Strawberry Island Lighthouse
Lois and a big Red Granite Rock
Herberts fishing boat
Herbert's Fisheries Fish & Chips
Someone's "Cottage"
Pointe Au Baril Lighthouse
Henry's Fish Restaurant
Henry's is built on the rocks
Henry's customers come by air and water
Bottom of Big Chute
Top of Big Chute
Crossing the road at Big Chute
Entering the Big Chute Railway
The Big Chute 
Kirkfield Lift Lock
Going down at Kirkfield
Burleigh Falls
Burleigh Falls
Peterborough Lift Lock
Top of Peterborough Lift Lock
Looking in under the lock pan
Moon River, Grace Full and Going There waiting to lock through
Park in Peterborough
Park in Peterborough
Park in Peterborough8/04/08 Little Current, ON Again we are provisioning for several days cruising, since Little Current has two grocery stores, a hardware store, and a department store (much like Good’s in Schaefferstown, for those of you who are familiar with it).
8/02/08 Killarney, ON Got an early start again today. It was cloudy with a light wind and we crossed at least 20 miles of open water first thing. We had a great day of cruising. The land has changed again and we are starting to see mountains in the distance. We are told that the white on them is silica, and it is being mined near the next town. Killarney is a small town which caters to boaters with several small marinas, and a number of eating places. The best-known place is Herbert’s Fisheries, which serves fresh-caught walleye (called pickerel here) and chips out of an old school bus painted red and white and parked near their wharf and market. The town is located on a channel which connects two bays. Boats and float planes pass through constantly, with the planes taking off at the end of the channel. The marina manager told us that their business only started around 2 - 3 weeks ago, since summer in Canada has been cooler and rainier than usual. He plans to keep the inn affiliated with the marina open all year this year for fishermen, hunters, and snowmobilers.
8/01/08 An early start and a favorable wind were great ways to start the day. We continued our course through the rocks. Frequently today we heard other boaters on the VHF radio broadcasting warnings (securite’s to you boaters) when they were about to enter narrow channels, particularly when they were large trawlers traveling in groups of 4 or 5. We spent the night anchored in a cove in the Bustard Islands.
7/31/08 We zigzaged our way through another 43 miles of rock islands in the Georgian Bay today, seeing cottages at almost every turn, knowing that the owners usually come in by boat, since there is frequently no access by road. Because the sun was shining and the day was going well, we continued to travel late in the afternoon. Big mistake. About 4 PM, we came out into open water and suddenly the wind increased and waves began to hit us on the side, the worst way to get hit when boating. Bob managed to keep us on course and get back into a sheltered cove, where we anchored for the night.
7/30/08 This morning we traveled only a short distance (but it took us 3 hours at 7 MPH) to Henry’s Fish Restaurant, a unique dining place/marina/airport. We were assigned one of the 30 spaces in the marina reserved for people staying overnight. By early afternoon all were filled. There were empty spaces, but those were for dinner patrons, who boat in from their cottages. For the people who come from more distant places, there are charter float plane services. The restaurant is on a big rock island, not accessible by car. All food and supplies are brought in by boat for the 5 months of the year that Henry’s is open.
7/29/08 The Big Chute marine railway was awesome. Imagine a giant travel lift that can pick up 2 trawlers in the 40 foot range at the same time mounted on a cable driven railroad car. You drive into the unit and two slings come up to hold the boat. The one at the bow stabilizes the boat without lifting it. The other holds the stern off the deck so that the running gear is not damaged. If they have smaller boats they can load them 2 wide. Pontoon boats just sit on the deck with their engines lifted up. The boats ride almost level because there are 2 sets of tracks at different levels. There is one other such railway for boats in South America. What a thrill to experience this ride. After a short trip to Port Severn, where we topped off our fuel tanks ($1.89 per liter this time), we exited the final lock of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Our grand total of locks to date is 116. No more locks for a few weeks. We’re now in the waters of the Georgian Bay, regarded by Americans as part of Lake Huron. Many Canadians, however, see it as a separate entity and there was an effort at one time to have it designated as Great Lake #6. As we started navigating the small craft channel through some of the 30,000 islands on the eastern side of the bay, we wound through narrow passages strewn liberally with giant boulders, many of them actually named islands. We had to be very cautious and follow the channel shown on our nautical charts. We docked for the night in Frying Pan Bay on Beausoleil Island, part of the Georgian Bay Island National Park. About 20 boats were at anchor or tied up at the two docks available. One Canadian jokingly told us ‘too many of you people (Americans) know about this place; otherwise there’d be more room for us (Canadians)’. We get some good-natured teasing from Canadians every so often, but we all see that flurry of traffic in winter from Canada to Florida, don’t we?
