Trent-Severn Waterway Part II

 TRAVEL DAY 86 - Peterborough to Lakefield

July 31, 2023

5.5 Hours/8.3 Miles

    The start of each day requires some planning but mostly guesswork. We never know how many boats will be at the first lock. If we can get a spot at the "blue line" and get through early, we have a better chance of getting a place on the free wall at our destination. Today our stopping point is Lakefield, Lock #26. This is one of the few locks that has shorepower, which is not a necessity but keeps us from having to run our generator.

Ready for the first lock of the day

    Pau Hana pulled out of the slip at Peterborough Marina a little before 7 am. The communications Officer received a text from Endless Somers that there was space for us at the Ashburnham Lock #20 wall, so we pulled up and tied port side.  The locks here open at 9 am so with an hour and a half to kill I gave the crew permission to return to the bunks.

Peterborough Lift Lock

Crew ready for Peterborough Lift Lock

    After lock #20 we got to Lock #21,  Peterborough Lift Lock. This is 1 of 2. The second is Lock #36 at Kirkfield. These locks are incredible and at the same time simple. There are 2 pans of water that work using hydraulic pressure to raise or lower boats 65'. The upper pan has a foot more water in it, making it heavier than the lower pan. Each pan sits on a 7.5' ram that is sunk into the ground and filled with water. There is a crossover control valve between the rams. No electricity is needed for this operation as it is all done by gravity and the counterweight principle.

Top of the Peterborough Lift Lock

    The waterway was mostly narrow in this portion of the Trent-Severn as we traversed another 5 locks to our final landing point. Near each lock entrance is usually a spillway or dam and the current is usually pretty strong just outside the breakwall.

Pau Hana chuggin' up the Trent-Severn
 
    At the last lock the lockmaster informed us that there was room for our boats at the wall and we would have power or "hydro" as they call it. Not long after we arrived, the other boats showed up and it was a full wall. We scootered 1/2 mile to town for a few grocery items. 

    Docktales included a lot of laughing and a game of Farkle. Back to the boat for dinner.

Peterborough to Lakefield


    TRAVEL DAY 87 - Lakefield to Lovesick

August 1, 2023

4.2 Hours/16.4 Miles

    It's August 1! Wow, we have been on the boat for 5 1/2 months and over 2770 miles! We continue on the Trent-Severn. The scenery continues to get better and better and today was by far the most beautiful day. Crystal clear visibility for miles, sunny and cool. Thousands of solid rock islands covered in evergreens surround the waterway as we weave in and out of the clearly marked but treacherous rocks.


Rocky Landscapes


    We got to our first lock about an hour after start up and with a full wall waiting to go in, we had to reverse in the stiff current and drop back to wait for the doors to open and the downstream boats to exit. We got the all clear and headed in. Today we traveled with Ottyssey and Last Arrow. Each lock we got to was crowded and with not a lot of wall space, we had to get creative with some rafting. Rafting is tying boats together side by side, a technique we have to use at times when locking as well. 

The crew of Last Arrow

    Our intended stop was the upper wall at Lovesick Lock #30. The other 2 boats wanted to go to the next lock. We pulled up to the wall on the last open spot. Later the other boats reported back that there was no room at the next lock wall at Buckhorn and they had to go to a secondary plan. With some inside knowledge they found a small marina not listed and were able to secure spots with limited facilities. We were happy with our decision to stay and once again glad we had chosen a smaller vessel for the trip.

Who doesn't want a Seaplane in their front yard?

     Lovesick Lock #30 is located on an island and is remote with no electric hook up and a "pack-in pack-out" stop, meaning what you bring in, you take out. It is a beautiful spot and we were able to hike some across the dam to the next island. The water was so inviting I couldn't help but jump in and swim. The water temperature although a little cool was refreshing.
  


Time for a swim

     Although remote, this was definitely one of our favorite stops along the Trent-Severn.

Island church

Lakefield to Lovesick


TRAVEL DAY 88 - Lovesick to Bobcaygeon

August 2, 2023

3.83 Hours/22.6 Miles

    Daybreak at Lovesick brought a glimpse of a super moon over the lake. Wisps of steam rose off the 75 degree water and the sunrise broke opposite the moon. An absolutely fantastic start to the day.

Lovesick Sunrise

    We peeled off the wall at a few minutes past eight hoping our luck would hold for a spot on the free wall & power at Bobcaygeon Lock #32. Everything on a boat is broken, you just don't know it yet. An adage I have used for some time and it certainly works. Most of the repair items are more like annoyances and other than our stint in Morehead City, NC, the majority of the trip has been trouble free. Today our NEBO Link tracker stopped working. I tried to troubleshoot it but couldn't get it operational. It's not a necessity but it is just neat to have an exact log of each day's journey. I still have the track from my Simrad GPS, so that will have to do for today.

Canadian Courtesy Flag

    Our first lock was #31 at Buckhorn. We got there as some boats were locking down, perfect timing. We had a short tie up and then locked through with Endless Somers, who decided to stay for awhile.

Bobcaygeon Beer....eh?

    Once across Pigeon Lake and past Big Island, we turned to port into the channel to Bobcaygeon. Our friends let us know there was a space in front of them and close enough to the power pedestal. We slid up to the wall and tied off. Success! 

Bobcaygeon Lock Wall

    Beth went for a 1 mile run to fulfill the challenge she started in Lakefield. Once back on the boat, panic set in as she realized she had lost her wallet, debit card & credit card. She dashed back out to retrace her steps. A 1.2 mile or so back out, she found it by the side of the road. Another win, she's lucky that way.

Bobcaygeon, ON

    I shut down the electronics breaker and then turned it back on. The NEBO Link now showed our position. It appears to be working now but we did lose todays track.

No NEBO log...here's a picture of a Chipmunk instead 


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