Lake Huron – The Voyages of Nine Lives

August 16 to September 9: Gore Bay to Drummond Island

We left Gore Bay on a calm morning. The water was as smooth as glass, and, unusually, continued so all the way to Meldrum Bay. We had read about the restaurant at Meldrum Bay Inn, and decided that, with so many Loopers raving about it, we had to try it. Fortunately, we made a reservation. It is a difficult dilemma for Loopers. On the one hand, making, and trying to follow, a schedule, is something of a no-no. It will tend to lead to poor decisions with respect to weather conditions and sea state. On the other hand, marinas fill up during high season, as do the nicer restaurants. Dick and I try to take a middle road. We have a plan, with rough dates, but the plan is adjusted as we travel, to allow for weather delays and to add some flexibility to destinations. For holiday weekends, or if there is to be a festival in town, we make marina reservations several weeks in advance, since they can always be cancelled. Most other marina bookings are made less than a week ahead, and we also make restaurant reservations as soon as we know there is a reasonable chance that we will get there on the day we expect.

This has stood us well this summer, both for the marinas and also for the restaurants. We felt bad for several boaters who arrived in Meldrum Bay expecting a great dining experience, only to be told that the restaurant was fully booked. There are no other eating out options, and not much reason to stop there without the restaurant. Later we were surprised to discover that in fact those boaters could have been accommodated, had we known. The owner takes bookings for tables, most of which seat 4 to 6 people, and once her tables are booked, she refuses reservations. I overheard her saying “I let the boaters sort it out among themselves”, in other words, we could easily have asked the people on one of the other boats to join us, had we known, as almost all of the tables had only two people seated. A strange way to do business. As it happened, the meal was reasonable but not the exceptional experience we had been led to expect. A night in one of the anchorages we had chosen to miss would have been more enjoyable.

Yes, because we had a schedule, we skipped some of the highly recommended experiences of Georgian Bay’s North Channel. Dick’s mother’s 90^th birthday party was coming up, so we needed to be in Sault Ste Marie by a specific date in order to pick up a rental car and return to Trenton for the festivities.

Gore Bay early morning 2 — The marina at Gore Bay in early morning

Gore Bay early morning — Gore Bay anchorage, water like glass and perfect reflections

Meldrum Bay key lime pie — Key Lime Pie at Meldrum Bay Inn

Meldrum Bay shortcake — Berry shortcake at Meldrum Bay Inn

From Meldrum Bay we were expecting an easy crossing of the North Channel to Blind River. Sadly, both the wind direction and the wave heights were quite different from what was forecast. We had a very uncomfortable ride, with the waves broadside, causing a corkscrew motion that was most unpleasant. We ran fast, and were in by 10:30am, after which I needed to just sit still for a couple of hours in order to feel more like myself! Blind River has little to offer boaters, as the marina is about a mile from the town, but we were delighted to get a message to say that our friends Brenda and Bruce on B-Side were on their way. Their upcoming plans required a weather window that was likely to close if they didn’t make some adjustments, giving us an unexpected reunion.

Like much of Georgian Bay’s North Channel, the area was first settled by fur traders, loggers, and miners. A sawmill was built at the mouth of the river originally known as the Penewobecong. Europeans named it the Blind River, because the mouth of the river was hard to see along the canoe route of the voyageurs. The protected estuary with deep water offshore was a good location for a mill at a time when all trade was carried by water. The copper mine at nearby Bruce Mines was a good customer for the logging industry and sawmill, providing timber and planks for the mine. For 40 years from 1929, the McFadden Lumber Company operated the largest white pine sawmill east of the Rockies. The mill finally closed in 1969, but a few years earlier, uranium was discovered in the area. While a local mine was short-lived, a refinery was built nearby in 1983 and still operates, producing uranium trioxide and providing employment for the area. The Trans-Canada Highway runs through the centre of the town.

Blind River early morning — The old burner unit from the sawmill at Blind River

That evening we all decided to ride bicycles into town to the best rated restaurant. We got our bikes off the boat, and after walking them along the dock we were ready to ride them along the boardwalk towards the road. As my companions headed out, I prepared to get on my bike when it decided to lean affectionally towards me, rather like a large and friendly dog. There was a moment where I realized what was in my immediate future, and then I subsided gracefully to the boardwalk, with the bike landing on top. At this point I was very glad I had decided to carry my bike helmet on my head! I was also glad the landing surface was wood instead of gravel. The only damage was to my dignity. And I did subside gracefully, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

We rode to the restaurant and enjoyed such a convivial last evening together that we rather lost track of the time and ended up riding back in the dark. Fortunately, we were able to take back roads with little traffic, since the bike lights I had purchased had been deemed unnecessary by the man who would have had to take the time to clip them onto the bikes.

