Swift Rapids to Port Severn, ON. Big Chute Marine Railway

It was another chilly night and morning, with the cabin closed up (no heater needed yet) and a light mist on the water at sunrise. Since Sunday evening, it has really felt like summer is winding down up here, and it’s not even Labor Day.

Our boating day began with the 47-foot drop at Swift Rapids Lock, then down the beautiful Severn River, with wild, rocky areas and cottages of all sizes. 

Just another day on the Canadian canals

The highlight of our day was Lock 44–Big Chute, the only marine railway in North America. While not technically a lock, it is run by Parks Canada and a part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, and gets the honorary title. The Big Chute is an 80 by 26 foot wooden carriage that lifts boats out of the water and portages them over a road and down a 60-foot slope to the river below, bypassing a waterfall. Slings are used to keep vessels from tipping over, and the expert staff quickly load, balance and move boats of up to 32,000 pounds on this amazing contraption. As at Swift Rapids, the railway was a temporary solution during World War I shortages, with plans to build a flight of three locks in the future. The railway proved to be an effective barrier against invasive aquatic species migrating from Lake Huron into the waterway, and the locks were never built. 

View from the blue line—the carriage is lowered into the water

In the carriage, held by slings. Still floating.

We’re out of the water

At the top, over the road

On the way down

This is way cool!!

Driving away, with an older MacGregor 26 getting into line

Eight miles after exiting the Big Chute, we were docked at Starport Marina in Port Severn, ON, our last stop on the Trent-Severn Waterway, just upstream of Lock 45 (the last one) and the entrance to Lake Huron. Map Link: Port Severn, ON. There’s not much of a town here, just the lock and several marinas and resorts. We cooked and ate dinner in the marina’s lovely clubhouse, chatted with the locals, then streamed some TV shows over the marina WiFi. 

Bonus Question: In the photo below, the chairs are all the colors of the rainbow, but not in the right sequence. Can you place them in the correct order? (Answer at end of post)

Photo Journal:

Beer distributor for boat-in only resorts and restaurants

Bonus Question Answer: Remember ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) for the color order of a rainbow, from longest to shortest wavelength.