Busy day on the Trent Canal fighting for space

The day started in Lakefield with a cool morning and misty lake. As the mist started to lift we watched a canoeist pass through the waters that appeared like a mirror. The new hours for the locks on the Trent Canal are not in our favour. They now open at 10 AM and close at 3:30 PM, so we can't make much time travelling back to Midland because there is not enough hours to get from lock to lock prior to closing time.

For 35 days we have been on the water travelling through over 75 locks on both the Trent and Erie Canal Systems and I can't remember any time that we had more than two boats in a lock at any one time. Well, today, we experienced a bit of a challenge with wait times at locks and challenges to make it through the locks.

Boats waiting to pass through Young's Point Lock

We left Lakefield at 9:30 am after a pump-out, and arrived at the Youngs Point Lock at 10:05 AM. There was a row of boats waiting to get through this lock and we had to wait until others passed through ahead of us. Finally, it was our turn to lock through but we had to enter with 3 others so it was a full lock. There were three large boats and a Le Boat that was a bit smaller.

We ended up locking through with the same boats for 3 locks and managed to figure out the best way to load and unload each lock in an organized and safe manner. Bottom line - we had successful lock passages.

During a couple of locks we passed through with a Le Boat, which is a rental boat that you can get to travel through the canal systems. They are the No.1 provider of houseboat vacations on rivers, lakes and canals of both Europe and Canada and have the world’s largest fleet of luxury houseboats. If you have never handled a boat then this is for you because it is not necessary for you to have a license or prior experience to be the captain of your own houseboat. Le Boat Rentals will show you everything you need to know before you set off safely on your houseboat cruise. They range in size from 36 to over 50 feet in length with up to 5 staterooms and washrooms.

When we came out of Burleigh Falls Lock we had our eyes opened. Sitting on the wall were several large, 50 foot long house boats all trying to get onto the wall and another group of house boats PLUS several other smaller power boats waiting as well. It was like a circus watching them fight for space. You should know that most people that rent house boats have never boated before so it is every man for himself.

We did pass some nice properties on our route today and managed to get some nice photos as well including Bobcaygen.  

Can you find the Turkey Vulture in this photo?

We finally passed through Bobcaygen at 3 PM and knew that we would not make it to the top of the lock in Fenlon Falls so we took our time down Sturgeon Lake and cruised past our cottage to check whether it seemed ok from the water. After careful review, all was good and the flowers were still in full bloom.

Our Cottage Dock view

View from our Dock with Out To See in the background

We made it to the Lower side of Fenlon Falls at 5:30 PM and tied up for the night on the Blue Line which is where boats tie up to let the lockmasters know that they want to pass through the locks. We wanted to be first through in the morning.

We went to Murphy's for some Poutine and Salad and of course a few beer and red wine for Bruce. It was a good day travelling the locks and we made a good distance considering we had fewer hours to travel. Our goal tomorrow it to get to Orillia for the night and hopefully make it to Midland by Friday evening.

Last, but not least, is a photo of a brother and sister on their dock pretending to be guardians of their property, as boaters pass by. See if you can figure out what is so special about these two siblings.

Here is our Nebo Log for the day although the running hours are incorrect. We ran for 77.7 km over 7 hours at an average speed of 12 km per hour.