Day 20 - Location: 44.32014N, 77.78667W

One of the great Canada Parks Staff

We've passed a thousand of these bouys by now - Nancy faithfully marks them off as we pass them - they keep us on the straight & narrow

Standing by Healey Falls

Looking back at the dam, locks, & power plant

Short day today. We got started at 8:30 by going through the swing bridge and lock at Hastings, Ont. We made 30 km. or 20 miles, passed through 6 locks, one double, or in-flight lock. A combined drop of 122' (40m) today The winds and current continue to be strong, at times challenging our docking skills. We still have 12 locks to go through before we're finished with the Trent-Severn and move on to Kingston, Ont. through the NE corner of Lake Ontario. From there we'll start on the Rideau Canal system, another of Canada Parks canals. The staff from Parks Canada do an excellent job trying to help out in any way possible. The facilities are always clean & well kept.

Day 19 - Location: 44.30997N, 77.95062

Shoreline along Rice Lake, Ont.

This morning we left Peterborough and after locking through the only lock for today we travelled about 20 miles down the Otonabee River/Trent Canal before crossing Rice Lake. Rice Lake is about 30 Miles long and 2 - 3 miles wide. We went about 20 of those miles before we made it to the village of Hastings, Ont. early this afternoon. Other then fishing boats we passed no more then a half dozen other boaters going up the Trent-Severn. Traffic has been fairly light every day with the exception of the weekend boaters this last weekend.

Docking was a bit of a challenge today at the marina, which is located only a hundred yards upstream from the dam. With all the rain the last week the flood gates on most of the dams we passed are now open quite a ways and this is generating a pretty good current. Not bad when going downstream. Today along with the current there was a 20 MPH wind in the same direction. We got the old tub docked, but not without a few hairy moments. I did not have time to make a video of the actual docking, but I did take a short one just below the dam showing the currents. All survived in good shape.

Currents at the Hastings dam.

Day 18 - Location: 44.29527N, 78.31567W

Looking back at the Lift Lock after passing through

Looking down on the lower chamber from above

Waiting for the green light signalling time to go in

Keith talking to the lockmaster at one of the locks

Giving the crew a work-out at the locks

Lock day today. We were planing on a short day today, maybe 20+ miles. But with 7 locks to go through, all within a short distance of each other, we ended up making it a full day after all. The most spectacular lock we passed through today was the Peterborough Lift Lock, the largest lift lock in the world.

What an impressive piece of work. Two large basins or boat chambers 140' (43m) X 33' (10m) sitting on giant pistons push each other up, one going down, while the other goes up. The lock opened up in 1903 and has been operating with very little down time since. It takes approx. 10 minutes to cycle.

During the more than six years of construction 76,000 cu. yds. of sand, soil & gravel were excavated, 26,000 cu. yds. of concrete were placed. All that work for $1.-/day. The scenery along the waterway continues to change a little each day. We are starting to see more cleared lands, with pastures. , Peterborough (pop. 78,000), where we're staying tonight is by far the largest place we've seen since we left. A nice marina with a river front park. We both continue to truly enjoy our trip.

Day 17 - Location 44.48874N, 78.23352W

Locked through & moored for the night @ Young's Point, Ont.

Lock 30 @ Lovesick

Moored @ Lock 27 @ Youngspoint, Ont.

We decided on a late start and an easy day for today. This still involved going through 4 locks. We are now over half-way on the Trent-evern. Tomorrow we're scheduled to go throught the Lift Lock @ Peterborough, the largest lift lock in the world! More on that tomorrow.

Our boat continues to attract many onlookers, trying to figure out what kind of boat that could be. We've been knocked on (waking us fron our nap) when someone wants to check out what material the boat is made of. When docked or locking through we get lots of questions. We've also seen many unique boats on our trip.

We had our first equipment failure; our coffee pot is broke. It may seem like a small matter, but we've been chewing a steady diet of coffee grounds. We'll have to find a replacement soon.

Day 16 - Location: 44.5405N, 78.5442W

Lock @ Fenelon Falls

the Fenelon Falls
Last night we spent the night at the lock in Fenelon Falls, Ont. Each lock is set up to allow boaters to spend the evening, or day hooked up to the wall, either above or below the locks. All have a park like setting with wash rooms & toilets. When ready to go through the locks you move up to the 'blue wall' indicating you are ready to go through. The lock master will then indicate when you can proceed into the lock chamber.
This morning we woke up to the sound of the falls, just off to side of the locks. We took our time before moving into the lock and then moved on to Bobcaygeon, Ont. where we went through Lock 32.
Shortly after we got going the rain started and if the radar can be trusted we're in for an all day rain. No big deal though. After going through the lock we decided to get a slip @ GordonYachtHarbour.com, where Jody put us in an 'under cover' slip (our first). We'll spend a little time today in the town
The waterway has many spots where the current is quite interesting, and takes a little getting used to. When going 'up-hill' we were headed into the current and keeping the boat under control was easier then with the current behind us. It makes for some interesting moments.

