The Big Chute

The Big Chute was a highlight lock event of our Trent Severn Waterway experience.  We arrived in the evening and were able to check things out before our big ride in the morning. 

 This beautiful rock formation is located right next to the "The Big Chute" was suppose to be a temporary solution while construction was underway for the new canal.  After many years they realized the rail system was the way to go due to excavation difficulties/site challenges 

 This is the view from the Observation Deck above. 

 This is the Little Chute which was the first chute used for many many years and then was the back-up until recently put out of commission. Thank goodness....as it is basically a glorified train car.  The neat thing about the Big Chute is it's design to stay level utilizing four different tracks during the transport.  It is quite a steep hill.

 The night was calm we enjoyed walking the grounds.

 The kids had a chance to swim and play in the water.

 The next morning I opted to stay on land and take photos of the boat going through the lift lock. It was a tough decision, but I made a good one!  Pictured here is Big Chute moving over the passing road and into the water to pick up our boat!

 Craig and the kids got the Negotiator in place (Morgan made a great First Mate in my absence).

 Notice the man knelt down next to the boat....hmmmmm. The problem is that our boat is a true 42 foot Chris Craft Catalina with a 6 foot cockpit at the stern.  All of our running gear is set up as a 42....not a 48!  We ended going back into the water and repositioning the boat for safety reasons.

 The lockmasters claim this is the first time they've had a boat like this. The Negotiator was substantially hanging off the back of the lift. The lockmaster asked if we were loaded with gas in the back tanks and YES we were!  We hold 600 gallons of fuel plus fresh water.  It was all hanging off the back!!!!  This is quite a balancing act.  He still put us through.....

 Craig was amazed to see the pictures later on.  It's hard to believe they made it across.....and VERY quickly! This photo doesn't do it justice, but we have approximately 15 feet hanging off the lift.  It's a good thing the kids had all of theirs toys and treasure collection stuff located in the bow....we hoped this teeter wouldn't totter! 

 I was running to take the photos. I had the CB radio on my neck with Ryann, the commentator, giving me details of her thoughts onboard the boat.  Jaxon chiming in how I should be on the boat and when am I coming back?  I have great videos of all of it.

 It was a rather quick ride!

 No wasting time...they pulled out seconds after arrival into the water.

 Morgan was ready with lines and Jaxon ready to have me back on the boat. 

 We met a trawler traveling the area and were able to watch him go up the lift too.

 We pulled out of the lift and around the corner to find this sign.  It's not an uncommon site here.

 Lock 45 is the last lock that we went through. It is the smallest, most narrow one of them all with a big current to contend with for eastbound vessels.  We made it through without a hitch, but I can't imagine the westbound vessels approaching their first lock with this experience. 

 Moments after leaving the lock there were a series of buoys to traverse through.  It's not an option to go outside the channel and made for a tight pass thru. 

Locks and more locks!

Happy Fathers Day! We just realized yesterday that yet another holiday had sneaked up on us. It's hard to remember the day, let alone the date these days.   

There are 45 locks in the Trent Severn Canal and add that to the 31 we just did in the Erie Canal and it makes for eventful days. This is the Peterborough lift lock and is world's tallest lift lock!  It actually lifts you into air while you're still in the water! 

 Once we pulled up and secured our lines the gate behind us rose and off we went!

 To think we would actually be at the top in a matter of minutes?

 It was very impressive and fun to ride. The view was amazing!

 Very efficient and we were done within 15 minutes of arriving!  My mom said I was here with her and my dad when I was 16, but I guess it was a bit more memorable in my own boat as I don't recall it.

 The Lovesick lock was located on an island and so cute and small. The lockmaster takes a boat to work each day.  Notice all of the houseboats as they are everywhere.  It is very popular to rent them during the summer months. You should see all of the dents in the pontoons. The lock tender said it can be quite comical to watch them get the boat into the lock.

Morgan really enjoyed gathering the stickers and cards at each lock.  We had a great routine when entering each lock. Craig of course captained the boat inside the chamber with always some type of wind, rain or current. I grabbed a line midship and secured while Morgan went for the stern line. Ryann would give the lockmaster a ticket which was a chance to win a prize if drawn at the end of the summer. Then she gathered the cards and stickers.  It worked well for us and the kids enjoyed their 'job'. When in a flight of locks you could have 7 in a row that were only a mile apart from one another.

