Trip Diary for July, 2007

Sunday, July 1: We picked up Keith and Sharon Hawks at 7:30 AM and drove to St. Joseph, MI to attend 11 AM services at FUMC where we have our membership.  On the way back, we stopped at Blue Acres in Radioville, IN to pick blueberries.

July 2-6; Brewerton, NY: Keith and Sharon picked us up Monday at 8:30 AM and drove us to Indy for return flight to Syracuse.  We were flying standby on Delta, but managed to make the desired plane to Cincinnati and then the connection to Syracuse, arriving just before 4 PM.  The boat was exactly as we had left it.  Still having the rental car Tuesday allowed re-provisioning.  Wednesday and Thursday were devoted to boat projects: repair of the radar and several preventative maintenance tasks not completed prior to our departure.  Robert and Ann Levine, Sandpiper, docked at the nearby Winter Harbor Marina, picked us up in its courtesy car Thursday for a 10 mi. trip to Burios for lunch.  Friday morning we rented a car and picked up Keith and Sharon Hawks from the Syracuse airport at 3:30 PM.

July 7-8; Oswego, NY: By 10 AM Saturday the car had been returned, water tanks filled and waste tank pumped, so it was time to cast off for Oswego and Lake Ontario!  It was good to be moving on the water again. About 5 mi. further west on the Erie we turned north into the Oswego River and Canal.  Locking on this canal was very similar to the Erie with drop ropes provided for holding the boat. Most of the drops were 15-20 ft. with the highest being 27 ft.  By mid-afternoon NW winds were 10-15 mph.  While this was not a problem for the protected canal waters, we had great difficulty at the 27' Oswego River Lock #6.  Wind caught the front of the boat and, with it becoming crossways, we almost lost the lock line!  Finally, with everyone tired from 8 locks and 35 mi. of canal, we reached the Oswego International Marina in the breakwater at 4 PM.  Fortunately, Robert and Ann Levine were on the docks to help us in.  After grilling brats for dinner and watching boats enter the breakwater for 30 min., we turned in at 8:30 PM.  Sunday began with a 1.5 mi. hike to the 11 AM service at Trinity UMC.  Taking advice from members, we next enjoyed a fine lunch at the historic Bridie Manor with its great view of the Oswego River. Returning to the boat, we started a puzzle and, after 6 weeks of web site and/or computer problems, updated these pages.

Canada

Monday, July 9: Needing to complete Lola's 6-month medical data dump before entering Canada (800-numbers don't connect from outside US), we waited for Oswego Marina's office to open for access to a land line; it opened only 15 min. late.  By the time Sandpiper completed a pump-out, the two boats left together to cross Lake Ontario at 9:10 AM, planning to dock at Picton, ON.  South winds were 10-15 as following waves gradually built to 1-2 with occasional 3 footers.  Other than the usual steering challenge with following seas, the ride was not unpleasant.  We entered Canadian waters about 25 mi. out and hoisted the Quarantine flag to show we had not yet cleared Customs.  The first of widely scattered islands were reached at the 30 mi. point.  At the 35 mi. point, Robert called on the radio to say he had lost his starboard engine!  We immediately slowed to 7 mph from the 17 mph speed we had been making as he assessed the situation.  His engine room had filled with smoke from oil and water that covered the walls and ceiling, but thankfully it was not on fire.  After continuing slowly for another 2 mi. we decided to divert to Kingston, ON because it was 8 mi. closer and the much larger city offered better repair prospects.  By now everyone had confirmed their cell phones worked on recently activated Canadian plans and, with difficulty, found available slips without facilities at Kingston Marina.  It is located just beyond the La Salle Causeway lift bridge that opens on the hour except at 8, noon, 4, and 5.  With our limited speed, we arrived 5 min. after the 2 PM opening.  Robert got needed practice steering a catamaran with only one engine during our extended wait for the bridge opening.  We quickly cleared Customs with a phone call upon arriving at the dock.  A Yanmar mechanic arrived about 6:30 to assess the situation: an improperly installed hose to a relocated oil filter had chafed against fiberglass until rupturing.  Upon loosing its oil, cylinders froze; the engine was ruined.  Clearly, Robert and Ann could no longer travel with us.  Tired from a stressful day, we walked about 5 blocks into town for dinner at the Toucan.