Blind River sunset — Sunset at Blind River

Our planned very early start the next morning was somewhat delayed by fog. After about an hour it cleared, so we set off, only to have it close in again. For only the second time this season we needed to run with the radar on a split screen with the chart, luckily no other boats were around. It is a strange and eerie feeling to be out on the water with nothing to be seen around you except your wake! The fog lifted fairly quickly and we were in Thessalon by 11:15. In the afternoon the wind and waves really kicked up and we were glad to be off the North Channel. There was one other Looper boat in, Idyll Time, and we enjoyed docktails later that evening aboard Nine Lives.

travelling in fog 3 — Travelling in fog means using the radar on a split screen with the chartplotter.

travelling in fog — Looking back, fog all around us

travelling in fog 2 — A hole in the fog shows there is blue sky above!

Our passage to Richard’s Landing on August 20^th was very pleasant, although the wind picked up later and again, we were glad of our early start. Richard’s Landing is a tiny but well-kept town with a very popular Italian restaurant on the dock. It was completely filled outside on the deck and a fair few tables occupied inside even though it was a Monday night. We enjoyed a wander around the town and spent some time in a very nice shop that featured all kinds of local arts and crafts. After buying a beautiful new wooden chopping board and a pair of moccasins for Dick, both destined for our home in UK, we felt the need to refresh ourselves with ice cream! The next morning, we departed for Sault Ste Marie and a two-week break.

North Channel lighthouse 2 — A historic lighthouse on Georgian Bay’s North Channel

North Channel 2 — The North Channel on our way to Richard’s Landing

North Channel lighthouse — Another historic lighthouse on the North Channel

Richards Landing — The village of Richard’s Landing built this picturesque lighthouse on their harbour

Richards Landing 2 — A gardener in Richard’s Landing with a sense of humour

Mum’s birthday gathering went very well, with all members of the family present including Dick’s sister Judy’s family. They made the long trek from northern Alberta, camping on the way. It was wonderful for Mum to be surrounded by all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for this momentous birthday!

Dick and I enjoyed the trip very much, returning by road to some of the special locations we had visited earlier by boat. We stocked up on chocolates in Lakefield, and finally managed to try Cassis Bistro there. We also returned to Picton to collect our beautiful sculpture and enjoyed a very nice afternoon chatting with Paul Verrall and his wife Donna in their garden. We picked up our vehicle from Dick’s brother, and returned in convoy by a different route, that took us through the heart of Ontario’s cottage country. I may say that I enjoyed the Kawarthas, Muskoka, and Haliburton much more from the water than I did driving. We stopped for a night at the Log Cabin Inn at Parry Sound, having had such a nice meal a few weeks earlier. Sadly, I think we had the b-team in the kitchen on our second visit. The meal was acceptable but nothing to write home about.

Nine Lives was waiting for us in Sault Ste Marie, having snoozed for a week. Other boaters had kept an eye on her, and even adjusted her lines on a rough day without asking, just another example of how helpful and considerate the boating community can be.

Sault Ste Marie marina — The marina at Sault Ste Marie is brand new, but there were very few boaters by the last week of August.

The twin cities of Sault Ste Marie sit across from each other on the St Mary’s River. The Ojibwe used the location at the bottom of the rapids as a meeting place during whitefish season. The treaty that ended the War of 1812 set the border between United States and what was to become Canada along the river, dividing what had been one city into two. The rapids drop the level of the water from Lake Superior to the lower lakes of Michigan and Huron by 20 feet, so a canal and lock was built in 1798 to solve the problem of having to portage around the rapids. This first canal was destroyed during the War of 1812, and after the treaty, trade passed through Soo Locks, on the American side of the river. In 1895 a Canadian canal was built after an unfortunate diplomatic incident between the two countries. At the time it opened, the Canadian Sault Ste Marie Canal contained the largest lock in the world, and the first to be electrically operated. This lock was shut down in 1987, and a new, much smaller lock was built within the old lock, completed in 1998. Today the Canadian lock carries recreational and tour boat traffic, while the much larger commercial ships use the Soo Locks. The Soo Locks are the world’s busiest canal in terms of tonnage, in spite of being closed each year from January through March. We watched a number of freighters and tankers pass into the locks from our vantage point in the marina.

