AUG.1,2013- (morning) - COUCHICHING LOCK 42 TO BIG CHUTE LOCK 44, ONT

What lies ahead and what lies beneath!  Today started out like any other, but with a palpable urgency in the air.  Home was beckoning but we had to keep our attention on the tasks at hand.  As we journeyed ever northward, the rugged beauty engulfed us and we marvelled at our great fortune to share in its splendor.

Fallen Tree from Recent Storm

Morning Sun Breaking Through

Pink Rock

Trust the Green Buoy?

Swift Rapids Lock 43 - Dam

Arriving at Lock 44-Big Chute Marine Railway, we felt anxious excitement as we maneuvered Terrmar along the blue line to wait for the lock-master to call our name to proceed into the lock.  How does one describe Big Chute Marine Railway Lock 44?  If I was to tell you that your boat would be lifted out of the water and set strapped in a cradle, attached to what looks like duel railway tracks and then slowly rolled down a steep 60 foot decline with yourself on board – you might think I had been drinking Terrmar’s diesel fuel!  Indeed, that is how Lock 44 operates!

The original Big Chute Marine Railway Lock was built in 1917.  The Canadian government decided to keep it operational and updated it in the 1970s.  Their reasoning was to try to control the spread of the invasive species, the sea lamprey, from Gloucester Pool (at the bottom of the railway lock), into Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe.  Biologists found that when the boats were raised out of the water, any lampreys attached to the bottom would drop off before the boats arrived at the top of the lock.  It is the only marine railway of its kind still operating in North America!

Engine 1000 Hours

Big Chute - Waiting our Turn

Looking North

Pilot House View

View from the Stern

Whew!  All good!  We were gently released from the straps of Bug Chute into Gloucester Pool.  No time for sight-seeing, as the whirlpool currents challenged Mark to keep Terrmar inside the narrow channel well away from boats waiting for Big Chute to carry them south.

Well done!  Only one more lock to conquer on the Trent-Severn Waterway before entering Georgian Bay.  One more day – then home!    

JULY 30-31,2013- LOVESICK LOCK 30 TO BOTTOM OF COUCHICHING LOCK 42, ONT

Spending the night on the lock wall at Lovesick is eerily beautiful!  A lock on an island, only accessible by boat you say?  Huh!  Storm clouds are brewing!  A magnificent show in the northern sky and it quickly and thankfully pass us by unscathed, giving us a restful sleep.

Lovesick Weather

View from Lovesick Lock 30

Again an early morning rise.  Feeling the tug of home, we instinctively forge on with purpose, systematically conquering lock after lock.  We are the first boat to arrive at Kirkfield Lift Lock 36 the morning of July 31, 2013.  While waiting for the opening, it gave us a chance to examine it more closely.  It is the second highest hydraulic lift-lock in the world rising almost 50 feet and first built more than 100 years ago.  It is also the highest point of elevation on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Shale Rock Walls

Narrow Channel

Water Lillies

Kirkfield Liftlock

Kirkfield View

Ah!   At long last we arrive at the entrance to Lake Simcoe.  It is the largest body of water along the Trent-Severn Waterway with an area of 300 square miles.  It is said to be deceiving, often giving boats a ride of their lives if the wind comes up and the waves churn.  Today the lake was resting and we had an uneventful crossing.

Kirkfield Lift Lock

Bridge Entrance to Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe

C.N.R. Swing Train Bridge

Finally day is done and Terrmar is relaxing peacefully at the bottom of Couchiching Lock 42.  

JULY 29,2013- PETERBOROUGH TO LOVESICK LOCK 30, ONT

Another early rise, up and at em!  All rested and prepped and waiting on the blue line for the Ashburnham Lock to open, then headed for Lock 21!

Lock 21 is the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada.  The highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, it is powered by gravity and rises 65 feet high.  Built with two side-by-side compartments that move up and down but opposite each other as water fills one side and empties out the other.
 

Quite a surreal feeling as we ascended to what felt like the top of the world!

As of 2017 we have had the privilege of traversing the Trent-Severn Waterway in its entirety three times.  The first time was our maiden voyage with Terrmar before the Great Loop in 2010, south to north.  We were delivering Terrmar from New York to our home port Goderich, Ontario  and still shaking the kinks from her, Terrmar decided to take a six hour rest at the top of Lock 21. The time it took Captain Mark to discover that her batteries had been hooked up incorrectly – thus no juice to start the engine.  The lock-masters were most accommodating, helping us to tie up to the lock wall and directing boat traffic exiting the lock.  As Terrmar and crew baked in 30 degree Celsius plus temperatures, Mark had booster cables delivered by taxi to the top of Lock 21 and successfully managed to get us moving again.

The second time, Terrmar was completing the last leg of our Great Loop adventure in 2013, south to north.