July 10-11; Trenton, ON: In order to make the 7 AM LaSalle Bridge opening (next opening 9 AM), we dropped lines at 6:50 AM Tuesday, leaving Sandpiper to install a new starboard engine.  Winds were calm and the water absolutely flat and beautiful.  By running at 18 mph for the first 35 mi., we approached Trenton in time for a great lunch at Tomassos, close to our dock at Fraser Park Marina.  Next it was shopping in this really neat town of 17,000.  This included a stop at the local A&P to purchase "Peameal Bacon", the Canadian version of cured pork tenderloin, that the ladies prepared for an outstanding dinner.  We finished the puzzle.  Staying Wednesday allowed time to catch up on computer work at the nearby library with its free Wi-Fi, start a new puzzle and enjoy another lunch at Tomassos with Lee and Rich Johnson, Crazy Eights, who had arrived about noon.

Trent-Severn Waterway and Canal

Thursday, July 12: A long anticipated trip highlight awaited: the Trent-Severn Waterway and Canal.  We cast-off at 8:20 AM (locks open at 8:30) in order to make 12 locks and 30 mi. to Campbellford, "birthplace of Canada's $2 coin." We arrived at the city dock wall at 5:50 PM, tired, but pleased to be at another delightful town with everything so convenient.  At only 3 of the locks did we experience a wait.  There were 2-3 boats in most of the locks; we followed a 33' Grady-White, End of the Line, all day.  A brief thundershower occurred while lifting in flight locks #11-12.  This caused a few-second power outage while the lock valves were not synchronized, causing severe cross-currents; we quickly started becoming crossways, but the power quickly returned and the flow was corrected before disaster struck.  After docking at 5:50 PM on the city wall which provided 30 A. hydro (electricity), we enjoyed excellent dinners at nearby Capers.  Another distinguishing feature of Campbellford is its pedestrian suspension bridge overlooking its falls. 

Friday, July 13: Leaving at 7:30 AM allowed us to be first in line for the up opening of Lock #13 about 1.5 mi. upstream from the city wall.   We arrived at Hastings Lock #18 wall at 1:55 PM; after talking with the lockmasters, Keith and Larry were each allowed to help close a lock gate.  The landscaping and restroom facilities at the locks are beautiful.  The genny was started to recharge the house battery and supply ample electricity.  Larry then crawled into the engine room for his periodic engine oil level check.  While in the engine room he noticed a substantial trickle of water entering the bilge from the cockpit area.  Opening the cockpit hatches revealed cracked, leaking hoses that supply cooling water to the genny.  While not a major threat, it would require future attention.  Naturally, the cracked areas were almost impossible to reach, and the hoses threaded torturously through wiring and across engine mufflers; they would be very difficult to replace.

Saturday, July 14: Leaving the lock wall at 7:15 AM to have significant time in Peterborough, we covered the 39 mi. and one lock to Peterborough Marina by 12:45 PM.  As we walked into town for lunch at Hot Belly Mama's, it began raining.  Rain continued intermittently into the night, causing cancellation of the free BeeGee's concert planned for the park adjacent to the marina; we had mixed emotions about the loss, but many people had traveled miles to attend.  Having an electrical connection eliminated the need to run the genny, so its water hoses were dry and Larry attempted a temporary repair with Silicone Sealant.

Sunday, July 15: To be certain of making the first Lock #20 opening in Peterborough, we dropped lines again at 7:15, before breakfast; this meant a 1.5 hr. wait on the lock wall, but provided time for breakfast and exploring the beautiful lock park.  .6 mi. after Lock #20 we docked on the wall at the Peterborough Lift Lock; from there it was only a .5 mi. walk to Mark St. United Church for their delightful 10 AM service.  Returning, we picked up sandwiches at Subway for a light lunch before one of the highlight lockages on the Trent-Severn Waterway and Canal, the world's highest hydraulic lift lock.  Basically two huge tubs of water simultaneously moved up and down by huge water-powered rams, changing the elevation of their floating boats by 65 ft.  The upper tub is filled with 1 ft. more water than the lower tub; this weight differential provides the power to lift the lower tub.  Then it was 5 more locks and 8 more miles before a 3:30 PM arrival at the upper lock wall in Lakefield, ON.  After a brief rest, we walked .5 mi. into town for dinner at Hamlin's.  While eating, the 45-passenger cruise ship Kawartha Voyageur docked on our wall for the evening. The genny was started; the earlier temporary hose repairs stopped about 90% of the leak.

