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!