Friday, July 7, 2017

Thursday
July 6, 2017

Hello all!  We've been unable to post for the past few days, so here is the short of it.  We had an adventurous week.  We now have completed the Trent-Severn waterway.  After leaving our July 1st celebration at Bobcaygeon on the Trent, we began to enter some very narrow passages.  We didn't travel fast or far. It was actually very stressful.  The scenery was beautiful, but would have been more so, if we hadn't needed to watch for shallow water with granite rock and weeds.  We took a video of the boat which sunk just days before we went through.  It went out of a narrow marked channel.  One of the other items we were contending with in this section of the Trent was a lot of current due to record rains.  The high water had caused so much current that it appears like we're running on rapids.  Going through many narrows we had to call securite on the VHF and blast our horn so boaters coming the other way would wait for us to get through or inform us before we entered. Boats traveling downstream (us) pretty much have the right a-way...  When your traveling with the current (going down stream) you have to give your boat some pretty good throttle...if your not going faster than the down stream that your traveling in you have "NO" rudder control... you only have rudder control when water is traveling "Past" your rudders creating push off those rudders...  When going too slow and you start  getting out of control, turning your rudders only exacerbates the problem!  So, Narrow Channel, Churning Rapid Like Water, Going Like Hell and avoiding other boats...oh, only the big boats have VHF, so the smaller type boats are always having to get out of your way because you plow right down the middle...  

Now, here are the stops we took after Bobcaygeon.

We spent a night at lock 35 in Rosedale, ON.
We then took a wall at the entrance to Lake Simcoe. That was a very wonderful, quiet night.
Tuesday we spent the night at Severn Falls, ON and then last night we anchored at Hope Island in Georgian Bay.
Tonight we are hunkered down at Meaford, ON for the predicted thunderstorms.



During Canadian Days we met many wonderful Canadians.  Always ready to help us from the U.S.

Sven was a very knowledgeable guy about the Trent-Severn.  He gave us some pointers.  He and his wife had already completed the Great Loop and beyond.  


Steve and Debbie were wonderful friends during the July 1st weekend.  We hope to meet up with them again someday.  Maybe we'll drive back in a car to this vacation area of the Trent-Severn.

Steve and Mike shared some apple juice one evening
(Scotch and Burbon we think :-)


Steve, Mike would of asked for your shirt if it was an XL, he liked it...


After leaving Bobcaygeon, ON we passed a few large vacation lakes.  Don't let them fool you.  We had to stay between the green and red buoys or get stuck on rocks.


Beautiful vacation homes.  Reminds us of the Eagle River chain of lakes.



Just like in the states, on a Holiday week there are many vacationers out for fun.  The locks were packed full with many types of boats.

Jet skies went in last to fill the voids...


We found a quiet lock to spend the evening at.  Met more wonderful Canadians.  


Mike finally saw the camera.


What people do to get noticed. "Big Dog"


                                        
The second Trent-Severn Lift lock only this time were going locking down...


In the narrows we quickly took this picture to show the rocks behind the bushes and under water.


                                         
Here is an example of the narrows.  Here again, before going through you get on your VHF radio and call Securite, announcing that you're entering... two large boats can pass each other but you take the chance of grinding your props down to nubs.   You don't want to meet a tour boat coming in this section and others...

This was a cool arched bridge.

Mike drove most of the way through this half of the Trent-Severn.  Joell didn't want to bang up the boat.

Just squeezed through..."What Fantastic Driving Mike"


See the boat stuck in the gas station lower roof?

We saved some Stone Crab legs from the Florida Keys.  They were delicious.


                                           
A sad site as we drove by the 42' Kady Krogen
We heard that in a couple days a barge and crane would be there to pick here out of the drink...


This picture is for those who can't get our videos to run.


Just another lock...


This was lock 44 or correctly called the Big Chute Marine Railway.  It actually lifted us over ground on a railway system.  We had two straps under the boat but the front of our boat sat on the wood floor the operator said!


The top right is where two operators stand to run everything...

We're in the straps starting up the rail tracks.



                                          
up and over...  a bit of a bumpy ride...

Many homes are built onto the rock walls around the Trent-Severn.
Not too many basements we're guessing...


When we finally got done with the Trent-Severn waterway and the tiring 45 locks, we entered the Georgian Bay.  It was very, very clear water.  We anchored at Hope Island in 20' of water and jumped in to clean the boat. Water was great!  You can see all the way down to the sand bottom.  Now this is good water.


So nice to have the MeaFord Marina's Captains Lounge to relax while working do hard on the blog for you nice folks...

Hey more raid coming, how nice...