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.