Author: islandiagrabo

Headed out Byng Inlet, going by Clark Island.

 

Cool rock formations.

 

Going into Cunningham Channel.

The Guidebook forewarned us of “Lola.”  Love the cottager’s sense of humor.

Camping on a rock?  No thank you….

But going off a main channel into semi uncharted seas with unnamed islands, no problem!

 

Entering Roger’s Gut Channel, no room for error.

Looking behind you can see how narrow the passage is, with underwater rock ledges.

A vein of quartz in the granite.

Rock walls for potential tie ups.

Cool rock face docking!

The folks on this boat (we met them in Wright’s Marina) told us about several off the chart anchorages, including this one.

Anchored in “The Flower Pot” cove in Henvey Inlet Indian Reservation.

I found some flowers in the flower pot cove via paddle board.

A rainless rainbow later in the evening.

 

Where we are in the world.

So two weeks ago a mourning cloak caterpillar stowed away on our boat (via the docking lines I suppose) and promptly formed a chrysalis.  It emerged late at night on the 15th.  I tried to get it to drink some sugar water before letting it go.  Silly me, you can lead a horse to water…. Anyway, happy ending, it flew to the nearby island.

The owner (Graham) of Wright’s marina in Britt worked with Bob for hours on July 12th, to no avail except for two things, when the system was rebooted we wound up in Africa.  Cool!  Two, e also pretty much determined the problem was with the “hub” for our system.

 

No problem.  I’m easily amused with a walkabout the marina.  I liked the water lilies near the end of the dock as well as the grill, picnic table, chairs and small garden for each dock.

The garden (and closer view) for the next dock over.  The “tender” was Brooke from a seasonal boat named “Mary Mary.”  Along the serpentine piece of driftwood she had written out the words to Mary Mary quite contrary.

Graham was way too busy to help us install the Hub, so after spending hours on and off the phone to the Tech support guys at Furono, the system was up and running by 7 pm.  It had been a pretty nasty day in terms of weather and force 10 installation frustrations, but at the end of the day, the rain stopped, the sun came out and we enjoyed a rainbow.

July 10:  On our way to yet another secluded anchorage we noticed several islands had their names painted on them.  Very handy!  And, a bit of an omen for the afternoon.

Lonely looking light station.

Several islands had ranges on them, also very handy.

The owners of this home must have gone to Nippers on Guana Cay, Bahamas.

 

So the red is on the right, the green is on the left, but then what??  At this point our chart plotter decided to blank out.  Sphincter factor well over 10.  Fortunately I was holding the paper chart and a short time later Bob got most of the system rebooted.  Decided to go on to Parry Sound where there were marinas with mechanics to get some help to trouble shoot the system.

Part of the South Channel leading into Parry Sound has the ubiquitous narrow channels complete with tour boats.

To our surprise (because we haven’t seen that many other boaters) all marinas were full in Parry Sound.  We anchored in a lovely bay just shy of the swing bridge (the superstructure of the bridge is between the two islands) south of Parry Sound.

July 11.  We were able to get some dock space at the end of the town dock.  No mechanics available so we bought more charts and a handful of groceries.

 

En route to the grocery store I noticed this house with my kind of yard:  interesting rock formation and minimal lawn to mow.

Yes I am (“You are here”) and yes we are (discovering “Amazing Places”).

Headed out of Parry Sound later in the morning, still a bit foggy.

Going by the Snug Harbor Lighthouse.

Yet another bat turn around some buoys.

A Verizon pine perhaps?

We found a nice anchorage in Hopewell Bay (where the 10 foot depth meets the 4 foot line).  I took a nice paddle boat ride around the island with the “LL” on it.

I hopped off the paddle board for a short walk on the uninhabited island. Cool ribbon of granite. (I didn’t delve too much into the island – no real paths and this area has rattlesnakes!).

 

And a lovely lily pad pond.  Later that night we were swarmed by mosquitos, first time so far on this trip.

July 12:  We left at 6am because the winds were predicted to kick up to over 20 knots followed by some thunderstorms.  Our destination was only 4 hours away which put us well ahead of the storm front. This building is the Ojibway Club Hotel and Restaurant.

This cottage confirmed how cold it was (in the 50s), they had a wood fire going.  Smelled good.

As you can imagine, many of the cottages had their own sea planes.

 

Passing by Pointe au Baril. Heading out into the Bay for a bit before taking another inside passage.

