Tag: Trent Severn Waterway

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here catching you up to date on the travels of Still Waters II.

Click on the Travel Map above or this link to see the day-by-day travel log.  The crew completed the Trent Severn Waterway which also marks the half way point around the loop for all crew and virtual crew members.  After completing the last lock at Port Severn, the crew crossed the bay to Victoria Harbor.

Monday August 1, 2016

After a day of rest on Sunday, our crew made the first drop at the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  This is the second largest lift lock in North America with a 48-foot lift.

Watch the following video for a virtual ride down the Kirkfield Lift Lock.

After the lift lock it was another narrow shallow canal.  There has been little to no rain in these parts all summer and the water level is about a foot below normal.  The shallow water is worse than normal and the crew found themselves in 4-5 foot of water with weeds until they got out of canal lake.

There was this interesting bridge built in 1905 as the crew passed into the Talbot River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Talbot River there were a couple of swing bridges that the crew had to get open to continue the journey.  Parks Canada bridge tenders had the bridges open with little delay.

Then it was two hours to pass thru five locks that were about a mile apart.  These locks dropped Still Waters II an additional 63 feet.

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After the fifth lock, the crew entered Lake Simcoe.  This lake has a bad reputation because a west wind can cause large 6-8 foot waves.  Our crew crossed the 20 miles with a southerly breeze in their back.  Since the boat had not been run at top speed in a few weeks, the skipper brought her up on plane and they crossed the lake travelling at 10 knots.

 

 

The crew then made their way to the Port of Orillia Marina where they will stay for three nights.  They are docked by two looper boats that they have not met before.  They also have run into ‘Avocet’ here, and have already caught up on the happenings since they last met back in Ottawa.

 

 

 

The first night in the marina the ‘Home Office’, docked next to Still Waters II, held an impromptu concert and sang oldies but goodies into the night.

While going ashore in Orillia the skipper has found the best butter tarts in Canada.  The bakery also sells cinnamon rolls and monkey bread.  What a great place to be for a few days.  The walk to the bakery each morning is about the most exercise the skipper gets most days.

 

 

In town there were several art projects called story poles.  Different businesses sponsored the art and a few of them are here for your viewing.

 

Thursday, August 4, 2016

The crew shoved off from the dock about 0915 and headed towards Lock 42.  The passage today was through small lakes and narrow passages connecting the lakes.  These narrow passages were cut back in 1905 before the advent of modern machinery.  The reason the cuts are so narrow is the granite rock was cut using dynamite and manual labor. 

 

After the 21 foot drop at the Couchiching Lock the crew headed to today’s final destination at Lock 43, Swift Rapids.  Because of the lack of rain, the swift rapids were more a slow trickle.  Upon arrival at the lock the crew found ‘On Business’ waiting for them to help tie the boat to the wall.  The crew grilled burgers and dogs with Andy and Twylla for an enjoyable evening. 

Friday, August 5, 2016

The crew had moved over on the blue line last night so they would be first thru the lock this morning.  ‘On Business’ actually entered first and Still Waters II followed behind.  Once in the lock it was a 47 foot drop in about 8 minutes.

 

This lock is nicknamed ‘The Giant’ because it is the largest lift of the traditional locks in the system.  The lock was reworked back in 1965 and is also the most modern lock on the system. 

 

 

The subfloor of the lock has multiple holes to allow the water to fill or drain the lock.  This allows for a faster smoother ride while filling and draining the lock.

 

 

 

 

 

After the giant drop, the crew worked their way thru some more narrow cuts and small lakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the shore line was covered with summer cottages so the speed limit was set at 10 Km/HR (6.2 mph).  A few of the cottages for your viewing pleasure:

 

After an hour and half of taking in the scenery, the crew finally arrived at the Big Chute Marine Railway.  The crew has been hearing about this lock that is not a lock for over two years.  In the books it is Lock 44; however, it is actually a 100 ton travel lift that takes the boat completely out of the water, then travels up and over a granite rock, and then down 58 feet to splash the boat back in the water.

