WEEK 16 - Picton, Ontario to Peterborough, Ontario

This week we did the first half of the Trent-Severn Waterway from Trenton to Peterborough, with stops at Trenton (marina), Trenton Lock (free dock), Frankford Lock (free dock), Campbellford (marina), Margaret Island (anchor), and Peterborough (anchor). Guest crew Patti and Dave joined us for a few days from Trenton Lock to Campbellford.

The first step to the Trent-Severn was to get the 40 miles from Picton to the waterway’s beginning in Trenton. This was an easy and straightforward trip up to the head of the bay of Quinte, where we stayed at the Port Trenton Marina, a brand new and super nice facility right in the heart of town. We did some major provisioning and took full advantage of the free washers and dryers at the marina getting ourselves all squared away for Patty and Dave, who will arrive tomorrow. We topped the night off with a free concert in the park.

Provisioning for the week

Free outdoor concert with the locals

Full moon rising at the marina

Welcome to the Trent-Severn Waterway!

The next day we traveled a whopping 1.4 miles to the first lock in the waterway and locked through and docked to the free wall on the upper side of the lock. This worked out well because: A) it’s free, B) it’s an easy place for Patty and Dave to find us; and C) we have a one lock jump an the big crowd of looper boats at Trent Port, so instead of being crammed in with the thundering herd at each lock, we will stay on jump ahead of them all day.

We made it to Lock 1 of the Trent-Severn

A beautiful end to a fantastic day at Lock 1

With our good friends on board we had simple dinner and talked about then next part of our adventure. The following day was another short one, only 5 miles to the lock wall at Frankford. Since we were the early boat there, we got one of the coveted wall spots with electric, a nice treat on a hot day. We took a walk into the town of Frankford, had a swim at the town beach, and then Patti whipped up a fantastic batch of jaegar schnitzel and spaetzle made from scratch that had us in a food coma by sundown.

Entering Lock 2, the Sidney lock, for a 20 foot lift

Patty scoping out the situation

Finally got to enter to lock after a delay due to high water
 from the adjacent hydro plant releasing too much water. 

BellaGatto on the wall

Joined the locals for a swim in the river.

The next day was 25 miles and 7 locks to Campbellford, where we spent two nights at the town marina. The marina is at Old Mill Park, which features a giant replica of the Canadian 2-dollar coin (the “toonie”), which was designed by a local resident. We also did a hike at Ranney Falls Gorge in Ferris Provincial Park and took in another free concert at the park.

Campbellford Marina is mostly just a wall with electric adjacent to Old Mill Park

The swing bridge at Ranney Falls

Exploring Ranney Falls 

Jayne, Jonathan, Patty, & Dave at Ranney Falls

Finally, it was time to send Patti and Dave on their way to Toronto and thence back to Florida, and we set out 25 miles and 5 locks to Rice Lake. With all this locking up we are getting pretty high now, over 400 feet above sea level, and still a couple hundred feet to go. It was getting seriously windy by the afternoon, so we looked for a sheltered place to drop the hook for the night. At Margaret Island we got out of the wind but got into some very thick weeds growing from the bottom in 10 feet of water all the way up to the surface. We got a good bite, but also got the props and rudders so fouled with weeds it required a dive in the morning to cut everything loose so we could get under way. We were rafted up with Nomadic Spirit, and had a great potluck dinner of ribs, sweet potatoes, and peach cobbler.

Jonathan clearing the weeds from the props of both boats

Steve and Janice clearing the chain of weeds

Rice Lake

Weeds all clear and we are underway

The next day the unseasonably hot weather we had had all week continued, with highs near 90 degrees and a lot of humidity. Just the sort of weather we left Florida to avoid. It’s not too bad when underway, but going through a lock is brutal, down in a sunny concrete pit with no breeze. We were ready to splurge on a slip at the marina in Peterborough so we could plug in and have AC, but they were full up. So we again dropped the hook, this time in Little Lake right near downtown where we could dinghy over to the action in town, but still get a nice breeze for sleeping. I have gushed over Canadian towns large and small, but Peterborough will be a bit of an exception…it seemed loud, tacky, and dirty and we decided to push on first thing in the morning.

Anchored near the fountain in Peterborough

Downtown Peterborough

By the end of the week we should be in Lake Huron!

