Starting the Trent-Severn Waterway

Friday June 29th after Keith's seminar let out, we ran into some friends, Rob and Glenda Liss on Monterey.  We have run into them several times since first meeting them at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Virginia.  They have "crossed their wake" (completed the Great Loop) and are getting ready to sell their boat.  We all got together on Southern Style for hamburgers on Friday evening.

Rob, Glenda, Gail, and Keith

Gail and Keith

Saturday June 30th we officially left Trent Port Marina and entered the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Trent Port Marina

Entering Trent-Severn Waterway (Mile Marker 0)

    The Trent-Severn Waterway is a 240-mile-long canal route connecting Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.  It has both man-made elements and natural lakes and rivers all interconnecting.  There are 44 locks, including the 1st and 2^nd highest lift locks in the world, two flight locks, and one marine railway.  It took 87 years to complete, from the 1st lock in 1833 to the opening of the final leg in 1920.  Its scenic and meandering route has been called “one of the finest interconnecting systems of navigation in the world”.  Although originally surveyed for military use, the waterway was only used in its early days for commercial commerce.  By the 1900s its commercial use was over as railroads, cars and large Great Lake ships took over.  The Trent-Severn Waterway became a pleasure boat paradise.  It is operated by Parks Canada and is open May through October.  It is a National Historic Site of Canada.

Some parts of the waterway are narrow, some wide and open.  Some parts are very isolated with no houses and others have cottages and houses with boat docks and boats along the banks.

Here is a narrow portion

Most of the lock doors are operated by hand.  Here are two lock attendants closing the doors to a lock.  They push a hand crank to control the doors.

Here are doors closing while Southern Style is in the lock getting ready to go up.

Saturday was HOT, HOT, HOT.  We went through 6 locks and got to Frankford, ON by about 2:30 PM.  At the top of lock #6 in Frankford we tied up and hooked up to power so we could start the air-conditioning and spend the night.  The heat that day was just brutal.  This was our stop for the night.  

Top of lock #6 Frankford, ON (drone footage)

Southern Style bottom right

Sunday July 1st was Canada Day, their Independence Day.  We left early to be in line for the first lock opening at 9 AM.  

Captain Keith fishing at lock #7 before it opens

We traversed another 6 locks through to  lock #12 at Campbellford, ON.

Here is lock #11 at Campbellford.  We are as close to the front as we can get to fit another boat in behind us.

We pulled into Campbellford about 1:15 PM and got tied up.  This looks like a cool little town and they make an effort to cater to boaters passing through.  The visitors center brought us a packet with information about the town and things to do.  We are planning to be here 3 nights (Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday) since it was pay for 2 nights and get the third night free.  There is also very good internet available so I hope to post some more pictures of things we do around town before we leave.  Internet and phone service may become a little more challenging as we travel deeper into Canada.