Trent-Severn Waterway Part I

 TRAVEL DAY 82 - Trenton (Quinte West) to Frankford

July 25, 2023

5.5 Hours/7.3 Miles

    Our long awaited start to the Trent-Severn Waterway began at 8:35 am. We went the 1/2 mile to the fuel dock to top of with 36 gallons of Diesel (137.527 Liters). The most expensive fuel of the trip at $5.52/gallon US.

Gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway

    The Trent-Severn Waterway is a 240 mile canal connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay/Lake Huron. The first lock was built in 1833. There are a total of 44 locks.

Dead Slow - No Wake

    There were quite a few Loopers setting out to tackle the start of the waterway with us. We all got together to strategize about who would go and when. The locks are small so only hold a few boats. When we arrived at Lock #1, we were behind the 2nd group of boats to go through. The lockmasters are good at deciding how the boats should go into the lock. It was determined that Pau Hana would go first, tie to the starboard wall and Pony would come in second and raft to us. Third would be Endless Somers behind us and tied to the starboard wall. Upon exiting, Pony would exit first and we would pass them and enter first in the next lock. This was the procedure through all of the 6 locks we did.

    

Pau Hana rafted to Pony

    At lock #1 we purchased a 1 way pass for the locks along with a mooring permit that allows us to tie up to any lock wall for free. If there is power at the wall, a small fee is charged. We also can stay free at all Canada parks for the season. Each lock has a wall to tie up both bottom and top for the night. We had the option to pay for each lock & each mooring, but the permit was a better deal & it was quicker.

Lock Ahead!

    After lock #1, the next 5 locks were all about 3/4 of a mile apart. We had our routine down pretty well and the successive locks were much faster.  This was by far the longest short travel day we have ever had. It took us 5 1/2 hours to travel a little over 7 miles through 6  locks.  Our plan was to tie up for the night after lock #6 as it had power. At lock #5 the lockmaster called ahead and informed us that there was room for the three of us at the wall. Success!

Tied Up at the top of Lock #6

    On the wall, power hooked up, we had a relaxing afternoon with our new friends, the crews of Elysium, Cavalier, Pony, Endless Somers & Yes Dear.

Docktales at Lock #6 Wall

Trenton to Frankford

TRAVEL DAY 83 - Frankford to Campbellford

July 26, 2023

6.5 Hours/21.9 Miles

    We now have a better feel for how to organize our flights through the locks. Two boats left at around 7:30 am to make the 9 am opening at Glen Ross Lock #7. We decided we would leave at 8:15 am with Pony, Endless Somers and Elysium. When we got to the lock we were still a little early so we tied up at the wall to wait. We had a pretty short wait. So far this was one of the prettiest and well maintained locks. 

Lock #6 Glen Ross

Rafted up for the first lock of the day

    We continue to climb in elevation at each lock and we will continue to climb for most of the way. These are long days with the number of locks to traverse and the posted 10 K (6 mph) speed to avoid large wakes, especially in the narrow populated stretches.

Narrow stretches

    After doing 4 regular locks, or last 2 was a combined lock called a Flight Lock. After going through the first in the flight, when the doors open, the boat moves immediately into the second.

    After locks #11 & #12 we made the short 1 1/2 mile trip to Campbellford and the Old Mill Park/Campbellford Town Dock where we had a 2 night stay booked. We arrived in a pretty stiff breeze. We saw our name on the wall and slid up and tied off with the help of Pony who got there moments before us.

Welcome Pau Hana

    Betty needed an oil change and while the oil was still good and hot I performed the task. Also I noticed a small amount of restriction on the fuel filter so I switched to the other filter and changed out the dirty one. The generator will need to be done shortly but it still has time. 

That "Tooney" was heavy

    After the maintenance session and a shower, our crew went to town in search of an early dinner and then to a concert in the park. We had a conference called set up with all the girls at 7pm in an effort to catch up and stay connected.

    

    DAY 2 - CAMPBELLFORD

    Rain was forecast for the first couple hours in the morning so we slept in and got caught up on some paperwork.  Around 11 am the sun came out and so did we. We jumped on the scooters and headed to Canadian Tire for a few supplies. After that we scootered to the suspension bridge and some walking trails. No stop in Campbellford is complete with going to Doohers Bakery and getting butter tarts & cream filled doughnuts.