 

 

Upon arrival, the crew docked the boat and walked over to the Big Chute to watch the operation.  They observed some boats unload on the low side and then watched as a large yacht loaded.  They then walked the path alongside the Big Chute and watched the re-launch on the high side.

 

 

 

The skipper decided he had had enough training, so the crew headed back to the boat and took their turn up and over on the Big Chute.

 

 

 

Hope you watch the video and take a virtual ride on the Big Chute with the crew.

 

After getting back in the water, the crew docked for the afternoon to wait for a storm to blow past.  The skipper heard a coast guard warning of gale force winds out in the Georgian Bay.  The wind got up, but nothing in the range of 40 mph.  By the time the storm passed the winds dropped back to normal, the crew had decided to just stay at the Big Chute and complete the Trent Severn tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, August 6

As often happens on this loop adventure, the simplest things can sometimes get complicated.  After a simple eight mile cruise the crew arrived at the Trenton Lock.  This is the smallest lock in the system and as you will read causes a little competition for entry into the lock.

 

There were about four boats already circling in the basin waiting to enter the lock when Still Waters II arrived.  Three of these boats made the lock and the fourth boat went over and tied on the blue line.  That boat tied in the middle of the blue line so that there was not room for Still Waters II to tie up in front or behind the boat.  That left the skipper in the basin all alone circling in the 15 mph winds for 30 minutes while waiting for the next lock opening. 

When the boats locked down, the lock staff loaded the boats below for the lift up.  As the boats began to raise in the lock, the free for all started.  At least six smaller boats and one large boat coming from the grey wall and area marinas all got in their boats and headed for the lock.  They were all maneuvering for position to enter the lock ahead of the one boat on the blue line.  The skipper was trying to hold his position close to the lock with the bow into the wind.

Once the lock gates opened and the boats in the lock cleared the lock the smaller boats began the rush for the lock.  Parks Canada staff finally took charge of the situation and backed the small boats out of the way to let the large boat on the blue line into the lock.  There was not room for two large boats so the crew would have to wait for the next opening.

 

 

 

When the large boat moved off the blue line the skipper maneuvered for the blue line and got tied up while the smaller boats were circling and backing away from the lock.  The lock staff finally allowed some of the smaller boats to enter the lock with the one large boat.  Then one of the more aggressive small boats came over and pulled to the blue line in front of Still Waters II.

While waiting for the lock to turnaround, another four boats had arrived to the Lock.  Parks Canada came over and told everyone the order that they would load the lock.  Mr. Aggressive was to go first, followed by Still Waters II.  Then a couple more smaller boats would enter to fill up the lock.  When Mr. Aggressive was to enter, his boat would not start.

Still Waters II entered the lock and then was joined with three other boats.  As they were locking down the skipper could still see Mr. Aggressive troubleshooting his start problem.  While the skipper wishes no harm or trouble on any boater, this issue could not have happened to a nicer guy.

An hour and a half after arrival at the lock, the crew finally cleared the lock and completed the Trent Severn Waterway leg of the journey.  This also marks the beginning of the Georgian Bay leg.  The skipper is also claiming that they are now half-way complete with the loop.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of milestones, the crew has been traveling with ‘On Business’ for a few days.  The crew of ‘On Business’ made the Severn Lock just ahead of our crew and went right down without waiting.  When Still Waters II finally cleared the lock and got to the Georgian Bay they noticed ‘On Business’ anchored and waiting for the crew to arrive.  The two boats then headed to Queen’s Cove Marina together. 

 

Upon entry into the marina, ‘On Business’ crossed her wake and officially became a coveted Gold Looper after 357 days on the loop.  Congratulations to Twylla and Andy.

 

Tune in next week to see the progress of the crew through the beautiful Georgian Bay.  These waters are considered some off North America’s best cruising grounds and also rank in the top three areas to cruise in the world. 

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here catching you up to date on the travels of Still Waters II.

Click on the Travel Map above or this link to see the day-by-day travel log.  The crew only travelled one day because they were on the hard in Buckhorn from Monday to Saturday.