 So many many neat homes we passed, so many pictures of beautiful scenery, wildlife/trees/rocks and locks. I just can't do this waterway justice with photos, it's a unique experience and one I'd recommend to anyone.

 Bobcaygeon was one of the many places we stopped at. They had a large well known shoe store (on right), a biker event the day we arrived and a great town.

 Fenelon Falls was yet another great stop. We started locking through during lunch time and on a whim I said to Craig "if they have a Subway, we should stop." As we locked up to the top there was a Subway RIGHT next to the lock. I must have smelled it...what are the chances...this is the first Subway we have seen since Cambellford.

 The dam next to the lock.

 Our friends aboard Messenger claimed we had to try Tim Hortons donuts and Skittles. We LOVED the donuts and the Smarties are actually chocolate candies....not like the chewy gummy ones in the states. 

 The kids want a dog and Craig said they could have one like this....fake! Haha...they didn't think it was funny and now think we should get a bulldog.

 "The Narrows" is how they describe these stretches (yes plural as there are many that go for miles and miles) of water that were all over the Trent Severn Waterway.

 No big deal to drive through it, but don't you dare get close to the edge as it's complete ROCKS and as they say 'not forgiving' if you drift off the middle.

 Just what you DON'T want to see is oncoming vessels. We were fortunate to see them ahead of time and waited in a 'wide' area to make a tight pass.  Good thing we all have a ton of fenders out for the locks in case things get a bit close.

 Kirkland lift lock was very similar to the Peterborough one. Another great view, but a bit spooky at the same time. Glad we're not afraid of heights!

 Locking down now for the remainder of the waterway. 

 Hole in the Wall Bridge. Many times during our experience it was hard to believe that we actually belonged here.  This actually had a 28 foot clearance and we only need 18. 

Stuck in the middle of a flight of locks for a night.  Ryann went out into the aft deck about a half hour after we arrived and the boat next to us said "Hi Ryann."  She said hi and ran inside wondering who it was?  I went out to meet them and they saw the burgee and boat name, went online, found our blog and read up on us.  Very funny, but they were great people with lot's of good advice!  We moored with two other boats and enjoyed their company in this pristine lock in the middle of nowhere. 

 Great exercise running the grassy hill and they were full of mud and strawberry stains as the hill was full of them! 

 After a ride through Lake Simcoe, the largest lake on the waterway, we arrived to this train bridge.  We waited for about 25 minutes as the bridge operator never responded on the VHF. We watched him looking at us as if he hoped we'd just go away.  Three men walked out of the upper station, over to the little house on the left, then back up and down again, and back up.  Finally a loud engine started and very very slowly the bridge started to turn.

 We are still seeing the remains of all the wind damage in the area. This gazebo didn't make it.

 It seems after every turn or bend is something new to see.  The waters before Swift Rapids here are as unique and pretty as so many other areas. 

There will be another new posting coming soon....

Trent Severn Waterway

Oswego, New York was the final destination in the Erie Canal. Our journey through the canal was very enjoyable and one we'll remember forever!

We waited for a mail delivery on Monday morning to get our Canada charts and guides and left soon after.  Pictured here on the wall just before our last lock #31 of the entire Erie and Oswego Canal system.  The lockmaster said many locals will dock at these walls all summer long. 

 We enjoyed our adventures through the canal systems very much. 

 We went to Fort Ontario, the park, pizza place, laundry and groceries before our venture into Canada waters. This photo is of the inside of the fort.

Our long trip across Lake Ontario was almost 80 miles into Canada but was a successful day. We left Oswego with no wind and calm seas and within an hour the fog rolled in and we were at minimal visibility the first half of the trip. With the radar on we never saw even a ripple in the water and made it clear into the Murray Canal near Brighton, Canada. Most 'Loopers' take the route directly to Kingston and the thousand island region, but we spent quite a bit of time there on our RV trip just two years ago. 
The channel markers are all very small in contrast to the states.  

