Lakefield and Buckhorn

Sunday, June 29, 2014
 
The mechanic from Buckhorn reinstalled the water pump this morning so were good to go. Our son Jake arrived by bus last night and the marina was having a party to welcome him…actually it was the kick-off of the Peterborough summer concert series so we listened to the music as we caught up with family news.

Jake is ready to help in the first lock of the day

We put him right to work the next morning as we started out for our first lock, #20 across from the marina, where we had been tied up earlier the previous Wednesday afternoon. There were already four boats waiting there including a beautiful baby blue hulled 61 foot Viking. It was a blue water fishing boat that had come up from Virginia Beach.
We thought that there was no way that it would fit in the lock with us! After a brief delay, the Lockmaster, Wendy, told us that we would all be going through. First in was a 46’ Duffy, Omanchie, named after owners Eric and Karen’s 8 grandchildren, on the port side of the lock, followed by us on the starboard. Behind us was the Viking (no name) and next to them was a 50 foot sailboat, Shiver Me Timbers, and last but not least they squeezed in a little 15’ motorboat kitty-corner in the back.

The blue Viking was right behind us - we called her "Big Blue"

The good news is that we all fit in. The bad news is that they let the water into the chamber very slowly so there would be less turbulence but it took a lot longer to lock up. The second lock was the lift lock, same boats, same order but it went much faster. 

Approaching the second lock of the day - the hydraulic lift lock

Tied to the rail in the lift lock

It felt like being in a medieval chamber - cars can drive through behind
the archways. They honk as a warning because it is only one way!

 

Karen on Omanchie took this photo of us leaving the lift lock, 65' up

We then went through 5 more locks, all together and very slowly. This was the hottest day we had experienced so far and we spent a lot of time in the sun in the locks – sweltering. We were so glad to have Jake with us because it was really a lot of work to be squeezed in and constantly making sure we didn’t hit anyone else.

Five roasted boats - the lockmaster at this one was so impressed that he
took a photo with Karen's camera

We were ready for a break when we got to the top of the lock #26 at Lakefield, and Eric and Karen on Omanchie felt the same way. It was a popular spot, with another big boat already there and a little later the catamaran, Phat Cat, with Dave and Di aboard pulled in and tied up on the wall with us.

Cooling off at the end of the day

It was a very nice evening sitting at picnic tables under the shade, visiting and sharing stories, and what day would be complete without walking into the nearby town and having an ice cream cone? 

Captain’s Log: June 29

Departed: Peterborough Marina, 8:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 2.5 hrs.
Actual hours: 5 hrs 40 min.
Nautical miles covered: 9.2
Locked thru # 20 - #26 Lakefield
Arrived: Top of Lock 26 Lakefield 2:30 p.m.
Wx: Clear, hot and muggy

Monday, June 30

We are on our way again through the Kawartha Lakes region. Today we entered the Canadian shield, a large area of exposed rock in northern Canada.

Jake and John at the upper helm as we approach our first lock of the day

 

The windows in this house looked impressive



A lot of the rocky islands had houses built on them

This part of the trip was very scenic with lots of rocks and islands with homes and camps built on them.  In several places the channel got narrow and wound around the islands etc.  Especially a section called "Hell's Gate." As we turned a corner and approached the lock at Burleigh Falls the gate was just closing but John honked the horn and the gates started opening to let us in. Great timing for us as we fit in behind the other boats!

Rock after rock, after rock!
 

We had planned to tie up after Lock 31 at Buckhorn for the night but due to the Canada Day vacation, the wall was filled with day trippers. There was certainly a lot of boat traffic on the waterway today. We proceeded on to the Buckhorn Yacht Harbor Marina to pay our bill for the work on the water pump and the winds really picked up.

After much debate and hearing severe thunderstorm warnings we decided to take a slip at the marina and get off the windy lake. So here we are again, hooked up to power with the A/C running and a good Wi-Fi connection. No thunderstorm has materialized, but more are forecast. We will see what the weather holds for tomorrow.

Captain’s Log: June 30

Departed: Lakefield, 8:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 4.4 hrs.
Actual hours: 6 hrs. 10 min (includes an hour tied up at lock 30, Lovesick Island, for lunch)
Nautical miles covered: 20.06
Locked thru # 27, 28, (no #29) 30 & 31
Arrived: Buckhorn Yacht Harbor Marina 3:00 p.m.
Wx: Overcast, muggy gradually clearing. Winds less than 10 SW, winds increased to 20 to 25 kts, severe thunderstorm watch in the afternoon.

 

 

Peterborough

Wednesday, June 25

It was an early morning for us today. Our goal was to cross Rice Lake and get into Peterborough. We had been warned that because the lake is shallow it can get pretty rough on a windy day. We had observed that each day began with very calm winds which built up strength in the afternoons, especially in the past two days with thunderstorms coming in the evening.