One thing we’ve noted about the charts – there are a lot of uncharted areas!  No depth soundings (where the dots are) and several fairly large unnamed islands.

Sign on the rock denoting how Pointe au Baril derived its name.  In the 1800s there were very few navigational aids.  Per guide book the locals lit lanterns on a large barrel to guide boats into the harbor, hence “Barrel Point.”  The barrel is just off center to the left.

Pretty darned desolate as we snaked our way through Hangdog Channel (not a recommended route for boats over 40 feet).  Apparently we needed more of an adrenaline rush for the day.

 

The many rocks remind me of icebergs, it’s not so much what you see above the water as it is what lurks below.  Here you can just make out a rock ledge about 6 inches below the surface (where the water is a slightly different color).

And even when you’re well off shore in the actual Bay, you still have to watch out:

 

Here’s what the chart looks like for the above picture.

 

A welcome sign, the lighthouse for Byng Inlet, just about at our destination for the day.

South Channel leading to Byng Inlet, now behind us.

Love the turret.

Another quaint cottage.

Our destination for the night – Wright’s Marina where we hoped to utilize most of the items on the billboard.  The owner/mechanic was uber busy and not able to help us with the Furono chart plotter until 4 (we got there at 10am).  Got three loads of laundry done while waiting.  Unfortunately Graham and Bob weren’t able to solve the problem by the end of his work day (6:30).  So, to be continued tomorrow…..

Looking at our goofy route for the day – from Hopewell Island, inside skinny passages to outside into the Bay and then back in again to Britt, Ontario.

A different view of the route.

And where we are in the world.

For the evening we let go some of our frustrations with the lack of progress in fixing our Chart plotter .  This is what our daughter Steph calls fake boating:  sitting by a fire place (that cold front was really cold!) and watching a movie.

 

In the morning of July 6th we finished the Trent Severn Waterway system.  Our “track” zig zags through the Province of Ontario and we ended up on the eastern shore of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.  Locals consider Georgian Bay the 5th Great Lake.

As we were leaving our quiet anchorage our neighbor’s dinner guest left for work via his helicopter.

Heading out of the last lock (#45) into a raging current into a very narrow channel in which some of the buoys were underwater.  Sphincter Factor 10+, especially when that small party barge wanted to come through toward the lock.  Bob cured that with a loud blast of the horn (after all, the down current boat does have the right of way, and then there’s the gross tonnage rule…).  Oh, and bonus, the buoys switched sides as we round the bend.

Our red track makes it look like we actually hit the bridge – but we didn’t – phew!

Had to negotiate stuff like this!

But then finally, we enter Georgian Bay – Yay!

Went across the Bay to Midland, Ontario.  Nice town with a great marina.  They allow “Loopers” free dockage after a two night stay.  This worked out perfectly for us because we were expecting Bob’s brother Ray to join us for the weekend.

Midland is apparently the town of murals.  These are only a few of them.

The Pearl Mist, a cruise ship we saw in Clayton (with Dale and Jane) on May 29th.

Back at the marina, another boat tragedy.  We heard the may day for this fire on our way over to Midland.  The boat caught fire near Christian Island (of Gordon Lightfoot fame).  The owner stated he was jumping overboard!  Per rumor mill, he was rescued a short time later  and a propane explosion was suspected as the cause of the fire.

Also at the marina  – in the eaves of the main building were a colony of cliff swallows.  Not sure how they make these nests – but all chicks chirped constantly for food.

Ray arrived on the 7th.  Went out to dinner in the downtown waterfront at “The Boathouse.”  So great to see him!!

The almost full moon on Friday night.

On Saturday the 8th we took a road trip to show Ray Lock 45 and Lock 44, the marine railway.

Ray and I.

This picture makes it a bit clearer about how the two tracks keep the base of the railway as level as possible going down the hill.

The nearby Severn Falls was raging on this day, quite a difference from how it looked a few days ago.

On the way back we noticed this pretty rivulet.

Saturday moon rise at the marina.

Moon bound seagulls.

 

Ray left on Sunday the 9th and we headed to the eastern shore of Georgian Bay.  Always fun to meet a tour boat in a narrow channel.

 

Here’s one of the ways we find our anchorages.  The Rose Point chart plotter has a guidebook “Active Captain” (like Trip Advisor) built into its system.  The chart is marked with different colored squares denoting anchorages, marinas, hazards and land notices.  We picked Hockey Stick Cove because of the name and description.  It was a great hurricane hole.

