Byng Inlet to Killarney

The weather gods were good to us, and our mostly outside run was calm and lovely. (OK-- it got less so toward the end--- but all in all, pretty terrific!) Killarney is on the "highway" to the North Channel which we will enter tomorrow. We spent the weekend here watching boats. There is no Wi-Fi here, and the air card is very slow, so no pictures for this post. Scenery is magnificent, and will post pictures as soon as I can.

Midland to Byng Inlet

After leaving Port Severn we cruised to Midland, Ontario. This mural welcomes boaters on their way into the town docks. We did some provisioning, boat and fender cleaning, and a ton of laundry.

Henry's Restaurant is only accessible by boat or float plane. I guess that is what gives it it's cache, because the food is ordinary. (But HUGE portions.)

Arriving by airplane for dinner at Henry's.

Our boat at Henry's dock. (We're the lovely one on the far left.)

Narrow channel along the waterway. This is common up here--- that's the only way through the rocks. Gets your heart going!

The lighthouse at Pointe au Baril.

The barrel means that the channel is clear for passage. (I believe that "baril" is French for barrel.) These were early channel markers.

After all of this lovely scenery, we decided to anchor for the night in Sandy Bay. We tried a few different nooks, and crannies, and then decided to go farther back into the Bay, and anchor back there. I bet you guessed it again.... the only possible wind direction that would make us uncomfortable was west, and west it was! We rocked and rolled all night, and by 3PM the next day--- (I guess we're slow learners!) we high-tailed it out of there. We had to backtrack 5 miles or so, but were glad to do it. By that point, we had twenty knots of wind sustained, so we came up Byng Inlet to Wright's Marina, and here we are. We are out of the wind, watching it rain, doing laundry, and using electricity like crazy!

Orillia to Port Severn

To say that the trip here was eventful is an understatement! The night before, we stayed on the wall above Swift Rapids Lock. The outflow from that hydro dam is amazing!! The drop in that lock was 47 feet.Then our next "lock" was the Big Chute Marine Railway. This is a "new-fangled" kind of portage-- carrying a vessel over a small land area to reach the water on the other side. It's usually done with canoes and such.. We drove Blue Moon into a "car" and we were put into slings that held us steady while the car rode over land on rails, and brought us to the other side, and back into the water. We have some pictures of "Y-Knot" a GB36 loaded in the car right before we went. We took some pictures from the deck while we were in the car, and one of the Parcs Canada guys was kind enough to take some pictures of our running gear to check how we're looking. (Fabulous, as usual!) Although, there is a little "swoop" on the leading edge of our starboard prop. All in all, not bad at all!

One more lock, and we're out into the Georgian Bay! The rocky part is intimidating, but lack of locks will be nice! Pictures to follow!



Incredible outflow from Swift Rapids Dam.









Y-Knot (GB-36) is on her way from Cocoa Beach, FL to her new home in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. After cruising through Lake Superior she will be loaded on a truck for the balance of the trip.




Y-Knot on her way up and over and then back to the water.









This fifty-eight foot cruiser is coming off the railway on the return trip. Amazing that the railway can move such big boats!




Here we are at the top of the railway. I'm trying to be cool. So far, so good.









Here we are traveling down hill back to the water. (Still being cool.) I resume breathing as soon as we resume floating!

Bobcaygeon to Orillia

Had a good ride across Lake Simcoe, which we heard can really kick up. We're happy to have found a calm day. Part of the trip was through the very narrow and shallow (hey that almost rhymes!) Trent Canal. We were seeing .9 feet- that's "point nine" under the keel. A bit hair-raising and nerve-wracking! All of the locks from here on are going down, which is much more pleasant and less turbulent.

We stopped for the night just above the Kirkfield Lift Lock. It's like the lock at Peterborough with two pans, except that here, since we're locking down, we go out to the end at the top! Holy cow---- we were hanging out there!! The lock tenders were walking all over the structure 49 feet in the air. I was hyperventilating! It worked out well, as you can see, I'm still here!

The weather turned rainy, so we're using this stop as a provisioning, laundry, and rest stop. They are having a bass fishing tournament here... small, low freeboard boats with big giant engines.... catching fast fish!

This cottage sits all alone on an island along the waterway on the way to the Kirkfield Lift Lock.

Standing at the top of the Kirkfield Lift Lock looking down. This lock lowers you 49'.

Here we are entering the lift chamber. We decided to stay in the middle of the chamber, rather than go all the way to the front where it looks like you could fall the whole 49 feet!

Half way down. Notice the other chamber going up.

On our way safely out of the lock at the bottom. Note the wall behind us-- that is 49' that we rode down.

This is an original waterway bridge built in 1905.

Doing boat maintenance in Bobcaygeon

A special Thank You to Ken from Home Hardware in Bobcaygeon who saved the day. While doing some normal engine maintenance today, I ran into some very inconvenient situations. Thanks again Ken.

Lakefield to Bobcaygeon

Airplanes are a common sight along the Trent-Severn Waterway. Pretty cool to be cruising along, when a plane lands nearby!

Church services by land and sea.

The channel goes between the rocks, around this island and cottage. Check out the markers. One must leave the green on the left, and the red to the right. Here it's like a slalom course! Click to make the picture larger for a better look.

This "Glass House" sits along the banks of Buckhorn Lake. You can see everything that goes on in there! Hope the bathroom has a solid door! (Insert your own joke about stone-throwing and glass houses here.)

Peterborough Lift Lock

Here we are, approaching Peterborough Lift Lock. We had to wait about an hour while they repaired a valve. OK by me-- if we're getting into that, I want it in perfect condition! The "drill" was this--there was a gate at the entrance to each "pan." We drove our boat into the lower chamber, (locking up) when the gate lowered, and once we were in, they raised it behind us.






Here we are, entering the lift chamber (140' x 33'). We tied to a rail at the side of the chamber. Note the hydraulic ram under the chamber on the left. It provided a very smooth rise. When the gate closed behind us, they added one foot of water to the other chamber- and the added weight of the water lowered the other chamber, and raised the chamber that we were in. And the ride up is FAST. It was over before I could faint!

And then, there we were at the top, after being raised 65 feet! They opened the gate, and out we went. We turned around to look, and couldn't believe it. I know it's trite to say, but it IS a marvel of engineering. It was built over 8 years... 1896 through 1904.