Goodbye Trent-Severn

We’ve been traveling with a buddy boat since we locked through A little Loopy at Peterborough (we were in the control tower for a tour before we locked through).  We caught up with them at the next lock and traveled with them through Lakefield, Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon and Kirkfield.  Dayle and Jan Kuhn are from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland; we bonded pretty quickly with our new friends and are enjoying traveling together. 

Departing Kirkfield, we transited a series of five locks in 4 miles then headed across Lake Simcoe.  Dayle and Jan were headed to Starport Marina; they had an appointment with a Volvo mechanic for an engine problem.  We were headed to Port of Orillia for a couple of nights in a marina.  After we had parted ways on Lake Simcoe, I got a text from Jan that their engine had stalled.  Captain Jim’s Sea Tow persona immediately kicked in and we diverted to their aid.  Dayle got the engine re-started but could only get up to about 1200 rpms.  We followed them to Starport to make sure they made it in okay. 

Dayle insisted we stay at Starport for the evening and have dinner with them in appreciation.  Twist my arm; this marina had a saltwater pool, free laundry and daily garbage pickup at your boat!  We backed up our reservation in Orillia for a day and tied up next to A Little Loopy at Starport.  Jan and I did laundry while relaxing at the pool😊.  We hope to reconnect down the road after their engine repairs and our mast stepping in Midland.

The next day, we crossed Lake Simcoe to Port of Orillia.  It’s the first weekend in August, a holiday weekend in Canada.  The 400-slip Port of Orillia marina was packed; lots of locals on their boats for the holiday weekend in addition to about 10 Looper boats.  Friday night was pretty rowdy with folks partying on the docks; we finally had to go inside the cabin to get some peace!  We learned the next day that the police were on our dock twice during the night; makes a night on the lock wall pretty inviting!  We organized a Looper dinner on Saturday evening at Rustica Pizza & Vino; great food and conversation.

Sunday, after breakfast at the bakery, we went on a 2-hour trail ride.  Visited the Gordon Lightfoot Memorial Park; the artist was born in Orillia.  That evening we had dock tales with 5 other Looper boats: Tug O’ My Heart, Whiskey Business (from Louisville!), Carolina Dream, Saltaire & At Last.  Good fun!

After 3 nights in Orillia, we headed toward the Big Chute, Lock 44.  This is a unique lock, it is actually a marine railway that lifts your boat out of the water, across a road, and back in the water on the other side.  This is to keep a nasty marine species out of the Great Lakes.  Quite the ride!  You drive into the submerged railcar while the lock engineers tighten lift straps under your vessel.  As the railcar lifts out of the water, your vessel is sitting on its keel on the wooden bottom of the car.  The car travels on rails 500 feet and drops you 58’ to the water below.  It’s like a slow-motion roller coaster!

The final lock on the Trent Severn is the smallest lock in the system; we locked through by ourselves because 2 cruising vessels cannot fit at the same time.  When the lock doors opened, we sailed out into our next adventure, the Georgian Bay.

Peterborough to Kirkfield

Probably the most notable feature on the Trent Severn Waterway is the Peterborough Lift Lock.  Unlike a typical lock that consists of a chamber which has doors on each end and the water level is raised or lowered in the chamber, the Peterborough Lift Lock is more like an elevator for boats.  There are two “tubs”, an upper and a lower.  These tubs are raised and lowered hydraulically using water and gravity.  Once boats are loaded into each tub, one extra foot of water is added to the upper tub; the extra weight forces the water-filled pistons to lower the upper tub and force the lower tub upwards.  The lift is 65 feet and takes only about 90 seconds.  Truly an engineering marvel that was completed in 1904 and still operates with the same components today.

After touring the museum and learning about the construction of the lock, we were invited to the control booth where I made the welcoming announcement on the PA system and Bev pushed the button to activate the transfer.