Visiting with a local boater.  He said that even though there are literally 30,000 islands in Georgian Bay, he and his wife only go to this cove.  Reminded me of Bob and me – back in Clayton we had three places we went and there were over a 1000 to chose from.

While I was out on the paddle board Bob noticed a hummingbird.  I quickly got out my hummingbird feeder, moved the flowers over that I had picked in Midland and opened up the back panels.  After all, if you build it they will come…..

And they did!!

Our resident monarch caterpillar was pretty happy too.

Bob and I back out on the paddle boards after 8pm.  Even though the summer days get shorter by a minute, for us they are getting longer by a minute as we head further and further north.  Sunset is 9:08.

Beautiful day as we head into Lock 43.

Gates are open.

And out we go.

Current continues to rage through narrow passages

Quaint cottage, “Linger Lounger.”

Looks like the Rideau Canal.

Severn Falls – with only one gate open.  Site of the Marine Railway.  No wonder they built a railway instead of a lock – too much rock to blast away.

The odd looking marine railway pulls away from  the waiting dock.

It goes over a small hill.

Across a street and back down the hill to the other side.  There are two tracks so the railway car stays fairly level.  Very clever.

Back again for our turn.

We head in, up, down and then look back. Took about 6 minutes once we were loaded in.

There are sets of red chairs everywhere, but this cottager added a few bears.

They’re not kidding!

Kids out playing on what was a small island.  With the high water, it’s awash.

 

We stopped 3 miles shy of the end of the Trent Severn, wanting to enjoy one last day in this part of the world.

The nearby cottage had a dinner guest arrive by helicopter!

Finally got out for a relaxing paddle boat ride.  Happy camper.  (Steph, there really are happy campers!).

Compared to Canada Day on July 1, our 4th of July was rather quiet.  While Bob and a mechanic worked on the solenoids (which got fixed – yay!) I walked around the marina.  Here’s mother swan tending to her babies.

 

Leaving the marina and looking back toward Lake Simcoe.  It’s amazing that all of Lake Simcoe funnels into this very narrow passage by a railroad bridge.

 

One of many mansions along the way.

 

We moved over to the Port of Orillia to do some provisioning.  The marina let us dock for free for a couple of hours and told us to take any slip we wanted (as long as it wasn’t reserved).

 

Statue of an Indian fishing weir.

 

Orillia’s “theme” was themed maple leaves.  Here a few examples.

 

 

An island completely taken over by cormorants.  Pretty typical along seaways.  I like all the yakking going on.

 

Entering one of many narrow passages.

 

While waiting for this bridge to open Bob serenaded me with Gordon Lightfoot’s “Canadian Railroad Trilogy.”  We listened to a lot of Gordon Lightfoot songs along the way.

 

People having a relaxing time at the water front.

 

This sitting duck on a rock looks innocent enough, but those rocks are only inches away from the side of the boat.  Unfortunately a boater took a turn around one of the rocky bends a bit too wide, got caught by the raging current and….

sunk in 10 minutes.  This is a Katy Krogen 44.  We had seen this boat in Trenton at the beginning of our trip.  They departed the day Steph and Josie arrived.

 

A barge was put together so a crane could be loaded on it.  We learned that the hole in the side was patched, the boat was then lifted up by the crane and then this work barge/tug towed it to a marina for salvaging.

On to calmer seas and a wide spot in the canal system.

 

Many portions of the canal reminded us of the 1000 Islands.

 

Made it to the top of Lock 43 after closing time.  This lock is so remote the lock tenders come in by boat.  To drive here you have to travel 11 miles on a dirt road.

 

Looking down from the top – it’s a long way down!  About 50 feet!

Lots of water coming out at the adjacent power plant – and only 3 of 5 gates are open.

 

We were at the top of the lock (Kirkfield Lift Lock #36) for the first lockage through. Such a cool view!

 

Narrow passageway with a small waterfall.

 

Our beloved “memory stick” (or stupid stick) finally broke. We had taken a piece of drift wood and painted the edges red and green so as to remind ourselves of which side the buoys should be. Red right returning works great on the St. Lawrence, but in the innards of canal systems, the colors change frequently, sometimes 2 to 3 times within a mile! Fortunately Bob had a tongue depressor in his medical kit so we were able to make a new one.

