Fenelon Falls to Wye Heritage Marina, Midland ON, Georgian Bay

Fenelon Falls Hydraulic Lock #34

July 22, 2015

We are up early and walk to the top of the lock to see if boats have left yet.  There are still several boats on the wall, but it looks like we will lock upstream at 9:00.  We are first inside the lock and then the other boats, mostly houseboats load.  We leave the lock without any fanfare.  We have been warned that a cruise boat named "Hiawatha" departs the public dock at Fenelon Falls.  It makes a wide U-turn in the 10-foot bubble of water in front of the open railroad bridge.  However, it does not wait for  vessels that have just departed the lock to clear the area. "Hiawatha" turns in front of exiting vessels regardless of the right of way.  Luckily, this cruise ship is no where in sight as we exit the lock. Our route continues across Cameron Lake toward Lock #35, Rosedale.  This lock is the last lift lock. We are now headed to Balsam Lake by following the route of the Talbot River.  There are many man-made canals along this route.  Along the way we pass through Balsam Lake, the highest point of the Trent-Severn Waterway.  This marks the highest point in the world that a boat can reach from the sea under its own power.   We then enter the cuts which were the last canals made to complete the Trent-Severn in 1920.  It is necessary to signal a security call while passing through this area because it is so narrow and is difficult for boats to pass you in the opposite direction.

Warning to make securite call

Rock-lined narrow passageway

The next canal leads to Lake Simcoe.  There are portions of this route which are shallow and narrow.  Along this route the Trent-Severn drops more than 120 feet in just 12 miles.  As we head to the Kirkfield lock #36, we pass through Mitchell Lake which is man-made with a narrow winding channel.  Kirkfield is the second pan lock we will be in.  At this lock, we are at the summit of the waterway and will now be descending in the locks.  There are signal lights to tell which pan to enter.  In this lock, you feel like you are hanging 5 stories in the air because, unlike the Peterborough Lock, the lift structure is not enclosed and you get a feeling of "hanging out there".  It is a very exciting lock through.  There is only one other boat in the pan with us.  We are able to see the boats in the pan below us that are being raised as well as the operations center of the lift lock.

Kirkfield Lift Lock #36

Inside the pan

Looking at the boat in the pan below

Locks man greasing the doors as we descend
What's that all about?

View from the top of the lock

Picnickers below the Kirkfield Lock
Picture taken from the bow of "At Last"

After leaving the Kirkfield Lock, we enter Canal Lake, another man-made lake with shallow spots, extreme weed growth and many submerged dead heads.  It is necessary to proceed slowly through this area.  To make matters more challenging, it is very windy and Dave must work hard to stay in the channel.  No auto pilot today.  In the first half of the lake, farmlands spread out.  As we continue down the lake, we come upon the Hole in the Wall Bridge.  It was built in 1905 and is considered to be an engineering marvel.  It is a picturesque, perfect half-circle, arched bridge.  In contrast to the first half of the lake, the second half's shore is lined with cottages.

Dead heads in the water

Shallow water with grassy weeds

Hole in the Wall Bridge

We continue our day's journey through locks #37, Bolsover and #38 Talbot.  In these two locks we meet two other Loopers, "Abama Dream"; Jesse and Linda; and "Gud-Nuff"; Ralph and Janet.  They have been traveling together since meeting on the Hudson River.  We join them for the night at Lock #39, Portage where we have drinks and dinner together.

Lock #39 Portage

"Loopers" at Lock #39

July 23, 2015

We all depart from lock 39 at 9:00 am.  The next two locks, #40, Thorah; and #41 Gamebridge, are in quick succession.  Upon leaving the Gamebridge lock, we enter Lake Simcoe.  This lake is 20 miles long and 16 miles wide.  It is the largest lake on the Trent-Severn waterway.  It is considered to be very dangerous in adverse weather conditions.  We are hoping to beat the gusty wind forecast for later today.  
"At Last", "Gud-Nuff", and "Abama Dream" all cross the lake while experiencing a very calm, uneventful ride.

Heading into Lake Simcoe

Sign at beginning of Lake Simcoe warning boaters that
weather conditions can cause very dangerous conditions on the lake

Dave and I are heading to Port of Orillia Municipal docks for the night.  We have decided to do our major provisioning there before heading to Georgian Bay where facilities and opportunities to shop are less common.  The other two loopers are stopping for a pump out and then are continuing to an anchorage or the next lock for the night.  First, however, we must all pass through The Narrows and eventually into Lake Couchiching.  Dave and I continue under the bridge in very shallow water with a heavy current.  We pass another marina with a pump out facility, but decide to turn around and approach the dock from the starboard side.  By the time we turn around and head back in the other direction, we see a large boat has taken the dock……much to our surprise it is "Always Home", loopers whom we met in Cape May, NJ and we have been following on their blog.  Maybe we will get a chance to get together soon.  We finally pump out and then head to the Port of Orillia.  This municipal facility has excellent docks which extend out from a large boardwalk.