Dick spent a summer working at what was then Algoma Steel in Sault Ste Marie when he was a student. At the time it was a huge and important steel mill, today it is owned by an Indian company, and is a much smaller operation.

Sault Ste Marie bridge — The international bridge connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste Marie

Sault Ste Marie Gliss — Steak and shrimp at Gliss Restaurant in Sault Ste Marie

Nine Lives in Sault Ste Marie marina at sunset.

The commentary on the Agawa Canyon train told some of the story of the visionary businessman Francis Clergue, who arrived in Sault Ste Marie, backed by a consortium of Philadelphia businessmen, in the early 20^th century. A hydro-electric dam, a paper mill, the steel plant, part of the Algoma Central Railway, and two mines were all part of the interconnected empire he created. Sadly, like many fast-growing businesses before and since, cash flow was insufficient to fund the growth, and while most of his enterprises continued, some to this day, Clergue was unable to maintain the empire and in 1903 he was forced out. He left Sault Ste Marie and never lived there again. The paper mill closed in 2011, and has now been repurposed into a mixed-use cultural and tourism hub. The Algoma Conservatory of Music occupies one of the restored buildings, while another contains several restaurants and an events venue. A farmer’s market is also on the site, and a new station for the Agawa Canyon Railway Tour is planned. We ate in the steak house and also the pizza restaurant, and enjoyed both the food and the ambiance. It is so nice to see beautiful historic industrial buildings being preserved instead of knocked down.

Sault Ste Marie converted mill — The beautiful converted paper mill in Sault Ste Marie now houses several restaurants and an events venue

pizza at Breakfast Pig — We enjoyed breakfast one morning at The Breakfast Pig, I tried a breakfast pizza, it was delicious!

On August 30^th we set off very early for the famous train journey to Agawa Canyon. The Canyon was not formed by glaciation as one would usually expect in this part of the world. Instead it is part of an ancient rift valley, created through faulting 1.2 billion years ago. This trip is 8 hours of travel for a 90-minute stop. It was nice enough, but not worth it. I believe that 15 or 20 years ago it was a very different experience. We could see that the brush and small trees have been allowed to grow up all alongside the tracks, so that the scenery is almost entirely a green tunnel punctuated with very quick glimpses of the views that would be marvellous if you could actually see them. The trip is likely nicer once the fall colours develop, but even that will not change the complete lack of the views of the rivers, lakes, and Lake Superior that we had looked forward to.

Agawa Canyon train depot — At the depot on board the Agawa Canyon train

Agawa Canyon train 2 — A glimpse of one of the lakes as we ride the train towards Agawa Canyon

Agawa Canyon train — The best moment on the train, as we passed over a trestle and could see the power plant far below

Agawa Canyon park 4 — The train and Agawa Canyon park

Agawa Canyon river 2 — Agawa Canyon River

Agawa Canyon from viewpoint — Dick climbed the 372 steps to the Canyon Overlook

Agawa Canyon park root cellar — A root cellar in Agawa Canyon. We have no idea who or what it was for.

Agawa Canyon waterfall 2 — One of the two waterfalls you can visit in Agawa Canyon

Agawa Canyon park — The train waits to begin the 4 hour return journey to Sault Ste Marie

A few days later we went for a drive along the route taken by the train. We had hoped to see the railway trestles from the land, as well as the dam and possibly some of the fall colours, but we were frustrated in those goals. However, it was an enjoyable drive and we did get to see some of Lake Superior and the very pretty Chippewa Falls. The Falls demonstrate some of the fascinating layers of geology that we were told about on the train. We could see ancient rocks smoothed by glaciers, and darker areas that were laid down by lava flows.

Chippewa Falls 4 — Chippewa Falls. Notice all the different kinds of rock.

Chippewa Falls 3 — Clear water and a hint of autumn at Chippewa Falls

Another view of Chippewa Falls, popular with fishermen.

wildflowers by the roadside — Wildflowers by the roadside

SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an America Great Lakes freighter that sank in a storm in November 1975 with the loss of all aboard. When launched in 1958, she was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, and is still the largest ever sunk there. Although the story was later immortalized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” the following year, I can definitely remember listening to the radio as the tragedy and the search for the missing freighter unfolded. The sinking led to improvements in Great Lakes shipping regulations and various safety practices. As we looked out into Alona Bay at the deep blue waters and endless horizon of Lake Superior it was not hard to imagine very different conditions in November. We have experienced changing forecasts, and conditions that are not as expected, often enough on our own voyages to be able to understand how it is possible to run into problems. Whether it is the ocean, lakes, or even rivers, it is important to respect the dangers and remember that boating is nothing like driving on roads.