 

Coming up on one of the architectural icons of the waterway – a semicircular arch bridge called the “Hole in the Wall” built in 1905.

 

Looks like we are threading the needle.

Looking back I am once again amazed that we can make it under these bridges. Our “air draft” is 19 feet. This bridge’s clearance is 21 feet.

Random phone booth (for Jan Hinman).

 

We followed “Loan Survivor” for 6 locks (in a 10 mile span). So happy that the on-coming tour boat (Kawartha) passed us in the lock area where we could “pull over.” Again, many of the passages in the canal system are too narrow for two boats to pass.

 

The bow of the tour boat folds up to fit into the lock. For going under bridges the pilot house roof, bimini top and radar arch fold down. What I love about this picture is that the boat’s bow provides a nice back drop for the iconic hand crank for controlling the valving system in the lock (some are over 100 years old) and the flower box of geraniums on top of the lock door.

 

The boat takes up the entire lock without an inch to spare!

 

After an easy crossing of Lake Simcoe (where we finally had some lateral space!) we took a slip in the town of Orillia.

And isn’t it ironic – a day of lovely sunshine and we were assigned a slip under a shed! Where was this when it was raining so hard?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2 – Bob attempted to replace our solenoid (the thingy that shuts down a diesel engine).  Unfortunately that didn’t solve the problem.  So we still have to go down into the engine room to turn off the engine by physically moving the fuel valve.  Lots of fun when you go through 6+ locks a day and the engine has to be shut off.

Anyway, we moved on.

One of many pretty houses along the way.

 

Study in yellow, red and ORANGE.

 

Maneuvering into the locks was total chaos.  The procedure is that you tie up to the “blue line” to let the lock master know you intend to lock through.  That’s all fine and dandy when there’s space and no other boats.  However, on this holiday weekend there were a zillion boats in a very narrow space all jockeying for position.  Out of control houseboats were our particular favorite.  Bob managed to “parallel park” between 2 houseboats.  Bow and stern thrusters were quite helpful!

This dock and boat get the prize for most variety of flags flying.

 

Second prize for going with just one-flag theme.

 

We deemed this the Bob Reynold’s (our brother in law) water front:  you’ve got Audi, an athletic guy, a beer store, a ski boat, a skeleton representing the most bones broken, etc. etc.

 

Biggest Canadian flag yet.

 

Love this mascot.

 

After 3 locks of total mayhem we entered a much more tranquil part of the canal system.

 

Blue skies quickly being threatened by a storm front.  I’ll take the sunny side of the street!

 

Map of the next section.  It is so narrow you are advised to announce on the VHF radio that you are entering the Trent Canal.  Two boats of our size can not pass one another.  So basically  you enter a one way street blindly and hope no one is coming your way!

 

What narrow looks like ahead.

 

Narrow from the helm.  Some of the branches did touch the boat.

 

And from behind.

 

I notice the delphiniums along the way.

 

Bob notices the tug boats along the way.  He really liked the “gated” community.

 

We approach Kirkfield Lift Lock #36.  Looks like the end of the world!

 

Cool information about the lock.  Apparently in lock world, this is the “highest” elevation for a canal lock.  So basically in our world, we’re at the top of the world..

 

Sunset at the lock.  We thought this was the end of the evening….

 

But no, the storm finally hit and afterwards we were graced by a double rainbow over our boat. Cool end to a long day.

 

It was really fabulous to be in Canada today – the 150th anniversary of their independence.  I think at least 50% of the Canadians we saw today were wearing red or at least were sporting maple leaves.  We only went 15 miles today.  We had heard that most of the lock walls were “clobbered.”  So when we got to lock 31 in Buckport (mile 120 of 240, the half way point) and saw some empty dock space we grabbed it.  Other deciding factors were the need for transmission fluid,  another threatening storm approaching and not having to rush.  So Bob worked on the engine (a constant past time) and I explored the town.  We’ve been told that a must do thing in Canada is to eat a butter tart. Found a local bakery and enjoyed all 25,000 calories of this delectable delight. There will be fireworks tonight  – but may be just out of range of where we are docked.

Celebrating Canada Day in coordinated outfits.  Yes we are nerds and yes we are wearing shorts.

My new tattoo!

 

Most of the boats transiting the canal were decked out with Canadian flags.  (Hey Ray – is this good for business?).

This part of the Trent reminded us of the 1000 Islands

This church as been conducting summer services since 1914.

