WEEK 17 - Peterborough, Ontario to Midland, Ontario

We are very excited this week to be right on the doorstep of what for most loopers is the highpoint of the whole trip – Georgian Bay and the North Channel. This last week we finished up the Tent-Severn Waterway, including the lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield and the famous Big Chute marine railway. All told we got up to 840 feet above sea level before dropping down to the 609-foot elevation of Lake Huron at Port Severn. Our stops along the way this week were Young’s Point Lock (free dock), Bobcaygeon (free dock), Fenelon Falls (free dock), Thorah Lock (free dock), Couchiching Lock (free dock), and finally a night anchored out in Gloucester Pool before navigating the final lock of the Trent and entering Georgian Bay. The lock walls along all the Canadian canals have been great places to stay along the way – sometimes right in the middle of towns, sometimes out in the wilderness, but always convenient and best of all FREE (with your Parks Canada mooring pass, which we bought in advance before we left).

Leaving Peterborough, the big treat of the day was the Peterborough Lift Lock, which lifts a load of boats 65 feet straight up in a giant pan of water which is counterbalanced by a second slightly heavier pan, like a giant see-saw. Peterborough is the largest such lock in the world and is still considered an engineering marvel. After going through a closely spaced group of five more locks, we were ready to quit for the day at Young’s Point lock. So for the day we went just under 10 miles with 7 locks in 8 hours. Above Young’s Point Lock, we are entering “cottage country”, a group of beautiful little lakes with hundreds of tree covered islands, many of which have summer cottages built on them. The water is clear and surprisingly warm, so swimming is on the docket every day.

Preparing to enter Peterborough Lift Lock

Close quarters maneuvering

Secured in the cavern of the lock prior to being lifted 

Going up!

Top of the lock

The next day was 35 miles and four locks to Bobcaygeon, a very busy little tourist town where watching boats go through the lock is a major attraction. People were fascinated that we came all the way from Florida, and we explained a couple dozen times how we got there and where we were going next.

Passing through lake country on the way to Bobcaygeon.

Bella waiting for her walk

The following day was a short one, two locks and about 20 miles to Fenelon Falls, where we scored a coveted wall spot with electric and water. If you want one of those spots, it helps to arrive before noon, when the boats from the last night have left and before a fleet of new boats arrive. The early arrival gave us plenty of time to have a lunch in town and also get some laundry done and some other mundane housekeeping chores that are still necessary even in paradise.

BellaGatto on the wall at Fenelon Falls

Downtown Fenelon Falls

Amazing used book store and cafe adjacent to the laundry 

When we got underway in the morning, we transited the Rosedale Lock, which brought us up to the summit of the waterway at 840 feet above sea level. Still cruising through cottage country, we passed through some VERY narrow and shallow canal cuts. There is not enough room for two large boats to safely pass in these canals, so you need to make a Securitay call on the radio before entering. Now heading down, we went through second lift lock on the system (the Kirkfield Lift Lock) which drops us 49 feet down. Continuing through more shallow and narrow spots, including the Hole in the Wall Bridge, which doesn’t look big enough to pass a dinghy, we dropped through 4 more locks and spent the night on a lock wall at Thorah.

Securitay, Securitay!

Hello muskrat

Top of the Kirkfield lift lock

Leaving the Kirkfield lift lock

How does your garden grow? Beaver lodge.

Pretty as it is, we are starting to get lock fatigue and are about ready for this stage to come to an end. But today is also a big treat….the Big Chute Marine Railway! Not really a lock, it’s a giant railroad car that takes boats in slings on a big platform that runs on rails across a road and down a 58 foot slope. The reason for the Big Chute is that there is a giant granite ridge located there, and it was easier to go over it than to blast through it to build a lock. It’s a real thrill ride. That night we spent at anchor rafted up with Nomadic Spirit behind a little island in Gloucester Pool where we could dinghy the dogs ashore. A family of loons provided entertainment with protecting and teaching their young one.

Buddy boat Nomadic Spirit in the sling of the Big Chute

BellaGatto getting secured in the sling

Here we go!

The view looking back as we exit the Big Chute

A feeding Loon

This Loon was all puffed up trying to scare a kayaker away from his family

BellaGatto & Nomadic Spirit rafted up

A few more easy miles in the morning and we were at the last lock in the system (yea!) at Port Severn. A few miles of twisty channel later, we are out into Georgian Bay. Our destination for the next few days is Bay Pointe Marina, a nice facility in Midland where we will meet our next guest crew, Christi. It’s also time to do some major refueling and re-provisioning before launching into the wilderness, and this is a good spot for that. We will do some maintenance here as well, changing engine oil and fuel filters and cleaning sea strainers, etc. There is a Yanmar shop here at the marina, so we are going to get a tech to look at a couple of nagging little issues with the port engine.

The last lock on the Trent Severn. YAY!!!!

Next stop, Georgian Bay!