Trent-Severn Waterway

At last post we were at Trenton and the beginning of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Two weeks later we are in Midland ON after a very enjoyable trip (minus one harrowing day). The waterway runs about 240 miles from Lake Ontario to the southern tip of Georgian Bay and has 42 locks, 2 elevator rides and 1 railway ride....

In Trenton we met up with friends Liz & Bob on Knot Sew Easy after their crossing of Lake Ontario. We're looking forward to catching up and traveling with them again.

Most of the locks have extra space above and below where you can tie up overnight. Some with power and water although power is called Hydro here for some reason. The lock crews maintain a park-like setting and some even have gardens. It's amazing to us the number of people that are at each lock just to have a picnic lunch and watch the boats go by. The lock workers are mostly college students on summer break and every one is pleasant and stops by the boat to ask a few questions as we're going up or down. The first day we only went 10 miles but went through 6 locks. After this they were spaced out a bit more until the end.  A few days in we came to our first double lock just bellow Campbellford. These are interesting as you go up quite a ways in a short distance.

Way Up Here!!

We spent 3 nights in Campbellford as they offered a buy 2 get 1 free deal. It isn't a very large town but had things to keep us busy while we were there. We went to the World's Finest Chocolate store. You'll remember this next time you see the little league team selling candy to buy uniforms...this is where it all comes from!! Also, another fantastic attraction is the worlds largest Toonie......

We got out on our bikes one day to visit the double locks as well as a swing bridge across the rapids and a very nice Provincial park.

Liz & Jill

Next big town and the largest on the waterway was Peterborough. We spent 2 nights here right at a very nice park where they have concerts twice a week. The place was a buzz of people and it's fun to hear the comments when they see Cincinnati on the back of the boat...most still can't figure out the name.

Saturday afternoon Jill & I rode our bikes a few miles to see the Peterborough Lift Lock. I wanted to see how it worked before pulling in in our boat. It's easier than the regular locks since you just pull in and tie up, the elevator does the rest. Just add a few more inches of water in the top than the bottom and the see-saw begins to move.

The next week was just spent moving from one small town to another and staying on lock walls. Each little town is an interesting place to spend an afternoon and most evenings we cooled off swimming in the river like the locals. We picked up a 3rd boat before leaving Campbellford, Deb & Mike on Moondance. They are originally from Cincinnati if you can believe that!! We now have a small flotilla as we move along.

One thing about this waterway is that there are many narrow and unforgiving channels. We are now traveling through the Canadian Shield and all on the man made sections were dug through granite over 100 years ago. The narrow canal sections are about 8 feet deep and very sharp on the sides. Below is a shot of the canal leading to the Kirkfield Lift Lock where we would begin going down in locks till the end. This lift is more scary since you are just looking over the edge as you pull in...glad we weren't the first boat!!

Don't Look Down!!

It was just past the section above where we had to move a bit right of center to pass an oncoming boat and heard the gut wrenching sound of fiberglass grinding on granite. Thankfully we didn't hit the props but I was pretty sure we had a serious gouge in the bottom of the boat. Traveling in a small canal behind others you stay back to let any debris they kick up settle back to the bottom. We still heard at least a dozen thuds as sunken logs hit the bottom....this was the worst travel day on the loop to date.

Rock Ledge

 After another series of down locks we crossed Lake Simcoe and stopped at a very nice marina for a couple of days to recover. While there I dove on all three boats to check on any damage from the previous day. Moondance had some weeds on the prop shafts that cleaned off easily, Knot Sew Easy was fine (they led) and then on to Chasing 80....I was amazed to find a slight scuff along the chine about 6-8 feet long...no large gouge as expected....whew!!!!

Along the entire waterway there are many very nice "cottages". Some are on islands all to themselves and some are on shore with road access. I really like the ones with a boat shed attached or built in.

After Lake Simcoe there were just a few more locks until we were into Georgian bay. The scenery became more like we expect to see in the bay. It's still very rocky and you have to pay attention to the markers but it's more scenic in my opinion.

The second to last lock was the Big Chute Marine Railway and I'll admit I didn't sleep too well the night before wondering if I could do this without wrecking the boat! We stopped above the "lock" the night before to see how it was done and several boats had issues getting in. Turns out the next morning the winds and current were calm and we had no issues at all.

Knot Sew Easy goes first

Over The Top

Along the entire waterway there are amazing sights and you always need to have the camera ready because you never know who or what you'll see...

Jake & Elwood Chillin'

Morning Commute?

Well I think I've used up enough bandwidth for this installment. Tune in to the tracker Tuesday morning as we start up the bay, I'll send out the Tweet before we head out. The plan is to take about 2 weeks up to the top of the bay and the North Channel and then back to the US near Mackinaw about the 15th. Two weeks to get down Lake Michigan to Chicago about Labor Day.

One last pic as we clear our last lock for at least a month!! Woo-Woop!!!!

 

1000 Islands and Canada, Eh.

We left Oswego on July 5th headed across Lake Ontario toward the St. Lawrence seaway. We stopped for one night at a free dock in Cape Vincent before going on to Clayton NY. Out in Lake Ontario we saw the deepest water we've crossed so far. Even the Gulf of Mexico was only about 100 feet on the route we took.

In Cape Vincent you look across the river at Canada. We wouldn't be checking in for a few more days but they have a very welcoming view as you look over...

We ended up spending a couple of more days in Clayton than we planned since the A/C pump took longer to get there. It was time well spent in a very nice, new marina. It was nice to see the brothers from the Clayton Fire come out to welcome us to town.

