Sunday June 16: Orillia

We left Coboconk yesterday a bit before noon and traveled to the Kirfield Lift Lock. Not a very long day but it gave us a nice jump to then move to Orillia today.

You can see our meanderings from when Becky left last Monday from Fenelon Falls.

The Summit Festival was still in full swing when we left with the antique boat show finishing up at 1 pm. These boats are amazing and the shine on what I assume is mahogany is something else. Not sure how old most of these boats were but someone sure spends a lot of time keeping them in pristine shape.

It was another really nice day to travel with much of the way spent on the relatively narrow canal dug from the shale rock that makes up this region.

The rock shelves on the side beckoned us but we managed to stay in the center of the channel :-)

 Even the wide areas weren't really all that wide as right off of the channel was mostly shallow water with lots of seaweed.

It's amazing to know that much of this canal was dug during a time with no mechanized digging equipment.

We ended up at the bottom of the lift lock as only one of two boats there for the night. It was early afternoon when we stopped so Steve took the opportunity to finally get our new anchor hooked up.

The anchor that was originally on the boat is not very good to use to anchor where the bottom is weeds (actually no anchor is really very good in weeds) so we replaced it with a heavier CQR style anchor.

The one on the trawler has worked really well for us so it seemed like it might be a good idea to go with a winner. Of course among boaters the "best anchor" is a subject similar to politics and religion - something to be avoided!

It rained most of the night last night - which is actually something that's enjoyable to hear. A plus is that we no longer have any leaks - yea! So we know nothing is getting wet as we enjoy the sound of the rain.

It wasn't until about noon that the rain cleared out and left overcast skies and somewhat misty moments as we headed out. Destination was below the last lock on the way to Lake Simcoe. Our thought was to just cross early in the morning (the wind typically dies down at night). The travel through the 5 hand operated locks was relatively painless as we were the only boat traveling our direction. Cutbacks on the staff at the locks is very evident as each team of two lockmasters covers 2 different locks. They drive from one to the next with about a mile or so between the locks.

So much for plan A! Once we arrived at the entrance to Lake Simcoe (about 3:15) it was calm enough to just go for it. The distance is about 20 miles and the day was still warm enough to drive from the flybridge. The wind had kicked up a bit by the time we arrived at the Narrows so we were glad to be in and tied up to the dock - especially when the dark clouds started rolling in!

It was one of the most amazing storm clouds I've ever seen. The second round was even MORE spectacular with a very definitive line where the storms clouds ended. One side of the storm went west of us over Barrie and the other went east of us toward Fenelon Falls.

 We were quite happy to NOT be on the Lake!!!

So we're here now for 3 days - who knows, maybe longer. Projects for the boat are still on the list and this is a good place to get anything we need.

Saturday June 15: Coboconk!

We finally decided it was really time to leave Fenelon Falls after staying 5 nights.

Many projects were completed so now it was time to start moving again - and the weather was perfect! Sunny skies and warm weather. The only lock we needed to go through was Rosedale. It's always a nice lock but with Fenelon Falls so close, I'm not sure we ever stay there.

Steve worked for a day and a half on the flybridge. It's amazing how this boat grows when trying to get it cleaned up. Good thing removing oxidation and waxing is a Steve job :-)

My project was to finish up the shower in the bathroom. With the wood blocks now firmly attached to the ceiling, it was time to put the track up.

A trip to the dollar store for curtain hooks and I was good to go. Job done. This was a great improvement - sorry that Becky wasn't around to take a shower in the new improved bathroom! Maybe next year :-)

On our way out of Rosedale we passed what is now a home. But it used to be an ice cream store. I remember stopping here when we were kids. One time we left the dock only to discover we had left my youngest brother, Dick, behind! After all, with 5 kids on a 21-foot boat, it would be easy to do.

Rather than going back to the dock, my dad told him to just swim over to the boat!

Once in Coboconk, we found out it was the Fresh Water Summit Festival this weekend. Sounded like some fun things going on to celebrate Coboconk being on Balsam Lake: the highest point on the Trent system. Up until now we have been going upstream. Once we cross Balsam Lake and continue moving toward Georgian Bay, we'll being going downstream.