 

Monday July 25, 2016 thru Saturday, July 30

The crew left the lock at Buckhorn in the morning and travelled 1 mile to the Buckhorn Marina.  The marina had arranged for a trailer to haul Still Waters II out of the water.  The crew initially tied up at the fuel dock to await the arrival of the trailer.  Once the trailer arrived and was positioned, the crew moved the boat over and loaded her on the trailer.  However, the truck was not strong enough to pull her out of the water.

The marina staff went and got a large piece of machinery, attached to the truck, and between the two vehicles they hauled her up out of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

The marina staff moved the boat over out of the way as much as possible and set her down where she would rest for the rest of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

The fiberglass guy (Joel) got busy right away grinding on the repair areas.  The Admiral showed her southern hospitality and kept Joel in sweet iced tea all week.  Joel is a true craftsman.  After the repairs were complete, Still Waters II looks as good as new and you cannot tell where the repairs were made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crew spent each evening watching the sun go down from this point at the marina.

 

Discovered these interesting rocks while hiking around.

 

The crew has spent the week mostly relaxing, and taking in the Kawartha ice cream.  There seems to be 37 flavors offered.

At this point the crew has sampled about 10 flavors, but are not ready to make a recommendation on the best flavor yet.  There is still much more analysis needed before making a final recommendation.  However, the skipper and Admiral are dedicated to the cause of complete analysis before leaving the area though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, July 30

The crew splashed back in the water around noon.  As usual these launches gather the attention of those nearby.  In this case, the local boaters were enjoying a long holiday weekend and were gathered to watch and wish the crew off well.  The skipper sat around a camp fire with three other couples Friday night and enjoyed sharing tales and stories.  One of the best parts of this adventure is getting to meet the fine folks around the waterways.  There are none finer than the people at Buckhorn Yacht Marina.

 

In addition to the boaters at the marina, the marina owners are top notch also.  The marina is family owned with four generations involved now.  The patriarch bought the place back in 1974 when the marina only had three slips rented.  The sons now carry on the business and have built a marina with a great reputation.  People from all over Canada send their props here to get worked.  In fact, on Friday morning a plane landed in the water and tied up at the fuel dock to pick up refurbed boat props. 

But, after a week delay, it was time to get going.  Upon launching, the crew headed out to see if they could find a spot to dock for the night.  As mentioned before, it is a three day weekend, and many people were out on the water enjoying the day. 

 

 

 

The Bobcaygeon lock was full so the crew decided to move on to Fenlon Falls.  The lock master at Fenlon Falls informed the crew that this was going to be the busiest weekend of the season and that the three locks: Buckhorn, Bobcaygeon, and Fenlon Falls would be the busiest on the system.  The crew decided to push on to Rosedale.  The scenery along the way was great.

 

 

 

After making the 4 foot rise at the Rosedale lock, Still Waters II is now 597 feet above the water level on Lake Ontario, and 850 feet above sea level.  This marks the high point on the loop.  Future locks will now start dropping the boat back down towards sea level.  The lock master also said that the next lake, Balsam Lake, is the highest navigable lake in North America.  The skipper has not taken the time to fact check that info but sounds good none the less.

 

From Rosedale the crew was informed that they would be able to find a place to stay at the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  The challenge would be getting there safely.  There is a narrow canal that runs for a few miles from Balsam Lake to the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  The canal is narrow because it was man made thru a rock formation called the Canadian Shield.  There was a sign posted at the entrance of the canal that stated that boats over 40 feet long have to do a securite radio message prior to entrance.  The canal is so narrow that two large boats cannot pass so the skipper had to make sure that no one was east bound in the canal prior to entering. 

With no response from other boaters the crew entered the canal and headed to the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  Not only is the canal narrow, it is also shallow.  The depth alarm which is set at 6 feet was alarming most of the time.  The skipper finally turned the alarm off to get some peace and quiet.  There were stretches in the canal where the water was consistently only 5 feet deep.  The water was also clear so you could see the rocks lining the bottom of the canal.