Alona Bay viewpoint — This was the view from the scenic outlook at Alona Bay. Why they build a pullout on the highway and don’t cut down the brush so one can actually see something, I do not know.

A better view of Lake Superior from further down the highway

The Trans-Canada Highway began construction in 1950, intended to provide an unbroken transcontinental route across Canada. In several places along the route there is more than one designated route, and the numbering is not consistent from province to province. However, the entire length and all the variations carry a white on green maple leaf route marker. The highway officially opened in 1962, and was completed in 1971. At Chippewa Falls we read about “The Gap”, a 56-mile portion of the highway that was considered one of the most difficult parts to construct due to topography and the hardness of the granite. Construction was stopped until 4 men from Wawa walked the route through the bush to Sault Ste Marie and met with officials to demonstrate the desperate need for the highway for the residents of Wawa. This area is considered the half way point of the transcontinental highway. Dick and I found the story interesting, having driven nearly all of the highway, including most of the variations, over the years. One day we will have to complete the piece in Newfoundland and the last part of Quebec that we have not visited.

We enjoyed great docktails aboard Nine Lives one evening with other boaters, not Loopers this time. One couple are Sault Ste Marie locals. He is a commercial diver and instructor, and owns a restored tug as well as a large trawler. They seem to divide their time between his work and a farm, and live partly aboard the boat as well. The other couple are from Ohio, he is a firefighter.

September 3^rd was very rainy and windy. Dick visited both the Bush Plane Museum and the historic lock while I made a set of prints of the birthday gathering for Mum. We were also watching the progress of Hurricane Dorian as it threatened the east coast and Hilton Head. After a few days of increasing concern, I am glad to be able to say that our area was essentially unaffected, apart from the inconvenience of the mandatory evacuation.

Arturos red snapper — Dick enjoyed red snapper with pumpkin ravioli at Arturo’s in Sault Ste Marie

Arturos shrimp pasta — Excellent shrimp pasta at Arturo’s

Eventually it was time to leave Sault Ste Marie and continue the last week of our summer voyaging. Our first stop was the very picturesque town of Bruce Mines. The mines here were known to the First Nations, and early explorers arrived in search of the copper. The first copper mine was opened in 1846, and was worked by miners who emigrated from Cornwall. The mine managers would not allow any stores to open in the town, instead settlers were forced to buy everything from the company store. The enterprising Marks brothers from Hilton Beach would load fresh produce and various goods onto a barge that they would anchor off the town because they were not allowed to dock. The townsfolk would row and paddle out to the barge to shop. The copper was worked for about 100 years before it played out. Today the mine is a quarry for an exceptionally hard rock that is used for road building. The town is a few miles west of the quarry, and I was surprised at how pretty it is. It is also right on the Trans Canada Highway, and boasts several restaurants of previously excellent reputation. Dick was particularly looking forward to the Bavarian Restaurant. Sadly, the restaurant has been sold. The current reviews of both that and the other local eatery were so bad that we decided to eat on board.

leaving Bruce Mines — Calm seas as we leave Bruce Mines

Our last night out was at an anchorage in Milford Haven, a long narrow inlet, still in Canadian waters. We anchored near a picturesque abandoned boathouse. We were surprised to be completely alone in such a pretty spot, usually we would have expected a few sailboats and possibly some Loopers to join us. It just shows how much the weather has changed since the middle of August. We are seeing far fewer days of fine weather, and the nights are now considerably colder. I imagine most boaters that are still out prefer to stop in marinas with power, rather than anchoring out.

Milford Haven anchorage — We anchored near a deserted boathouse in Milford Haven

We arrived in Drummond Island Yacht Haven just before noon, followed by several other Loopers. We were invited for docktails on board Vitamin Sea, together with the crew of Misty. It turns out that we had met both couples before, last year at Rendezvous in Norfolk and then Misty again on the Hudson. They are all great storytellers with an excellent sense of humour. Afterwards we went to a local Tex-Mex restaurant for an outstanding meal. It is fortunate we have our vehicle here, because the town is several miles from the marina.