 We did some more tourist things, one of which was a river cruise through the 1000 Islands to visit Boldt Castle. Every island that is big enough has a pretty impressive home or 2 on it. Back in the late 1800's and early 1900's this was the place NYC millionaires spent the season. Below is just one example, all with matching boat houses.

  The castle and island were more than impressive with a pretty interesting history (see the link above). Apparently, the "official" history ain't exactly how things happened....

The castle construction was halted before completion when George Boldt's wife died unexpectedly. The picture below shows how the rooms looked before "renovations" were started in the 70's. (is it really renovations if it was never finished??)

Walking around the island you see several "out" buildings and very nice views of the river and Alexandria Bay. One building that was completed was the boat house across the water on another island. This housed the large yachts were used to get to Heart Island.

Another tourist day in Clayton was a tour of the Antique Boat Museum which houses a very impressive collection of boats from the past. One area was set up like an old boat show exhibit floor.

The day we went they were also hosting the local Concours-d'Elegance so we got to see old cars as well as the old boats....bonus!!

Thankfully, after all the touring we found...wait for it....

Right across the street....what are the chances!!??!!

Well, the A/C pump finally arrived and we had it installed in about an hour. Of course it was out during the hottest days of the summer so far. Picture below is from the Clayton marina, nice boat.

With nothing left to wait for we left Clayton last Sunday morning and zig-zaged through the islands to the Canadian town of Gananoque to check into customs...they were closed. I called the customs number on the side of their office and a very nice young lady informed me that the office there was closed...duh. Next she asked me some basic information, boat information, anything to declare? Here's you're clearance number, post it on your boat, have a nice day!! Wow, that was easy!

The next couple of nights were spent at docks on small islands that are part of Parks Canada and included in the season pass we bought for docking in Canada. One thing that has amazed us is how clear the water is in the 1000 Islands, you can see the bottom at 20 feet. Which is good since there is a bunch of granite down there.

After the Islands we stopped at Kingston, Ontario for one night...could have spent a week there! It's a very nice town with tons to do within a few blocks of the marina. Next was Belleville where we met our friends Ed & Kyle for dinner (see Key West post). They have a place in Canada for the summer and a boat down south in the winter.

We are now in Trenton at the beginning of the Trent-Severn waterway that will take us 240 miles into Georgian bay. We will be starting Sunday so tune in for the excitement on the tracker!!

One other thing I wanted to mention. Most of you know that we are now official Florida residents. Well, just before we left Clayton for Canada we had our mail forwarded and Jill got the nicest letter from the folks down in Clay County...they are sooooo sweet!!!

Till next time....we'll be laying low, somewhere in Canada!!

Erie Canal

We left off last week in Waterford NY and the start of the Erie Canal. You have a choice to make at Waterford, straight on the Hudson and the Champlain Canal or turn left on the Erie. We are traveling with our radar arch down to clear the bridges on the Erie but can't get short enough to clear a 17' bridge on the Champlain route...we turned left.

The first day on the canal we went through 8 locks and covered just 40 miles. The 1st 5 locks are within 2 miles of leaving Waterford. I imagine people who have never locked before may be pretty intimidated at the beginning.

Lock 2

 The equipment that runs the locks and maintains the waterway is vintage to say the least but everything is lovingly maintained by the employees. Everything is brightly painted in blue and yellow and the grounds around the locks are park like with picnic tables and landscaping. Most locks have free walls to tie up to for a quick walk or even overnight.

Polished Brass Controls.

 The tug Urger was built in 1901 and came to work on the Erie in 1922, she still looks great.

With the first 5 locks being so close you pretty much left one and pulled into the next. After these we were over 200 feet above Waterford and only 2 miles away.

Most of the 155 miles of the Erie that we covered were not very "canal" like as it follows the Mohawk river. What most folks think of as the canal is in the western section that leads to Buffalo. We would be exiting at the Oswego Canal that will take us to Lake Ontario. Along the way we really took a step back in time and saw some interesting sights in only a week. Below are a few pictures to prove my point....

One interesting lock on the Erie is Lock 17. It is the tallest lift on the entire canal at 40' and is one of only 2 in North America where the lower door lifts over your boat as you enter.

Another stop that took us back in time was New Sylvan Beach right at Lake Oneida. This place has an amusement park that takes me back to Coney Island in Cincinnati. I think some of the old rides and games must have come form there. Anyone else remember going down that big slide on a burlap sack??

Another find at New Sylvan was May flies....it was June 30.

Lake Oneida can be nasty on a windy day but we had a very smooth crossing. A few miles later we went through our last lock on the Erie and turned right on the Oswego Canal.

We are now in Oswego NY on the shore of Lake Ontario. We've been here for a few nights and Jill's sister Amy and boyfriend Alyn joined us for a great visit.

Amy (Alyn missed the photo op)

This has been a really nice town to visit over the 4th of July weekend. They had a huge parade on the 3rd followed by fireworks. It's funny how late the fireworks are but it stays light so late. They didn't start till almost 10 and it was still twilight. Can't wait to see what Georgian Bay is like!!

We will be leaving Oswego tomorrow heading across the lake and up the St. Lawrence river into the 1000 Islands. We'll be in Clayton NY waiting for a new AC pump before crossing into Canada and heading back toward the Trent-Severn Waterway. I assume we'll still find WiFi at some places and will try to get out a blog or two before we get back to the US in mid August.

Our phones will be off while in Canada but we will have one with a different number for use there. If any of you friends and family get a call or text from the 315 area code it's probably  us....please answer, we may need money!

Happy 4th of July from upstate New York!! See you in Canada.