Our favorite 'junk' store (really like a dollar store) produced some great finds.

Steve thought about the skull belt just in case we attended another MTOA rendezvous where pirate dress was needed. He ended up passing on it.

But we bought some other great stuff: wire brushes, liquid epoxy to install the depth finder, a grater so Steve can grate the ginger (I don't like ginger but he says I do as long as it's grated small enough), a small container of 4 little single use tubes of super glue (great for 'stitching up' a cut), a new shower head along with the swivel holder, trash bags (they charge 2 to 5 cents for plastic bags at the grocery stores here - our usual trash bags) and a couple of storage containers.

Steve is headed back this morning to pick up some Craftsman screwdrivers that were $1 each. What a buy!

This really neat 1957 Larson boat docked behind us for a while. I loved the taillights! The owner said they really work too.


There was a small boat parade as a part of the festival - this is the dalmation mascot of the Fire Deparment.

And what a better way to finish the night than with fireworks!

Right over our boat. Literally.

The closest we've ever been to fireworks before!

Wednesday June 12: Still in Fenelon Falls!!

As nasty a day as Monday was (we took Becky back to Toronto to catch a late afternoon flight), Tuesday was just the opposite. Sunny and fairly warm. We're still in Fenelon Falls at the same spot as we were when Becky left – it's really a great spot! It was a good work day as we managed to get the laundry done, picked up a second new battery in Bobcaygeon and got the car returned to Lindsay.

Having a car occasionally definitely spoils us :-)

Dinner was perch on the grill – still left from the fishing on Sturgeon Lake on Sunday. Good thing Becky wanted to fish! It was great.

Today was a full fledged work day as we decided to spend yet another night here. During the busy season there is a two day limit for staying at the lock wall here but with only one or two other boats each night, the lockmaster had told us to stay as long as we like. I think we may be here for the summer :-)

First job for me was getting shower curtains installed in the bathroom. Right now a shower requires a very careful directing of water so as to not splash all over the place. The bathroom is mostly waterproof anyway but it's a pain cleaning it up after a shower.

Step one was to cut the salad fork and spoon Becky found into small pieces. These will be glued to the ceiling then the shower track will be attached. The fiberglass is too thin to screw into without the wood.

Next was to cut small pieces of the fabric on the ceiling off and glue the wood blocks in place. These need to dry 24 hours so the job will continue tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Steve started removing the varnish which is on the teak. It looks pretty bad but this may be a job for another day.

Instead he decided the loose railing was a higher priority so after a bike trip to the marina for screws and the hardware store for caulking, it was job done!

Fun job of the day was to finally apply the fish decals I found for Steve for Christmas. Becky suggested putting them on the sides of the flybridge – we agreed!     

Steve was very happy with the results!! 

And he also like the one for the back of the boat as well. Funny that we stumbled on the design in Jacksonville Beach. It was the hand stamp they used as proof of payment for being on the pier there.

Worked well for us :-)

Who knows – maybe we'll actually leave tomorrow :-)

Update: it's now Thursday noon and I'm still at the library - maybe we'll leave tomorrow!

A Week Traveling with Rebecca!

One of the highlights was the pickerel Becky caught at Lovesick lock but there were many fun time throughout the week.

Ports of call included Fenelon Falls, Bobcaygeon, Buckhorn, Burleigh Falls, Young's Point and Lakefield.

For a full description of our week, click on the link below to be directed to my web albums!

Rebecca's Trip on the Trent

Captions for the pictures will either be below the pictures or over to the upper right.

Saturday June 1: In the Water at Fenelon Falls

On Thursday, after 2 days of putting things away and cleaning up 9 months of storage dust, it was time for Guppy to go into the water. Steve had spent most of Wednesday polishing and waxing the sides of the boat as it's just too hard to do once the boat is in the water. What a not fun job …..

