attendant walking around the capstan to open the gate. If you note in the pictures there are heavy rubber coated cables running vertically on the lock walls. You slide your rope behind this cable and then it just slides up (or down) on the cable.

Some of these locks are on the canal and there is no dam others are in conjunction with the river and there is a dam and above it a small lake. It had been a long morning but I didn’t want to stop for fear of getting out of sequence with the lock cycle and then find the next cycle to have a full load of boats, so we pushed through all five locks and decided to tie to the lock wall above the last. When we got there it was very busy with several boats tied to the wall and five waiting to lock the other way.

We pushed on through a swing bridge that opened to let the boats we locked with through, then circled back into the wind and dropped the anchor. We relaxed at anchor and had some lunch then upped the anchor and continued on thru a couple of small manmade lakes. Soon it was through another narrow canal section and we were at the Kirkfield lift lock.

Orillia

Saturday, July 4

Happy Fourth of July to all of our friends.

We planned to spend the day visiting Orillia and it is a good thing. It was in the mid fifties and the wind was blowing 15 when I got up. It has blown 20 with gust to 30 all day. The next leg of the trip takes us across Lake Simcoe, the largest lake on the Trent Severn System, about 15 by 30 miles. It would not have been a pleasant day to be out there.

We are at the Port of Orillia run by the city; they have about 200 slips all transient. With Lake Couchiching (about 2 by 8 miles) connected to Simcoe by a short, narrow channel there is a lot of local boating so in addition to people such as us traveling the Trent there are many locals that come to Orillia for Friday and/or Saturday night and go into town for dinner. The docks are very busy.

We started the day (after using the marina’s nice showers) with a walk up main street to Zats Italian restaurant for breakfast. The omelets were very good. We then continued up the street to the old city hall that is now the opera house. They have a farmers market every Saturday morning in the parking lot next door.

The town is lovely with many restaurants, small specialty shops and interesting architecture. We bought a variety of things at the farmers market then stopped at a book store on the way back to get a guide to the Trent Severn that was just published and the nice folks we docked with at Big Chute had shown us. There is a companion book on the Rideau that this store didn’t have, we will have to pick it up down the line.

This afternoon we took a walk along the boardwalk, the city has a large park along the lakeshore; it was a nice afternoon for a stroll. On the way back there is a restaurant in a series of old rail cars, we resisted and had a nice pork tenderloin off the grill with fresh bread form the farmers market. We could not resist the cute ice cream stand next door.

It has been a very pleasant day in a lovely setting.

Over Big Chute and on to Orillia

Friday, July 3

We had a very quiet night in the secluded cove below Big Chute. We took it slow this morning as it was gray, overcast and a little cool. Finally about 9:00 we decided to get underway. I was wondering if we would have to go across and tie on the blue line to get the carriage down and the gentleman behind us suggested that although the Trent locks don’t us VHF I could phone them. We cast of and I was about to reach for a guide book to find the phone number when we see the car coming down the hill with two thirty foot cruisers.

We circled to the side while they exited then we headed into the car. The deckhand/photographer final got the dock lines secure and the camera out to record our entry into the car and its slings. The very skilled Parks Canada staff carefully guided us to where we needed to be, grabbed the boat with the hydraulically operated slings and we were settled in. They do not actually lift the boat with the slings; they set the boats keel on the car floor and only support the boat in the slings. Since our props are lower than the keel they set us on the back end of the car with the drive shafts off the end of the carriage.

Once we were settled the car heads up the hill and in a matter of minutes it is cresting the top. Note in the picture near the top that the two tracks that have been at very different levels now merge to the same level, the bed of the car has been level at all times. Finally the car runs into the water on the other side, the boat again floats, they lower the slings and we motor out to continue our trip while the car is ready to load two more boats that were waiting to go the other way. A most interesting experience, one of the highlights of the trip.

We head off into lots more beautiful country of narrow streams and small lakes. The photographer, being an artist is most interest in the natural scenery and did not get pictures of some of the more build up areas. We went through a couple of river stretches where the water was less than 200 feet wide and there were houses on 50 and 75 foot lots with docks and boats on both shores. Definitely a no wake area since we were less than 100 feet from the docks on both sides at the same time with opposing traffic.