Monday, July 16: Wanting to have time for shops at the next destination, Bobcaygeon, we walked 4 blocks to McDonalds for breakfast before returning to cast-off at 7:25 AM.  Our first lock was 7 mi. upstream, so we arrived just in time for its first up-lockage.  We were now passing through the Kawartha Lakes area.  It lived up to its reputation of being among the most beautiful areas of Canada!  Most of the interconnected lakes were dotted with islands, some of which had homes. Lake and channel banks were lined with gorgeous homes, most with huge boat houses and/or docks.  Along the way, we decided it would be desirable to stay at a marina with facilities and a pump-out.  Unfortunately, calls determined they were full; thus, as we tied to the West wall below Lock #32 at 2:20 it too was filled.  Our first "task," even before shopping, was walking .7 mi. to the Kawartha Dairy for its ice cream, reputed to be Canada's best.  Good dinners where had at the Lock 32 Pub.

Tuesday, July 17: Moving to the "blue line" dock at 7:45 AM to be assured of the first up-lockage, we were through with three other boats by 8:45.  The weather was perfect as we boated through areas only slightly less gorgeous than yesterday, but significantly more populated.  Waters were often narrow with rocks everywhere; the depth sounder was often alarming due to dense weed growths in the many shallow stretches.  Just prior to Lock #34 at Fenelon Falls we spotted an osprey's nest atop a power poll. At Rosedale Lock #35 we were raised only 4 more ft. to the highest elevation on the Trent-Severn Canal, 840 ft above sea level; there were five boats in this lockage.  In fact, all locks are busy; typically there are 3-5 boats each lift.  About 1 PM we reached the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  Since we were one of the first two boat in and were now locking down, we tied at the very outmost end of the tub (in contrast to Peterborough when we were at the center wall); thus, the view from this 49' drop was especially thrilling! To have access to showers, a pump-out and laundry facilities, we docked at Sunset Cove Marina in Bolsover at 2:30 PM; we had covered 39 mi. with 3 locks.

Wednesday, July 18: We waited until 8:15 to depart today because the nearby swing bridge operates on demand, but only during lock hours (8:30 AM to 7 PM).  Only down locks remain on the T-S canal.  These are much easier because there are no cross currents created by surging incoming water.  They are also a bit quicker since the valves are immediately fully opened.  During up lockage, they initially open the valves only slightly to keep turbulence to a tolerable level.  There were 5 locks today in a 6 mi. stretch, followed by the huge Lake Simcoe, feared for treacherous waves in strong SW winds.  It was flat today.  After passing the 15 mi. of Lake Simcoe we entered Lake Couchiching and diverted off the T-S route for a 1 PM stop at the Port of Orillia for delightful lunches at Brewery Bay and then went next door to a fantastic bakery, Mariposa, to stock up on bread and desserts.  With that 2 hr. stopover and the extra 3 mi. diversion, it was 4:30 PM when we reached Lock #42 at Couchiching.  As planned, we docked on the upper wall; however, after observing the site, we concluded Skipper Bob's published warning about excessive road noise on the lower wall was not valid.  We then solo locked through the 21' drop and tied to the beautiful lower wall to enable an earlier departure tomorrow morning.  Temperatures reached into the high 80's with high humidity, so we started the genny and air conditioning before savoring a delicious casserole for dinner followed by samples of Mariposa purchases. Just as we decided to go to bed, the genny suddenly stopped!  We decided to diagnose the problem another day and turned in.