7/28/08 On our trip from Orillia to Big Chute marine railway, the landscape changed from what we had become accustomed to. Big granite boulders are taking over, although it hasn’t stopped the clusters of cottages on the shores-they’re simply built atop the boulders! Cottages abound in this area, many of them bigger and more elaborate than we’ve seen before. Narrow canals alternate with small lakes. When we, along with Grace Full, arrived at the dock at the marine railway, we found Moon River already there. All of us stayed overnight, planning to descend on the railway in the morning.
7/26/08 We caught up on the laundry and explored the town of Orillia. They had a Street Fair and Farmers Market on the weekend and we enjoyed walking around touring the town. We are looking at the charts and studying the books for the next part of our journey.
7/25/08 Bob repaired the water pump and found all the pieces from the broken fin on the impeller. Yes He got down aside of the engine and he got back out without help. Becky knows how tight the spot is, she was in there the last time it was rebuilt. We crossed the corner of Lake Simcoe and stayed in a marina in Orillia, On. The engine is fine now. We will take a day or two off. It’s a city of 30,000, very attractive, very friendly to boaters.
7/24/08 We stopped at Sunset Marina near Bolsover, ON. We have been having some engine overheating problems so will try to rebuild the raw water pump in the morning when it is cool in the engine room. We came through an other hydraulic lift lock today, but this time we were going down. Lois was just a few feet from the front of the lock and was taking pictures as we came down. What a thrill.
7/23/08 Bobcaygeon, ON In Bobcaygeon, it appears that the main spectator sport is watching boaters transit the lock! There were plenty of people beside the lock to observe as we came in and tied up, which we did without a problem. The houseboat which came in behind us was a different story: there were several people on it, but no one had a plan for tying to the lock wall and the boat went sideways. The lockmaster instructed them what to do and they finally straightened themselves out.
7/22/08 Young’s Point, ON This morning we had a very different lock experience at the Peterborough Lift Lock, one of a handful of this type in the world. Boaters drive their boats into a giant pan filled with water (Warning: this is not a scientific explanation!). The pan is lifted 65 ft. to the next level in just a couple minutes. As one pan is lifted, a second pan containing one foot more of water comes downward. Hydraulic cylinders filled with water under each pan are connected by piping and valves control the speed of travel. The ride was very smooth and the lockmaster assured us that it has been in operation 103 years and is tested daily.
7/21/08 Peterborough, ON We crossed Rice Lake today and saw dozens of vacation cottages along the shore, most with a small boat dock. This is the height of vacation season, so there are lots of boats zipping around. When we see someone fishing, we try to slow down, so that our wake doesn’t rock them too much. Pontoon boats and houseboats seem to be quite popular and we’ve noticed that quite a number of houseboats are rental units. Those bear watching, as you don’t know if there’s an experienced operator at the helm, or someone who just completed his 10 minutes of instruction at the rental agency.
7/20/08 Hastings, ON It rained all day, a steady drizzle, with an occasional downpour. By the time we went through 6 locks, we were looking for any reason to stop for the day, as were other Loopers we found. Any time there are 2 or more Looper boats, there’s an impromptu get-together, and the one tonight included the crews of Grace Full, Moon River, Etcetera, and us. Grace Full, a new acquaintance, hosted. They also started from Baltimore a couple weeks after we did.
7/19/08 Campbellford, ON Campbellford has a municipal park where boaters can tie up overnight for a fee (includes electric). It was a pleasant stop and residents who were out walking stopped and talked to us. Bob found a Tim Horton’s (Canadian chain of coffee shops), which he is becoming a fan of. Other Loopers had passed the word that this would be the place to buy diesel fuel cheap! The price was $1.39 a liter, and we got 340 liters (about 76 gal.). We like to top off our fuel tanks every 2-3 weeks. Our 2 tanks hold a total of 220 gallons.
7/18/08 Frankford, ON Tonight there are 4 Looper boats tied up at the wall after the Frankford lock. We have no hookups to electricity or water, but there is no fee, since we have season passes for locking and docking.