Traffic today was much heavier than traffic we have been seeing. There was a steady parade of boats headed the other way, both larger cruisers and smaller local cruisers. They would come in groups of four and five as the locks cycled.

Eight miles past Big Chute we came to Swift Rapids Lock. It is the newest and deepest conventional lock on the system. The vertical lift is 47 feet. We had talked about tying up and looking around before we locked through, but the gates were open so we motored right in and quickly locked up. Then we tied to the approach wall above the lock, past the blue line and walked back to have a look around. There was a boat waiting as we exited and two more showed up while he was going in, so we watched the three of them lock through. The lower gates are high enough to allow a fixed bridge above them and the public is allowed to go to the other side of the lock. Diana got pictures locking back down where we came from and the gates opening to let the three boats out.

I have not written much about the thrusters lately, using them has become second nature, I just get the boat close to where it needs to be with the shifters and then fine tune the position with the a touch of the thrusters. I am very happy with their performance.

We continued through the lovely waterway, McDonalds Cut is the first of the man made sections of the route; it is about a half a mile. We then came to a 90 degree turn around a red buoy and this island want to be. The weather began to deteriorate and we moved inside with a light mist falling. Fifteen miles from Swift Rapids is Couchiching Lock. We pulled to the approach wall opposite the blue line and decided to wait out the rain before continuing.

About an hour later the sun peaked through and we decide to go ahead and continue. We locked up and finished the last mile of tight river channel into Lake Chochiching and the eight miles of open water to the town of Orillia. Unfortunately the weather that had cleared the rain was a front that brought 15 to 20 mph winds with gust to 25 and occasionally 30. The photographer disappeared into the cabin.

The wind was a little unpleasant but the ride was not too bad. We got to the breakwater for the Port of Orillia and radioed for a slip. They told us where they would like us and the turns after entering the harbor. When we got there, two helpful dockhands were there to help us in. We are spending tomorrow here, so we will put pictures in tomorrow’s entry.

Despite a little rain and wind it was a great day. The Big Chute was a thrill and the scenery is even more beautiful then I remember. Life continues to be very good.

Big Chute on the Trent – Severn

Thursday, July 2

This was to be a work morning, and it got off to a slow start. It started to rain before sunrise and continued until about 9:00. I went into the marina office where I could plug into the internet and got caught up on e-mails, business and posted four days of blog. Diana did a couple of loads of laundry. Since the dock is a solid pier that does not drain well she had to wear her rain boats to get off the boat.

I also had to use the pay phone at the marina to get a problem with our cell phone fixed. I had asked Verizon to set us up on an international plan that is a flat additional fee rather than a per minute charge for calls in and out of Canada. They got me set up ok but somewhere the communication between Verizon and Bell Canada got messed up. For the last week even though I had a signal in the remote parts of Georgian Bay, anytime I tried to use the phone I got a Bell Mobile messages saying I was unable to make calls at this time. When we got docked tonight it was finally working.

By noon there was no more moisture in the air and we walked four blocks up town for a few groceries. Yesterday I put a couple of murals of the town in the blog, today Diana got lots more pictures and also one of the Captain hauling groceries, by the shore side entrance to the marina.

Finally with chores done we left the marina about 1:00 for a short run into the Trent Severn Waterway. It is ten or twelve miles across the end of Georgian Bay to Port Severn and the first lock. The picture shows us carefully working up the narrow channel along the green buoys; unfortunately it is the wrong channel. The chart I was using shows three channels converging, there are actually four and we ended up in the one not on my chart. We went about a mile, realized the mistake and turned around and found the correct route.

This lead us to Lock 45, Port Severn, the first lock on the Trent Severn, we were officially leaving Georgian Bay to enter the Trent. We could see that they were just starting to lock down at least two boats so we pulled into the approach wall. I went up to talk to the staff to clarify a couple of things while Diana got a picture of Memories. There were not only the two boats we could see but three more behind them, we waited for them to exit and in we went. Diana got a picture as we exited looking back. Just past the lock is Severn Boat Haven.