 

Canadian patriotism everywhere!

Burleigh Falls into the Trent River.

Finally a loon family!  The babies are too big to ride on their parents, but they’re still fluffy.

Love Sick Lake Lock – entirely on an island grouping surrounded by dams.  One of the smallest locks (only 4 feet), but the busiest.  Had to wait almost a half hour to enter the lock.  Per Waterway Guide, the name was inspired by a Native North American boy spurned by a red headed Irish lass. This area of the Trent has several small lakes connected by locks so there is abundant local traffic.

For my sisters:  this island is named “Three Sisters Island”

So we docked on the lock wall in Buckhorn.  Here is their buckhorn buck statue.

We celebrated Canada Day by eating Butter Tarts – a first for us.  We hope all our Canadian friends and family members enjoy some fireworks tonight!!!

We had read in a guide book that the fuel price in Campbellford was the least expensive for the entire Trent Severn Waterway.  Unfortunately, since that guide book was written, a snow plow hit the marine fuel pump and the fuel had to be delivered in 5 gallon jerry cans.  That’s great for a snow mobile, but we take 200+ gallons.  Needless to say, it was an all morning adventure.  A very nice attendant did help with some of the schlepping.  We moved on to Hastings, again in and out of rain storms.  Along the way we were joined by new friends we had met as they passed through the Erie Canal (Sara and Peter aboard the Choisi).  It was great to see them and we had a nice cocktail hour aboard their boat.  The next day we both headed to Peterborough.  We docked at Lock 20 just outside of Peterborough.  Josie enjoyed a nearby swimming beach while Steph went out on the paddleboard.  On Thursday, the 29th we moved over to a marina and had another “lay day.”  Rented a car, did errands and then later enjoyed looking out over Little Lake with a lighted fountain.  On Friday I had intended to drive Steph and Josie back to Toronto but everyone we spoke to advised against it due to the expected high volume of traffic in and out of the city.  (Of course, it’s the eve of the biggest day in Canada – their 150th anniversary of independence).  So for a mere $19.10 (Josie was free), they took a bus, then a train and then a shuttle to get to the airport.  Long day for them!!! Meanwhile we went up the tallest lift lock in the world and continued on through 6 more locks to a small town (Young’s Point).  Rain on and off, seems like the norm now.

How I spent my summer vacation…

The short distance to the pump seemed to get longer with each refill.

Finally the last 5 gallons.

Back on the canal, heading to a set of very tall locks. Another storm brewing. 

And another storm.

During rainstorms between locks Josie snuggled up in the comforter my sister Deb made.

Steph trying to take a quick nap.

The variety of boats along the way is so interesting.

A very crowded lock, had to raft up.  Meanwhile our friends Sara and Peter on the Choisi who we met in the Erie Canal well over a month ago were just behind us.  We wound up at the same marina for the night and enjoyed a very pleasant cocktail hour.

Choisi headed out of Hastings.  Finally some blue sky!

Just about at Peterborough, Ontario.

Despite the wind Steph enjoyed a trip around Little Lake on the Paddleboard.

Choisi passes us at Lock 20.

Choisi in the “World’s Tallest Lift Lock.”  Basically you enter a bathtub, the parallel bathtub gets more water added to it making that bathtub descend, and up you go, over 60 feet in 90 seconds.

Steph and I enjoyed a glass or two of wine while watching the fountain in Little Lake turn different colors.

Josie all dressed for the plane ride home (her leggings have airplanes on them).  Enjoying the last few minutes aboard Islandia with her grampa before heading to Toronto to fly home.

A rainy send off.

Now it’s our turn to go up Lock 21, the Lift Lock.

Surprise greeter – the woman in the green jacket is Kim Russo, Director of the American Great Loopers Cruising Association.  (The flag on our bow has the logo for AGLCA).

 Kim inside the tower at the controls.

One of the lock attendants took our picture.

The boat behind us (Miss Utah), looks like she’s in an infinity pool.

Lock 22 (of 44, half way there in terms of locks, about a third of the way in terms of miles).  All the lock stations are decorated for the 150th Anniversary.

Happy Heron

 

Can’t make this up.  This pontoon boat is for Dale MacLaughlin.

Can’t make this up either.

This segment reminded us of the Rideau Canal.

The raging waters of the Trent. Makes for interesting boat handling as you approach the locks.

But across the dam for the lock where we are docked for the night (Lock 27) all is peaceful.