Lock 20 Ashburnham

Lock 21 - Peterborough Lift Lock on Blue Line

Terrmar Lock 21 - 65' High

Rear Camera View Lock 21

Top of the World -Lock 21

The third time in 2016 Mark and I repositioned a sister ship to Terrmar from Orillia, Ontario on the Trent-Severn to Port Credit, Ont. across Lake Ontario travelling north to south.  We began this trip on the opening day of the Trent-Severn Waterway in May 2016.  Lock-masters at Lock 21 allowed us to tie up at the north lock wall for a night.  We spent a blissful, secluded evening enjoying the fireworks at the top of the world, overlooking Peterborough, Ontario.  What a glorious night!

Countryside

Narrow Channel

Island Church

Granite Island

Pink Granite

Moving north, the waterway hints at what lies ahead with hardy pine, spruce and cedar trees clinging precariously to Precambrian granite rock islands.  Bring it on!

JULY 26-29,2013- HASTINGS VILLAGE MARINA TO PETERBOROUGH MARINA, ONT

Okay, today’s goal is to reach Peterborough Marina so Captain Mark was anxious to get underway.  Perhaps a bit too anxious, when immediately we found ourselves in dense fog, travelling a snail’s pace trying to maneuver through the narrow, winding channel and praying the tiny, invisible fishing boats did NOT decide to anchor inside the channel.

About an hour or so later our visibility greatly improved, our hearts went back into our chests and Mark enjoyed a summer splash in Rice Lake!

Pea soup!

Out of the Fog

What Lies Beneath

Osprey

Peterborough Fountain

Whew!  Glad to finally be tied up in Peterborough Marina and looking forward to spending a few days with a time-out exploring the half-way mark on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Going Biking

Peterborough Park

A Tribute

Cooling off in Rice Lake

JULY 25,2013- TRENT HILLS BOTTOM LOCK 8 TO HASTINGS VILLAGE MARINA, ONT

Early morning starts are essential when adapting to shorter hours and manpower on the Trent-Severn in 2013.  Just before sunrise, Terrmar quietly left the lock wall, gliding through a light mist rising from the tranquil canal.  The sun soon emerged, showcasing the lazy, meandering, marshy landscape prominent along the gateway to the Kawarthas (cottage country).

Gentle Morning Mist

Grassy Reflections

Great Fishing Grounds

Inukshuk

Flight Lock

Divide - Low & High Flight Lock

Summer Cottage

Hastings Swing Road Bridge at Lock 18

By day’s end we had arrived in Hastings Village Marina, Hastings, Ont.  Terrmar had “locked-through” locks 9-18 today, including two second flight locks (double locks or 2 in 1 locks).  Lock 11/12 – Ranney Fall’s Flight Lock rising 48 feet and Lock 16/17 – Healey Falls Flight Lock rising 54 feet had given us an exhausting but satisfying work-out!

JULY 24-25,2013- FRASER PARK MARINA, TRENTON TO TRENT HILLS, BOTTOM LOCK 8, ONT

As dawn broke the next day Terri and I awoke and agreed to stay put.  There was no real reason to travel today if we didn’t want to.  No schedules, deadlines or weather systems to consider.  Stay we did, hoping to see a little bit of Trenton.  Relax, do some boat chores and just be happy.  We did go downtown and lightly refresh our supplies.  Canadian Beer and its unique taste were high on my list.  I also remembered from our last visit that there was a local person whom was adept at splicing dock lines.  They did have a small supply in the Marina office and they were perfect for our boat.  Another way to support the local economy I thought as I purchased four of them.  We weren’t in desperate need but our old ones were well worn from the many, many locks we had traversed in the last few years.

Terri looking forward locking through.

Looking forward while in a lock.

One of many osprey on this stretch of water.

Beautiful countryside.

Great Blue Heron

We spent the rest of the day washing the boat and lounging around.  There was a constant show of boats going up and down the river. The locals are the same but different everywhere we go.  Fun to watch from our fly-bridge and pass the time for the few days we had here.  Tomorrow we would have 8 locks to go through and were hopeful for an early start as we planned on fueling up before we depart.  So an early night was in order.

Terrmar resting at the bottom of Lock 8.

How Locks Work

View from our spot on the wall looking towards the lock opening.

Proof that I did actually go fishing.

Beautiful Park but over crowded with Canadian Geese and what they leave behind.

Up and at it early today, as you never know how things are going to go with regards to Marinas and their service promises.  I was told that I would be first in line for fuel today, but Murphy’s Law and a Marina attendant had other plans.  I was to be second which isn’t usually a big deal, but the Locks of the Trent Severn System were now operating with roving Lock Attendants.  This meant that if we didn’t make the first lock opening we might be in for a long day.  The first opening was scheduled for 9:00AM and if we missed that, it might be 11:00AM or later before the Attendants arrived back to Lock 1.  We had lots of fuel in reserve and could easily make it to Peterborough in a few days, so we left without fueling up.  We did make the first lock through on Lock 1 and everything turned out well.

By days end we find ourselves at Lock 8 and tie up at the Lock Wall.  We share the wall with some local people who are just out for the afternoon.  We enjoyed a very pleasant and peaceful afternoon and evening.  We walked Smudge but had to stay on the concrete portions of the Lock Wall as the grass was liberally bombed by the Canadian Geese.

Another beautiful Sunset.

Cheers,
Mark