Thursday, July 19: Big Chute, the marine railway at "lock" #44, was the anticipated excitement for the day. Boats are suspended with a clever system of straps that can be configured for different size boats. Then a carriage riding on two pairs of rails installed at different elevations holds its cargo of boats level as it moves up across a road and down at 59 ft. drop. The unanticipated excitement for the day was a quick moving storm as we approached the last lock, Port Severn #45. Tracking its approach was futile at the radar wouldn't work, again!  We decided to dock to await its passage (in retrospect, a poor decision).  Despite six lock staff and a couple of volunteers helping on the third attempt to dock we still kissed the concrete wall with a corner of the swim platform.  After waiting out the storm, which was primarily wind clocked by the lock at 45 mph, we had an uneventful lockage to enter the large Severn Sound with now beautiful skies and calm, crystal clear waters (rocks 15 ft. down were visible).  We arrived at the beautiful Bay Mooring Marina in Penetanguishene at 3:50, one day earlier than our original reservation.  After taking on 995 L (264 gal.) of diesel fuel we moved to our assigned slip on the recently completed "looper dock."  We then discovered electricity was not yet hooked up.  Thus, we obtained an alternate assignment and moved again.  Finally, we were secure and connected 2.5 hrs. after arrival!  Tired from a long and rather stressful day, we enjoyed good hamburger dinners at Bay Moorings Inn.

July 20-26; Penetanguishene, ON (pop. 8,300): We awoke Friday intending to work on boat maintenance with the genny at the top of the list.  During the night Lola recalled we had been advised by the previous owner that while the genny got its fuel from the main engine tanks, it was designed to be incapable of emptying those tanks.  Her diagnosis of the problem was correct, with the tanks at the 3/8 full level, the genny had sucked air into its fuel line.  Keith and Larry worked all day, using bleed screws designed for removing a small amounts of air introduced when changing fuel filters, to bled air from the 20 ft. long fuel line to the genny.  Tired and frustrated that it could not be restarted by 6 PM, they quit, showered and enjoyed a delicious prime rib buffet at Bay Moorings Inn.  Keith and Sharon caught a limo to Toronto Saturday at 8:30 AM to fly home.  Larry finally got the genny started then cleaned on the inside and changed oil and filter on the port engine.  About 4:30 we took advantage of the free taxi service provided by the 3 AGLCA marinas to go into Midland for Lola to have nails reworked.  We left the boat at 10:15 Sunday for the 2 mi. walk into Penetanguishene for the 11 AM service at First Presbyterian Church.  After about 3 blocks, a local car stopped and gave us a ride.  We were delighted to see Robert and Lynette Williamson, Legracia (last seen in Orange Park, FL), also in the service.  They had a courtesy car and took us back to Bay Mooring Marina in time for lunch and the 1 PM rendezvous registration.  At 2 PM we took an excellent 3-hour bus tour of the Midland-Penetanguishene area.  Midland has a population of 16,200.  Upon returning, Bob and Ann Levine, who had arrived from Kingston by car took us to The Arch for excellent seafood dinners and brought us up-to-date on their saga of getting a replacement engine for Sandpiper.  Monday-Wednesday were spent in AGLCA meetings.  One highlights was Tuesday's Dinghy Poker Race; in reality, a huge water fight with our crew of Lola and Robert Levine supplying some of the best artillery!  Another was Wednesday's 4-hr. capstone dinner cruise around Beausoleil Island aboard the Georgian Queen.  Thursday was devoted to getting Lola's hair cut and the boat ready (groceries, starboard oil change, washdown, radar repair [the radome had more than a cup of water sloshing around inside; removal restore operation], etc.) for Friday's 22-boat flotilla along the Georgian Bay NE shore Small Craft Channel lead by Karen and Bob Jantz.  The day ended with a mile dinghy ride to the town dock in Penetanguishene for fish & chips at the world famous (self-declared) Dock Lunch.

Friday, July 27: Roll-call for the flotilla was 7:50 AM with almost all 21 boats already out of the marina waiting for Bob and Karen Jantz, My Bonus (a 37' Hatteras), to come by to lead us to our planned anchorage in Port Rawson Bay, 42 mi. along the Small Craft Channel twisting among a few of the spectacular 30,000 islands of the Georgian Bay.  Weather was perfect with only gentle breezes.  The route was well marked with buoys, but often very narrow and required careful attention to the excellent Canadian strip charts.  Huge rocks could often be clearly observed in the crystal clear, blue waters.  Despite My Bonus' rather slow 7.8 knot (8.7 mph) pace, a few single screw trawlers could not quite keep up; the flotilla eventually became more than 3 mi. long.  We reached our idyllic anchorage at 12:45 PM, but it took another 1.5 hrs. for us rafting greenhorns to get the entire group into position.  What a sight!  After a light lunch, we dropped the dinghy for a 2 hr. excursion into some nearby bays that would make superb anchorages if traveling with only 1-3 boats.  After grilling shrimp for dinner, we ran the genny for a bit over an hour to cool the cockpit refrigerator and ice maker and to recharge batteries before watching the moonrise from the foredeck and then turning in.

