Georgian Bay - Frying Pan Bay

Beausoleil Island is a large island at the southern end of Georgian Bay.  The entire island is part of Parks Canada, the national park system.  At the northern end lies a protected bay known as Frying Pan Bay.  Parks Canada has two docks in the bay and there is room for anchoring.  The park is filled with trails to explore the unique ecosystems, which are very different on the north and south ends of the island.

Hiking opportunities are not only for exploration and exercise, the additional altitude that can be gained provided a cell signal to power communications.  Cell signals do not reach into the bay which is surrounded by granite ridges. Data through cell signal has become a major weather information source in addition to the most used method of communication.

The third Last Dance crew member, Bonnie, has a love for rock climbing.

A strawberry moon lit up the sky while Last Dance was at Frying Pan.  A strawberry moon is when a full moon appears on the summer solstice - an event that had not happened for 70 years.  A full moon on the longest day of the year.

Georgian Bay - Southern Stops

Map courtesy of the Waterway Guide

The Trent Severn Canal leads into southern Georgian Bay, near the towns of Midland and Penetanguishene.  There are many, many interesting places to visit in the southern half of the bay.  A few visited by the Last Dance crew on the 2016 voyage are identified on the above map and are detailed in subsequent posts.  Georgian Bay is also known as the 30,000 Islands, which is an undercount of the number of islands.  Some argue that there are many more islands located just under the water, but the more accurate term is "shoal," in this case a rock underwater potentially causing a grounding for boats.  With 30,000 islands and numerous places on the mainland, the cruising options are greater than the short season allows.

They do it different in Canada, eh?

Walking down a street in Canada seems no different than being in the United States.  At least most of the time.  Canada is a two-language country, with all signs and food labels being in both English and French.  But, in Ontario Province, the province in which most of our boating travels have been, everyone speaks English.  Dress is the same as in the states.  Architecture is similar.  Cars are the same.  In fact, many American cars are assembled in Canada.  Every once in a while, though, a difference is noted.

You can really drive fast in Canada.  The Last Dance crew borrowed a car from the marina in Britt to drive to a grocery for reprovisioning.  The route included a portion of the Trans Canada Highway, a major road which runs from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. The speed in the photo was not the highest reached.  When we were traveling 120, Jill did not want the driver taking photos.  The speed is not as high as it seems to Americans.  Canada, like the rest of the world, uses the metric system.  Well, there are two other countries other than the US that do not use metric measurements - Myanmar and Liberia.

Canada uses the dollar in money exchange.  But, it is the Canada dollar . . . and it has the Queen of England on the front.  There are no dollar bills.  The coin on the right, which has the Queen on the front and a Loon on the reverse, is a Canadian dollar coin.  It is called a Loonie for the bird.  The coin on the left, copper with a ring of aluminum, is the two dollar coin, called the Toonie, since it is worth two Loonies.  The Toonie has the Queen on the front and a bear on the reverse.  The folding money is also quite different.  The American term, paper money, would seem quite inappropriate since the bills feel like plastic.  The brown areas around the Parliament Building (lower right) and around the maple leaf (on the left) are not brown - they are clear.  The brown is the table showing through the bill.  There are no pennies.  Prices are still made to the 100th of a dollar, but when making a purchase using cash, the total is rounded to the nearest 5 cents.  It all seems so sensible.

The Killarney LCBO - Liquor Control Board of Ontario.  In Canada, alcohol is sold by the provincial governments, in this case, the Providence of Ontario. Prices are a bit higher than in the US, but the profits go to help support the universal health insurance for every citizen.  You don't have to worry about being far from a liquor store, every town, no matter how small, has an LCBO.  The village of Killarney cannot have more than 100 people living within 10 miles of town.  Not only is it located right in the middle of town, within walking distance of everything in town, it has a dock so you can stop and tie your boat to their dock while shopping - a nice new dock.  Oh, so convenient.  But, wait, there's more. During the summer of 2016, the LCBO added to their services by going online.  Canadians can now go to the web and order from a list of over 5,000 products and have it shipped right to their home.

