Our trip started crossing Little Lake in a few minutes and waiting for Lock 20.
Sharon and Paul are coming to join us again, so we had to decide how we are going to connect with them when they come in to Toronto airport and we are out in the middle of nowhere north of that. I did find Lindsay where we can rent a car, but while we will pass right by Lindsay, the closest place we can dock a boat our size is 15 miles away. We’ll think of something. All we have to do is get near Lindsay, which should be an easy 2 day trip on the canal.
It’s good Sharon and Paul are coming before we leave the Trent-Severn for the Georgian Bay and North Channel area of Lake Huron, which is really in the middle of nowhere.
Hard to get the right picture, but it was quite a ride.
This morning we left Peterborough Marina and will travel Saturday and Sunday to reach Bobcaygeon which is near Lindsay. We crossed Little Lake to lock 20 and had to wait awhile before Rachel could let us through. Since it was a weekend they had another person to open the swing bridge as we approached it. Within a few minutes we sailed into the lift lock with one other boat behind us, the back gate came up and us and the water underneath us rose 65 feet.
We then passed Trent University which sits on both sides of the canal north of Peterborough. It is relatively new and so had no older buildings we could see. These days it seems when university types and architects get together nothing good comes of it, but it was at least interesting to sail past.
Touched trees both sides sometimes in the passage just after lock 22. What if I had met another boat here?
We were significantly delayed at locks 20 and 22, and I was beginning to wonder how long this trip, which was to end with us staying atop lock 30, would take. Fortunately we sailed right into nearly all the other locks, until we finally came to number 30, the Lovesick lock. It is so tucked back into the trees in the side of one of the bays of Lovesick Lake that I still sailed past it even though it appears correctly on the chart.
It was the weekend and the walls on each side below and above Lovesick were full of many boats of various size. Even a jet ski was staying the night. The people had pitched tents on the grass and the fire pit was active. What a party. We could see all this because lock 30 does not rise more than a few feet.
My deckhand used the umbrella for the sun while she held lines today. This is from later when it rained.
I asked the lockmaster where we could stay, and he went over and talked to everyone. Boats moved around as we rode up the lock, and there was a nice 60’ long spot on the left wall. We got help with our lines, tied up, and a couple of small boats that left came back. One tucked in nicely under our bow. The other found a spot and we were all good.
Then some of the children came up and wanted a tour of the boat. That’s Sue’s department, so I went and talked with some of the other boaters.
Jack & Sue 