Day 15 - Location 44.53575N, 78.74118W

Today we went through 7 locks. The most impressive was the Kirkfield Lift Lock. This was also the last 'lift' on the the Waterway. From there we're going down, we reached the summit. It takes a little getting used to going down, rather than up. The lock is filled when we go in and drops from there. Of the 9 hydraulic locks built worldwide this is the 2nd highest. The Kirkfield Lock lifts/ lowers you 49' in a matter minutes. The video shows how the lock gates are manually opened and closed. We also tried to include a pic of the description of the operation. It's really rather simple & smooth. The scenery around us continues to change gradually each day as we continue to move along. This keeps us from getting bored. Boating in close quarters takes more concentration then the open water. Nancy is constantly tracking us on charts and giving directions, while Keith is trying to keep us from hitting bottom. There is little time to put the boat on autopilot and sit back & relax.

Day 14 - Location: 44.61295N, 79.41296W

Our first full day on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We have now completed 4 locks. The waterway is 240 miles (386 km) long and runs from the NE corner of Lake Ontario to the SE corner of the Greorgian Bay. It is made up of a series of canals, lakes and rivers. 45 locks, including a railcar and 2 liftlocks, 150 dams and 30 miles of man-made canals. Work was started in 1830, but the final link was not completed until 1930. By that time its commercial value was not there. Railroads were now the dominant means of transportation. The waterway will lift us from 577' (176m) above sea level to 840' (256m) before dropping us off at 243' (74m) at Lake Ontario. What a marvel of engineering completed a hundred & more years ago! The Waterway is now run by the friendly & helpfull staff from Parks Canada. ( www.pc.ca/trent )The trip on the Waterway should take us about 6 days. Tonight we'll be spending the night in the City of Orillia, Ont.

Day 13 - LOCATION: 44.61296N, 79.41285W

Our boat on the 'Big Chute' looking down

The Georgian Bay is behind us today. After another quiet night on the anchor, we took off @ 7:30 this morning and went through the first lock at Port Severn at about noon. The weather was great, the locking went smooth so we decided to go through the 'Big Chute' also, which is a large railcar that takes the boat & crew 57 feet up before dropping us off at the higher elevation. Quite a trip. After that we stopped at the Big Chute Marina for a slip for the night and the world famous 'Big Chute Burger', another trip. Again man, woman, & machine holding up well

DAY 12 LOCATION: 45.09066N, 80.07788W

This shows the narrow entry into tonight's anchorage spot

Today the morning started out wet & windy in Parry Sound. We decided to stay around
a while, waiting for it to let up. At 10:00 we decided to get going, though the rain did not stop until several hour later. We do have one more day left on the Georgian Bay. What a beautiful place and what a super job the Canadians did putting together the 'Inside Passage', marking all the challenging passes, and publishing clear charts to follow. We are reluctant to leave it behind but at the same time we're anxious to get started on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Tomorrow when we reach Port Severn, we expect to get through the first of the more then 150 locks we expect to pass through.

DAY 11 Southbound Georgian Bay

just leaving our tightest squeeze today
Today we had a beautifull day again going South through the Georgian Bay. We had spots with wide open water and depth of 200' or more and then we went through spots that were no more then 20' wide and maybe 5' deep. What a variety! The area is starting to become more populated then before. Also, most cottages now have electricity available. What a difference in size and frequency that makes. Before, it was rare to see a cabin, now it's rare not to see one. Traffic is also more frequent now. Instead of 1 or 2 boats in a day we now see that many in an hour. It's still fairly quiet though. We expect that to change once we leave the Georgian Bay and move onto the Trent-Severn Waterway (June 25) We'll also start posting our Lat/Lon location so if interested you can see on Google Earth where we end up each day. Today's location: 45.33815N, 80.03611W. Our phones are working again, but don't know for how long.

Bing Inlet, Ontario

Wright Marina - Bing Inlet, Ont

After a beautifull sunrise we're getting ready to continue on our journey South on the Georgian Bay. The route today looks challenging, but with my chief navigator, Nancy I don't doubt we'll make it in good shape. The plan is to stop at Parry Sound, Ont. to stop & get groceries and then continue and find a suitable spot to anchor for the night.

After a very quiet night in a very secluded spot we left for Byng Inlet, Ont. We went through some very tight and shallow spots with some challenging manuvering to do. But it was fun and the views were worth it. You need GPS and very good charts to make it through this area. We do not have definite plans for tomorrow yet but will keep you informed.