Saturday, July 28: Nineteen dinghies assembled at 9:45 for an excursion 10 mi. up the nearby Moon River, past Woods Bay to .5 mi. below Moon River Falls.  Steve and Jean Purdy, Sun Cat (41' Symbol aft-cabin), rode with us.  Again, vastly differing dinghy speeds required an overall slow pace, but the scenery was incredible as we passed many beautiful "cottages," so called by Canadians.  We stopped at 12:15 PM for wonderful picnic lunches on a rock beach near the falls. After lunch we walked .5 mi. climbing rocks to reach the pretty Moon River Falls. Half-way back to the boats we diverted to Moon River Marina in Wood's Bay to refuel dinghies and enjoy ice cream.  After drinks and munchies aboard Sun Cat, we grilled chicken skewers for dinner before updating computer files and bed.

Sunday, July 29: It took almost 45 min. for the flotilla to get stern anchors aboard and break up for an 11 AM departure.  By noon, we reached Henry's Fish House on Frying Pan Island for our scheduled lunch stop.  His staff done a fantastic job of docking boats and feeding everyone delicious meals.  Before and after lunch, we passed through a few of the beautiful 30,000 islands, most with varying sizes of cottages.  About 2 miles from our destination, Big Sound Marina in Parry Sound, the aft automatic bilge pump alarm sounded indicating water in the engine room bilge.  Following standard procedure, Larry activated the manual pump and the alarm quickly quieted.  A minute later the alarm again sounded, so Lola took the wheel while Larry crawled into the engine room to look for leaking water.  While it water was flowing into the bilge at a rather slow rate, its source was not apparent.  We continued and docked at 4:45 PM with no more alarms.  Larry decided to wait until the engines cooled to continue the investigation.

Monday, July 30: After a light breakfast we walked 3 blocks into the town of Parry Sound (pop. 6,100) to shop and look for a place for Lola's pedicure.  None of the three pedicure place could take her so we returned to the boat with an in-route stop at Bay Street Cafe for excellent late lunches and a fantastic chocolate dessert. We were especially impressed with some of the beautifully landscaped homes.  For hockey fans, this is home to the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. After aligning the DirecTV satellite dish, we were delighted to begin receiving the Indianapolis network channels, our first time in 18 months!  It made us aware of how close we are to completing the loop.  At 4:30 PM Karen and Bob Jantz hosted a wonderful wine and cheese party at the marina picnic area for everyone.  We then walked a mile into town to purchase a couple of super-sale shirts at Giant Tiger's before returning to watch Tivo-recorded PBS news and business programs.

Tuesday, July 31: Bob Jantz ran a courtesy shuttle with a rented car, so we took advantage of that service to go to the Sobeys grocery store at 8 AM.  Since we were only going 12 mi. today, boats began leaving at random from 10 AM--1 PM, many stopping in-route to swim in the 80 degree waters.  We chose to by-pass those opportunities and departed at 11:45 to arrive at Killbear Marina in Pengallie Bay at 12:55 PM.  Larry crawled into the engine room immediately after departure to check for leaks into the bilge, but found nothing amiss.  No alarms sounded during the entire trip, so the source of water that caused the pumps to work as we approached Big Sound Marina remained a mystery.  On a positive note, with another mysterious cause, the autopilot began working for the first time in 3 weeks.  After spending much of the afternoon annotating a backlog of pictures from the Trent-Severn forward, we took the dinghy for a 3 mi. tour of nearby bays before returning in time for the scheduled 6:45 PM group dinner at the on-site Ship-Shore Restaurant.  Just prior to dinner a brief thundershower occurred.

Water miles traveled to date: 8,892; this month: 530mi. and 50 locks.

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