 

After four miles of this entertainment, the skipper noticed that the Skipper Bob Publication had this note at mile 167.2 to 168.5, Trent Canal.  Now the narrow rock walls even take a turn to the west.  Are you having fun yet?

 

The skipper gave one of his famous replies to that question, “If this is fun, then we are having it.”

After about another mile of this fun, the Lift Lock came into view and the crew tied up for the night.  The crew plans to stay at the Lift Lock on Sunday and start the Talbot River section of the waterway on Monday.

 

Tune in next week to see how the crew manages the Kirkfield Lift Lock and the Big Chute Railway.  They should complete the Trent Severn by weeks’ end and be staged to enter the much talked about waters of the Georgian Bay.

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

 

 

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here catching you up to date on the travels of Still Waters II.

 

Click on the Travel Map above or this link to see the day-by-day travel log.

The crew made stops at Campbellford, Healey Falls,  Peterborough, Burleigh Falls, and Buckhorn this past week.

 

 

Sunday, July 17, 2016, The crew left Lock 9, Meyers, late morning and headed out to Lock 10, Hagues Reach.  Upon arrival at Lock 10 the Lockmaster came down and informed the crew that his lock mate had called in sick and that it takes two folks to operate the locks.  He would be sharing workers from Lock 9 until someone could be called in to work.  The crew tied up on the blue line to wait.  The plan was for lock 9 to lock a boat up, then have someone drive up to Lock 10 and lock both boats up.

Two boats actually arrived about the same time as the second lock worker.  The gates were opened and the crew locked thru with the two other boats.  The lockmaster directed the third boat to raft up next to the second boat.  This was the first time the crew had been in a lock with boats rafted together.  The skipper asked the lockmaster why they did not just tie up on the port wall rather than rafting.  The Lockmaster replied that the turbulence in the lock was from port to starboard while filling and people have trouble staying on the port wall.   Rather than have them come off of the wall and bounce off another boat, he prefers to just raft together.

Lock 10, Hagues Reach lifted the boat 24’.  Upon clearing the lock the crew headed up to Locks 11 & 12, the first set of flight locks on the Trent Severn.

 

Locks 11 & 12, Ranney Falls.  This set of flight locks raised the boat 48’.  When you are down in the first lock it seems a long way up to the top.  After exiting the first lock, the boat immediately entered the second lock to complete the flight.  After exiting the second lock it was just a little over a mile to the town of Campbellford where the crew plans to spend a few days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, un4gettable shore excursions.

There is a Rotary Trail that circles back to the Ranney Falls from Campbellford.  Upon arrival back at the Falls, the crew crossed over the gorge on a 300-foot suspension bridge 35 feet above the water.  There was a nice view of the falls from the bridge.

 

 

 

World’s Finest Chocolate factory outlet was also a nice hike.  The visitor center hands out free samples of the candy and directions to the factory.  Needless to say, the crew took the hike.  The Admiral bought Malted Milk Balls while the skipper opted for the chocolate covered caramels.

There is also a bakery within easy walking distance.  The skipper made the hike every morning to sample the merchandise.  So far the chocolate covered donuts, donut holes, and banana nut muffins are outstanding.

The bakery also has a thing called a butter tart.  The crew has been hearing about butter tarts ever since this adventure began.  Seems everyone passing thru this area just raves about butter tarts.  Well of course the skipper had to try one (maybe 4).  A butter tart is like eating pecan pie without the pecans on top.  The skipper says it is hard to go wrong with Karo syrup.

 

Another interesting phenomena in the Old Mills Park right next to the marina wall is all the people with their smartphones playing some game called Pokemon Go.

There must be at least 5-10 people in the park at any given time trying to catch some virtual critter.  The other phenomena in the park is the folks sitting on a park bench 5 yards from the boat eating ice cream.  The ice cream store is on the corner and the skipper is on his way to see why so many folks are eating this particular ice cream.