The Trent Severn going our direction goes up the Severn River through many beautiful lakes and a couple of manmade cuts. It then descends down the Trent River to the Trenton, ON. on the north shore of Lake Ontario. One common theme is lots of no wake areas and 10kph speed limits (about 6 mph). There is lots of beautiful scenery, nice cabins (large and small) and wonderful water to travel. I believe that dog point had its name before the statues appeared.

After traveling through Little Lake and Gloucester Pool we approached an area known as Little Chute. This is a narrow channel that in high water times can have 5-6 mph current; today it was only about two. When we got through Little Chute there is an area of more cottages and there was a group of kayakers out enjoying the day.

Around the corner was an interesting old cottage right on the water’s edge. Note the diving board that appears to be higher than 3 meters right on the shore. This tells you something about the water depths

Around the next corner was Big Chute Marine Railway. The carriage was just going up and over as we arrived, if you look closely that is about a 20 foot i/o in the bed of the car. The area has the main railway then a power generation station and an old railway on the other side. We pulled across to floating docks right below the old railway to spend the night. Looking back across the water is a long wall with a blue line. Tying to the blue line indicates your are waiting to “lock thru”, tying to other areas indicates you are not ready. We walked up the stairs beside the old railway to look around and take some picture. Diana stopped half way up with the excuse of getting a picture of Memories to catch her breath.

As we were on the back deck grilling shrimp for dinner the car came down the hill. Note the back is on an outside rail and the front on an inside rail, the rails are different levels so the car stays level going downhill. It brought down about a 40 foot houseboat and when it departed the 25 foot open cruiser that was waiting pulled in.

We had a quiet peaceful evening in a very secluded spot. Life continues to be good.

Midland – the end of Georgian Bay

Wednesday, July 1

Happy Canada to all our Canadian friends and hosts.

We both slept soundly and were slow to get up this morning. The weather was overcast and looked like it could rain and we only planed to run about forty miles today to Midland, so we were in no hurry to get started. Finally just after 9:30 we decided to go ahead and get going. The rain had held off but the visibility was only two to three miles. In the poor visibility and a bit of open water I got disoriented and headed for the wrong buoy. As we approached the buoy I had the feeling things weren’t right. When we could read the buoy number, it confirmed it was not the inside passage we wanted. But we figured out where we were and how to get to where we should be. We found the buoy we wanted and things looked like the chart showed them.

About 45 minutes into our run the wind had built to about 15 from the west, we came to a stretch of the route that comes out from behind the islands and we were headed south with the waves on the beam. We were rolling pretty good and every so often a wave would catch us and we would roll violently. The deckhands weren’t happy, the admiral was not happy and the captain was tense. We but more power on and this helped reduce the roll a little, and shortened the time before we got behind the next set of islands.

Along tthe islands we have seen many places where people have stacked rocks, I believe there is a name for this practice, but it excapes me. This is one of the most elaborate.

After being sheltered for about 45 minutes the chart showed another stretch where we might be exposed. As we were getting near where the worst might be, the chart showed an alternate route through a couple of small bays that looked like they could be good anchorages. As we pulled in there were four other boats that looked like they had probably been anchored all night. We continued to near the exit from the alternate channel looking for what might be the best anchorage, although the wind seem to be down to about 8 to 10. While we circled a Monk 36 trawler that had been at Henry’s last night came through the channel. I decided that being a local he knew where he was going and we followed him out hoping the wind was down enough to make the ride a little smoother.

He was running at our normal cruising speed and although we still rolled a bit it was not nearly as bad as earlier. He fell in line about a quarter mile behind him and followed him for the next hour. Between the photographer waking up not feeling well, the bad visibility and the motion of the boat, today’s pictures are limited.

By 1:00 the weather had improved and we were out of the big water. In fact we were approaching Honey Harbor, a heavily populated area at the south end of Georgian Bay in very restricted waters. There were several areas with a 9 kph speed limit (less than 6 mph). Soon we came out into the relatively open waters at the south end of Georgian Bay and in quieter weather we crossed to the Midland Harbor Town Dock.

The town of Midland has commissioned the painting of many murals around town; Diana got a picture of a big one on a grain elevator on our way in. That is another on the side of harbor masters office. We took a short walk around town before dinner and there are many on the buildings downtown, they depict the history of the town.