Trent Severn Canal - Miscelaneous Ramblings

Locks







It is difficult to discuss the Trent Severn without covering the topic of locks, a large part of the passage through this waterway.  Most of the locks are the traditional tank-type locks with doors at either end.  This photo illustrates an empty tank, the closed doors on the upside, and Last Dance tied to the lock wall waiting for the lock tenders to return.  The lock chamber will be flooded with water from the high side, bringing the water level to the same as the boat is floating.  The doors open, the boat moves into the lock, the water drained to the lower level, then the lower doors open allowing the boat to move out of the lock.  This is the most often used mechanism to move boats to higher levels of water, such as the Great Lakes.   Lakes Michigan and Huron are 576 feet above sea level.

The Peterborough lift lock is a very different lock for North America. Two large pans, filled with water, lift or lower boats.  The pans are linked together so the weight of the upper pan lifts the boats in the lower pan.  The change in elevation is 65 feet and is accomplished in only a few minutes, much quicker than filling a tank-type lock. The Peterborough lock was one of the few locks that Last Dance had to share with other boats, a full load of boats.

A view looking aft from the boat as the lock pan reaches the top.  At this point, one would not want the pan door to open.

Approaching the Kirkfield lock, the highest point that a boat can reach entering from sea level - anywhere in the world - 840 feet above sea level.  It is the only other lift lock, like the one in Peterborough, in the western hemisphere.  At this point, boats heading west are locked down 50 feet.  Just behind one of those two gates resides a pan full of water ready to transport a boat to the lower water level.  Behind the other gate is a 50 foot drop.  The colorful boat is a Trent Severn tug used for maintenance of the waterway.

Then, there is the lock they call the Big Chute.  It is a railway car that travels down into the water, boats move into the car, and straps lift the boat for a journey across a road, over a hill, and down into a lower level of water.  Unlike travel lifts in boatyards, the crew is not allowed off the boat for this trip, one not totally enjoyed by all the crew members.

View aft as the boat travels out of the water, across the road, on the journey to the lower water level.

As it was a slow day, the lockmaster stopped the Big Chute, climbed down onto the deck, and walked under the boat.  It was early in the year and the canal had a bumper crop of weeds, many which had been dislodged from the props by putting the boat into reverse, spinning the props in the opposite direction.  However, many remained, slowing speed and reducing efficiency.  He made multiple trips under the boat to remove the weeds.

The result of his work was a large stack of weeds and much better performance for the boat.










Cottage Country

The rivers and lakes along the Trent Severn are cottage country for the populous area to the south around Toronto.  Canadians flock to the waters for their summer retreats.  The shoreline on many rivers and seemingly every island has a cottage, no matter how small.

The waterway not only makes travel by boat possible, it also serves as landing strips for airplanes  You work in Toronto and have a cottage in the Kawartha Lakes area.  How do you get through all that traffic to spend a weekend at the cottage?  Just fly your float plane and land behind your cottage.


Wildlife - Loons

Just outside of one of the locks a Loon had its nest in an area of weeds on the water.  The lockmasters advised boaters to travel slowly in order to not disturb the nesting bird.  Loons have multiple songs which seem to be a haunting tune.

One couple, who must have begun their nesting earlier were seen escorting their chick along the canal.  Loons create a magnetic attraction for humans.  They are shy and elusive and sightings are always celebrated.

Trent Severn Canal

The Trent Severn Canal is a system of rivers, lakes, locks, and dug canals transporting boats over the Ontario, Canada, land mass between the Great Lakes of Ontario and Huron.  This photo is of the skinniest and highest section of the canal, over 800 feet above sea level.  It is dug through the granite of the Canadian shield.  But, the Trent Severn is much more than a water road leading from one lake to another.  It is a trail through beautiful scenery, visits to small, interesting towns, interactions with engaging people, and experiencing the lifting and lowering of the boat through various lock designs.

The city of Campbellford operates a marina along the lock wall in the middle of town.  It is part of the park which has a large tribute to the designer of the Toonie, the two dollar Canadian coin (the large coin can be seen in the trees to the right.  Campbellford has some interesting attractions in the food arena:  Dooher's, an outstanding and large bakery with everything baked from scratch, The World's Finest Chocolate Factory, and Empire Cheese, with delicious aged cheeses.  Campbellford hosts an Incredible Edible Festival in July.  Experiencing the different cultures requires experiencing their foods.  Research is important.

