Honey Queen Adventures

Pulling double duty now, with a peg-legged first mate, I got the boat ready, paid the marina, and we were on our way.  A plug for Bay Port Marina here:  we were gone for 7 days tending to Amanda’s foot.  They charged us for 4 days and treated us like family.  One of their staff, Robert, texted me a few days later, just checking on her, since he did not see us when we left. Their service, attitude, and first class treatment of the clientele at a first class marina will ensure their continued success into the next generation.  Go to Bay Port Marina when you happen to be in Midland, Ontario.

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We made it to a beautiful anchorage known as Echo Bay, 36-mile trip.  One of thousands of little coves in the Georgia Bay, known also as the 30,000 Islands. We met a nice couple who own a little red tugboat called the Heart Tug.  They travel and know these waterways.  Randy and his wife, Audrey, came aboard and showed us so many “don’t miss” places for our journey through the Bay and the Northern Channel.  They were kind, genteel, encouraging, and just a positive breath of fresh air. Randy also inspired me to dive into the cool waters for a swim.  Wow!  We had a nice rain storm tonight, washing off my filthy boat, still reeling from all the dirty locks we went through.

I suppose we can call this a boat day.  We rose early in Savannah GA., went to Amanda’s doctor appointment, and got an air cast, X ray, and CT scan to verify no surgery was necessary.  Our friend, Stephanie, picked us up at the doctor’s office and scurried us to the airport to catch our direct flight back to Toronto.  Hobbling along, Amanda was wheeled through the airports with the greatest of ease.  We learned that when you are disabled, you get to go through the lines first.  We cleared customs and got the royal treatment from the airport and airline employees.  We do agree that having 2 good legs beats all the royal treatment. 

We landed in Toronto, caught the 2 ½ hour shuttle back to the boat, and then I went grocery shopping at 9 pm and called it a long day.

We have the prognosis on Amanda’s foot. No surgery. Because of swelling, however, they would not apply the walking boot at her appointment Tuesday morning. Ice and elevation for a few days, return Monday morning for the walking boot, and if all goes as planned, we will be on a plane on Tuesday. More later.

We had decided to forego our free night and instead, move on Saturday morning to our anchorage. Dale and I communicated on our exit time. He needed to top off his fuel, we, a pump-out, and we would be on our way.

Amanda and I prepped the boat, which consists of checking oil and transmission levels, getting dishes back into the cabinets, grabbing a little breakfast, disconnecting from shore power, and setting the lines from secure positions to what we call “doubled back”. They are simply looped around the cleat back to the boat to hold it in place and permit a quick, easy release when I start moving the boat from the slip.

With shore power disconnected, I was rolling the 50′ long power cord (1″diameter) up while Amanda was to jump off the boat and grab our splitter. She swung her legs over the rail to step on the finger dock adjacent to the boat when I heard a splash. Only 6 feet from her, I turned and she was out of sight. I stepped to the side of the boat, looked down into the water just as Amanda’s head popped up above the surface. She had fallen into the water between the boat and the finger pier. With the assistance of the guy in the next slip, we managed to pull her out of the water. Thankfully, she didn’t hit her head before going under. Once we got her dry and warm, and the adrenaline subsided, her foot started hurting. We decided to get it checked out at the hospital just to make sure she was okay. Five hours and an X-ray later, she had a cast on her right foot. Two broken bones. The orthopedic doctor said surgery may be necessary.

We spent another night at the marina, obviously, as we got our wits about us, trying to determine our next step. We made the decision to go back to Savannah so we can deal with our doctors and utilize our medical insurance, which is not recognized in Canada. Sunday morning, we bid goodbye to our dear friends, the Collins. With wet eyes on all 4 of us, we waved as they drove away, while we sat in our slip. This unforeseen blessing of having a buddy boat has been a huge part of the trip. Dale and I have become like brothers (me talking–he may say something different). We bounce ideas off one another, help each other out on any task, watch out for one another as we travel, and on and on. The saddest part of this experience is we had to say goodbye this morning. Our hope is we will be able to catch them, if the Lord wills.

We will fly home Monday, August 12, see our doctors, determine if surgery is really necessary, and plan from there. Our options are: 1/surgery or no surgery, with the right kind of cast, we may be back in a matter of days, and continue the adventure, with a peg leg as a mate; 2/ call it a season, winterize the boat, and come back here in the Spring, and continue on. We hope to see a doctor Tuesday morning. That visit and prognosis will dictate the next leg of our venture.

As disappointed as we are, we are so grateful this accident was so minor. This simple slip could have been tragic. More later. Hey, this is the definition of an adventure, right?

Leaving late morning from Orillia, we wound the Trent Severn Waterways enjoying the everchanging landscape.

Our first obstacle of the day was a railroad swing bridge. Typically, you call the bridge keeper on Channel 14 and the bridge magically opens. Occasionally, you sound 1 long blast on the boat horn (my favorite because it sounds like a train), and then the bridge opens. But this morning, we called, then honked, and then waited. We were getting ready to pull over and tie to the concrete wall, when we heard the sound of a train, which was our clear signal that we are NOT the priority here. After the long train completed its crossing, the bridge-keeper came and told us a another train was coming, and we would have to wait for it to pass. And then he hoped he would be able to squeeze us through before the next train. If not, we would be able to tie to the wall and wait until 4:00 pm (currently 12:50). The passenger train passed by and he came out and told us we were in luck. By this time, there were 4 of us treading water in front of the bridge, hoping for the passage. We soon passed and continued the day.

