Enlightenment...

With better planning and a careful (we thought) review of the route, we pulled off the dock at 0730. That should have had us arriving at the first swing bridge just in time for someone who could swing the thing to start his or her day. Unfortunately, we worked our timing to a fixed bridge one short of the actual swing bridge. (Easy to do when looking at charts on an I-pad. Oops.) So, when the first opening happened, we were passing under the fixed bridge instead. By the time we got to the actual swing bridge it had opened, closed, and was waiting on a train that was inbound.  We ended up holding station for just shy of an hour. Why so long? Don't know. My guess is that since it takes a train many miles to stop the bridge has to be fully closed and secured long before the train actually gets there. When it does, it crosses at a very modest speed. One can easily imagine that thundering across a swing bridge at full song might not be the best of ideas. And, after the last car goes by, they have to let the track cool before they can open the bridge. How do I know that? Because the Bridge Guru told us so via loudspeaker. It also makes sense. The hot track would expand, likely jamming it in place. I'd be surprised if it was even possible to swing the bridge before the track cooled.

First Light waiting on the bridge. Photo courtesy of Trudy Muhlbauer

Holding station in First Light means shifting each engine in and out of forward or reverse as gently as possible to twist, turn, go forward or aft as required. At least the canal wasn't quite as narrow as it has been. Nor was there any real wind or current. So station keeping wasn't all that difficult. Which is good, because we ended up with three other boats piled up behind us. While we waited, a couple of smaller boats picked their way through our little armada and under the still closed bridge.

After we cleared the bridge, there was a lock. Ho-hum. Then another lock. Both were down locks which are a lot easier, and one actually had a floating bollard we used to tie off the bow. All locks should be equipped with floating bollards rather than cables and ropes. Still, after the bridge delay and being weary of the lock dance we have been doing for what seems like weeks, my opinion of the Trent Severn reached a new low. Why, I wondered, did anyone but the locals endure the incessant hassles and potential boat damage associated with boating on the canal? What could possibly be the attraction?   

When we cleared the second lock into a series of small lakes connected by short stretches of rivers, I had my answer. The place is  nothing short of magical. Without any doubt it was the most beautiful space I have ever been where human kind has settled. Instead of it looking like a place that the humans had assaulted, it looks like a place human kind and nature have built together to the benefit of both. The pine forest went on as far as the eye could see, starting right at the edge of the water, and filling our senses with the aroma. All the houses were surrounded by trees. Even though there were vastly different styles and sizes, by some design and build magic each fit into the landscape without intruding on the landscape. The floating docks/porches and boat houses fit in just as well. Even the Piper Cub on floats that we watched motor down a river to turn and take off, looked like it belonged. A big white bird with big feet for walking on water. I generally regard myself as one of the most fortunate human beings that has ever left footprints on this planet. But I have to admit that, in my humble opinion, the people living along the stretch of water we traveled today are a big step ahead of the rest of us. The Trent Severn is both where they live and a way to get where they live. So, even though there are many spots along the way that I really did not enjoy, I would  come this way again just to be in this place again. And we are being told that we haven't seen the best parts yet. Where the Trent Severn leads is why the Trent Severn is worth the trip.

The day ended at the Big Chute rail lift, something I have not been looking forward to. But it turns out it is just a big travel lift built on a customized railroad car which is cable winched back and forth across a road and up and down a hill from the upper river to the lower. Given the terrain and the flow of the river, it looks to be as good a way as any to get boat traffic up and down the water way. Having watched the thing go back and forth all afternoon until the last lift of the day, it is clear these folks know exactly what they are doing.

The original rail car that was replaced with the much bigger one used today. This one

could only move one boat at a time instead of the 3-6 that the current one can.

The equipment room that houses the cable winches.

It's hard to see in the photo, but there are two sets of tracks. This allows

the car to stay relatively level while it descends the very steep hill. The back

end goes down the inside lower track and the front end goes down the higher track.

The lineup of boats waiting to transit. Not all of them made it today before they closed.

Which leaves open the question of when we will take our ride on the thing. Tomorrow's weather forecast includes rain and thunderstorms. Taking the ride in rain doesn't sound all that appealing. Taking the ride in thunderstorms would not be possible. When there is lightning around, they park their giant metal contraption driven by giant metal cables with an electrical ground of a railroad track that goes into the water at both ends. It certainly ranks among the biggest, most elaborate, of lightning rods I have ever seen. So we will have to see what the morning brings. If we have to sit for a day, well, we have been on the move for a long string of days. A day sitting will be a bit of a treat all of its own. 

And we are sitting in the Trent Severn. Enlightenment...

The narrow channels are well marked.

This little island was just big enough for the house. There was a boat garage in back.

Oops...my bad...

After another long/short day we are at a dock in a really nice marina that isn't mind boggling expensive. A bit of change from those south of the northern border of the US. We have a reservation for two nights. But weather may dictate that we take advantage of one more day without a forecast for storms to get back to moving along come morning. 

