Lorenzo & Delois Johnson

We left Port Severn this morning, heading to the Georgian Bay.  We ran into rain and high winds shortly after leaving Port Severn.  We changed directions and headed to Midland instead.  Docked at the Midland Harbor Marina and waited until the following day for the weather to change. 

The stay at Midland was relaxing.  We went shopping, and watched as huge sections of prefabricated floating docks were installed.

Went to West Marine looking for the latest paper charts for the Georgian Bay and north Channel, but  could not find them. 

Our stay at Midland was short, but I now understand why it is such a popular cruisers stop.

We had a good weekend in Orillia, and this morning we moved on.  Tonight, we are in Port Severn, the end of the Trent Severn Waterway. The highlight of the days travel was the Big Chute lock.  This lock is totally different from the others.  A large platform traveling on wide spread railroad tracks rolls down the hill into the water .  The boat is then driven onto the platform.  A system of slings and supports hold the boat in the upright position, and allows it’s weight to rest on the platform.  The platform is then driven from the water, across a public highway, (Traffic stopped at the boat crossing!!!) and back into the water approximately 600 ft from the starting point, and the boat is allowed to float off the submerged platform and continue on it’s way.  The entire operation takes only 20 minutes, and is handled in a very professional manner.  The platform may carry several boats, depending on their size and weight.  It was truly amazing to sit on Lil’ David and watch him removed from the water, travel over the high point of a mountain range, across a highway, and then refloated on the other side of the mountain range, all within 20 minutes.

The Kirkland lift lock was our first in a series of locks that will lower us from our current 841 feet above sea level to 578 feet above sea level when we reach port Severn.  We will stay at 578 feet above sea level until we have passed through Chicago Ill.  The good news is no more locks for a while.

Orillia has been a good stop.  We rode bicycles to the Farmers Market on Saturday, and really enjoyed the experience.  On Saturday morning, a fellow arrived at the marina with a pair of trained Hawks.  He flew them around the marina area for a while, and his goal was to scare away the pesky sea gulls.  It obviously works, since the marina is almost sea gull free, yet there are hordes of them two blocks away around the A & P food store.

The weather here is still cool.  We are not running A/C, and we need blankets at night.

This marina is located in a city park, and is a great marina, with everything close by. 

Monday morning, we will head for Port Severn, the end of the Trent Severn Waterway and the beginning of the Georgian Bay

We decided to anchor tonight since we were in a very beautiful location.  We dropped anchor early in the afternoon, and Gary and I launched the dinghy, grabbed our specialized and sophisticated bass fishing gear, and set off to catch some trophy Bass for Supper.  We were only successful in demonstrating why it is called “Fishing” and not “Catching”.  Lois and Judy saved the day and prepared a real nice dinner for the fisherman.  We enjoyed the dinghy ride, though.

The water here is very clear and clean.  It is clear all the way to the bottom.

We will travel through some challenging waters tomorrow.  The Trent canal in this area is shallow and narrow.  We are hoping to transit the Kirkfield Lift lock and make it to Orillia today and spend the weekend there.

Starie and Portia continue to make us proud.  They are performing like the true champs that they are.  We have been very lucky thus far; we have not had any boat mechanical problems worth mentioning.

Tonight , we are docked at Buckhorn Yacht Harbor.  12 locks and 35 miles today has left us tired and ready to rest.  The marina is very nice, and the owner loaned his SUV for us to use to go to dinner.  We ran into some friends, Steve and Ruth, from New Orleans, La. at the restaurant.  They were docked on the lock wall, and we all had dinner together and shared boat stories.  Their boat, Mistress, is a 65’ steel  trawler, and it is a challenge to navigate in these waters.

The weather turned rough during the night, with heavy rains and high winds.  This did not create a problem because we were secured to the dock.  

We arrived at the Peterboro Marina in the early afternoon.  The marina is located near the center of town, and is a very nice facility.  Their staff is very friendly and helpful.

We were lucky to be docked in a good location.  The ice cream vending was located just a short walk away. 

We went to the Peterboro lift lock to see the facility up close.   When we pass through on the boat, we will not be able to leave the boat.  It was a very informative and enjoyable trip.

We had visits with other Loopers.  We seem to keep running into the same people over and over.

The marina is the site of a big Canada Day celebration on July 1.  The music stage had lots of performers, and the food vendors were representing the nations of the world. 

A crowd of 30,000 was present at the marina, and most of the slips were filled.  The fireworks started around 10:30, and was not nearly as good as the Southport 4th of July fireworks.

The 2 day stay at Perterboro was quite enjoyable.

Today, we traveled from Campbellford to Hastings, a distance of 20 miles and 5 locks.  We are docked at the Hastings Village Marina.  We had heavy rain during the last part of the trip, and the rain slacked as we reached the last lock.  The speed limit for most of the trip was 10 k/hr (5.4 mph), and the route was challenging.  The small channel markers are difficult to see until You get close to them, and the channel is narrow and winding , often crossing large bay areas .  We arrived in Hastings early in the afternoon, and eight of us Loopers walked across the lock and bridge to the East side of the canal for dinner.  Enjoyed a good fish and chips dinner and the companionship of the other boaters.

Tomorrow, We will have a short day, 39 miles but only 1 lock, to reach Peterboro.  We will probably stay there Monday and Tuesday nights, and pass through the Peterboro lift lock on Wednesday.  This is a unique lock.  Two large pans that look like huge bathtubs allow a boat to drive in, close the door, and raise the vessel 65’ to the next level, while at the same time lowering vessels on the upper level down to the lower level

We are docked at the Old Mill Park, a Town Wall with power and water.  It is a very nice town, and has lots to offer.  It has a very famous bakery, and the chocolate factory is also located here.

We ate dinner at a local restaurant, and the food was very good.

Today we traveled from Trenton to Campbellford, a distance of 31 miles and 12 locks.  We left Trenton at 830, (locks open at 830) and arrived in Campbellford at 5 pm.  This was a long and tiring day. The scenery was very beautiful, but the canal was very challenging.  The channel is often a very narrow channel in a large bay area and the channel  turns frequently.  The channel markers are small and hard to see, but they were well placed.  The depths frequently drop to the 6’ to 7’ range, and requires lots of attention to stay out of trouble.  The locks were the best we have encountered yet.  The lock operators were very friendly, very professional, and considerate.  Most of the locks were manually operated.  The lock master had the lock drained and open by the time we arrived, and closed the gate and started filling as soon as we were secured inside the lock.  We were able to transit through 12 locks and travel 31 miles in less than eight hours, thanks to the superb performance of the lock operators. 

We are spending a few days here in order to visit the bakery and the chocolate factory.  We could also use a rest after our 12 locks today.