 

 

Wednesday, the crew shoved off from the Campbellford wall and continued west on the Trent Severn Waterway.  The trip was mostly along the Trent River today.  Very picturesque with the green trees coming down to the banks of the river.

The crew also passed thru 6 locks today on their way to Hastings.  Two of the locks were a set of flight locks that raised the boat 54-feet.  The water is starting to get clearer as the ground is transitioning from mud to rock.  The channel is also starting to get narrower.

 

At lock 15, Healey Falls, the skipper had a good chat with a lock hand.  The guy is a Health Physicist and is trying to get hired on at the local nuclear power plant.  The skipper answered lots of questions after the guy learned that the skipper had retired from working nukes in the US.

At lock 18, Hastings, there was a rock announcing that Hastings is the ‘hub of the Trent.’

For our crew this marks the end of the Trent River portion of the waterway that ran mostly thru remote farm land and small towns.

Thursday, the float plan for today was to cruise to lock 20, Ashburnham and moor along a park wall.  The day would take the crew most of the length of Rice Lake and then into Otonabee River to Pererborough.  As often happens on this adventure, flexibility is the name of the game.  A fellow looper caught and passed the crew just as they were entering Otonabee River.  By the time the crew arrived at the planned lock to moor for the evening, you guessed it, the boat that passed the crew had taken the last available spot on the wall.

Ok. Plan B.  The Parks Canada folks reported a spot open above the Peterborough Lock just another mile or so.  The crew pressed on and cleared lock 20 and then arrived at the famed Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest Lift Lock in the world.

As the skipper arrived, a bull horn announcement was made that the lock gate was opening.  Then a green light came on and the skipper motored into the large tub of water.

Video entering lock

Another bull horn announcement told the crew to move to the center of the tub and tie off on the black handrail.  After the vessel was secured the lock tender closed the gate.  After another minute, another announcement that the lock was about to move.

Video on the way up

Then the crew got an elevator ride up 65 feet into the air.  At the top, the bull horn announced that the gate was open and please depart.

After exiting the tub, the crew spun around and tied up along the lock wall.  The crew was the only boat here for the night.  After a quick bite to eat the crew went to the Visitor Center to learn about the Peterborough Lift Lock.

Fun Facts on Peterborough Lift Lock:

1. Built between 1896 and 1904
2. Excavated 40 feet down to hit bedrock
3. The hydraulic rams were then excavated an additional 75 feet into the rock
4. When completed in 1904, the lock was the world’s largest concrete structure
5. No reinforcing steel was used in construction of lock, (reinforcing steel was a novel idea viewed with skepticism)

 

How it works……

 

1. The lock lifts and lowers boats in two water filled chambers that each weigh 1,300 tons when full of water
2. The chambers sit on top of hydraulic rams
3. The hydraulic rams are interconnected so that any movement in one ram causes an equal movement of the other ram
4. Per Archimedes’ pricipals of physics, boats displace water equal to their weight; therefore, the weight of a loaded chamber of boats remains the same 1,300 tons.
5. After the chambers are loaded with boats, the gates are closed, and then an extra foot of water is added to the upper chamber, adding 130 tons of water.
6. The crossover valve is opened between the two rams.  Since the upper chamber weighs more than the lower chamber due to the 1 foot of extra water, gravity pulls the upper chamber down
7. Since the two rams are interconnected, the lower chamber then rises in response to the upper chamber moving down.

While in the Visitor Center, the crew also learned that there was a geo-caching series around the Peterborough Lock.  The crew obtained a cache passport from the Visitor Center staff and went on the hunt to find the geo-caches.  The hunt took the crew from the top of lock 21, back to the Visitor Center, to a Community Garden, and then down to lock 20.  The hunt was successful and all caches were found.

In the morning, the skipper returned to the Visitor Center and exchanged the completed passport for special edition geo-coins.

Friday, the crew once again had a float plan that was changed near the end of the day.  The original plan was to have a short day (14 miles) and stop after 6 locks at Young’s Point.  However, the lockmasters and weather had other plans.  The crew got off to a good start but found four canoes full of kids at the first lock.