WEEK 15 LOG – Ottawa, Ontario to Picton, Ontario

This week was spent largely wandering our way down the Rideau Canal, 120 miles from Ottawa to Kingston, on Lake Ontario. The canal system is both a Canadian National Park and a UNESCO world heritage site, and the design, construction, and operation of all the locks is done just as it was in the pre-civil war era when the canal was completed. We go through a total of 47 locks that lift us up to a bit over 400 feet above sea level, then back down to the level of Lake Ontario. Our stops this week were Burritts Rapids lock (free dock), Smiths Falls (marina), Colonel By Island (anchor), Westport (marina), Davis Lock (free dock), Kingston (marina), and Picton (anchor).

After 2 days in Ottawa with friends Debbie and Steve on board, we all started our trip down the Rideau (up, actually, since the first 33 locks will be lifting us). It was 39 miles and 9 locks to get to Burritts Rapids, and that made for a long, hot day. We were very happy to get a spot on the wall where we could plug into electric and run the AC.

Getting underway and bidding Ottawa farewell

Steve and Debbie on the fore deck as we enter lock 9

A quick flight of 3

The trip to Smiths Falls the next day was much shorter at 20 miles but has 12 locks to go through. Each lock-through takes 15 minutes to half and hour, and much of the way has a 10 kph (6mph) speed limit, so it takes a while to get where you are going. But the scenery keeps getting better and better as we go, and we are in no kind of hurry. Days are still about 15 hours long this time of year and with all the fresh air and sun it’s hard to even stay awake until it gets dark.

Nomadic Spirit and BellaGatto at Burritts Rapids

Beautiful morning at Burritts Rapids

Entering Smith Falls lock

Locking up into Smith Falls

Beautiful Sunrise at Smith Falls

The next day we got up into the Rideau Lakes part of the system. These are 3 big, deep (300 feet in places) lakes with hundreds of islands big and small, pink granite covered with pine trees and many with little fish camps and cottages on them. A few of the islands are parks, and we stopped and picked up a (free) mooring ball at Colonel By Island. We could see the bottom in 20 feet of water at our mooring, so we broke out the snorkel gear and went for a swim. The water was surprisingly warm, maybe 78 degrees. Following our swim, we took Bella for a nice 3 mile hike on the nature trails and then another swim to wash off the sweat and poison ivy. We had a great cool evening and saw the milky way clear as a bell that night.

Trail head at Colonel By Island

Team BellaGatto

Team Traxler

A boy and his dog

Colonel By Island

The next day we took a short side trip to Westport and stayed at a marina, since we needed to provision, pump the head, and do laundry (the mundane side of cruising in paradise). While there we couldn’t resist an ass-kicking hike up to the top of Foley Mountain. It didn’t look far from the marina, but half of it was straight up. There were clouds of biting horseflies to keep us motivated and moving along. Good times.

Foley mountain overlook (pant, pant, pant!)

Westport Marina

The view from Westport Marina

The town of Westport

When we left Westport, the first lock we came to was Newboro, the first “down lock”- we were now dropping back down to the level of Lake Ontario. We just went a relatively short way past there to Davis Lock, the most remote lock in the system, 10 kilometers from nowhere. Like at all the locks, the Parks Canada lock staff here was super nice, and they helped up get tied up and plugged in to the electric. We had time for a quick swim in the now 80 degree water before an impressive (even by Florida standards) thunderstorm rolled through. After the storm, the sky cleared up and we were treated to another great night sky with every star in the galaxy on display.

Jumping in for a refreshing swim

Steve casting a few by Davis lock

Scenes from Davis Lock area

By the end of the day the lock area was pretty full

Sunset at Davis Lock

In the morning it was on to Kingston, a pretty long day of 33 miles and 11 locks. The last lock in the system, Kingston Mills, is a group of 4 in quick succession on a very steep pitch. By then we were all ready for a break from locks – as interesting and historical as they are, they represent a lot of work for the crew, and we are glad to have Steve and Debbie along for the extra help. Feeling like we have earned it, we docked at the fanciest marina in Kingston and had a great dinner out at a top-shelf Italian restaurant (Casa).

While we're waiting to lock through there is plenty of time to get off the boat and look around

The water is pretty high in the canal system so when entering the lock chamber when locking down you are up to the tippy top

Final lock down of the day

Kingston, Ontario

Downtown Kingston

Farmer's Market in Kingston

After sending Debbie and Steve on their way back to Florida via Niagara Falls, Jayne and I packed it up and took it back on the road. Our goal is to get 80 miles to Trenton and the start of the Trent Severn Waterway (more locks, yea!) in time to meet our next installment of guest crew. Today was seriously windy, so we were glad to be in the mostly sheltered Bay of Quinte and we got as far as the little town of Picton, where we ran into our buddy boat Nomadic Spirit. They had found the only decent anchoring spot in the town, so we rafted up with them and had fun catching up and comparing notes.

