August 1st,

On Monday, July 22nd we left Peterborough, ON heading for Young’s Point. We went through 7 locks, the second of which was the “Lift Lock”. This is the lock where you drive into a tub of water and you are lifted 65 ft up to the next level.  The 8 locks lifted us up a total of 138 ft.

We stayed in a small marina in Young’ s Point called Sunset Cove Marina.  Although a bit rustic, it had nice showers, a laundry and a very nice restaurant. So a shower, 2 loads of laundry and a nice dinner capped off our day.

The next morning, July 23rd, we headed for Bobcaygeon, a lock town, and entered the most beautiful part of the Trent Severn Waterway we had seen yet. We cruised past hundreds of small islands, one of which had a beautiful white church seemingly in the middle of nowhere. As we cruised further, the isolated area started to be populated with beautiful vacation homes. On our cruise to Bobcaygeon we went through 4 locks lifting us up a total of 35 ft. Bobcaygeon is a great “resort style” town with many shops, restaurants and a very popular ice cream factory.  While John had a sensible lunch, Jack and I sought out a dish of Kawartha ice cream. It was worth the calories. We tied up to the wall for the night and put our generator to work.

On the 24th we left Bobcaygeon for Fenelon Falls, another town right at the lock. That lock lifted us up 24 ft. Fenelon Falls is another nice “resort style” town. We were able to tie up to the lock wall again but this time were able to hook up to electricity and water. Shortly after we tied up, there was  a short but high energy thunderstorm, but we were soon able to explore the town and choose a restaurant for dinner. Murphy’s Lockside Pub & Patio was right by the Lock and the food and rum punch were delicious.

From Fenelon Falls we cruised to Bolsover. This trip took us through the second Lock Lift on the waterway.  While all the other locks on the Trent Severn lifted us to the next level of the waterway, this lock took us down 49 feet. It was truly an uncomfortable feeling being in a large tub of water and looking over the side to 49 ft below.

Orillia, our next stop, is a great town with many shops and restaurants. We were there over the weekend and hit their annual “Mardi Gras in July’ celebration so there was the added value of music, decorated boats and much celebration. And, of course, Docktails with other Loopers

We left Orillia on Sunday, July 28th and headed for the “Big Chute” and Port Severn. Our arrival in Port Severn marked the end of our journey across the Trent Severn Water Way. The Big Chute, which is called the Marine Railroad, actually lifted our boat out of the water, on slings, and carried us on a railway track across land and placed us into the next body of water. Pictures below will best describe the process.

Today, July 30th, we said good bye to John who is heading to San Diego to see friends before he heads back to China. It was great to spend time with him in person and have him as my fellow “Boat Mate” as a total of 45 locks brought us through the beautiful Trent Severn Waterway.

July 31 and August 1st found us in a marina in Midland to have our AC repaired. If all goes well we will be leaving on Saturday for the Georgian Bay.




























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