Though spending more time in the canal was part of the reason for another long day, the real reason was that I was in a bit of a rush to get going this morning. I really want to have the canal behind me as soon as possible. I know hundreds of people have used the canal without a problem. We have used the canal (so far) without a problem. But it is an experience I am not enjoying. Go slow, keep it in the middle of the channel as much as possible, try not to let the depth gauge spook you too much, and it is still a roll of the dice if you hit something or not. 

I am not a gambler. In my mind planning and skill should all but eliminate luck. That is not how it works in the canal. So I am on edge every minute we are in there.

In an attempt to get out of the canal as soon as possible, we had spent the night on the departure end of the lock, not needing to wait until it opened at 0900 to lock through and be on our way. First Light was underway with the fog still hanging over the surface of the water. What we weren't was on the departure side of a swing bridge that wasn't very far away. One that didn't have a bridge tender on site until 0900. Something Deb figured out while reviewing the route after the lock wall was well to our stern down the canal I really didn't want anything to do with. She usually reviews the route in detail either the night before or the morning before we leave. But we were exploring last evening and I was being a bit...insistent...this morning about getting going ASAP. We did get ourselves out of the canal pretty early. But having discovered that a swing bridge less operator was blocking our path, we sort of power drifted across the first lake of the day, averaging about a half a knot. We still managed to float up to the bridge a few minutes before there was anyone around to make it swing. So I got to play with power and rudder settings while moving at a snail's pace across a dead calm lake. And I have to admit, bad planning or not, being out of the canal made me smile.  Unfortunately, more canal lies in our future. But at least I got a break from it for a good part of today.

You gotta look at the good side...

Have I mentioned that I'm fascinated by bridge architecture???

The swing bridge we had to wait on.

We went through five locks in 4 miles but at least going down is much easier than locking up.

We caught up with S/V Spirit again who we hadn't seen for a couple weeks.

Good to be in wide, open, deep water again. Lake Simco.

Traffic entering Orillia was crazy.

Port of Orillia Marina. One of the nicest we've ever been at.

We've really lucked out on concerts this trip. This evening we enjoyed a big band concert in the park

by the marina with a view of the lake and absolutely perfect weather.

A really long short day...

Today was a short day that seemed really, really, (really) long. It was only 15.1 NM and lasted just 3 hours and six minutes. A good portion of the miles were across Cameron and Balsam Lakes which was pretty easy going. And there were only two locks, the last of which was another lift lock, the Kirkfield Lift Lock, with its smooth and swift ride. This time down instead of up. It turns out crossing the lakes is, literally, the high point of the Trent Severn waterway. It is all downhill (stream?) from here. And no, I didn't much care for the view going down any more than I did going up. Something that amused Deb to no end. I really am not afraid of heights, having spent a good portion of my working life in the sky. But First Light has no wings and doesn't belong 50 or so feet in the air sitting in a bathtub full of water that has doors at both ends and was built in 1907.

So why did it feel like such a long day? Credit goes to a narrow, twisting, shallow bit of rock infested water known as the Trent Canal. Even narrower than the Dismal Swamp and with the added feature of sporting solid rock walls on each side, walls that stick out enough to easily catch a prop. Even more fun, there were times when the bottom was within a foot, maybe less, of our spinning propellers.

Yup...going in there.

Five feet from the starboard side of the boat.

So narrow was the waterway, that it would have been impossible to turn the boat around. We carried the lowest running RPM the motors are happy with, resulting in a speed of less than 5 knots. Which is a speed so slow that the bow doesn't ride up at all. A necessary consideration given that a good lurch of power causing the stern to “dig in” could very well lead to a prop strike. A marine fun house just full of things that can pop up and make your heart race. 

So, even though the canal isn't all that long, one spends a long time in there. Adding to the fun was that we ended up bow to bow with another cruising boat about the same size as First Light. We passed each port to port at a crawl. The starboard engine was at idle and out of gear. We moved forward with short bursts of power on the port engine and massive rudder inputs to counter the asymmetric thrust. Never done that before in a boat and I was surprised at how well it worked. (Done it times uncounted in multi-engined airplanes. It works pretty well there as well.)

We are going to spend the night on the lower wall of the lift lock. Tomorrow is a another day that will include a couple of locks, one called a “chute” for reasons I'm not sure I want to know. It will also include more miles of the canal. All you can do is go slow and stay in the middle. There is absolutely nothing to be done about the skinny water under the keel. One either gets through unscathed, or hits something along the way. No use worrying about it and it's not like we have any other choice.

Fenelon Falls, Ontario

The swing bridge at Fenelon Falls that has very specific directions about which side you can

transit and that you often can't see the tour boat coming through until it's too late...

Two fishers. The guy said that the heron has stolen fish from his line before. It was funny to

watch—the guy would move over and the heron would follow him.

Piles of stones were the channel markers after the swing bridge.

The lock at Fenelon Falls

The kids and the dog were playing on the rock that was just below the surface.

It looked like they were walking on water. It was 40' from our boat.