Orillia

After checking in and chatting with many other boaters on the dock, we walk to the Metro supermarket and stock up so that we will be well-provisioned once we head into Georgian Bay.  Once again, as we did in Ottawa, we load our bags into a shopping cart and wheel it to the dock.  This time, however, the marina allows you to leave it with them and someone will return it.  We have a nice dinner at "Studabakers"and while at the bar, we chat with a local gentleman who shows me pictures of deer and a moose that he has hunted.  Oh, boy….that moose was HUGE….and I was hoping to see one or two…..not so sure anymore.  Studabakers, of course, is special to Dave since his Dad collected those cars and Dave's "Avanti" was make by Studabaker.

Floral Display on Boardwalk

Studabakers

July 24, 2015

Dave and I pull away from the slip at around 7:15.  We hope to make the 9:00 am lock through at Couchiching Lock #42.  We will be crossing Lake Couchiching and the end of this lake is the beginning of the final stretch of the Trent-Severn Waterway.  But first, we must go through a narrow channel that the locals refer to as the "Bowling Alley", then to the Trent Canal and finally to the Severn River.  As we pass into the Trent Canal, we hear a train whistle and realize right away that the 14-foot railway bridge that is usually opened is going to be closed due a train going by.  Sure enough, when we arrive at the bridge, about 15 minutes later, a very long freight train is still rolling over the tracks.  I count 55 cars before it ends.  I can only imagine how many cars passed before we arrived.  The bridge keeper finally acknowledges us and after slowly walking across the bridge, up into the house on top of the bridge, and then back down again, he tells us the timer says we have five more minutes to wait before he can open the bridge.  In the meanwhile, he is going to go get his oars so he can take boat ride in the canal once the bridge is opened.  He doesn't have another train for 2 hours.  Dave explains to me that once a train passes, the bridge keeper must keep the bridge closed for 10 minutes before allowing any boat to pass through.

The Bowling Alley

Waiting at closed railway bridge

Bridge keeper's Boat
(He went to get his oars while we waited for bridge to open.)

Bridge finally opens so we can pass by

Not sure I get that policy, but we wait and wait and finally the bridge opens and we head to our next lock, #43, Swift Rapids.  The doors are open when we arrive.  Ralph and Janet have already gone in, but Jesse and Linda decide they are going to wait until the next lock through.  There is also a swing bridge right after this lock that must open for us all as we depart.  We continue on the Trent River for several miles.  The passage is very scenic with lots of summer homes.

Swing Bridge

Boats leaving Lock #43

Scenic Cottages Along the Way

We are heading for the Big Chute, lock #44.  Ralph and Janet slow down in order to allow Jesse and Linda to catch up.  When we arrive at the Big Chute Lock, Dave and I pull up to a dock and tie up so we can walk around and investigate just how the operation works.

"Even though the Big Chute, the unique marine railway, is not technically a lock, it is referred to as Lock 44.  At the Big Chute, water rushes down a long granite chute between the Upper Severn River and Gloucester Pool.  The Big Chute railway portages your vessel across land and down the chute on twin tracks. The open air carriage operates like a huge, partially submerged travel hoist.  Parks Canada staff loads the boats in the order that they will best fit on the railway car. No ropes or lines are needed for this lock.  When your boat is called, the captain drives slowly onto the carriage into the sling and then follows the lock master's instructions.  Hydraulic-powered slings lift and hold your boat as you slowly make your way across the street and then down the chute, one cog at a time.  It is about a 7-minute trip."

We go to the Visitor's Center and watch the process of loading and unloading from the observation deck.  About an hour or so later, our other looper friends arrive and we decide to go through.  "Abama Dream" and "At Last" line up on the blue line, which is the signal that we are ready to start.  There are several other boats behind us.  Jesse and Linda go on the lift first.  We watch as they are carried over the street and start the journey down.  We wait until the railway car brings a load of boats from the other side and then it is our turn to load.  There is only one other smaller boat in front of us on the lift, but unfortunately, it does block our view.  Nonetheless, it is an exciting ride.  We leave the lift and pull up to a dock below so that we can watch "Gud-Nuff" as she locks through.  Since the Kirkfield Lock, we have descended 247 feet.  After the final lock, Port Severn, we will enter the Georgian Bay which offers a variety of challenges for the pleasure boater, including shoals, low water, rocks, and at times, adverse weather.  Cautious navigation is mandatory at all times.

How does it work?

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Warning Warning Warning!