By dinner time the sun was out and it was a pleasant evening. It was not the best of days but we are at another transition in our journey, from here it is about eight miles to the first lock on the Trent Severn Canal.

Henry’s

Tuesday, June 30

We awoke early at anchor and after our usual cereal, banana, and juice breakfast and had the anchor up before 7:30. Last night Diana got pictures just before sunset of the anchorage and the colors in the clouds from the sunset.







We rounded the end of the island we were anchored behind and were back on the inside small boat passage headed southeast down beautiful Georgian Bay. There are many light houses that the Canadian Light Service used the same blueprint for.

Many of the islands on Georgian Bay are beautiful pine covered and many have cabins on them. But all of them are accessible only by boat. I have included pictures of a few of them. Not the one all alone on a baron piece of granite. Others of the islands are just big granite pancakes, and each has many cousins that are lurking just below the surface. It is very important to find each buoy and round it properly. The more buoys the more important to be careful and slalom through them.

Many of the channels are marked with ranges, a range is a pair of markers one behind the other, that if you keep them lined up, you are in the channel on the right course. Many on the inside passage are simple day ranges with white backgrounds and an orange or black strip down the middle. For the channel into major ports from the open portion of the bay they use lighted ranges such as this one at Pointe Au Baril.

Pointe Au Baril received its name because early fisherman but a barrel on a stake and placed a lantern on top to help guide them in. The picture is of a replica barrel on the original site. It is just in front of the front light of the range pictured.

The day started overcast and not really pleasant, during the late morning we had a light drizzle then it cleared and by the time we got close to our destination we had moderate rain for half an hour; that stopped just fifteen minutes before we docked. Note the different sky conditions in the pictures, often it was a matter of looking right or left.

We have seen very little boat traffic in Georgian Bay, an occasional cottager running in and out of the channel since they know the water well, an occasional fisherman and very occasionally another cruiser. Just as I made a turn to line up a couple pairs of buoys I had two cruisers coming at me. In watching them and staying clear of them I failed to watch the chart as carefully as I should. By the time we pasted the second cruiser we were through the second pair of buoys and when I went back to the chart I realized I was on a plot route, but not the one I wanted. The one I wanted had done a 90 degree turn to port just before the second set of buoys. We stopped, did a 180, went back 200 yards and made the turn to follow the channel we wanted.

The course we were following lead to a section call Canoe Channel (describes how big a vessel fits). We headed in and took it real slow. As the picture looking back shows, we made it. The depth finder in the narrow stretch never showed less than 9 feet. A little later it gets done to 7.

We were now getting close to Parry Sound, the largest town along this side of Georgian Bay. We did not plan to go into Parry Sound since it is ten miles each way from the small boat passage, but with tomorrow being Canada Day (like our 4th of July) there was a lot more boat traffic. We were now along a section where the port shore was mainland not an island. One cottager decided it was easier to build a foot bridge then get there by boat.

Finally after a run of almost 70 miles we pulled into Henry’s Fish Camp on Frying Pan Island. Henry’s is famous for their fish dinners and provides transient overnight dockage for dinners also. We had heard several other boats calling on the VHF during the last hour and when we had Henry’s in sight we called the harbor master/manager (owner??) told us were we should dock and to hold, the dock boys were helping two other boats that were just coming. They have eight docks perpendicular to shore, each about 120 -150 feet long.

Soon he radioed that he would come down and help us in. We headed in and he indicated we should pull right into shore, as we got there he kept on just a little more, there is good water right to shore. The pictures show we had the bow only 5 or 6 feet from shore, the depth finder still said 19 feet.

It was about four, the rain was gone, the sun was trying to come out, and we settled back to unwind after a long day on the water. Finally about 6:00 we walked up and had a delicious pan fried white fish dinner. In addition to the 14 or 16 boats that spent the night there were maybe half a dozen (probably locals) that came for dinner then left. Since it is an island you have to come by boat or you can fly in. The plane in the picture brought four people, plus pilot, for dinner then left again. I understand that later in the summer there can be three and four planes at a time in.

After a long day we were both ready for an early night. All in all it was another very good day.

