Month: August 2019

We jumped through the Big Chute and made our way toward Midland, Ontario.

• 

• 

New friends who were tied up at the Big Chute wall, as well, had already contacted the marina where we had intended to stay, letting us know there was no room in the inn, but they had found the Bay Port Marina had plenty of room. We made the call, got reservations, and enjoyed a sense of well being, knowing we had a home waiting Thursday night.

Another fabulous experience in the public relations business, the staff at Bay Port Yacht Center treated us better than family and that whatever we needed, they would accommodate. From the courtesy car and driver, to the cleanest bathrooms and plenty of them, to golf carts scattered throughout the marina to save the long walks from slip to office; all small touches made this experience such a positive one. Their rates were reasonable and they offered the free night, if you paid for two. Our plan was to stay just 2 nights, but unforeseen circumstances would change that.

Friday, we toured a Catholic Compound (official name I forget), the site of the first North American martyrs. The “black robes” as they were called, had tried to convert the Indians to Christianity. Their unsuccessful efforts resulted in their deaths, several years later. The compound was interesting, seeing the construction of the buildings, the trades of carpentry and blacksmithing, the grinding mill, the garden, and even the pigpen.

• 

• 

• 

The weekend in Midland was their annual celebration of the Battle of Georgian Bay. Tall ships and reenactment of the battle, on the street and in the bay, contributed to an exciting Friday night, in town and on the waterfront. I beamed with pride (like I did at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore), as the USA flag-bearing ships came into the harbor, firing their cannons and as the US Army marched down Main Street, firing at the “redcoats”. It was all I could to not yell at the top of my lungs, “USA-USA-USA”. Remembering that I was surrounded by several thousand Canadians, I maintained my composure and savored every moment. Talking with the many Canadians, who are some of the friendliest folks on the earth, I told them that I hoped they were as proud to be Canadians as I was an American. They probably aren’t, but that’s okay. I’m grateful they let me spend money in their country. And at 13% sales tax, I think they’re glad I am doing so.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A great couple days in Midland. We planned our route with our friends, the Collins, with intentions of anchoring out tomorrow night, as a place called The Frying Pan.

Apologies for the lack of posting recently. We’ve been in much more rural areas and our internet has been virtually nonexistent. I’ve written and saved a few thoughts. Here is a summary of the past few days’ highlights.

We turned the page to August waking up to a crispy morning at the Blue Hole anchorage.   Today’s journey was 2 staged, with the first destination being Campbellford.  We tied up just beyond Locks 11 & 12 and took a walk to the suspension bridge and the waterfall.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Soon, we were back on the boats and headed North (or West or south–the Trent-Severn winds like switchbacks up a mountainside).  The staff of the Trent- Severn Waterway Park System is outstanding.  They have great people skills.  At each lock, they consistently take the time to engage boaters, offering local knowledge in assisting folks like us, who are enjoying the trip of a lifetime. We pushed on to Hastings, another little town along the way.  We squeezed through the lock just as they were closing down for the day.  But the cordiality of the staff and the job they do, never wavered, as their only interest, from our perspective, was getting us through to our next stop.  The lockmaster brought out a handmade boat paddle, and asked us to sign and date it.  It was a paddle signed by every Looper who had been through the lock system in 2019.  He said he will be presenting it to Kim Russo, who is the executive director of the AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association).   She has lead the organization so well, providing educational and promotional opportunities across the country for rookie boaters like us.  What a thoughtful idea to express their appreciation to her.

• 

• 

8-2

We left the city wall in Hastings about 8:30 am.  After a few miles (with no locks), we reached Rice Lake.  It was nice cruising the open waters with no wake and few boaters.  We made our Northern turn into the canal once again and began our locking day immediately.  We went through Locks 13-21 today, with 21 being the most spectacular.  Located in Peterborough, Ontario, it’s unique to all the others thus far in that it is a side by side lift lock.  See the photographs, including “how it’s built” picture. This lock construction started in 1896 and opened in 1904. It’s the tallest of its kind in the world, measuring over 60′ elevation change.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After locking through, we called it a day.  The lockmaster allowed us to tie up at the wall above the lock for the night, and later told us we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted.  We have decided these Canadians just like to listen to us talk, so they are extra cordial to us. 

