PETERBOROUGH TO YOUNG’S POINT ~ JULY 3 We left Peterborough just before 9:00 am. It had rained all night, a gentle, light rain and was still misting in the early morning. By the time we left, it was overcast and cool. We got to the first lock to find three other boats, waiting. The lock was closed for some problem for about forty-five minutes. We tied to the lock wall and waited. We eventually locked through with three other boats, one a 48 foot sail boat from London, England, which was owned by a Canadian Couple, who bought it in England and sailed it from England to Portugal to Spain and across the Atlantic Ocean. They have been gone a year and are going home for a while, but will winter in the Caribbean for the second year in a row. The four of us locked through several locks together. Phil was agonizing because they went very slowly between locks, like 4.8 miles an hour! Finally, the two slow boats tied up at a lock wall for lunch and we and another boat continued on our way. One of the locks we went through was really hard, a lot of water, pouring over the upbound gates, causing a lot of turbulence within the lock. It was hard to get the boat secured and keep it there. The Peterborough Lift Lock is one of the locks you hear about when people talk about the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was completed in 1904. It has two pans that each weigh 1300 tons when filled with water. It was considered an engineering marvel when it was built. You drive your boat into the pan that has the green light. You secure your boat to the side of the pan, using horizontal cables. Because a boat displaces its own weight in water, it does not matter how many boats are in each pan. When the gate closes, the lockmaster allows one extra foot of water (which weighs 130 tons) to enter the upper pan. This additional weight causes the upper pan to push down and the lower pan to rise. When the pan takes you up (or down) sixty-five feet, it stops, the little gate opens and out you go. It was my favorite lock. It was not scary at all going up sixty-five feet. It might be a different story, driving into that lock if you were in the pan up in the air that far above the waterway and the ground! After six more locks, we entered the Kawartha Lakes. The first lake, I believe, is Latchewanook Lake. It was absolutely beautiful. It is the prettiest area so far. Absolutely pristine, beautiful, clear water, lush trees and greenery, pretty cottages and a seaplane. We went through a narrow channel, which once again reminded us of the Dismal Swamp, but so much prettier. Because the Lakefield Marina did not respond to us and we were not sure where to tie up, we continued on to Young’s Point. We tied above the Young’s Point Lock on the wall. The trip took us 6 hours and 45 minutes and we traveled 17 miles and went through 8 locks. We absolutely loved the lock wall and Young’s Point. I believe it was my favorite stop. It was so quiet and we both loved the Lockside Trading Company, which had several things we wanted to buy. It has a very diverse and extensive quality inventory which was delightful to browse through, everything from candles to toys to clothing and wicker furniture. We had dinner at the Old Bridge Inn, which was a short walk across an old, old bridge. The food was delicious, the service great and the atmosphere romantic. When we walked back to the boat, we saw a canoe and a pitched tent not too far from the boat by the lockmaster’s office. It was a father and a son (who had just graduated from college) canoeing the Trent-Severn Waterway. They carry the canoe around the dams and the locks and canoe the rest of the way. Talk about an unforgettable experience! The next morning we went to the Lockside Trading Company again and then to the General Store for wine and a newspaper (only the basics!) YOUNG’S POINT TO BUCKHORN ~ July 4, 2008 We reluctantly left Young’s Point at 11:30. We headed through Clear Lake and Hell’s Gate into the Stony Lake area. The weather was absolutely incredible. It was cool, sunny with a few fluffy white clouds. There was no humidity. This part of the Trent-Severn is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful areas I have seen. There are many, many rocks, both above and below the water. Rock Wall on Canal Side House on Island You have to really follow your charts and stay in the middle of the channel. There are many islands with houses on them. It reminded me a little of the Thousand Islands on the border of Canada and New York, except this area is much more isolated and pristine. There were a lot of smaller boats on the water. We saw kids, taking sailing lessons, more kids, taking canoeing lessons, and even more kids, swinging on ropes to jump in and swim or jumping off low bridges to swim. They have to be hardy stock to swim in this cool weather and cold water. We think it is too cold to even consider swimming! However, their swimming season is so short here, I guess this is like a summer day to them… We arrived at the Buckhorn, Lock 31, at 2:30 pm, sixteen miles, two locks and three hours later. We stayed on the lower lock wall, next to a lovely park. Some fishermen came to fish, but the lockmaster told