After leaving the Peterborough Lift Lock, the Otonabee River continues through Lakefield and on to the area known as the Kawartha Lakes region.  At this point the Trent Severn Waterway passes through several lakes connected by rivers and canals.  The lakes are popular vacation areas and many cottages line the banks and small islands of the lakes.  There is actually a church on one island that is accessible only by boat!  We visited the small towns of Bobcaygeon (overnight) and Fenelon Falls (lunch). 

Having crested at 842’ above sea level, we now began our descent toward Lake Huron.  The second descending lock is at Kirkfield.  This lock, like Peterborough, is a hydraulic lift lock.  Entering the upper tub feels as though you are sailing off the edge of the world, as you cannot see the water 48 feet below.  Makes you wonder if the “world is flat” crowd is right!

Trent-Severn Waterway Week 1

We began our journey through the Trent Severn Waterway by purchasing our transit & mooring permits for the waterway and Georgian Bay at Lock 1 for $491 Canadian.  The waterway is 240 miles of interconnected lakes and rivers joining Lakes Ontario and Huron via 44 locks.  The Canadian locks are much smaller and narrower than the New York Canal system.  Only 2-3 boats can lock through at a time, all on one side of the lock.  The lock gates are opened & closed manually by the Parks Canada staff via turnstiles (think mules walking around and around in circles).  Each lock is part of the Canadian park system with picnic tables, trash receptacles and bathrooms.  Some even have campgrounds and showers.  Very nice, very clean and incredible staff!

We spent our first two nights moored to lock walls, passing campgrounds and pretty cottages along the Trent River. By day 3 we had traveled 31 miles and transited 12 locks arriving in Campbellford (at this pace we’ll still be in Canada in September!)  We tied up at the town wall and paid for 2 nights as this is a favorite of Loopers before us.  We were right in front of the town park and had the use of electricity and showers.  Our first stop was the infamous Dooher’s Bakery (voted the “Sweetest Bakery in Canada”).  You could smell it a half block away!  Treated ourselves to a donut confirming there would be a second visit (at least).  Walked the town, had a great lunch at Apollo’s then visited the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory Outlet Store.  Remember those giant candy bars we sold for school fundraisers?  This is where they are made!  Bought 3 1-pound bags of chocolates and vowed to make room for them in the cooler. 

After breakfast at Dooher’s again, Day 4 we bicycled the Rotary Trail back to Lock 12, then across the river on a suspension bridge!  Well, we actually walked our bikes across the bridge, but we had a great view of the river and the falls.  Continued the loop trail through Farris Provincial Park and back to the town of Campbellford.  Free concert in the park that night, very old country tunes (Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash songs were the most recent). 

Decided to stay one more night in Campbellford (3rd night’s free!).  Dooher’s again for breakfast; bought baked goods and fresh bread for the road (fill a bag from the “day old” rack for $10).  Cleaned the boat and provisioned at No Frills grocery (think Aldi’s); great meats for the freezer!  Invited Jan & Dayle from A little Loopy (Ranger Tug docked next to us in Trenton) to join us for dinner at Apollo’s (not knowing it was Dayle’s 68th birthday!)  Good food, great company.  It’s the people you meet along the way that make this journey so special😊.

Finally tore ourselves away from Campbellford and continued on to Hastings, Lock 18.  Covered 20 miles and 6 locks!  Laundromat was a short walk, so we hauled our dirty laundry through town and completed that weekly chore.  When we returned to the boat, we had been joined on the lock wall by several other Loopers, cause for celebration!  We gathered at a park picnic table over cocktails and potluck appetizers, coined “Dock tales”.  Had a great time meeting and sharing stories with like-minded boaters.

Day 7 was a long day for us, 7 hours and 33 miles crossing Rice Lake and traveling the Otonabee River.  The river was beautiful, very winding and picturesque.  Parted ways with the Loopers in Hastings as they headed to the Peterborough Marina for a couple of days.  We tied to the lock wall in Ashburnham, just short of the famous Peterborough Lift Lock.  We will transit this highlight of the Trent Severn Waterway tomorrow!