 



Hazy along the river, but we did see a loon with two young
 

So off we went at 5:45 a.m., leaving Hastings and continuing on the Trent River south to the lake. There were fog warnings out, but it was just heavily overcast making it a dark morning. It was not a particularly remarkable trip; the lake was fine with 1 ft. waves and an occasional whitecap. We passed Grasshopper Island, Sugar Island and when we got to Spook Island we made a sharp turn to the right onto the Otonabee River.

The turquoise paint with magenta trim made this boathouse stand out

 

This boathouse is hard to beat, complete with
moose antlers over the door

The first lock we came to was #19 at Scotts Mills and as we were locking up, the lockmaster was chatting with us and suggested that we tie up for the night at the lower side of Lock 20 at Ashburnham, so here we are.

Tour boats come through this lock all the time on their way up to the lift lock.
This was our view from our mooring spot as one locked down on it's way back.

Not so fast! Short version of the story: John had been noticing a small leak from one of the engine seawater pumps so he called a mechanic who came to look at it. He needs to take it out and order some parts so we can't stay here because we don't know how long it will take. We realize that we need to be at a marina - so change of plan again and we made the short trip across Little Lake to the Peterborough Marina. Now we are set for a few days until the pump gets fixed and our son, Jake, arrives.

Just in case you need a map: we started the waterway on the right at Trenton and now we are about a third of the way through at Peterborough
 

Captain’s Log: June 25

Departed: Hastings, 6:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 6 hrs.
Actual hours: 6 hrs.
Nautical miles covered: 33.17
Locked thru # 19 Scotts Mills
Arrived: Ashburnham at Peterborough 11:50 a.m. Then moved to Peterborough Marina at 5 p.m.
Wx: Overcast, NE winds 5-10, cool & breezy

 

June 26, 27 & 28 -  3 Day Stay in Peterborough

The Peterborough Marina is a great place to stay. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, plus they have all the amenities. They are  right in the city and next to a large park and amphitheater where they have live music every Saturday during the summer.

Fountain in Little Lake near the Peterborough
marina at sunset

Our bikes might look funny but they get us where we need to go

This gave us plenty of time to take out bikes over to check out the Peterborough Hydraulic Lift Lock. It was only about a two mile ride and we timed it so we could see one of the tour boats go through.

Tour boat enters lock at the bottom using the left side lift - the other
lift is up

 

We walked the many steps to get up to the top for a better look. It is the highest hydraulic lift in the world at 65 feet. It is built of concrete, completed in 1904 and the weight in each chamber is 1,300 tons.

Here the two lifts are even. The water from one cylinder goes into the
other, pushing it up. (This is actually the same boat coming down later on)

 

At the top of the lock, the front gate is lowered so the boat can proceed

We were so glad we got to see this because we plan to take our boat through on Sunday and now we know what to expect.

Statue of a fireman in a nearby park - tribute to all those who put their
lives on the line to keep us safe

Catamaran Phat Cat anchored near the marina
 

We finally met the couple on the catamaran that we had been playing leapfrog with. They were anchored on Rice Lake when we passed by and they came into the marina to power up their boat and give it a good cleaning. We were invited aboard and Dave and Di gave us the grand tour - lots of room on that boat. They are from New Jersey and doing the loop. They are going to stick around for the Canada Day festivities on Tuesday but they anchored out last night and will come back in for the fireworks. They will probably catch up to us along the way.

We must be on the party dock - love this flashing palm tree!

The water pump got fixed this morning and the engine is running smoothly. Our son Jake is flying into Toronto today and if all goes as scheduled he will arrive here this evening and will travel with us through July 4. We are looking forward to having him on board!

Captain’s Log: totals for the first 4 weeks
Total engine hours: 93.5 hrs.
Total statute miles covered: 523.75
Fuel consumption: 196 gallons
Miles per gallon: 2.67  
Fuel burned: average 2.1 gallons per hour

 

 

On to Hastings

Monday, June 23, 2014

It was a very nice morning at Old Mill Park in Campbellford. John gave the front deck a wash while I cleaned up inside. We walked to the grocery store to get a few things. We certainly are eating well on this trip.
Campbellford has a giant replica of a Canadian two dollar coin, popularly called the “toonie,” in two places in town. One side has a bear and the other side has Queen Elizabeth, very British.

Chris meditates in the morning sun, wondering about that looming toonie.

We were ready to push off at about 10 and motored on to the next lock, # 13, just a mile or so away. As we approached we saw another boat waiting at the lock and we pulled in behind them. They said that there would be about a 45 minute wait while the lockmaster had gone up to the farther lock to help someone come through from the west. This boat, “Inspirations” was from Ottawa and we had a nice visit while we waited.