them they had to fish closer to the dam, so they left. There was another boat tied up for the night, also. It was a very quiet and peaceful night. Harmony at Buckhorn Lock Wall Buckhorn Dam Rushing Water BUCKHORN ~ SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2008 We left the lock wall, Lock 31, about 9:45 am. Phil had talked to the Lockmaster, Bob Johnson, on Friday evening and he told him about a very good bakery in Buckhorn. Phil got up early and went to the bakery. We had a great breakfast and then were ready to go. We locked through with no problem and were on our way. We got out into Buckhorn Lake and the port engine alarm came on. Soon the engine quit and we had only the starboard engine. We saw what looked like a little place called Buckhorn Yacht Harbor and decided to stop there to replace the fuel filter in the port engine. Phil did that, the engine started and we left. We got out into the Lake again and the same thing happened. We debated about going on to Bobcaygeon, but after a couple of phone calls, discovered that Buckhorn Yacht Harbor is a big operation with the only diesel mechanic anywhere in this area! When we called them, they said they could not do anything until Monday and had no space for us in the marina. John, one of the owners, suggested we go to the lock wall and let Bob Johnson, the Lockmaster, know that John and his brother, Pete, were going to be working on the boat on Monday. We did and Bob told us to come on that he would have a place for us. He talks to the boaters on a PA system. When we got there, there were many boats on the walls of the lock, he got on the PA, told two of them that the big boat coming in only had one engine, to get their boats off the wall now and somebody needed to get over to where we were going to tie up and help us. We got in with no problem, got secured and spent the week-end on the upper lock wall. It was about 1:00 pm. A lot of Canadians rent houseboats for a week and cruise the Trent-Severn Waterway. They rent in Bobcaygeon and Lock 31 at Buckhorn is the first lock they have to go through when they go south through the canal. Bob Johnson, the Lockmaster, is a master at teaching new house-boaters how to get the boat to go where it should be going. He talks to them on the PA, telling them which direction to turn the wheel, when to accelerate, what to do with the transmission and, if they listen, generally makes life easier for them. If they don’t listen, he will make sure they do. He has the crew of each house-boat walk the boat into the lock with the captain on board the boat. It is the only lock into which they will be able to walk the boat; into the rest they will have to drive. Bob really is knowledgeable and is so patient with the boaters. We never heard him get exasperated with any of them, even the ones that were headed to the lock almost perpendicular across the canal! It was an interesting week-end, watching Bob work with the boaters. It is an extremely busy lock. Bob told many stories of the old days on the lock system with the old lock-masters, who were mostly veterans from World War II. They were legends in their time; hard-drinking, tough, knowledgeable lock-masters who were extremely possessive about their locks and about whom we have heard a lot of stories from several present day lock-masters. On Sunday, we cleaned the isinglass on the back deck, while watching the other boaters get ready to lock through. Later in the afternoon, Bob took us to the grocery store in his huge, black Hummer. It is the biggest one I have ever seen! It had a custom dash and looked like you were entering a tank. It was nice of him to give us a ride. BUCKHORN YACHT HARBOR~MONDAY, JULY 7 We left the wall at 10:45. Bob had talked to the man whose boat was behind ours and they decided that his dingy would be helpful in getting us turned around in the narrow canal. Phil is so good at the helm, but even he was thankful for the little push on the bow from the dingy! We got away with no problem. We went back to Buckhorn Yacht Harbor for our appointment with the diesel mechanic at 11:00. He finally came at 12:40 and we were thrilled to see him! He believes he has diagnosed the problem and the part has been ordered. The tracking number says it will be Thursday morning, probably. In the meantime, the marina is lovely and the people are so nice. It is a family run business, three generations. Pat and Lindsey They moved us into a protected cove into a slip, so we are not exposed to the waves and wakes on Buckhorn Lake. They have given us one of their vans to drive as long as we are here, recommended items on the menu at Cody’s, a local restaurant, AND they have internet access! It is beautiful here. There are many trees, blooming water lilies, little black muskrats, mink, chip-monks or ground squirrels and very large great blue herons. All things considered, we were so blessed that this happened when it did, almost right in front of Buckhorn Yacht Harbor! The only crunch is that we fly out of Buffalo, NY, one week from Thursday. So we shall see what happens… |
PETERBOROUGH (LOCK 20), YOUNG’S POINT, BUCKHORN (LOCK 31)
Harmony Log 2008
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