This is our view from our anchorage spot, approx. 15 miles South of Killarney, Ont. Weather is great, all is well. Getting ready to put some fresh whitefish filets on the grill for supper. Bing Inlet is our goal for tomorrow. Sprint's internet aircard is impressive. We haven't seen a soul for miles, nothing around us and the thing works!

Day 8. We spent 7 hours today getting tossed around on the North Channel from Blind River, Ont. to Little Current, Ont. The forecast called for high winds and rain. We got both. Entering into Little Current made it all worth it. A nice little town that is near the East. end of the North Channel. From here we will move onto Killarney, Ont. and slide into the Georgian Bay. We have adequate charts for this section and this should allow us to squeeze through the 30,000 (that's right) islands. The winds and waves should not be much of an issue here, though visibility is critical, and we'll have to constantly keep track of the charts. The boat, gear & crew seems to be holding up well so far. Phone is still a non-issue, but the internet seems to be working well in most places up to now. In the Georgian Bay we may be without access for 3-4 days since there are few places to stop. We'll update when we can.

This morning we started out & left De Tour @ 6:30 to enter the North Channel. The sun is up and the water is calm. What a gorgeous, quiet place. The navigation is a little more intense, but with all the gadgets on board we should be able to get through without a problem. We lost phone coverage, but our aircard keeps working, and internet is still available. We'll see what happens when we get deeper into Canada. The majority of traffic out here is freighters and our fine homeland security folks. Yesterday on Mackinac Island we watched the Coast guard come through the Marina on one of their small crafts with one guy behind a 30 cal. machine gun up front. In the De Tour Marina fully armed Customs & Immigration folks were well represented also. With that much fire power around we should be safe. With all those folks looking for entertainment, along with the Canadian folks, I expect us to get boarded some time. Should be interesting. We'll keep you updated. We arrived in Blind River, OT @1:45 pm. and went through Canadian Customs. They were very polite and friendly. We will be doing some biking to check out the town. The plan at this time is to go to Little Current tomorrow.

After 2 days on Mackinac Island waiting for the weather to clear we decided to get going @ 10:30 this morning. The lake is still not as calm as we like, and we were the only boat leaving the marina, but we felt the time was right to move. We're heading for De Tour Village, a town just west of Drummond Island about 5 hrs. on the water. We'll update from there. Arrived @ 4:15 pm. The lake calmed down as we went but the sky was gray with showers. We are preparing for the next leg of our trip. We fueled up, changed oil, and stocked up on groceries. At this point we have not found anything we forgot to pack and the boat is running great. We will head in to Canada tomorrow but have not decided on the destination yet.

After hearing the forecast today (small craft advisory) we decided to take a day off and stay put on Mackinac Island. A good day for laundry, housekeeping etc. This morning we walked all over the island and discovered why this is such an attraction. No vehicle traffic, only horses, bikes & pedestrians. Shops, restaurants, pathways & trails everywhere.



We included a short video of what we're looking at when heading straight into 3' waves. If you have the speed you may enjoy it. We sure do if only it did not last 6 - 8 hours.

Leg 1 Lake Michigan Day 4

We covered a lot of water today (93 miles) and left the open waters of Lake Michigan behind us. We ended up on Mackinac Island. A pretty tourist stop. Tomorrow we plan on heading to De Tour village, our last stop in Michigan. It is also the last familiar stop.

Leg 1 Lake Michigan Day 3

Another great day! Today was a beautiful sunny day with a calm lake. We were able to put in a 12 hour day and ended up in Leland. We past both Big Sable Point and Point Betsie on our way North. Included is the Point Betsie Lighthouse which was our half way point today.

We're both fortunate to be employed by some great people who were kind enough to grant us the time off. Special thanks to the people @ OAK & Donald J Vander Linde DDS. for allowing us the time off.

Leg 1 - Lake Michigan Day 2

We left White Lake at daybreak this morning and started heading North along the beautifull Lake Michigan shoreline. It wasn't long and we were surrounded by thick fog (1/4 mile visibility), a steady North wind and 2 to 3 foot waves. A good day to get used to using Radar & GPS. It was a little rough and after five hours we took a 2 hour break in Pentwater before heading out again to Ludington. Here we decided to get a slip at the Municipal Marina and spend the night. Once here the weather cleared and we're enjoying a beautifull evening waiting for the Badger to come in.

The Journey Day 1

Our dream became reality!! Today June 11, 2010 @ 7:50 am we left Southern Grand Marina to begin our trip to New York. In Grand Haven we tied up to The Wall to wait out some passing thundershowers. In the past we've gained respect for thunderstorms and their fury on Lake Michigan. It was great to be able to track the storm on radar going across the lake on the internet. Two hours later we continued and ended up at White Lake for day 1. A succesfull 1st day!