Drummond Island sits between the Georgian Bay’s North Channel and the open waters of Lake Huron. It is the seventh largest lake island in the world. The Canada United States border runs north and east of the island, so it was our port of entry for our return to USA. It used to be necessary to meet in person with a US Customs and Immigration officer, but these days technology has improved things, at least for boaters. Dick has an app on his phone that he uses to notify Border Protection of our entry. An officer may ask to have a short video conversation, and will then approve our entry. A few minutes later a number is emailed, that we enter into our online profile details and that’s that! We did learn last year from other Loopers that answering all questions accurately is important. For instance, when asked if you have any fruit and vegetables on board, the correct answer is yes. If you lie and say no, they will know you are lying, because boaters of course have food on board! When asked, you simply tell them you have “ship’s stores”. As commented by a fellow boater the other day, Loopers, who tend to be retirement age, and travel at 7 knots on trawlers do not exactly fit the profile of drug dealers and smugglers.

Drummond Island stormy weather — Stormy weather approaches Drummond Island

Drummond Island is connected to the mainland by a ferry that runs all year round. There are around 1000 permanent residents. There is a small air strip, and a primary school, but most children are bused to school on the mainland via the ferry. The island is a year-round tourist destination for those who enjoy outdoor pursuits, boasting miles of trails for off-roading, more than 13 unique ecosystems, water trail systems for paddling, access to both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan for boaters, and excellent birdwatching. Dick and I caught sight of sand hill cranes as we drove to dinner one evening. The underlying rock is dolomite, used in several industries including glass, paper making, agriculture, and even medicine, but the main use is for steel manufacture. The Drummond Island Quarry, now owned by Carmeuse, ships out nearly a million and a half tons of dolomite each year. The quarry is located inland, and we could just see a road specifically created to support 75-ton capacity haul trucks that bring the quarried rock to the processing plant on the shore.

Drummond Island Potatoes — Crispy potatoes with bacon, cheddar, and green onions was a specialty at the Drummond Island restaurant

The Yacht Haven where Nine Lives will stay for the winter, has a number of huge buildings, one of which is heated. This means that we can leave much of the food (pantry items), clothing, bedding, etc on board. We also do not have to put chemicals into the fresh water and blackwater tanks as we would if we had to winterize the boat. There is quite a bit of work done even so. We take home flour, since it does not last well, also anything that needs refrigeration of course. I like to take large laundry items like bath mats and some of the bedding home, so it can be washed (and ironed) in my big machines at home. Dick took samples of the oil from the engines, which are sent away for analysis. The report will tell him whether there are any problems with the engines, and also whether he needs to change the oil when we return in June for next year’s voyaging. We like to take the carpets home for steam cleaning. A final cleaning of bathrooms, the salon, and galley gets the boat ready for a winter rest, although of course another cleaning will be needed when we return. Dick gets together the various spares and parts that he will ask the boatyard to install, and also spends a lot of time making lists of needed maintenance and replacements. Boating is not an inexpensive lifestyle! This winter we will need a new air conditioning unit to replace the useless forward unit, a replacement side by side fridge freezer, and a new water pump.

On Monday morning the head tech from the boatyard came on board to go over the to-do list with Dick and see where everything was located. At last Nine Lives was ready for haul out. We have not seen her hauled out since the survey when we bought her in 2016, so we made a point of staying to see it. The boat is driven into a narrow channel, and is positioned above two large slings under the travel lift. Slowly, the boat is lifted in the slings, and then the travel lift drives away from the slip and conveys the boat to its destination on land. The heated shed was not quite ready for Nine Lives, because boats are located in the shed in reverse order to when they are expected to leave. Instead she was positioned on blocks of wood so the travel lift could be unhooked and driven away.

haulout positioning — Positioning Nine Lives on the slings of the travel lift

haulout lifting — Nine Lives is lifted out of the water

haulout leaving the slip — The travel lift leaves the slip

haulout driving away — Nine Lives is taken down the road to the boat sheds

The first thing we wanted to check was the status of the sponsons, the extra flotation that is unique to Nine Lives, and that had the hole in it last year. To our surprise and dismay, we could see that in spite of having taken considerable extra care this year, the starboard side sponson was cracked, and so was the one on the port side. Dick had arranged for plugs to be installed last spring, and as soon as they were opened gallons of water gushed out from both sides! So not only was the extra flotation not doing its job, we were hauling around all that extra weight of water! This impairs fuel efficiency, and also creates an imbalance on the boat. Water puddles in the showers and the kitchen sink, and the ice maker gets iced up as the automatic refill spills out of the back of the tray and onto the bottom of the unit. Dick will be getting in touch with the boat builder to find out exactly where the extra flotation part begins and ends, and of course the Drummond Island boat yard will need to make repairs. We will have to look into some different fenders to try to protect this vulnerable part of the boat in future. Apart from that, Nine Lives is in good condition, props and rudders looking good.