We locked through together and went on to go through four more, including another chute with two locks connected, 16 & 17 at Healy Falls, for a total lift of 54’. We tied up at the top and waved as the other boat pushed on. We were disappointed to learn that there is no water currently going over the falls because of the use by the hydro-electric plant, but we had a good walk anyway.

This originally was the lockmaster's house, now privately owned -
I love the gable with the balcony and lime green door.

It is a quiet site and, once again, we are here by ourselves.

Captain’s Notes: June 23

Departed: Old Mill Park, Campbellford, Ont. 10:10 a.m.
Locked through 5 locks, 13 - 17
Engine hours: 1.4
Actual hours: 2 hours 35 min
Traveled: 4.7 nautical miles,
Arrived: Upper wall of lock 17, Healy Falls, 11:45 a.m.
A leisurely morning, sunny then becoming overcast

Tuesday, June 24

Rain and thunderstorms came through in the night. They weren’t bad, but John didn’t get much sleep. It was still raining this morning so we took our time getting ready, and by the time we pushed off, the rain had stopped and the skies were a little brighter.

This boathouse looked like it was laughing at us as we went by -
I call it the "Happy Boathouse"

Our route took us through some isolated areas, but also some thickly settled summer camp areas. The channel was narrow and wound through islands in the hub of Trent River cottage country.

This house went all out with flowers everywhere!

The winds had really picked up by the time we locked through our only lock of the day and tied up on the wall in the town of Hastings. Again, it is a no frills, no cost stop. We are a short walk from everything we need, including the library at the civic center and a grocery store.

Tied up in Hastings. Can you see Christopher on the front of the boat
above John's new magnificent Rocna 55 anchor?
Chris is saying, "I'm king of the world!"

I am impressed with how the towns and homes are decorated with flowers; even the bridge had wire baskets all along the rails.

Flowers and more flowers

Zooming in for the close-up

When we got back from our short foray into town we saw that Mary and Roger on Ta Ta had tied up in front of us. We were glad to see them and pointed them in the direction of shopping and an internet connection. It is nice to be back in civilization tonight.

The weather is looking stormy for this evening with more and stronger thunderstorms predicted. John's Richmond, VT weatherman, our friend Doug, has already been texting forecasted updates.

Captain’s Log: June 24

Departed: Healy Falls 9:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 2.4
Actual hours: 2 hours 25 min
Nautical miles covered: 12.59
Locked thru # 18 Hastings
Arrived: Hastings, south wall 12:15 a.m.
Wx: Overcast, winds less than 5 kts. Nice trip

 

 

Its all about the Locks

Friday, June 20

The first lock in the Trent-Severn was scheduled to be open at 9 a.m. and we were ready and waiting at 8:45 after the short cruise from the marina. We watched them put up the flag and the lock still didn’t open. Then a train came by, right above the gate – maybe they were waiting for that because when it was gone the gates opened and we went in, the only boat there.

Lock 1, Trent Severn waterway. Gates closed, train whizzing by!

At the top of Lock 1 - John is coming back from buying our season's pass -
one lock down, 44 to go!

After that we easily glided through to each lock, which was open and waiting for us. We took the cable at mid cleat and rose up through number 6. It was a short mile or two stretch between the locks and on the last 3 the same crew drove to each one to let us through.

Most of the locks have one hydraulic gate at the bottom
and a hand-cranked one at the top.

There is a nice park at lock 6 where we tied up to the wall at about noon, just in time for lunch. We both dozed for a while – so important to keep rested – and then walked over the bridge into the nearby town of Frankford. There was not much there, although they did have one stop light, a small grocery and we found the library where we could check email.
 

After our walk we are glad to get back to our floating home

This is Canada, after all, and we saw flocks of geese at almost every lock.
They are considered a bit of a nuisance -
this is only part of the large group we saw.
 

When we got back to the canal there were two other boats there, one was another Mainship headed east, and later on, a Lagoon catamaran came through and tied up. Finally, after we thought the lock had closed up came a 27 ft. Albin, TA TA, from British Columbia. They were also fellow loopers who had trailered their boat from B.C. to Lake Ontario. They are really adventurers and even plan to go to the Bahamas this winter! They will probably leave us in their dust as we drag our feet a bit for the next week waiting for our son to arrive in Toronto. He will be joining us for 5 days, and we are really looking forward to that.