Georgian Bay

Monday, June 29

Georgian Bay is a large body of water that has a marked small boat passage running along the NE shore. Parts of it are exposed to the open water of the entire bay but much of it runs behind islands. Parts of the passage are very tight and buoys must be followed carefully. Water depths go from 20 – 50 feet down to only inches in a matter of a boat length.

It started to rain this morning before dawn. When we got up there was still a light drizzle and the visibility was marginal. We tried to relax and just wait; the good news was the winds were less than ten. It was quiet around the Sportsman Inn. It is an old in with new management that is totally rebuilding and enlarging the Inn. They hope to be open in two more weeks but there is a lot of work to do. They have a brand new fuel dock and are rebuilding the other docks. They have slips on both sides of the channel and in the busy season they run a pontoon back and forth to the other side.

Final about 9:30 the drizzle had ended and the sky was lighter so we decided to get underway. We had a short run of three miles of open water to get to Collins Inlet. This is a natural deepwater channel behind Phillip Edward Island. It is twelve miles long. It is relatively straight and narrow, with lots of wilderness scenery. Shortly after entering Collins Inlet we saw a group of about a dozen canoes and nearby two kayaks. I will let the picture tell more.



After Collins there is an open passage of about ten miles before heading back in at the entrance to the Bad River. We then wound around through the Northeast Passage which has a lot of flat granite rocks; here is where navigation depends on counting the buoys as you pass them and following the chart exactly.

About 5:30 we had completed 57 miles for the day and we pulled in behind Golden Sword Island. The small boat passage goes by one side of it and there is good water on the other. We got the anchor down and Diana got a couple last pictures of our home for the night. The bottle in the picture is on an anchor trip line. I tie a line to the front of the anchor, should it foul and not want to come up the trip line can be used to try and free it.

We had hamburgers on the grill, listened to the loons calling, and watch a lovely sunset. Note the change in the pictures from overcast this morning to clear sky in the last ones. After a slow start it was a near perfect day.

Killarney

Sunday, June 28

The plan today was to go to Killarney with a side trip on the way to the Baie Fine. Baie fine is one of the few fjords in North America, deep narrow water with mountains on either sides. It is about ten miles long and ends in an area called the pool, a popular anchorage for cruising boats. Direct to Killarney would be 20 miles with Baie Fine it would be about 45.

The morning dawned warm, 65, low overcast and a bit windy. By 7:30 it had started to rain and the wind was picking up. It didn’t look good so we took our time, had blueberry pancakes for breakfast and hunkered down for a slow day. Diana crochet and I caught up on some paper work.

By late morning the rain was easing up but the visibility was down to a couple of miles and the wind was from the SE at 15 – 20 gusting to 30. We decided to walk a block to the Anchor Inn for lunch and internet access. We had their soup and sandwich special, the turkey dumpling soup was excellent.

By the time we got back to the boat the wind had lightened and gone around to the west, the visibility was improving. By 2:30 the wind was dying and the sun was breaking trough, so we decided we would do the 20 miles to Killarney. We got off and Diana got pictures of the little boat buoy, I mentioned yesterday that show the direction of the current, the town dock behind us and the bridge as we approached. By lowering our bimini all the way we cleared the bridge without having to wait.

From the Little Current channel we headed for Strawberry Island and its attractive lighthouse. From there it was on to the Lansdowne Channel, a famous passage in this area. Diana got lots of pictures. We saw loons and a bald eagle on the passage. This marks the official transition from the North Channel into Georgian Bay.

Soon we were turning into the Killarney Channel. The channel separates the mainland from George Island. Killarney has been an active boating center for a long time but there was no road access until the 1960s. We tied up on the inside of the fuel dock in the photo. Once we got settled we walked along the main street. Diana got a picture of this church build in 1950, before the road.

We had dinner at Herbert’s Fishery. They serve only fish and chips but the fish is fresh caught white fish cleaned and cooked in the building pictured and served out of an old red school bus. The fish was excellent and they do a big business.

We walked back to the boat and spent an hour chatting with a couple that had come in right behind us. They are headed the other direction, doing the Great Loop. They have a 26 foot Bayliner that is trailerable and spent 5 to 6 weeks doing a section of the loop. This is their third year. We exchanged notes on was ahead for each of us.