Nine Lives tunnel — Placing blocks of wood for Nine Lives to rest on above the concrete.

Nine Lives oops — Oops! Water pours out of the sponsons once the plug is removed.

We were able to stay overnight in cabins associated with the Yacht Haven. They were rustic, but well equipped and absolutely spotless. There was a lovely view over the bay and beautiful sunsets. The only inconvenience was a dearth of power points, including in the bedrooms. In fact, one of the bedrooms had a very nice bedside lamp, but the cord was left lying on the bed because there was absolutely no place to plug it in!

Drummond Island meat pie dinner — A last dinner cooked on board, shepherd’s pie with vegetables and garlic cheese bread to accompany.

The next morning, we finished packing up the car and said goodbye to Drummond Island until next summer. It has been a wonderful voyage this year. The weather could not have been better, not too hot, and very little rain. The rain we did get was mostly at night. We seldom needed the air conditioning, and when we did, the aft unit was sufficient. This was fortunate, since the forward unit is not working and is scheduled for replacement this winter! We had few weather delays, only one major (more than a day), and there were also few days when the forecast for wind and waves was not as expected. We met many Loopers this year, because we were travelling at the same time as most of the “pack”. Lots of enjoyable docktails and dockside chats.

This will be the final blog update for 2019. Look for Nine Lives again some time in June, 2020.

August 7 to 20, 2018: Peterborough to Port Elgin

August 7 to 20

Our second day in Peterborough was wet, so we didn’t get the promised Indian meal at a restaurant. The next morning we set off for the first big adventure in this segment of the Loop, the Peterborough Lift Lock.

The Lift Lock was opened in 1904, and until recently was the highest hydraulic boat lift in the world, raising and lowering boats 65 feet in just about 60 seconds. The lift consists of two large chambers that are filled with water. Boats drive over a dropped gate into the chamber, the gate closes, an extra foot of water is let into the top chamber, and the weight of the water in the upper chamber counterbalances the lower, so one drops while the other ascends. It was quite exciting, although a very smooth and easy operation. It was a dull day, but I did take quite a few photos, plus Dick took pictures the day before when he walked up to the lock to see the operation.

We stopped for the night at Lakefield on the wall just above the lock. Lakefield is a pretty town with a tidy main street with restored buildings, interesting shops, and an excellent restaurant. A highlight was a wonderful chocolate shop in a lovely old house at the edge of downtown. We made several selections and enjoyed them with tea for the next few afternoons. They were so good we wished we had bought a larger box! The next day was forecast to be rainy, so we wimped out and stayed another night on the lock wall. I had fun that evening cooking an Indian meal, papadums with dal, chick pea curry, chicken curry, naan bread, and basmati rice.

Kawartha Lakes is an area of lakes and small communities north and west of Peterborough. Since it is only 90 minutes from Toronto, the lakes and connecting rivers are dotted with cottages and there are lots of boaters out for the day travelling through the various locks of the Trent Severn Waterway. The village of Buckhorn was our next stop. The lock keepers manage the tie-ups above the lock, and we were shoehorned in between several houseboats. Houseboat rentals are apparently a thriving business in the Kawarthas, and we passed a lot of them as we travelled through the area. Four of the houseboats at Buckhorn were occupied by a large group of young teenage girls with older girls as leaders. They were not girl scouts, although most of them wore burgundy kerchiefs around their necks, and I heard the leaders speaking in what I recognized as a Slavic language. I found out the next day that these were Ukrainian girls, on a special outing. I think the leaders were in Canada for work experience, while the younger girls were from Canadian families of Ukrainian heritage. They were all well behaved, and very quiet. We were glad it was group of girls, suspecting that a similar gathering of boys would not have been such good neighbours! There are several restaurants in Buckhorn, including a Chinese restaurant that we were told too late was excellent. Instead we decided to go for pizza. A poor choice, as it turned out.

The next day we went on to Fenelon Falls. We arrived just in time to snag the last spot on the town wall above the lock. This meant I had a front row seat while a great many boats of various sizes locked up and down throughout the afternoon. Nine Lives gathered a great deal of interest. There are very few catamarans of any size in this part of the country, and now that we are behind the main group of Loopers, people are surprised to see a boat that has come all the way from South Carolina. Tourists and dog walkers stop to chat and ask questions, and I can hear people talking about the boat even when they don’t pause for conversation.