The lockmaster is working overtime as he opens the gate for
the Albin TaTa with British Columbia natives Roger and Mary on board

Captain's notes: June 20

Departed: Fraser Marina, Trenton 8:25 a.m.
Locked through 1 thru 6
Engine hours: 1.9 hours
Actual hours: 3 hours 35 min
Arrived: Upper wall of lock 6, Frankford, Ontario 12 noon

Week Four: Saturday, June 21

Today starts our fourth week of traveling and the time is flying by. We are taking it easy for a few days because we don’t need to get to Peterborough for another week, and we set off west again after breakfast. This stretch was some of the nicest scenery we have seen so far on a fairly wide part of the Trenton River. There were fishermen out in full force on a Saturday morning along the marshy areas. Soon we approached little communities with lots of homes and summer camps.

Early morning view
 

We had to be careful to follow the channel because it was quite shallow and you could see where large stones had been pulled out of the way. It was a beautiful day with just a cool breeze and the vistas changed around every corner. We are in farm country and saw lots of open, mowed fields and some rolling hills.

Catamaran following us into Lock 7
 

The catamaran had followed us out of our mooring spot and we were both in lock 7, Glen Ross, although no one could have fit in beside it. The captain asked if he could pass us so we let him by as we pulled out of the lock and he sped off. When we got to Lock 8, called Percy Reach, he had already gone through and when we got to the top we pulled over for the day. It was a quiet and secluded spot. No power and no water but that was fine with us – no cost either.

Approaching Lock 8 - water is emptying out

Inside Lock 8 - everything was covered with moss - it is noisy with the 
water leaking in the doors until the water fills up half way

This was one of the prettiest locks we have seen with well kept grounds and large expanses of green lawn. An information sign reminded me that the locks are all filled by gravity, with the high water above the lock let in, when needed, by opening valves to fill the chamber and lift us up. Simple but ingenious engineering.

Serenity tied up at the lock wall in Percy Reach
 

We had just finished lunch when the lock master, Lyle, came by and said he was going to the Empire Cheese Factory store to get some cheese curds and invited us along. We were up for that, so we climbed into his truck and off we went through the country-side. The store was in the middle of nowhere, but people were there buying things up so we joined right in, getting plain curds, garlic curds and several kinds of cheddar. Lyle was a great guide and a bit of a character. It’s always good to have local input and an ample supply of cheese!

Later on we watched the two Grand Banks trawlers, Mar-Kat and Bluegrass, who were with us on the Oswego, in Picton and Trenton at Fraser Marina, finally lock through. They had been waiting for a part for repairs and just left Trenton this morning. It didn’t take them long to catch up with us and pass us on their way to Campbellford, our next stop.

Grand Banks, Bluegrass, entering Lock 8

This was a great place to spend the afternoon, take a walk and enjoy the longest time of daylight of the year. Happy Summer Solstice! We love these extended dusks with light until about 9:30 but it is bittersweet because we know they will get shorter as the summer goes on.


Sunset at Percy Reach, about 8:45 p.m.

Captain’s Notes, June 21

Departed: Lock 6, Frankford, Ont.
Locked through 7 & 8
Engine hours: 3.2 hours
Actual hours: 3 hours 30 min
Traveled: 15.7 nautical miles, (17.8 statute miles)
Arrived: Upper wall of lock 8, Percy Reach, 11:45 a.m.

Sunday, June 22

The days are starting to run into each other, especially since we are usually in one place in the morning and another in the afternoon. At least we are still on the same boat!



This red triangle means "Don't hit this rock!"

Today we came through 4 locks with nothing remarkable except the last two, which were called a chute, or flight lock because they were right together and when you leave one lock you are actually entering the next. This set lifted us a total of 48 feet, then we had to wait for a swing bridge to open.

This looks like a piece of art!
It is actually the metal gate in between
locks 11 & 12 with a water stain, 48 feet high
 

From there it was a short distance to the town of Campbellford where we tied up at the town wall which provided water and power…and that all important Wi-Fi.

Tree-lined channel into Campbellford
 

We took a good walk and located all the important places: the chocolate factory, grocery store, library and the local bakery which has a great reputation. Most were closed today, but we did get some chocolate and there is always tomorrow.

Tonight we are treating ourselves to dinner out at nearby Capers Restaurant to celebrate what we call our half anniversary. We were married on December 22, the winter solstice, and we like to mark the half year point in June on the summer solstice. By the way, it has been 44 + years ... and they said it wouldn’t last!

Celebrating 44 1/2 years! John's Hawaiian shirt has been with us
almost 30 of those years - it's a classic and so is he!

 
Captain’s Log: June 22

Departed: Upper wall of lock 8, Percy Reach 8:40 a.m.
Locked thru locks 9 - 12
Engine hours: 1.4 hours
Actual hours: 2 hours 50 min
Arrived: Campbellford, Ont. 11:30
Wx: Clear, calm - nice!