Sat – July 14th, Day 71: We departed from the Trenton Marina and motored north under the bridge across the canal, welcoming us to the Trent-Severn aterway system. Ahead of us, between Trenton and Port Severn, on Georgian Bay, lay 44 locks, of which we expected to have to pass through 13 today. With the smaller, Belinda-sized docklines, locking seemed to go much smoother. Our heavy boat even managed to stress test some of the cables on the lock walls, pulling 2 of them out of the wall with just a moderate amount of effort. The Canadian locks, especially on the Trent-Severn, seem to be past due for preventative maintenance. Our destination for the day was Campbellford, approximately 30 miles up the canal. We had “budgeted” 8 days to do the 240 miles of the waterway, so we hope to average about 30 miles each day. By late afternoon, we entered lock #13, were lifted 23 feet and parked for the night at the top of the lock at the free wall, courtesy of Parks Canada.
Sun – July 15th, Day 72: Today’s “stretch goal” destination was Peterborough, one of the larger cities in southern Ontario, approximately 58 miles up the canal. We only had to do 5 locks today, so making time was a bit easier. While underway, Belinda surprised me with a large stack of homemade blueberry pancakes, made with the fresh blueberries bought at the farmer’s market in Trenton. Twenty of the miles were going across a relatively large lake, Rice Lake, which was of some concern to us because the weather forecast called for a 40% chance of severe thunderstorms. Since today was Sunday, the lake was busy with water skiers, wave runners, and fishing boats enjoying the summer warmth. As we approached the river that was to be our exit off of the lake, we received a severe weather report over the VHF, warning of squalls forming over Lake Ontario & Lake Erie (just south of us) that could have heavy rains and strong winds. So, instead of pushing to Petersborough, we opted to end our day at Campbellton (not to be confused with Campbellford). Our berth for the night was a somewhat rundown municipal dock, where we watched an underwater mower, chopping weeds and vegetation off of the bottom in front of the summer cottages that lined the bank, and then depositing the cuttings in more remote parts of the river. The undergrowth is so thick in some places, the “water weed harvester” must have a brisk business.
Mon – July 16th, Day 73: We had a short day today, just going 18 miles, and through 1 lock, in order to spend almost a full day in Peterborough. We left Campbellton about 7:45 and were pulling into Peterborough about 10. Instead of staying at a free dock (where we don’t have shore power), we treated ourselves to a stay in the local marina, which was very close to the main city center, making a trip to the marine supply store and grocery store very convenient. After lunch, we unfolded our bikes on the aft deck, lowered them to the docks, and pedaled 5 miles to preview the infamous Peterborough Lift Lock, which we would have to go through tomorrow. The lock is famous, since it is the highest lift lock in the world, lifting (or lowering) boats 65 feet via a pair of giant, water-filled chambers, like a giant see-saw counter-balanced by adjusting the weight to make the upper chamber heavier than the lower. The see-saw effect is activated by adding an additional foot of water into the upper chamber, which adds 144 tons of weight to the top chamber, and pushes it down and forcing the lower chamber up.
Sun – July 15th, Day 72: Today’s “stretch goal” destination was Peterborough, one of the larger cities in southern Ontario, approximately 58 miles up the canal. We only had to do 5 locks today, so making time was a bit easier. While underway, Belinda surprised me with a large stack of homemade blueberry pancakes, made with the fresh blueberries bought at the farmer’s market in Trenton. Twenty of the miles were going across a relatively large lake, Rice Lake, which was of some concern to us because the weather forecast called for a 40% chance of severe thunderstorms. Since today was Sunday, the lake was busy with water skiers, wave runners, and fishing boats enjoying the summer warmth. As we approached the river that was to be our exit off of the lake, we received a severe weather report over the VHF, warning of squalls forming over Lake Ontario & Lake Erie (just south of us) that could have heavy rains and strong winds. So, instead of pushing to Petersborough, we opted to end our day at Campbellton (not to be confused with Campbellford). Our berth for the night was a somewhat rundown municipal dock, where we watched an underwater mower, chopping weeds and vegetation off of the bottom in front of the summer cottages that lined the bank, and then depositing the cuttings in more remote parts of the river. The undergrowth is so thick in some places, the “water weed harvester” must have a brisk business.
Mon – July 16th, Day 73: We had a short day today, just going 18 miles, and through 1 lock, in order to spend almost a full day in Peterborough. We left Campbellton about 7:45 and were pulling into Peterborough about 10. Instead of staying at a free dock (where we don’t have shore power), we treated ourselves to a stay in the local marina, which was very close to the main city center, making a trip to the marine supply store and grocery store very convenient. After lunch, we unfolded our bikes on the aft deck, lowered them to the docks, and pedaled 5 miles to preview the infamous Peterborough Lift Lock, which we would have to go through tomorrow. The lock is famous, since it is the highest lift lock in the world, lifting (or lowering) boats 65 feet via a pair of giant, water-filled chambers, like a giant see-saw counter-balanced by adjusting the weight to make the upper chamber heavier than the lower. The see-saw effect is activated by adding an additional foot of water into the upper chamber, which adds 144 tons of weight to the top chamber, and pushes it down and forcing the lower chamber up.
 The bridge in Trenton that is the official beginning of the Trent-Severn Waterway!  Yum! Pancakes (cooked while underway) with fresh blueberries purchased earlier at the Trenton Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  Wind, dark clouds and 4 loud claps of thunder caused us to cut our day short and stop for the night in Campbelltown.  Peterborogh sits on the Little Lake which has a huge fountain in the center.  And here he is with the camera not zoomed in!  |  I'm not sure I have seen this speed posted before - ?  We entered this lock, looked up at the HUGE metal gates and it reminded us of a scene from the original King Kong movie.  The Water Weed Harvester  This man is standing on the bow of his 55 foot yacht in the upper chamber of the lift lock.  The hydraulic cylinder below the upper chamber.  |
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