7/17/08 Trenton, ON Getting to Trenton was a short trip-just 2 hours. It is the starting point for the 240 mile Trent Severn Waterway, so we got groceries and some boat parts and think we are prepared for the next leg of this trip.
8/02/08 Killarney, ON Got an early start again today. It was cloudy with a light wind and we crossed at least 20 miles of open water first thing. We had a great day of cruising. The land has changed again and we are starting to see mountains in the distance. We are told that the white on them is silica, and it is being mined near the next town. Killarney is a small town which caters to boaters with several small marinas, and a number of eating places. The best-known place is Herbert’s Fisheries, which serves fresh-caught walleye (called pickerel here) and chips out of an old school bus painted red and white and parked near their wharf and market. The town is located on a channel which connects two bays. Boats and float planes pass through constantly, with the planes taking off at the end of the channel. The marina manager told us that their business only started around 2 - 3 weeks ago, since summer in Canada has been cooler and rainier than usual. He plans to keep the inn affiliated with the marina open all year this year for fishermen, hunters, and snowmobilers.
8/01/08 An early start and a favorable wind were great ways to start the day. We continued our course through the rocks. Frequently today we heard other boaters on the VHF radio broadcasting warnings (securite’s to you boaters) when they were about to enter narrow channels, particularly when they were large trawlers traveling in groups of 4 or 5. We spent the night anchored in a cove in the Bustard Islands.
7/31/08 We zigzaged our way through another 43 miles of rock islands in the Georgian Bay today, seeing cottages at almost every turn, knowing that the owners usually come in by boat, since there is frequently no access by road. Because the sun was shining and the day was going well, we continued to travel late in the afternoon. Big mistake. About 4 PM, we came out into open water and suddenly the wind increased and waves began to hit us on the side, the worst way to get hit when boating. Bob managed to keep us on course and get back into a sheltered cove, where we anchored for the night.
7/30/08 This morning we traveled only a short distance (but it took us 3 hours at 7 MPH) to Henry’s Fish Restaurant, a unique dining place/marina/airport. We were assigned one of the 30 spaces in the marina reserved for people staying overnight. By early afternoon all were filled. There were empty spaces, but those were for dinner patrons, who boat in from their cottages. For the people who come from more distant places, there are charter float plane services. The restaurant is on a big rock island, not accessible by car. All food and supplies are brought in by boat for the 5 months of the year that Henry’s is open.
7/29/08 The Big Chute marine railway was awesome. Imagine a giant travel lift that can pick up 2 trawlers in the 40 foot range at the same time mounted on a cable driven railroad car. You drive into the unit and two slings come up to hold the boat. The one at the bow stabilizes the boat without lifting it. The other holds the stern off the deck so that the running gear is not damaged. If they have smaller boats they can load them 2 wide. Pontoon boats just sit on the deck with their engines lifted up. The boats ride almost level because there are 2 sets of tracks at different levels. There is one other such railway for boats in South America. What a thrill to experience this ride. After a short trip to Port Severn, where we topped off our fuel tanks ($1.89 per liter this time), we exited the final lock of the Trent-Severn Waterway. Our grand total of locks to date is 116. No more locks for a few weeks. We’re now in the waters of the Georgian Bay, regarded by Americans as part of Lake Huron. Many Canadians, however, see it as a separate entity and there was an effort at one time to have it designated as Great Lake #6. As we started navigating the small craft channel through some of the 30,000 islands on the eastern side of the bay, we wound through narrow passages strewn liberally with giant boulders, many of them actually named islands. We had to be very cautious and follow the channel shown on our nautical charts. We docked for the night in Frying Pan Bay on Beausoleil Island, part of the Georgian Bay Island National Park. About 20 boats were at anchor or tied up at the two docks available. One Canadian jokingly told us ‘too many of you people (Americans) know about this place; otherwise there’d be more room for us (Canadians)’. We get some good-natured teasing from Canadians every so often, but we all see that flurry of traffic in winter from Canada to Florida, don’t we?
7/28/08 On our trip from Orillia to Big Chute marine railway, the landscape changed from what we had become accustomed to. Big granite boulders are taking over, although it hasn’t stopped the clusters of cottages on the shores-they’re simply built atop the boulders! Cottages abound in this area, many of them bigger and more elaborate than we’ve seen before. Narrow canals alternate with small lakes. When we, along with Grace Full, arrived at the dock at the marine railway, we found Moon River already there. All of us stayed overnight, planning to descend on the railway in the morning.
