Lakefield to Buckhorn, ON

The weather has been perfect lately, with temperatures in the low 80s, light winds and clear skies. We’re in the Kawartha Lakes region, where the Trent-Severn Waterway consists of a series of lakes and rivers connected by canals and locks (see chartlet). The scenery is lovely.

We traveled 22 miles and went through four locks, stopping for the night on the upper wall at Buckhorn, ON. This is another busy lock, with lots of traffic going both ways and a full mooring wall by evening. Our strategy of shorter travel days and early arrivals is paying off so far, and being a small vessel is a big plus for finding space. At the end of the day, the 120-foot Kawartha Voyageur, a 45-passenger cruise ship, locked through and then spent the night at the wall. This vessel was designed specifically for the Trent-Severn, with a moveable bow section that pivots up to fit in the lock. Map Link: Buckhorn, ON

Photo Journal:

Another MacGregor 26X without a mast.
Seen at Lakefield Marina

Gulls love this roof. What a mess!

Church on an island

Burleigh Falls

Welcome to Buckhorn, ON

Buckhorn veterans’ wall of honour

Buckhorn Lock 31 full mooring wall. The other side (blue line)
is reserved for boats waiting to lock through

Millstones recovered when the lock was excavated

The Kawartha Voyageur in the lock, with bow section raised

Kawartha Voyageur docked for the night

Bonus Activity: We joined Club Parka in Buckhorn and thought that we’d share the fun!

Peterborough to Lakefield, ON. Misplaced buoy leads to grounding!

We got to Lock 19 in Peterborough right at the 9:00 AM opening, but had to wait while they dumped water downstream, due to recent rains. We went through with three other boats, and would stay with them for the rest of the day, which was only nine miles, with seven locks. There was one highlight and one low point of the day. The highlight was going through the Peterborough Lift Lock, the world’s largest hydraulic lift lock, which still moves boats up and down 65 feet by gravity only, as it did when it opened in 1904. The lock uses two pans of water on hydraulic pistons. Boats enter the upstream or downstream pan and the gates are closed. An extra foot of water is added to the upper pan, and the 100+ tons of weight forces it down, simultaneously moving the lower pan up. The entire lift/drop takes less than two minutes and requires no external power. It’s a pretty amazing piece of engineering. Link: Peterborough_Lift_Lock

The low point was between Locks 25 and 26, where a green buoy had broken loose and was way out of position. We were the lead boat, followed what we thought was the correct route and promptly hit bottom on some small rocks. We dinged our rudders, which kicked up as designed and thankfully, our propellor didn’t hit. The second boat ran aground, then also freed themselves. The other two vessels stopped in time when they saw something was up. We reported the incident to the Lock 26 staff, who immediately got on the phone to get the issue investgated and corrected. Last year on the U.S. rivers, we regularly saw channel markers washed up onshore, but were told that it doesn’t happen in Canada, which was why we honored a buoy whose location didn’t make complete sense. After tying up on the upper lock wall at Lock 26 in Lakefield, ON, we met with the Lockmaster again, then took a bike ride along the river. As we passed the spot where we ran aground, we saw that the errant buoy had already been removed. 

After our ride, we walked into town and had dinner at The Loon Lakefield, then spent a quiet evening on the lock wall, which was completely full when we returned. Map Link: Lakefield, ON

Bonus Question: What is the difference between sherbet and sorbet? (Answer at end of post)

Photo Journal:

Strong current on the Otonabee River

Fast lock fill

Bonus Question Answer: Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet does not.

Hastings to Peterborough, ON

Yesterday we went 38 miles and through two locks, the first one right in Hastings. The Trent River ends at Rice Lake—at 20 miles by three miles at its widest, it’s the second-largest lake on the Trent-Severn Waterway. The lake was choppy and windy, and we were relieved to start up the Otonabee River, even with the 0.5-1.0 mph current against us. We’re still traveling upstream and gaining elevation at each lock, which will continue for several more days. We arrived at Peterborough, ON, around 4:00 PM, gassed up, then ungracefully put Dragonfly into the slip, with a challenging wind and current pushing us around (the two dock hands helping us in got a nice tip). We ate on board, then took a walk around part of the city of 83,000, the largest community on the Trent-Severn. Fun fact: Peterborough was the first town in Canada to use electric streetlights. Map Link: Peterborough, ON

The first thing you notice as you enter Little Lake heading towards Peterborough is the Centennial Fountain, which shoots water 250 feet into the air, and was built for Canada’s 100-year anniversary in 1967.

Bonus Question: In the photo below, there is one common tern among the herring gulls resting on this navaid. Can you find it? (Answer at end of post).

Photo Journal:

Almost every cottage displays the national flag

Lots of Le Boat rental houseboats on the Trent

Swing bridge in operation

Garden at Peterborough Marina

Firefighting memorial in Peterborough

Bonus Question Answer: The tern is the second bird from the left.