The canoes locked thru with Still Waters II.  Because the canoes were in the lock, the lock tender raised the level slowly.  The 14’ lift took almost 30 minutes.

After leaving the lock the crew headed to the next lock that was only a mile away.  When the crew arrived the gate was still shut so the crew tied up at the blue line.  The skipper went up to talk with the lock tender and was informed that a boat was coming from the other direction and they would be waiting for that boat to arrive and locking him down first.  The lock tender said that they would be conserving energy today because of the heat.  Seems 90 degrees is a bit much for these Canadians.  The skipper said something about the cold front that was blowing thru and that he was enjoying the cool weather.

By the time the boat got locked down, two other boats arrived with Still Waters II to lock up.  Any time there are multiple boats it adds time to load and unload the lock as well as more time to fill the lock with water.  It took over an hour after arriving at the lock to get lifted up and move on.  And so the rhythm of the day was set, it took about an hour for each lock the rest of the day.

Under the notion that no good deed goes unpunished, the skipper allowed one of the boats to pass him since the boat would travel the last 5-6 miles faster.  The thought was that the boat would make the lock before the skipper and could move on through.  However, about the time the crew arrived at the lock they noticed the boat was towing a small boat.  Once they arrived at the lock, they learned that the little boat had run out of gas.  The big boat had stopped and towed the little boat to the lock.   After Still Waters II entered the lock the two boats entered.  Once again the lock tender raised the water level very slowly.  So much for letting them go by to make the lock.  On the other hand, our crew did not have to do the rescue.

 

Upon exiting the lock, the crew learned that there was no room to stay for the night so they would have to push on for the next lock.  This would cause the crew to cross Clear Lake and Stoney Lake in the high winds that had been building all day.  Such is life.  This added an hour and a half to what had already turned into a long day.

 

 

 

The cruise across Clear Lake and Stoney Lake was fabulous.  The water is just about crystal clear, and the scenery was breath taking.

After finally making the Burleigh Falls lock and securing the boat, the crew walked to the falls and took some time to soak in the cool water.

Saturday, well this was supposed to be another short easy day, but as the week has unfolded, nothing has been short or easy.  Today would be no different for the crew.  After making the two locks (Lovesick and Buckhorn) on the float plan today, the crew settled in at the top of the Buckhorn Lock.  The first surprise was to learn that they are having problems with their electrical system (or hydro as the Canadians like to call it) and we would not be able to get power.  Seems that they are adding onto the system and the modification is causing problems.  Oh well, the crew has 200 Watts of solar power now and this will be no problem.

 

The crew walked up to a pizza place in town that was recommended by the lock master.  The skipper had returned to the boat while the Admiral was out window shopping.  The skipper was down below decks when he heard screaming and then the boat rocked.  He ran topside to see a rather large houseboat up against the side of Still Waters II.  The crew of the houseboat was fending off the two boats as the wind was pushing the houseboat into Still Waters II.

The skipper jumped out on the swim platform to assist getting the houseboat off Still Waters II.  It looked like all the efforts would be successful until a crew member yelled “ALL CLEAR.”

The house boat captain gave full throttle to his engine which caused the back of the boat to swing into Still Waters II.  The port aft corner rub rail on Still Waters II punctured thru a wood panel and ripped a 1- foot long hole in the side panel.  The house boat corner rail then caught the stern of Still Waters II and gave her a nice rock.

When all was said and done, the damage assessment to Still Waters II is as follows:

• Rub rail busted
• 9 inch crack thru the gel coat and into fiberglass of the aft port corner transom.
• Fiberglass scuff marks and black paint transfer where the house boat rubbed along side Still Waters II

The good news is that nobody got hurt in the 10 seconds of panic.  The owner of the house boat rental company dropped by and has arranged for a haul out and repairs of Still Waters II.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than the houseboat drama, Buckhorn has been a good stop.  The dam here was originally built for a mill to grind grain.  The granite rocks made for good grinding wheels.