7/26/08 We caught up on the laundry and explored the town of Orillia. They had a Street Fair and Farmers Market on the weekend and we enjoyed walking around touring the town. We are looking at the charts and studying the books for the next part of our journey.
7/25/08 Bob repaired the water pump and found all the pieces from the broken fin on the impeller. Yes He got down aside of the engine and he got back out without help. Becky knows how tight the spot is, she was in there the last time it was rebuilt. We crossed the corner of Lake Simcoe and stayed in a marina in Orillia, On. The engine is fine now. We will take a day or two off. It’s a city of 30,000, very attractive, very friendly to boaters.
7/24/08 We stopped at Sunset Marina near Bolsover, ON. We have been having some engine overheating problems so will try to rebuild the raw water pump in the morning when it is cool in the engine room. We came through an other hydraulic lift lock today, but this time we were going down. Lois was just a few feet from the front of the lock and was taking pictures as we came down. What a thrill.
7/23/08 Bobcaygeon, ON In Bobcaygeon, it appears that the main spectator sport is watching boaters transit the lock! There were plenty of people beside the lock to observe as we came in and tied up, which we did without a problem. The houseboat which came in behind us was a different story: there were several people on it, but no one had a plan for tying to the lock wall and the boat went sideways. The lockmaster instructed them what to do and they finally straightened themselves out.
7/22/08 Young’s Point, ON This morning we had a very different lock experience at the Peterborough Lift Lock, one of a handful of this type in the world. Boaters drive their boats into a giant pan filled with water (Warning: this is not a scientific explanation!). The pan is lifted 65 ft. to the next level in just a couple minutes. As one pan is lifted, a second pan containing one foot more of water comes downward. Hydraulic cylinders filled with water under each pan are connected by piping and valves control the speed of travel. The ride was very smooth and the lockmaster assured us that it has been in operation 103 years and is tested daily.
7/21/08 Peterborough, ON We crossed Rice Lake today and saw dozens of vacation cottages along the shore, most with a small boat dock. This is the height of vacation season, so there are lots of boats zipping around. When we see someone fishing, we try to slow down, so that our wake doesn’t rock them too much. Pontoon boats and houseboats seem to be quite popular and we’ve noticed that quite a number of houseboats are rental units. Those bear watching, as you don’t know if there’s an experienced operator at the helm, or someone who just completed his 10 minutes of instruction at the rental agency.
7/20/08 Hastings, ON It rained all day, a steady drizzle, with an occasional downpour. By the time we went through 6 locks, we were looking for any reason to stop for the day, as were other Loopers we found. Any time there are 2 or more Looper boats, there’s an impromptu get-together, and the one tonight included the crews of Grace Full, Moon River, Etcetera, and us. Grace Full, a new acquaintance, hosted. They also started from Baltimore a couple weeks after we did.
7/19/08 Campbellford, ON Campbellford has a municipal park where boaters can tie up overnight for a fee (includes electric). It was a pleasant stop and residents who were out walking stopped and talked to us. Bob found a Tim Horton’s (Canadian chain of coffee shops), which he is becoming a fan of. Other Loopers had passed the word that this would be the place to buy diesel fuel cheap! The price was $1.39 a liter, and we got 340 liters (about 76 gal.). We like to top off our fuel tanks every 2-3 weeks. Our 2 tanks hold a total of 220 gallons.
7/18/08 Frankford, ON Tonight there are 4 Looper boats tied up at the wall after the Frankford lock. We have no hookups to electricity or water, but there is no fee, since we have season passes for locking and docking.
7/17/08 Trenton, ON Getting to Trenton was a short trip-just 2 hours. It is the starting point for the 240 mile Trent Severn Waterway, so we got groceries and some boat parts and think we are prepared for the next leg of this trip.
2 comments:
Great to hear from you. Was just emailing Aunt Betty wondering where you were. Glad you are getting along well.
Love,
Barb
Welcome home Americans! We missed you! We have returned from the OBX (Outer Banks, NC). It was full of other vacationers from PA, NY, NJ, and Ontario and Quebec.
Love,
Becky
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