Mmmmm....cream filled doughnuts!

Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge

Ranney Falls

    In the evening we did some planning for the next day's departure and had dinner with some old friends and new ones.

Chipmonk, Pony, Pau Hana & Changin' Latitudes 

Frankford to Campbellford

TRAVEL DAY 84 - Campbellford to Hastings

July 28, 2023

6.42 Hours/19.9 Miles

    More locks on the Trent, 6 to be exact. We started the day at Lock #13 and ended at Lock #18. Once we figure out boat placement, the procedure is the same for every lock of the day. The only exception for today was #16 & #17, the Flight Lock, which we did not have to raft together.

Hastings, Ontario

    The waterway is well marked with red on the right and green on the left as we travel forward towards Georgian Bay. Straying outside the marked channel would be disastrous and costly. 

Red on the Right - Green on the Left

    Todays trip was uneventful and we are getting pretty efficient at transiting locks. We decided to stay on the upper side of the last lock #18. Our mooring permit allows us to stay for free at any lock. This one did not have power but was adjacent to the small town of Hastings.

Waiting for the flight

Lucky Lock 13

    We noticed a Royal Canadian Legion building and decided to go in and check it out. Similar to the VFW in the US, they instantly welcomed us in. We were able to chat with several of the local veterans and their spouses. We were required to sign in and remove our hats in respect for fallen veterans and the Queen (King now I suppose).

Royal Canadian Legion

Campbellford to Hastings

TRAVEL DAY 85 - Hastings to Peterborough

July 29, 2023

5.5 Hours/37.5 Miles

    Daybreak with chillier temperatures and overcast skies. A stark contrast to yesterdays sunshine and hot temperatures. Rain was forecast for the day so we decided to get an early start to see if we could make it without getting wet.

Peterborough Marina

    I steered the boat away from the wall and back into the Trent River. Not long after passing through the old railway bridge, we entered Rice Lake. With a slow 6 mph (10 kph) speed limit on the narrow sections, we were able to speed it up to our whopping 8 mph. A slight difference but a shorter travel time. 

Fun in Peterborough

    A sharp starboard turn at the end of the long lake into the Otonabee River. If I didn't know for sure that this was the route, I wouldn't turn here. The entrance was very narrow and flanked with tree debris and rocks. The entrance soon opened up to a deeper and wider channel, but now with homes and boats on both sides, I reduced the speed back down.

Rice Lake

    Up until now we avoided the rain. It started to come down now but we were secure in the cabin at the lower helm. After a beautiful but long ride along a very winding river, we reached Lock #19. The only lock of the day. The current from the damn created a very strong sweeping current that took some throttle to overcome, but as soon as we got behind the wall, steering was easier. We pulled into the lock, the smallest we have done yet. This lock crew didn't seem as organized as some of the others and after allowing Pau Hana and our traveling similar size boat Pony to enter, they brought in a large 48'. It was tight, but with some moving around we got situated.

The Deckhand on another lock

    Once through the lock, we made a port turn into Little lake in Peterborough and to the Fuel dock for a pump out. The current was very strong and I had to abort my first attempt at docking starboard side and instead docked port side. Once I had a better idea of the strength of the current, I used it to my advantage in getting into our slip. Our assigned slip was very narrow, but with the help of a very competent group of dockhands we slid in fairly easily.

 

Little Lake fountain

    This marina had 15 Loopers in it and we knew we'd be up for more head scratching figuring out when to leave to hit the next lock on our departure in the morning.

NEBO

DAY 2 - Peterborough

    After the usual chores, we set out to see the Peterborough Lift lock which we will be transiting through tomorrow. It gave us a good idea of what we would be seeing and doing. It is a phenomenal sight. I'll explain more about the Peterborough Lift Lock on the next post.

Peterborough Lift Lock

    Nothing better than a beer on a warm day of sightseeing & we all went to the Ashburnham Ale house for lunch and a beer with the crews of Ottyssey and Last Arrow.

Hastings to Peterborough