 Docked here at the swing bridge which closed at 4:00 pm. We cleared customs without a problem and after a good night sleep (tons of mosquitos, no breeze and sweltering hot) we were on our way.  

 We were excited to enter the Trent-Severn Waterway and start our journey through 240 miles and 45 locks.

 Most of the locks have manually controlled gates by the lockmaster.

 An interesting overview of the path we're taking.

We started having some engine problems after the heat of the day wore on and we had to turn the engines off at each lock.  With Craig spending hours in the bilge and biking to the local auto store, he seemed to have fixed the problem. 

 The kids love the lock walls as they're all so scenic with many areas to play in the grass and run.  This is the turning mechanism type 'key' used to open the large gate doors.

After figuring out the engines Craig went for a swim to see if he could find the bow thruster problem.  It seems we have stripped the bearings and will not be able to fix it until the boat is pulled out of the water.  It went out two weeks before we started all 76 locks.....great timing. We seem to manage fine and have installed a new mid thruster which is me giving a little push midship at each lock! 

 Morgan has eagerly been at every lock assisting with lines.  In this canal you need to have two lines held at all times.  The kids are collecting cards and stickers at every lock which they put into their own map and activity book.  They get excited when they see the next lock and the cards represent local endangered wildlife.

 Ryann and Jaxon made a great team tending the lines.

 We came out of the lock (see far back area), to a boat docked alongside and story had it they just went out of the channel and grounded.  As we continued on the trawler you see here was grounded in the same spot.  They asked us to tow them out and we opted to try and 'wake' them first.  We kick up a pretty big wake and they were off within seconds. 

 Less than 5 minutes after we left the trawler we ran into a horrible storm.  I usually check the weather often, but now without having wi-fi at my disposable I guess ignorance is bliss.  Until you hit a big storm with over 40 knot damaging winds while underway.  It hit harder than anyone had anticipated and came again two hours later to cause even more damage to the area.  We made our way another mile and tied up to the lower lock wall.  On the upper half they had a 60 foot tree come down and lost power.  110,000 people lost hydro (power) for a few days, a house was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground and now the waterway is lined with trees that uprooted from the force of the wind. 

 Canada does not have a one and two dollar bill, however they have a Loonie and a Toonie.  This is the Toonie and worth $2. 

 Campbellford was a nice stop along the way that offers a town with all amenities needed.

 Doohers Bakery was delicious and well known in the area.  Craig made it into the photo with our stash of goodies!

 5 pin bowling was a huge favorite! Played much like the traditional states 10 pin bowling, but the kids and I loved the small balls used.  We all caught on quickly but have never seen this played in the states.

 Bag milk? We were forewarned that we'd have to buy it this way by our friends from Messenger.  Our brother-in-law, Kurt's family owns a very large dairy farm in Ionia, MI and wondering if he's ever heard of this packaging??
New Canadian candy bars like Mr. Big, Sweet Marie and the Wunderbar was fun to try too!

 Another great lock wall stop along the way as we made another bonfire with smores and played a ton of baseball.  Jaxon has a frisbee hat on and used it to play ball until dark that night and made it out there first thing in the morning before we started our day.

 Some of the locks were 'doubles' and as you exit one chamber you'd drive straight into another. This one was very large. The entrance into these canals have been surprisingly small and extremely narrow. Couple that with tapered walls, currents and throw in some wind and still by far the best lock system we've been to.  The lockmasters are all very nice and helpful. 

Peterborough was a great stop for us as we filled our tanks with 860 liters of gasoline!  The conversion always leads to a slight hesitation, but you catch on quickly.  All this time and I never knew we had our own American gallon and most others use the Imperial gallon which varies in volume. 

The marina had full services with the most helpful friendly staff. Located in the heart of town and next to Del Crary Park which is holding a fundraiser event this weekend to raise money for Breast Cancer research.  It is worth a stop as they had a great price for fuel and dockage.   

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Couldn't pass up another round of 5-pin bowling across the street from the marina.  It was fun to play on a cool, rainy, Friday night!

Again, I do not anticipate an internet connection for awhile, but will update when possible.  We're not even half way through the locks, but it is a very enjoyable part of our trip.