Saturday August 12: Port Severn - End of the Trent!

Tied up for the night.

As always, I don't know where the time goes. The week since we left Orillia has been the best week in the almost 3 months we've been up here.

So we've spent 4 nights on lock walls and 5 nights at anchor. Which means Deja Vu, Guppy and Margaritaville tied together - the first night at Big Chief Island.

Sand, sun, breeze - perfect!!

It was only when we went to leave on Wednesday morning that there was an issue :-)

It didn't seem like we were swinging around that much but then it was night so who knew? When we swing tied together, anchor lines get wrapped around each other. Not a good thing.

Our chain was totally wrapped up with Peter and Cheryl's chain. What a mess ... took an hour for Steve to get them undone - and that was after we cut the line on our anchor and he worked only with our chain and a free end. We've seen this before .... but we never seem to learn from one year to the next! Fortunately Randy and Cindy didn't have their anchor out - what a mess that would have really been!

By the time we were moving, it was getting on in the day so we decided to just tie up at the Couchiching Lock for the night.

Randy/Cindy and Peter/Cheryl were docked just up the way a bit and a couple in a tent were right next to us.

Don't remember if it rained or not but I don't think it did.

The travel through this area of the Trent is very different than the southern part of the system. Lots of granite lining the waterway with narrow canals interspersed with small lakes.

It's always a beautiful ride through this region.

Next lock was the Swift Rapids Lock. It was a short 15 miles and the lock was SO busy. We were fortunate to find a spot for Guppy and Margaritaville on one side of the lock and Deja Vu across from us.

Boats were in and out all day and into the early evening until the lock closed at 6 pm.

It's a lock that has only one road in and that is for the servicing of the dam there. The lock personnel actually arrive by boat because it's much easier than taking the road in.

The grounds are really lovely with lots of grass and room. Randy and Cindy were playing Frisbee with Liam and Mia. It's always good for kids to run around and get tired, right?!

Lois (Cheryl's mom) and I were sitting along the lock wall watching the huge 76' yacht preparing to enter the lock. Huge boat - being delivered to Georgian Bay from Florida.

Apparently the owners wanted their 'smaller' boat up north and are keeping their other boat to use in the Miami area..... Must be tough having that much money :-)

The picture really doesn't do justice!

It's now Friday the 11th and we are off and through the 1st lock of the day at 9 am.

This is the largest conventional lock on the system but takes only 8 minutes to empty/fill the lock.

The height of the dam behind us gives some sense of the height of the lock and dam.

We were off to the Waubic Restaurant for breakfast - it is on an island just a few miles below the lock.

Really nice place to stop. The older couple that own it renovated it a number of years back are still the mainstay of the restaurant. 

Homemade bread for toast, great food, readily accessible coffee - what more could we want!

It was very busy when we arrived but by the time we were back to the boats and off, the place was empty.

Note to self: don't arrive before 10 am!

Margaritaville on the marine railway.

Last stop on the Trent? Port Severn - another 16 miles. But first was the trip over the marine railway. At first, the lock people thought they could put Guppy and Margaritaville next to each other and Deja Vu on the end of the car but then they found we wouldn't fit.

  Deja Vu had to wait for the next trip down - no problem, they would just catch up at Port Severn.

It was a packed house at Port Severn but we ended up on the park wall at the lock. It's only 3 feet deep along the wall so most boats avoid it.

Great blue heron - a bit wet!

What started as a one night stop turned into two with rainy weather hanging around overe the weekend.

Three turtles? One sea monster?

Even the great blue heron was just looking for a place to get dry ..... but the turtles had it better on Friday when the sun was out while Steve went for a kayak ride around the area.

In the meantime - especially on the not so nice days, Liam and Mia have been helping me with the Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Switch.

Mia is great at spotting the monsters and Liam was great at making sure that I was focused on what direction we were supposed to going :-)

It really is very easy to get turned around ....

I'll miss their guidance!

Once through this lock we'll be in Georgian Bay - hopefully the wind will be nice this time around!