8-3

Saturday morning, we, and our friends, the Collins, strolled into Peterborough, hit the farmers’ market, the bakeries, a restaurant, and the boat store.  Amanda and I were on a first name basis with most every vendor before the morning was over.  Me, because if I speak to anyone, the next word from whomever is always, “where are you from?”.  Amanda, because she bought something from most every vendor.  They loved her! To reinforce my observation that people up here are so friendly, I offer the following story: Walking from the boat, we had stopped at a corner looking at our map, trying to find the farmers’ market, when a voice from the front porch of a house yelled, “Are you lost?”  As it was very obvious, we struck up a conversation about how to get to the market, talked about SEC football, our kids, and “Where are y’all from?”  Inevitably, we tell our story of boating, which intrigues everyone, and they just want to know more and more.  Before we left, the guy said, “When you’re finished at the market, call me and I’ll come pick you up and take you back to your boat.”  We did, and he did. He not only picked us up, he also carried us to a bakery where Amanda had earlier put aside “a few more things” to pick up on our way back.  After giving him a brief tour of the boat, we agreed to try to catch up again before we leave.  Have I mentioned before how friendly people are?

• 

• 

8-4

Sunday morning, we left our lockmaster friends at the lift dock and continued our journey North and Westward. We passed through a total of 10 locks, Numbers 22-31. The day was long.  We traveled about 7 hours but the trip was almost 9, because 2 hours were spent getting in and out of locks.  This is the time the first mate really earns her money.  She has to prepare the fenders on the proper side, as each lock wants a different side from the previous, so it seems.  Inevitably, boat traffic in the locks will require a last minute switch to the opposite side where you are rigged.  There are always spectators at the locks, so when the switch is necessary, it means mama has to jump quickly and the captain has to rethink the landing against the wall inside.  Sometimes, boats the size of ours are sardined side by side and, with fenders on, the boats are touching one another, almost rafted up, as we say.  And if you are at the back of the lock, you have to squeeze the stern in, as well, to allow the door closings.  None of the work is significantly demanding, but it is stressful. Amanda and I have wireless headsets, also known as, marriage savers.  These permit communications on the approach and exit of the lock, because we cannot see each other.  She grabs the cable or rope on the wall, to control the stern, then I jump from pilot house and loop the cable or rope to control the bow.  This moment, my friends, has been the biggest test of our marriage since we embarked.  You would have to be here to appreciate this test.  Minor details such as forgetting to turn on the headset, or just not putting it on, often produces a new level of marriage encounter, that entertains those on the wall watching, and accidentally, listening.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The major change in the landscape has been wonderful.  We are seeing all kinds of houses, from right out of Architectural Digest to manufactured housing bungalows.  The feeling here is if you want to live on the water, regardless of income or taste, it can be done. Some take much pride in their property; others, well, not so much so. 

8-5

Seven more hours of fun and locks. 

We went through 5 more locks and tied up on “the wall” downhill of Lock 36.  We are nearest Kirkfield, Ontario. This lock is the same type as Lock 21, the lift lock, but it is only 42 feet high.  Today was a civic holiday for Canadians, so we had a little more traffic on the water than normal, but we managed to miss all the boats.  House boats seem to be the worst, as most of them are rentals and are not accustomed to the navigational rules of the road .  Today’s milestone was reaching the halfway point on the Trent Severn waterway.  That means more than just miles.  Lock 36 is the first lock on this leg of the journey where we have begun our downward trek.  The rest of locks, though fewer, will be lowering us until we reach the Georgian Bay.  Based on my vast knowledge of the sciences, I think that will be MSL (Mean Sea Level).  I know my school teacher readers will correct me if I am wrong.