 

 

Tune in next week to learn what the impact of repairs will have on the forward progress of the crew.  The skipper believes this could easily be a 5-day delay in Buckhorn.

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here catching you up to date on the travels of Still Waters II.

After a whirlwind driving tour to Texas and back to Trenton, Ontario, our crew took a couple of days to unwind and prep for the next leg of the journey.  On Friday, July 15, 2016 the crew finally left the marina and headed under the bridge to start the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Click on the Travel Map above or this link to see the day-by-day travel log.

Friday the crew needed to take on fuel and pump out the holding tanks before setting sail, so they pulled over to the town dock and took care of business.  Afterwards the skipper pulled out into the channel and took a couple of pics to mark the start of the Trent-Severn.

The Trent-Severn Waterway is another ‘World-Class Boating Adventure.’  After 87 years of construction, the final link was completed in 1920.  This allowed a fully navigable water system from Trent, Ontario to Port Severn, Ontario on the Georgian Bay.  The 386 km (241 miles) waterway consists of 40 locks, 31 miles of manmade canals, and about 150 dams.  The 40 locks include 36 conventional locks, 2 flight locks, 2 lift locks, and 1 marine railway.  The Peterborough Lift Lock is the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world, 65-foot vertical lift.  The Kirkfield lift lock is the second highest hydraulic lift lock in North America, 49 feet. The marine railway will raise and lower vessels over land for a total lift of 58 vertical feet.  There will be much to see and do on the Trent Severn.

The crew only went 8 miles on the first day.  They passed through 6 conventional locks that raised the boat a total of 116 feet.  The wind was playing havoc on piloting the boat in the narrow locks.  One time a gust caught the stern of the boat and pushed it towards the mooring wall.  The skipper had to do a 360 rotation to get back under control prior to entering the lock.  Never a dull moment on Still Waters II.

 

 

At the Frankford Lock there was an information board about building the locks in this area.  The labor was completed by Irish immigrants using picks and shovels.  They worked ten hours a day, six days a week, and were paid a whole $1.75 a day for the effort.  The skipper thinks they were well under-paid by the looks of the granite rock that is beginning to surround most of the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Locks are all kept very nice, manicured, and flowers seem to be everywhere.

 

 

 

Saturday, with only a short run of 18 miles today, the skipper decided to take a late start. The crew shoved off about 1100 and made the first of three locks at 1230.  The Skipper Bob Publication discusses an ice cream store near the lock so the skipper inquired how far a walk it might be to procure some ice cream.  The lockmaster pointed across the water and said it was in the one and only store.  After clearing the lock, the crew swung the boat around and docked.  The ice cream turned out to be the best cream at the best price so far on the loop.  Three BIG scoops of ice cream for only $5 Canadian (~$4.00).

 

 

 

The lady of the store is a large collector of M&M stuff.  She mentioned that her collection was now well over 1,000 pieces.  One piece that was proudly on display in the store was a Kyle Busch racing helmet.

After finishing off the ice cream the crew headed back up the river to completed the next two locks.

 

 

 

While crossing a small lake, the skipper noticed a ski boat throwing a huge wake.  The bow was pointed nose up with the stern of the boat plowing into the water.  Behind the boat was a guy on a surf board.  He was holding a rope, but the rope was slack.  He was actually staying with the boat by riding the wave.   He eventually let go of the rope and was doing 360 turns and crossing back and forth over the wake behind the boat.

 

 

After stopping at Lock 9, the crew took a 1 mile hike back to Lock 8 on the Centennial Trail.  The trail needs a little maintenance but it was a good hike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After arriving back at lock 8, the Lockmaster showed the crew a snapping turtle nesting site.  He said the eggs should hatch sometime the first part of September.

 

 

 

 

 

Upon hiking back to Lock 9, the crew found that they would be the only boat along the wall tonight.  A lovely peaceful night on the water.

The crew will spend next week making their way to the famed Peterborough Lift Lock where they will take a 65 foot lift in a large bathtub.  Come back next week to see how the adventure continues to unfold.

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red