  

Love this little guy, DeeO'Gee

WEEK 14 - St. Anne-de-Bellevue to Ottawa, Ontario

After a 2-day stop at St. Anne-de-Bellevue we headed upstream on the Ottawa River. Our stops this week were Hawkesbury (free dock), Le Grande Presquile (free dock), Lac Leamy (marina), and finally the Rideau Canal in Ottawa (free dock). Our next set of crew will join us here in Ottawa and cruise the Rideau Canal to Kingston, Ontario with us. Quebec was awesome and great fun, but it’s nice to be back in a predominantly English speaking area again where I can understand the signs and place names again.  

We were in Hawkesbury for Canada Day, and there was a concert, party, and fireworks right there where we docked the boats. I had sort of wanted to be in Ottawa for Canada Day, but it definitely would have been a big, loud, chaotic crush of people. The small-town celebration at Hawkesbury was just fine. On the way to Hawkesbury we passed through the Carillion Lock, which has a 68 foot lift and an unusual “Guillotine” style lock door that rises vertically instead of singing open horizontally like most lock doors. We were packed into a deep dark pit with a bunch of other boats in the pouring rain…quite an experience.

Locking up at Ste. Anne-de-Bellvue
as we begin the leg to Hawkesbury

Waiting for the boats to exit the Carillon lock so we can enter

Front of the line view

Team Gorham geared up for rain and safety

Close quarter maneuvering in the lock

Free dock in Hawkesbury

View from the flying bridge of Nomadic Spirit

The next day we traveled about 25 miles to a private dock at Le Grande Presquile owned by a couple of Gold loopers who are also Harbor Hosts, Francis and Helene, who are kind enough to make their home available to passing loopers. It was the end of the big holiday weekend and seemingly every boat in the province was out on the water, and they all seemed to want to pass us at very close range. We were happy to get tied up, and when we did, Francis took us to the local supermarket and we had a very lovely potluck dinner with them – a nice homey touch after many weeks on the move.

Enjoying docktails with our gracious (harbor) hosts Francis and Helene, and our Steve and Janice from our buddy boat, Nomadic Spirit

Nomadic Spirit and BellaGatto rafted up at Francis and Helene's dock

A little desert toast after dinner

The next couple of days were forecast to be unseasonably hot (like 90+ degrees and humid) so we were looking for someplace we could plug in and run the AC. The cruising guides told us of the Lac Leamy Casino, just up the Gatineau River near Ottawa where you could tie up with power and water for sort of free. How it works is they charge you 50 bucks for the slip (which is like $38 US) and then give you a $50 credit at the casino or the restaurants. They obviously hope you will get in over your head at the casino, but we are not gambling types and we used the credit for a nice dinner instead. The next morning we took advantage of the water hookup and did a through stem-to-stern cleaning, which was a bit overdue.

Dinner at the Bistro in Lac Leamy casino

Marina facilities at Lac Leamy

Finally, we were ready to visit Ottawa proper and enter the Rideau Canal system. Your introduction to the Rideau is the famous “flight of eight” locks that collectively lift you about 75 feet. There is no connecting canal between these locks, you drive directly from one lock chamber into the next, packed in like sardines with as many boats as they can cram in the lock chamber. It was a hot day and were running with sweat by the time we finished the two hour process. But you couldn’t complain when you were watching the Parks Canada lock staff run from lock to lock and turn big cranks that open the valves and doors by hand. And they do that all day long.

What looks like a stairway in the center is actually the Flight of Eight locks.
This is where you exit one lock right into the next raising the boat a total of 75 feet

Parliament in Ottawa

Just above the locks there is about a quarter mile of dockage right along the canal in the heart of downtown where cruisers can tie up for free, or a whopping 9 bucks a day if you want electricity. I can’t think of anyplace else you could be in the heart of the action in a big city for a price like that, so we are going to try to stay for 3 or 4 days. Our good friends Debbie and Steve drove all they way up from Florida to spend the next week cruising with us, which will make the Rideau extra special.

Our location in Ottawa, free in the sense that it is included in our Canada
parks and mooring pass with an extra charge of 9.80 for electric per day.

Scenes from Ottawa with our guests Steve & Debbie

Giant spider in front of the National Art Museum
juxtaposed with the beautiful Notre Dam Cathedral