7th Update Gillespie's Great Loop Adventure

After a weekend at Bobcaygon, we continued across the Trent Severn to the Peterbrough Lock. The first stop was at the Buckhorn Lock where we visited the Curve Lake Indian Reservation. Attached are some photos along the way.

After leaving Buckhorn Locks we continued on to Lovesick Lock, where we spent the night. This lock is only accessible by boat and is very remote. It is the prettiest lock on the Trent and also has good fishing. We got some exceptional pictures.

After a beautiful sunrise, we left Lovesick on route to Petersboro. We came across an island with only a church on it and lots of very pretty homes.

We continued through 2 or 3 more locks and when we left Lakefield Locks we veered off the channel slightly and KISSED a canadian rock. Those rocks are unforgiving. Until then, we had done a good job all across the North Channel, Georgian Bay, and the Trent... watching charts, following challenging channels, and confirming positions on our GPS.

Our boat went over the top of the rock and lifted up on the right side. We knew we messed up our propeller and/or the shaft and this could be a big problem. Since one side continued to work, we proceeded through 7 more locks, including the big lift lock at Peterborough. It was a slow and somewhat stressful trip, while I searched for a marina that could help us. We finally found a diver that could meet us at the Peterborough Marina in 2 days.. Bill did a great job in handing the boat and getting us through the locks with minimal issues.

We were happy when we arrived at Peterborough and confirmed our appointment with the diver. We also found out that there were 2 other boats who had done the same thing and he would be meeting with them on Wednesday also. We hoped that it would only be the props since we had 2 spares on board.

Peterborough was the largest city that we arrived in since entering Canada. There were lots of stores and even malls. We stayed in the center of town next to a park where concerts and firework occurred on Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Wednesday morning our diver arrived with a crew and in a van. He had a setup which videoed and recorded his findings and we were able to watch his findings and hear his thoughts in real time. Luckily we only had prop damage. He checked out our bottom and the shafts and everything was fine. He told us the design and construction of our vessel helped minimize the damage. Two hours later he had replaced the props and we were able to continue on our way. We took the damaged props with us and will have them repaired in New York, close to our old home in Seneca Falls. Below are some pictures of our diver and the trip through 4 more locks.

6th Update from Gillespie's Great Loop Adventure

It has been about a month since the last post. Sorry to all who have been following our trip and wondered what has happened to us. I have been struck by limited internet access in Canada, laptop keyboard issues, and just a lack of time. One would wonder how being retired and traveling on the water could keep one so busy.... but it does...

I will be brief and give the highlights and pictures of our travels from Britt, Ontario to Seneca Falls, New York over a series of updates. This update is from Britt, Ontario to Bobcaygon, Ontario.

As we left Orilla we found we had a issue with the transmission cable on our port engine. Kyle McDonald, the GM of Hot Knots came to Orilla and fixed it so we could get to Hot Knots. Once ther we got that fixed, along with our 5 year charging problem, and our dingy motor... They were great. We also caught perch and got some great wildlife shots.

When we left we headed across Simcoe Lake and to the Kirkland Lift Locks. This lift lock and the one at Petersbrough are the biggest lift locks in the world. In Kirkland we climbed around 50 feet in a single lock. It operates like a scale. Boats enter both at the top and bottom and then a little more water is added to the top, causing the top lock to drop and the bottom lock to rise. Our boat reached the top in less than 2 minutes. In regular locks this would take 30-45 minutes. The pictures below show a narrow bridge we went through and the view of the boats at the north side Kirkland locks before and after we traveled through.

We spent the night at the Kirkland Locks and traveled to Bobcaygon, Ontario Locks to spend the weekend. This was a very nice town and we meet some great people. We did a little shopping, ate ice cream, cooked out, drank wine, caught fish, and had some very interesting wildlife shots.

From Georgian Bay to the Trent

This blog is a little longer than most... Just an early warning... I waited too long to update... Hope you find it interesting.

Today is Sunday July 6th and Bill and I are tied to a dock at Hot Knots Marina in Atherly, Ontario. Terry and Linda Brooks left on July 4th. Unfortunately they had family and job commitments that needed their attention. We sure had a great time with them while on board. The photo was taken on July 4th in Orilla, Ontario just before they left.

For those that are checking us out on Google Earth, we are at 44 36'.774N 079 24' .724W...