The weather cooperated on Thursday with bright sunny skies and warm temperatures – we were definitely ready to be on the water! And it only took 3 trips on the bikes to move out of the motel room.

It was a short 10 minute boat ride to the Fenelon Falls lock – the engine ran well after some trying starts (I installed an electronic ignition to replace the points in the distributor but after the 3^rd phone call and trying 3 different fixes, the points went back in!). We'll try the electronic ignition another day to see if we can figure out what is the problem.

We felt like we were home :-)

First thing on the agenda was a road trip to Peter and Cheryl's home. They live a short 2 hours from here near Midland on Georgian Bay. The plan is to join them for a trip on the Bay. Deja Vu should be in the water in a few weeks which is about the time we'll arrive by boat.

Guppy was left for the night as the only boat docked at the lock yesterday but when we arrived back today there were another half dozen boats - even though it had rained much of the day.

Peter and Cheryl's grandson Jacob kindly gave up his room for us for the night. Thanks, Jacob!! Steve loved his pet which lives in the room: a spotted lemon gecko. Personally I was fine with just taking the picture – looked too much like the iguana's in Florida for my taste :-)

We had a great time seeing Peter and Cheryl again and enjoyed dinner with both Peter's mom, Lorna, and Cheryl's mom, Lois (we first met Lois when we traveled for a few days with Deja Vu last fall), as well as one of their sons, Craig, and his family. Cheryl made a great vegetarian spaghetti and sent us packing with leftovers to boot!

They also loaned us a small generator to try out. It's been an ongoing debate as to whether or not we really need one. Spending the $900 forone was definitely not something we were anxious to do if we ended up finding it just wasn't that helpful to have. So this was perfect – try it and make a decision. Of course the first thing Steve wanted to do was to have a toaster oven since Guppy has only a 2 burner cooktop. But if he can make his spinach lasagna who am I to complain!

He knew right in Orillia (on our way back to the boat) where to find a Goodwill store and there was a choice of 3 toaster ovens For $10.01 how could we go wrong?

Becky arrives from LA tomorrow night – let the adventure begin :-)

Wednesday May 29: Into the Water Tomorrow!

 

Did I say it was cold when we were in Ohio? Well, it was! This is the frost on the front windshield of Jim and Julie's car which they were kind enough to loan us for the time in Ohio.

Brrrr... the only good thing was it meant that we could build a fire at the farm :-)


The best part of the farm trip (other than seeing my brothers, sister-in-laws, niece and family) was the morel mushrooms we found. Yes they were pretty late in the season which is why we had to find them at Buehler's grocery store in Ashland.

Regardless, they were unbelievably good!!!

Anyway, we arrived in Fenelon Falls yesterday about 3 pm. Guppy was uncovered and almost ready to go!

This is the first time we've seen the boat out of the water so we were pleasantly surprised to see that the bottom of the boat was in good shape and the outdrive and props appeared to good as well.

Steve spent today buffing and waxing the outside of the boat. Fortunately it wasn't sunny all day - just very muggy and warm. For a 25 year old boat, she cleaned up pretty well!

I worked inside putting things away and also getting the GPS chartplotter installed. We just bring the one from Yesterday's Dream and it works great.

Tomorrow we'll finish putting some decals on the boat, finish the side waxing and installing the electronic ignition (replaces the points in the distributor). Once the marina runs the engine on shore to make sure we're good to go, they'll put the boat in the water. I'm thinking we'll head right to the lock here at Fenelon Falls - about 10 minutes by water. It's supposed to be a nice day.

In the meantime, we are staying at the Fenelon Falls Inn - about a 5 minute bike ride from the marina. It works out great! With a microwave and rice cooker Steve is able to create very healthy and great tasting meals :-)

Monday May 27: On to Ontario

After a really great busy time in Ohio seeing friends and relatives, we left about noon today for Canada. The trip was nice although the traffic was crazy through Toronto - as it seems it always is! We'll spend the night here in Lindsay (a town off the main drag we've visited by boat in the past occasionally) and then head to Guppy sitting in Fenelon Falls - still shrinkwrapped from winter storage.