By the way, this blog does provide a place for comment.  If you have a thought or a question about someplace we have been or are going, I would love to hear from you.

8-6

We left the Kirkfield lock later than normal this morning. Just a few miles down the ditch, 2 swing bridges had to be opened for our passage. The bridge operators get to work at 9 am.

The waterway here is almost all rock. Until now, “finding the bottom” has brought no consequences other than a little inconvenience. But finding the bottom of a rock bed can have a significant impact, pun intended. To add to the stress, grasses grow prolifically in the fresh waters. The grass confuses a depth finder, so even when the water depth is safe, alarms often sound announcing the imminent grounding…that doesn’t happen. It can be quite stressful and frustrating at the same time.

We finished the canal this morning around noon and tied temporarily to the wall to assess the weather forecast. We were about to enter Lake Simcoe, a huge body of water that gets pretty dicey in strong winds. With rain already on us, we checked the wind and sea forecast for the next 3 hours. Winds 10-15 and seas at 1 foot told us we were good to go in the 18 mile crossing. We arrived, without incident or excitement, at Orillia Port Marina about 3 pm.

With several days anchoring out or tying to the wall, it was good to get to safe harbor, power up the batteries, and refill our freshwater holding tank. Two loads of laundry, a quick boat wash, and eating leftovers brought this day to an early end for Amanda, and gave me a chance to get the blog caught up.

Leaving our delightful anchorage around 8:30, our trip was broken into 2 parts today. We cruised about 5 miles to Trenton, Ontario, to the nicest marina yet. Built in 2015, the docks were immaculately maintained and spotless clean. The small ship store was very accommodating to my friend, Dale, who needed a new battery for his bow thruster. They didn’t have what he needed on the shelf, but 1 hour later, the proprietor of the store was back with it in his truck, finding it in town. The place was so nice, as were all the boaters in slips nearby, who dropped by to chat, find out where we were going, where we’ve been, etc. My deep philosophical observation of this boating community: everybody is looking for somebody new to talk to. With an abundance of time on hand, after most have had high impact careers interacting with people, boaters are always interested in new folks. Amanda and I laugh often that people are looking for some “new material”, as they have run out of fresh info with just the 2 of them on board.

• 

• 

With a new battery and a properly functioning thruster, we left Trent Port Marina and headed North/Northeast up the Trent River.

Like the Erie and Oswego Canals, the river is loaded with locks, so progress is even slower than our normal blazing speed of 7.5 knots (about 8.6 mph). Today, we negotiated 7 locks. When passing through Lock 1, the Canadians hold your boat in the lock until you pay the lockmaster. We were truly “locked up” in Canada for about 20 minutes, but posted bail, also known as, lock fees, and they released us, since we seemed to be fairly legitimate visitors to their country.

The locks are narrower than those we’ve learned to negotiate previously, so another nervous moment creeps in as we pull into the tight quarters. After a couple of passages, they too, became routine for us. The most interesting difference I noticed with these locks is the gates are manually operated. As Amanda said, when they open the gates, it’s like watching the old movie Samson, grinding the mill stone.

• 

• 

• 

We passed through the last lock of the day, just before closing time and made it to our planned anchorage, a spot called the Blue Hole. There, we shared the space with our friends (On Misssions) and one other boat. Feeling a little like home, we were surrounded by marsh grass, biting flies, and mosquitoes. Not as overwhelming as the green heads of Atlantic City, we managed to avoid the worst of them, as once the sun set, it was too cool for them to bite. We sat on the back porch (aka cockpit on a boat), enjoyed the cool, the food, and the landscape, all gifts to us from our Creator.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Tomorrow, we sleep in a little, as the locks don’t open here until 9 am. We’re 30 minutes away, so sleeping in is always icing on the cake of boating.