Trent-Severn Peterborough to Orillia

This is the second of two postings today. Be sure to scroll down to the previous entry to keep the order correct.

We left Peterborough on Sunday and headed on up the Trent-Severn Waterway. The first bit of excitement was travelling through the "Lift Lock". This lock is basically two pans filled with water that raise and lower through water pressure. An additional foot of water is pumped into the upper pan to make it heavier and it lowers on large hydraulic rams to the bottom. This lock was built in 1904 and is the largest of this type lock at 65 feet of lift. It is quite an experience to ride in a "bathtub" up this distance.

We headed for Fenelon Falls to stay on the dock with a cousin of some people we met in Jacksonville and again in Norfolk. Norm and Barbara Hewton were absolutely wonderful hosts and we all rafted together on their dock just below the lock. I was able to change my engine and transmission oil and dispose of the old oil locally and we all stayed on their "beach" where we swam in the 70 degree water. They supplied us with power and water on the dock.

We took the dinghy up to the falls and Stacy and Gail bailed out and drifted back to the docks.

Since Norm's normal cruising area is Georgian Bay where we are headed we got out the charts and he gave us many tips and recommendations for anchorages and places not to miss.

Right next to us was a large rock ledge where the locals would come out and jump into the water. Stacy could not help but think of our Nieces and Nephews jumping from the rock at Lake Keowee and the boat house on Burton.

After two days here we continued our journey northward. We were now entering the narrow canals of the Trent. These canals are lined by rock ledges and in certain sections we must issue a Securite' call on the radio to warn boaters coming the other way. This is not an area where you want to meet another boat.

We were also travelling through shallow sections of lakes and canals that are choked with weeds. This is a result of the Zebra Mussels that have taken over the Great Lakes region. The mussels feed on the algae in the water with the result that the water is very clear. This results in sunlight being able to reach the bottom where the weeds can start growing. This is becoming a major problem. We have on numerous occasions had to reverse our engines to try to clear weeds that are wrapped around our props. At one anchorage, I dove under the boat to clear some tightly wrapped weeds.

During this portion of our trip we arrived at the second "Lift Lock" on the system. This one at Kirkfield. It was not as high as at Peterborough but operated the same way. The difference here was that this was the first lock on the system that is locking down. We had to enter the upper pan and pull to the edge looking over a direct drop. The series of pictures shows us at the top, then somewhere coming down, and then at the bottom.

We headed for the Port of Orillia to stay for the Canada Day weekend. This is the same as our 4th of July. We had tried to make reservations at the marina but they were not any further reservations and had limited space available on a first-come, first-served basis. We made a long day of it and found our first moose along the way.

We anchored in a cove about 5 miles from the port and then came in on Friday morning where they were able to make space for us. Within an hour of our arrival they were telling boaters that there was no available space in the marina. We could not believe that we were able to get our three boats in. This place is a zoo with all of the boats coming in for the weekend. I will create an additional blog entry to show Orillia later.