Kirkfield is the second lift lock on the Trent Severn. The lift was completed in 1907, and extensively modernized in the late 1960’s. The concrete piers were removed, so the lock construction is more easily seen. We stopped for the night just below the lock, so it was interesting to watch boats going up and down for the rest of the afternoon. A friendly boater stopped by to chat, and eventually told us that his two sons would love to be able to see inside the boat. We are always happy to show off Nine Lives, so the fellow and his sons came aboard. It was quite clear that the boys had zero interest, while the father asked many questions and enjoyed the visit! Beyond Kirkfield the Waterway became much quieter, with fewer boats out and about.

After a quick succession of 5 locks we were out into the open water of Lake Simcoe. Although not considered one of the Great Lakes, it is 19 miles long and 16 miles wide. It can become quite rough and is known for pop-up thunderstorms on hot summer afternoons. We gave Nine Lives a nice run and skipped across most of it after we noticed some building thunderheads. Lake Simcoe is connected to Lake Couchiching by a narrow channel with a fierce current. We needed to stop at a marina at the end of the channel to get a pump-out, and the current slammed the boat into a corner of the fuel dock, creating a nasty gouge in the side of the boat, fortunately above the waterline. The dockhands offered some waterproof tape to prevent any splashed water getting in, and later we were able to get more tape and complete the temporary repair. The tech at a local boatyard told us that as long as we keep the tape intact we will be fine with the temporary repair until the boat is hauled out of the water for winter storage. The tape is the same colour as the hull so it doesn’t show. Nobody wants other boaters to see the results of an “oops!”

The site of the town of Orillia has been occupied for at least 4 thousand years. Evidence has been found of fishing weirs constructed in the narrows between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching, and there were also trading, fishing, and hunting camps in the area. Samuel de Champlain visited in 1615, but the settlement of Orillia was not laid out until 1840. There is some manufacturing in the area as well as farming and of course tourism, but the largest local employer is a casino run on the nearby Ojibway Reserve. A beautiful marina has been built in the harbour, and there are bicycle paths running for several miles in each direction along the waterfront. Dick disappeared on a beer run that somehow incorporated all 5 miles of the bike path! There were several Looper boats in the marina, and we enjoyed docktails followed by Chinese food at a local restaurant with the couple on the boat next to us. They are also doing the Loop in small pieces like us, instead of the more common all at once over a single year, so it was nice to compare notes.

North of Orillia we travelled through some “interestingly” shallow and narrow stretches of the waterway. I say interesting, there were at least 2 cuts that were too narrow to allow large boats to pass each other, and one long stretch where we had to stop in place to allow big boats to inch past us. The channels are rock sides and bottom, and the sides slope, rather than being cut straight down. Unlike in some of the notoriously shallow areas of Georgia and New Jersey on the ICW, when you touch bottom here it is not soft sand but unyielding rock! We managed to traverse the whole section without incident, just those few nail-biting moments as we passed other boats. Our stop for the night was at the top of Big Chute Railway.

Big Chute was the second grand adventure on the Trent Severn. There were supposed to be 3 locks built to carry boats between Georgian Bay and the Severn River at Swift Rapids. One small temporary lock (still in use) was built at Port Severn, and two marine railways were built between that and Swift Rapids. The Swift Rapids railway was eventually replaced by a lock, but Big Chute Marine Railway is still in use. The current carriage was opened in 1978, and can carry boats up to 100 feet long and 24 feet wide. The carriage rolls down into the water, and the boat drives in and is held at the side of the carriage while large slings are raised underneath to keep propellers and rudders off the bottom of the carriage and to steady the boat through the transit. The carriage then rolls out of the water and down (or up) the rails to the other end. It is cleverly designed to keep horizontal during the transit, even though the railway is very steep. This marvellous piece of engineering is getting rather long in the tooth, and breakdowns are not uncommon. In fact, a local boater had described it as “a white elephant that keeps breaking down”, not what we wanted to hear before our transit! Our keels completely enclose our props and rudders, so we were simply resting on the bottom of the carriage, not lifted in the slings. The carriage shakes and rattles alarmingly, and it was not exactly confidence building to listen to the operators chatting about all the reasons why the government is “going to have to work on this all winter!” Nine Lives survived the adventure without incident.