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These pictures provide a panorama of scenes along the way. The rock foundations you hope to avoid with the boat, beauty of people’s residences along the way, the funny boats all make this experience a pleasant one. One we will treasure long after this adventure is over.

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With only 3 locks remaining ahead of us, we came to Lock 43, the tallest of the single stage lifts on the Trent Severn Waterway. We tied up to watch for awhile because there was so much traffic going through the lock. This is what is looked like from the top of the lock.

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Then it was our turn to go through and be lowered more than 40 feet.

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We made it to the wall at the Big Chute, Lock 44. The park system of Canada allows you to tie up for a nominal fee and be in line for the next morning haul, when it opens. This is the lock where the boat is actually picked up out of the water and carried over the railroad and dropped (gently) into waterway on the other side.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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?

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

After spending the night between Locks 7 & 8 on the Oswego Canal, we set out at our standard time of 7:00 am. Just a 1/4 mile from the inlet into Lake Ontario, we were gifted fair winds and following seas. It started a little “dicey” with the seas on our beam, but after about an hour, the “great” lake settled down and we had a relatively calm 44 mile, due North, crossing into the bay that serves Kingston, Ontario.

As we approached Kingston, we were overwhelmed by all the wind generators. I don’t think I exaggerate to say there were several hundred in our view. The winds coming off this lake, I’m sure can be pretty significant. We experienced winds around 10 knots. With temperatures in the mid-70’s, it was still a little cool to be on the flybridge. I will be glad to be back in the South when the temps these folks call cool arrive. It is hard to imagine how these people can handle the cold, so extreme and for such a long period of time. Meanwhile, these folks make a lot of electricity using the wind as the source.

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About 4:15 we arrived in Kingston. Our marina for the night was Confederation Basin in downtown. The wind was pretty stiff as we came into the marina. With very poor communications from the dock hands about where I was supposed to dock the boat, I came as close as I have come yet to hitting another boat. I was very fortunate and frustrated at the same time, as I have been so careful. It would have been totally my fault, if something had happened. Thankfully, it didn’t. Lesson learned.

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Tuesday morning, we continued Westward toward Trenton, Ontario. Our planned destination was Belleville and we made it by a little after 2 pm. Made good time for a slow boat, as there were no locks or anything to keep us from maintaining a constant 7.5 knots. We pulled off the side of the bay into an anchorage marked on our waterway guides.

After a little downtime, we threw the dinghy into the water and cruised into Belleville for a walk and dinner at Paulo’s Italian Restaurant. I got a couple gallons of gasoline in a can because the dinghy tank was getting low. We got about a mile from the marina, on the way back, and….well, I decided this would be a good time to put gasoline in the tank.

A day filled mostly with clouds and occasional showers, while we were underway, turned out to be a gorgeous evening.

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Tomorrow, we enter the Trent River and will go through our first Canadian locks.

Setting out from Brewerton, NY at 7:00 am, we were soon through our last Erie Canal lock, turning North on the Oswego River/Canal, with 7 more locks ahead.

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The Oswego has 7 locks, though numbered through No. 8. Apparently, somewhere in the planning, 8 locks were designed, mapped, and numbered; they were able to eliminate 1 lock, but kept the numbers as originally assigned.

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Early afternoon, we arrived in the town of Oswego. There were 3 locks very close together, with the last 2 in sight of one another, and our marina.

As I pulled into the fairway at the marina, the dockmaster (female–so maybe she’s the dockmistress?) pointed me to my slip. As my mentors have warned me: never pay attention to those watching you maneuver your boat. Focus on the wind direction, your speed and direction, and go slow. The bystanders will only distract you and cause you headaches. So far, I have avoided doing damage to anyone else’s property or my own. I want to keep that record in tact. As I began to back “stern-in” to the slip, I saw 5 folks on the finger piers of my slip. Ugh! But within 20 seconds, I realized 2 were marina hands and 3 more boaters had joined in to assist in getting our boat into the hole. BOATERS are great. Within 5 minutes we were settled in and instant friends with those on both sides of us. As previously stated, Southerners have nothing on the Northerners we have met. Nicest people ever.

Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, we enjoyed the Oswego Harborfest. This is obviously the biggest event of the year. Four different parks host food trucks, a carnival, live bands, and a huge fireworks show over Lake Ontario. We ate well, watched the fireworks from the bow of Honey Queen, ate well again, washed the boat, and we may have eaten well again.

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The plan was to leave Sunday and start the 48 mile Northbound crossing of Lake Ontario, but the weather forecast called for a little wind and maybe rain, so we opted to stay close to Oswego for another day. We moved out of the marina and took advantage of the free city docks again, as we were gassed up, pumped out, watered up, and really ready to go. There was no need to waste that money when there’s plenty of good food to waste money on just ahead.

Lord willing, tomorrow morning, we enter the foreign waters of our friends in Canada.