Campellford to Hastings, ON

We left Campbellford at 8:15 AM and arrived at lucky Lock 13 before it opened. The temperature was in the upper 50s and only warmed up another 10 degrees during the day.We rolled the dice on the weather, since showers and thunderstorms were possible later in the morning and afternoon, but we thought we could make the 20 miles to Hastings, ON, before the weather turned. We were wrong. Delays at two of the five locks and rain that began earlier than expected resulted in a sprinkling at Lock 14 and a thorough soaking on Seymour Lake. The Lockmaster in Hastings was waiting for us when we pulled up, but another downpour was imminent, and the mooring wall above the lock was exposed to wind and waves, so we opted to stay below the lock for the night. We’re out of the chop, with a gentle rocking motion from the nearby dam discharge that put us both to sleep this afternoon. After our nap, we walked around the town of 1,200, a boating and fishing hub built on both sides of the Trent River, with the lock right in the middle of town. Map Link: Hastings, ON. Our first stop was Pisces Pete, a 12-foot metal walleye sculpture created by a local artist, followed by a thorough canvassing of Hastings’ parks and small shopping district, before enjoying an excellent dinner at McGillicafey’s Pub and Eatery.

Bonus question: Where did maraschino cherries originate? (Answer at end of post)

Photo Journal:

TFLOD (Tiny, fake lighthouse of the day)

Hastings’ sesquicentennial is this year

Dragonfly doormat for sale

Bonus Question Answer: Maraschino cherries were first made about 200 years ago from the marasca cherry, a dark, sour variety grown along the Dalmatian Coast (now part of Croatia) and the maraschino liqueur used to preserve them. 

Frankford to Campellford, ON

After Friday’s heavy rain kept us cooped up most of the day, we were eager to be outside and get moving again. Today began clear and cool, with a light west wind that built steadily throughout the day. We traveled 23 miles and went through six locks, including an impressive 48-foot lift at the Ranney Falls flight. We’re docked for the night at the town wall in Campbellford, ON, with four other boats. The adjacent park has the world’s largest Toonie coin—the artist who designed it is from the area and the Royal Canadian Mint honored the community with this 18-foot diameter, 27-foot high replica of its two-dollar coin. Map Link: Campbellford, ON

After settling in, we had lunch at The Dockside Bistro (great food, slow service), then took a hike to nearby Ferris Provincial Park and the Ranney Falls Suspension Bridge, a 300-foot steel bridge hovering 30 feet above a beautiful gorge. We returned to Campbellford along the Rotary Trail, which follows the Trent-Severn waterway, and made one more stop at Dooher’s Bakery, where we sampled our first butter tarts, before returning to Dragonfly for the evening. We lucked out with fireworks again, and watched the Campbellford Fair celebration from the cockpit—about a mile away and partially obscured, but fun nevertheless. 

Photo Journal:

Ranney Falls flight lock—we’re at the bottom of
the first lock looking up at the doors of the second

We love tiny fake lighthouses

Welcome mat for sale

Campbellford town hall

Ranney Falls Gorge

Ranney Falls

Ranney Falls Suspension Bridge

Rotary Trail rest stop

Canal Library on the Rotary Trail

The minimum age wasn’t specified, so we didn’t cross here

Chocolate butter tart. I do recommend!

Trenton to Frankford, ON

After this gorgeous sunrise and Kathleen’s morning run, we left Trent Port Marina at 8:15 AM yesterday, went to the fuel dock as they opened and headed into the Trent-Severn Waterway. A fellow Looper homeported in Trenton snapped a photo of us entering the canal and also sent us a nice e-mail with local info and tips for navigating and enjoying the waterway.

We arrived at Lock 1 right at 9:00 AM, with two larger boats ahead of us, and had to wait about 30 minutes to lock through with two other powerboats that arrived after us. The first six locks are close together and are all lifts of 18+ feet over seven-miles to carry the canal around a long stretch of rapids on the Trent River. We’re tied up at the Parks Canada wall above Lock 6 in Frankford, ON. The Lockmaster’s office has washrooms and the town gives boaters access to showers in the RV park across the canal, adjacent to a beach and skate park. We are right next to the upper lock doors, which are manually operated, but with a little different mechanism than on the Rideau Canal (see photo, with our “private” picnic table in the foreground). Map Link: Frankford, ON

We went into town twice—once for groceries and then again for dinner at Dmitri’s Pizzeria. The food was great but a nearby family with five unruly kids and careworn parents cut into our enjoyment. We plan to stay in Frankford for two nights to wait out heavy rain expected from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby and a local low pressure system that are joining forces.

Bonus Question: How many countries have never won an Olympic medal? (multiple choice, answer at end of post). A. 12    B. 26    C. 45    D. 66

Photo Journal:

Bonus Question Answer: D. 66 countries have never won an Olympic medal, summer or winter. Two nations—Dominica and Saint Lucia—won their first medals at this year’s Paris games. Monaco has the record for most Olympic appearances (32) without medaling; Andorra is second with 25.