 Posting less often as we rely on library internet :-)

Tuesday May 21: On to Cleveland

Friday was decision day: attempt to fix the hole we found and assume the rest of the shaft tube was ok OR go head with the original (and much more costly) plan of totally replacing the tube.

To find out, we decided to use our computer camera to investigate what the rest of the inside of the shaft tube looked like.

Step 1: again remove the shaft. Steve is getting very good at this - 5 minutes and the prop was popped off with the use of heat. Last time? 30 minutes. Guess experience DOES pay!

Step 2: thread the camera through an 8 foot piece of small diameter pvc pipe. This will make it easy to move the camera around.

Step 3: place a small mirror on a swivel next to the camera lens so we can see the sides of the tube as the camera is moved. The fit was perfect with the mirror Wendy found on our shopping trip to New Bern on Thursday.

Step 4: use the USB port to connect with the computer and we are in business!

Next cover Steve's head and the computer screen so he can see the picture on the screen as he moves the camera inside the shaft tube.

Sadly, what we found was there were more small holes and the beginnings of other holes.

I tried to include a picture of the inside of the shaft but wasn't successful - maybe later. So even though the news is not what we hoped it would be at least we are sure now that the only solution will be to totally replace the tube. Only this time it will be fiberglass and not stainless steel.

To finish up getting the boat ready to sit in North Carolina's muggy humid weather, we hung closet Damp Rid in the main and front cabins. Along with a couple of trays of kitty litter (we've heard this works - will find out for ourselves!) sitting around.








The dinghy was deflated and zipped into it's bag. Many things that might mildew were hauled off to be stored at Matt and Wendy's. Good thing they are in the area until at least October when we return - makes me wonder what we would have done if they weren't here on the Neuse River on the ICW!!

After a very enjoyable 10 days in NC, it was again time to pack our stuff in Wendy's car, go to the airport in New Bern and pick up a car to drive to Cleveland. How we get so much stuff is amazing to me!

Today was a really nice day to travel - a bit of rain for about 10 minutes and that was it. We were closing in on Cleveland quickly!!! Almost exactly 12 hours from New Bern to Julie  and Jim's place.It'll be good to see them again!

Wednesday May 15: Two Good Days on Land

Our list of things to do before we leave Yesterday's Dream is getting smaller thanks to two really good work days. Monday was all about flushing the engine and generator will fresh water, changing the antifreeze in both engines, checking oil levels and greasing parts that might rust because of the lack of use while we're gone.

Steve also got a start on installing the new windlass. Now we know what parts we need to finish the job.



Meanwhile, up on the flybridge, I removed the controls for the shift and throttle and then placed the cable ends into a baggie with oil.

In theory, the oil will make it's way down the length of the cables to the engine with the end result of smoother lever controls.

I left that for overnight and will hook them back up today - we'll see how well it worked!

Just spending the night at the boat saves us the 40 minutes back and forth to Matt and Wendy's place and, fortunately, Wendy didn't need her car either Monday or Tuesday so that worked great for us!

First thing yesterday morning, we emptied the aft cabin and sealed (hopefully at least!) off the aft cabin from the rest of the boat.

It's time to start digging down into the concrete to see what we can of the shaft tube. It has at least 3 holes in it and is why a small amount of water is able to make it's way into the bilge.

.The plastic did it's job quite well as the aft cabin was full of dust from Steve air chiseling away at the concrete/fiberglass surrounding the shaft tube.

It took about 5 hours to really make enough of a dent in it to see the hole in the tube.

It's circled in the picture below. Hard to believe this little hole could be such a project!







In the meantime, I spent part of the day working on the wiring for the wiring for the windlass. It was a relatively straightforward replacement and so needed a few new holes drilled and wires replaced but otherwise no major changes.

Best of all? It should work and I didn't blow any fuses or shock myself :-)

Back to Matt and Wendy's for some R & R. Sometimes it's good to have deadlines for us to leave the boat :-)

And of course the night would not be complete without a nice sunset over the Neuse River ....