We left our last installment in the small town of Britt in Georgian Bay. We ended up spending 4 nights in that village. We had good meals - on the boat and at local establishments. We sure do not have any problem finding ice cream spots. The boys had a chance to do fishing - on the boat, on shore and on the dingy. Byet Inlet has large muskellunge and pickerel (walleye) and their were a lot of locals out fishing. Terry caught a 31.5" walleye (over 10 lbs)in the dingy. The boys did not have a net and Bill had to grab the fish with his hands to bring it into the boat. I wish I had a camera on that activity. Checking with the locals, we found that it was not unusual to catch a walleye that large there. We had 2 great fish fries meals with that catch.

The weather was still iffy when we decided to leave Britt, but it was time. We left the Byet Inlet and had to cross some bouncy seas dodging rock piles for about 10 miles until we entered the MacDonald Channel and Hangdog Reef. The Canadian Coast Guard sure does a great time marking channels and keeping their charts up to date. Linda was very glad when we got to the inside.

Along the way we passed the Au Baril Point Lighthouse and a lot of man made Rock statues marking the way. The entrance to the channel was initially marked by a big oak barrel and then replaced with the Lighthouse. Once inside, it was a beautiful day to travel. We had plans to spend the night at Snug Harbor, but it was quite shallow there and we decided to continue to Henry's Restaurant. Henry's is well known for their fish dinners and will provide overnight docking with power. It was quite the place and usually hard to get into. It even is a federal approved airport... bush planes and helicopter frequent this port. We even shared our dock with a plane. Quite pretty and very exciting.

The next morning we proceeded to Honey Harbor and stayed at South Bay Cove Marina. It was a beautiful marina and very friendly and helpful. It was also another beautiful day. The homes along the trip were unbelievable. These homes were not only remote, but very large. Many had their own planes and helicopters... The lifestyle of the rich and famous.

We woke to another beautiful day and decided to proceed to Pentang Harbor. We went to the Town Dock and were berthed between two VERY large privately owned former Coast Guard vessels. That really makes one feel small. As usual, our Captain did an excellent job landing the boat. We meet a lot of locals and learned even more about the area. In addition, the boys continued fishing off this dock. This time the BIG one got away... We continue to see eagles, osprey, mergansers, swans, otters and beavers... There is never a dull moment... We also celebrated Canada Day in Pentang.

On July 3rd, we left Georgian Bay and headed to the Trent. As we left Pentang Harbor we returned to the Georgian Bay small craft channel towards Port Severn. The channel was narrow, rocky, and with sharp, quick turns. The buoy marked channel did not match the chart plotter so we all were on our toes. At times our draft marked 4-5 feet.... Slow and careful. Our white knuckled Captain again did a great job.... beautiful views and we made it safely.

Immediately as we entered Port Severn we came on rapids and our first lock. We managed this quite well and continued on to the Big Chute.... the railway lift bridge. Traffic on the Trent near Port Severn has been slow due to weather and cost of fuel, so when we arrived at the Chute, it was open and waiting for us. There was no time for Linda to escape and take pictures from shore. It was very different and also very easy. Being a catamaran, we just drove onto the platform and took the ride up the hill and over the highway. No lines.... No waiting....

Another beautiful day.... On July 3, we traveled about 65 miles and arrived at Orilla Marina on the Trent at 5:30, after having a very enjoyable ride on the Trent and going through 3 locks and the Chute. There continued to be rocks and fast water, but nothing like on the Bay. In addition, we also began to see homemade watercraft. Orilla is a very nice port town to visit. Als in Orilla we meet our first loopers going the rightway for the loop and heading for July in Michigan...

In Orilla, they have a falconer come 2 times a day to fly Harris Hawks to scare the sea gulls away. It was quite a sight.

The Marposa Bakery is to die for and could become habit forming... Our waist lines would not allow too long of a stay, so Bill and I decided to leave on July 5th, after Linda and Terry left for home. We pulled our lines and tried to back out of the slip and encountered our first boat problem. The port gear shift and throttle would not go into reverse, so we pulled back in and called the Hot Knots Marina for help. They came right away and fixed it so we could get to their marina for a permanent fix. A small plastic clip had broken on the cable... We are now all fixed and ready to go but.....Once there, we saw the weekend traffic on Lake Simcoe and decided we would stay put for the weekend. It is now our plan to start again on Monday. It is hard to believe the amount of boat traffic on Lake Simcoe. I bet over 1200 boats have passed by our boat... Quite interesting... The Hot Knots Marina is also very nice and well run. It has covered slips and the boats are winterized and lifted up in their slip. Each have a private patio, barbeque and picnic table.

To Close... I wanted to share some awesome sunsets and sunrises.... Yes.... I got up at 5:30am to take pictures.... Sick isn't it!!!!