Big Chute Street Crossing

Small boat loaded

Large boat loaded on railway car

Full railway car

Operation Center

Underside of railway car as it crossed the road

Full railway car entering lower pool

"At Last" loading

Looking back, headed down the Chute

Headed to the lower pool

Successful rail trip on the Big Chute

End of the Road
Provincial Route 34 ends at the Big Chute

Linda has bought some ice cream.  She has us store it in our freezer and the 3 Loopers decide to continue on to find an anchorage for the night and then gather for "an ice cream social".  We find a great spot, "Buena Vista", and after setting our anchors, everyone gathers on "At Last" for ice cream and stories.  About 9:00 pm, everyone heads back to their boats to settle in for the night.  Tomorrow, Dave and I are heading to Midland, ON.  Jesse and Linda; and Ralph and Janet are planning to head out into the Bay.  We say our good-byes and hope we will meet them again as we all continue our travels.

July 25, 2015 - July 27, 2015

Dave and I plan to leave early in order to get to the Port Severn Lock, #45, the last lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  The anchor haul proves to be a bit challenging as it gets stuck on something on the bottom. However, Dave's expert maneuvering finally frees the anchor and we are on our way.  We enter the lock almost immediately, but there is a work boat in front of us.  It is picking up a barge on the other side of the lock.  The barge was used for the fireworks which were set off on Friday night in honor of the 100 year celebration of the Port Severn Lock.  We are lucky to get through because after our locking, the lock is closed for a re-enactment ceremony.

Our final lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway

Lock 45 100th Anniversary Celebration

Inside the lock with the work boat

Swing Bridge Lock 45

As we leave the lock, we see a series of buoys marking a very narrow channel.  There is also a strong current.  Dave negotiates the buoys with expertise.  We wonder how the work boat was able to push the barge through this area.

Entering the Bay
Careful navigation is necessary

Heading to Midland, ON

On the Bay

We continue to Midland and stop at the town docks. Midland is known for its wall murals throughout the town.  We see one as we enter the harbor.

Mural at the entrance to the Midland harbor

The municipal docks at Midland allow boaters to stay on the wall for no charge in order to re-provision and do laundry.  At the dock we meet the owner of a 120 foot tug boat which is on the T-head.  It was built in 1930 in 90 days and pushed barges around Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes.  The owners are in the process of doing a total rehab on it.  It is their "summer cottage".  The woman who owns the ship helped us to dock and she invites for cocktails later.  We are only in town to do a few errands and then we are spending a couple of days at the Wye Heritage Marina.  Pat, from Buckhorn Yacht Harbour, is sending our mail to Wye Heritage for us.  Unfortunately, we are not able to tour the tug. I need to do laundry and to walk into town to get a few items I forgot in Orillia.  My Kindle Fire has died and I do not have anything on board to read so I need to find some books.  While my laundry is drying, I go to town and when I return, we complete our chores and head to Wye Heritage, just a mile or two away.  We check in and get settled.  We enjoy a QAC to celebrate the end of locking for a while.  Our friends, from "Always Home" are also at this marina and we plan to get together with them tomorrow.

July 26, 2015

We are up early.  Dave makes arrangements for us to get the mast stepped.  We do not need to pass under any low bridges until next year. We move the boat to the mast crane and a marina employee arrives to help us step the mast.  The process goes smoothly and after about an hour, "At Last" is looking her old self.  We reposition the dinghy and Dave puts its motor back on.  After moving the boat back to our slip, we meet Donadee and Wayne and explore the docks.  We arrange to have dinner with them at Henry's, the on-site restaurant.  It's back to the boat for us where Dave cleans up the dinghy, puts its cover on, and positions the Canadian flag on our mast while I work to update our blog.  At 5:30, we head to the restaurant (which is very busy).  Once we are seated, Donadee, Wayne, ("Always Home") Dave and I share stories of our adventures since we last saw them in Cape May, NJ.  They are having some trouble with their trim tabs and are having their boat hauled tomorrow.  We share a pleasant evening…the pickerel is delicious.  After dinner, we return to our boats.

July 27, 2015

We are staying in the marina for one more night.  Wye Heritage gives members of AGLCA a third night free.  Dave is meeting with Andy later this morning.  Andy is one of the marina's customer service representatives.  He is also a very experienced sailor and is going to go over charts with Dave and make suggestions for areas we should explore in Georgian Bay.  I spend the morning cleaning the fenders….locking made them filthy…., making a beef stew in the crock pot and washing and scrubbing the stern.  I also head to the laundry to wash sheets and a few other items.  The laundry is situated near the pool, so while I am waiting, I relax, read, and swim at the pool.  We spend the rest of the day getting ready for our departure tomorrow.  We will leave around 8:00 am and head out into Georgian Bay for more adventures.  It might be a while before I will have the opportunity to post to the blog.  Here is an idea of where our future travels might take us.