The Last Dance crew on a walk through the park.  It is a bit cooler in Canada than Florida in June.

Many of the locks are located in towns.  Operated by Parks Canada, all have a park-like setting and have space on the walls above and below the lock to which boats can tie to spend a night.  The upper lock doors can be seen to the right of Last Dance.  This peaceful spot is near the town of Lakefield.

The first retailer across the bridge into Lakefield is a bakery and ice cream store.  Seems every Canadian town, no matter how small, has at least one bakery.  Fresh baked bread and goodies are never far away.  The unique Canadian baked item found at every bakery, and even every grocery store, is the butter tart, baked in many varieties from plain to pecan.  More research required to sample every butter tart along the route.

The middle section of the Trent Severn passes through a series of interconnected lakes - Kawartha Lakes.  There is a well-known dairy in this area which must have some very special cows.  The dairy products and, in particular, the ice cream, are absolutely wonderful in the creaminess and delicious flavor.  The Lakefield store had Kawartha in 36 flavors.  A trip through the Trent Severn requires many experiences with Kawartha ice cream to fully enjoy the trip.

The town of Bobcageon is another with the lock right in the middle of town.  Parks Canada has recently upgraded the docking wall with new concrete and electrical power.  The locks are not only a water highway, but also a central park in town.

The grocery store in Bobcaygeon provided the Last Dance crew with some additional Kawartha experiences at a picnic table in the park.

One tradition of British colonialism that remains well accepted in Canada is the local pub, a family place for food and drink.  Lakefield had two, in the two-block-long downtown: the Canoe and Paddle, and the Thirsty Loon.  The town of Fenelon Falls is home to the Cow and Sow.  Who would think of going to Canada to sample barbeque?  The slab of tasty and tender ribs provided a most enjoyable lunch and two dinners on the boat.  Getting into the culture.

Port Severn, the town at Lock 45, the westernmost lock on the canal, has the School House Fish & Chips.  This restaurant is appropriately named as it is located in an old school house and 90% of the menu is fish and chips, a most popular fare in Canada.  "Chip Trucks" are a common site, every Canadian Tire parking lot seems to have a truck serving fish and chips.  Chips in Canada have the British definition, fresh cut french fries.  The most popular fish tends to be Whitefish and Pickerel.  Another Canadian culinary treat.

When we passed under this bridge in previous trips, we saw only an arched bridge and wondered how it got its name - Hole in the Wall Bridge.  This year we arrive in the morning with clear skies which created a reflection and explanation of the derivation of the name.  Sailed through a hole in the wall.  The Trent Severn Canal, a host of experiences, visual to culinary.

Lock #440

The Trent Severn Canal names this lock: Lock 45, Port Severn Lock.  It is the smallest lock on the canal in terms of the size of the lock chamber.  The drop is 14 feet, lowering boats to the level of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.

For Last Dance it was lock number 440, the 440th lock transited since the beginning of the Great Loop journeys, March 1, 2011.  Locks have moved the boat to higher or lower water levels on the Mississippi River, Illinois River, Chicago River, Ohio River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Ottowa River, St. Lawrence Seaway, Tenn-Tom Waterway, Erie Canal, Champlain Canal, Chambly Canal, Rideau Canal, Trent Severn Canal, Dismal Swamp Canal, and Oswego Canal.

Above, Last Dance is tied to the wall with the blue line, indicating to the lockmaster that the crew wishes to lock through at their earliest convenience.  When Lock 45 began operation at 9:00 am, Sunday, June 19, 2016,  Last Dance was the first and only boat to be locked down.

Maine Revisited

Last Dance returned to Maine for a summer exploration of the coast, late June 2015.  A visit to Maine during 2013 has been documented in this blog.  If you have happened upon this section of the blog postings without seeing the posts from 2013, it could be informative to go back to the earlier posts before continuing on to the 2015 Maine posts (link below).  Some of the same areas and towns will be visited and documented, with an attempt to not duplicate content.

Maine Posts from 2013