After the small lock at Port Severn we were into Georgian Bay. Our first stop was Midland, founded as a railway town in 1871. Of particular interest are a number of murals found around the town, painted by a local artist at the close of the 20^th century. The largest covers what would otherwise be very unsightly grain elevators overlooking the harbour. The day after we were there was the start of a tugboat meet. They were expecting at least 20 tugboats to gather for tours and races over the weekend. The day we arrived there were already 5 at the docks. Just as there are people who enthusiastically restore old steam trains, there are those who buy and restore old tugboats. The ones we saw ranged from a very large 70 footer, to a small one painted bright red and named Maggie. We were sorry we couldn’t take the time to stay and watch the meet.

Skipping quickly across the southern end of Georgian Bay in advance of threatened thunderstorms, we arrived the next day at Meaford. We have now truly lost the last of our fellow Loopers, nearly all of whom are heading north to the North Channel and Lake Michigan. Meaford is known for its apple orchards and an annual scarecrow festival. It also has an arts and cultural centre and some lovely old houses and civic buildings. As with most small towns, many of the downtown shop spaces are taken up by banks and various social services organizations and government offices. The nearest supermarket is 5 miles away, and while there are a few restaurants, there seems to be little to attract tourists to the town. The harbour is nice, and protected by a huge breakwater. We noticed that most of the slips are taken up by sailboats, and there is an active sailing school for children operating out of the harbour. We stayed three nights due to a poor weather forecast, and were very glad of the decision when we moved the boat the first morning to take on fuel. The waves in the short hop around the breakwater blew up while we refuelled, and the return trip to the harbour was very lumpy, knocking things over in the cabin. Now that we are back into “big water” we are experiencing the weather delays that have been mostly absent this summer.

Our next stop was Tobermory, a bustling town at the northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula. As we made our way north along the shoreline of the Peninsula I spent some time refreshing my memory of the geological feature known as the Niagara Escarpment. Dick and I both learned in school that the Niagara Escarpment is a high bluff that runs from the tip of the Bruce Peninsula south through Hamilton and Niagara Falls. Looking it up, I was surprised to learn that in fact, the formation rises from Waterton New York, through Ontario, Illinois, and Wisconsin, ending northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin border. What a pompous and parochial attitude of a school system that suggests that the importance and magnitude of a geographical formation is limited to the piece that falls within political borders.

Tobermory is a popular tourist destination. Nearby is Fathom Five National Marine Park, which we saw from the water as we made our way around the point. Part of the National Park is Flowerpot Island, with a distinctive rock formation just offshore that attracts thousands of visitors on the many boat trips that ply the waters between Tobermory and the island. The area is also a magnet for diving, with many dive boats going out to explore the shipwrecks in the treacherous waters of north Georgian Bay. We arrived in town in early afternoon, and I enjoyed watching the harbour activity. In addition to at least 10 tourist cruise and diving boats every hour, there is a car ferry that goes to Manitoulin Island, and lots of large and small pleasure boats. All this activity is complicated by kayakers weaving around the harbour, seemingly unaware of the “law of gross tonnage” that suggests that even though kayakers have the right of way, the bigger the vessel the less easy it is to stop or turn and give way! I would have liked to spend another day or two in the busy little town with its interesting shops and lots of people watching, but the weather is getting chancy and we had to leave the next morning.

Turning south into Lake Huron we were surprised to find ourselves in much rougher water than the forecasts had suggested. Nine Lives doesn’t really cut through the water the way a sailboat or ocean-going trawler does, instead she dances on top of the waves. Our extra speed is helpful in smoothing things out so we are not wallowing or corkscrewing, but the ride is uncomfortable to say the least. The hulls and the centre section pound on the waves, and gradually the furniture in the salon begins to make its way aft, as each hitting wave smacks the floor and makes everything bounce. At one point, Dick had to go below and rescue the small seat that happens to be our liquor cabinet, before it reached the stairs with potential disastrous results! Fortunately, the pounding only lasted about an hour before the promised smoother water showed up and we made our way into Port Elgin.

We were delighted to be able to entertain a friend from our university days on board for dinner that evening. Jan Singbeil was in the same residence with us at Queen’s ..ahem.. some few years ago. We all agreed that none of us has changed a bit, even though we have not seen each other for a very long time. We spend an enjoyable evening catching up and exchanging stories. We would have liked to stay a little longer in Port Elgin, but once again with an eye on the weather we had to take advantage of a short window to make our way south. If we did not leave in the short hour between squalls that afternoon we would have been stuck there for at least 4 or 5 days.

I took lots of pictures this time, especially on the two lift locks and the marine railway.