Midland, ON, CA
After an exciting morning going over the Big Chute, we went through the last lock, Lock 45, at Port Severn and have officially finished the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was a great experience, but we are glad to be done locking for a while and looking forward to the next chapter of the summer’s cruising.
The Big Chute was a unique experience, like nothing we’ve ever done before. We had already seen six boats come up the railway but hadn’t seen any go down this morning and when we tied up on the blue line to wait for the carriage we were the only boat waiting. The lock crew is very experienced and professional and we didn’t spend more than five minutes waiting on the blue line before we were called on the loudspeaker to enter the carriage, “center back.”
We manuevered the boat and lined up on the centerline, which took us up to and over the two large slings that were used to lift and balance our boat while going over the rail hill. The operator told us when to stop, stay in idle and then when to shut down. After we were in place, two people on jet skies joined us. They went around our boat, under the slings, and rode the carriage with us resting on the bottom of the carrIage.
It was wild to feel the carriage start to move the boat up and out of the water, feel the vibrations of the railway through the deck of the boat and then see the view down the hill back in to the water. It felt like we were going straight down - similar to being at the top of the first hill on a roller coaster. We could feel the boat start to float once the carriage put us back in to the water on the slings, and then the operators lowered the slings and the boat was floating and drifting before we had the engines started. Of course Ann was “screaming like a maniac” because she hates roller coasters and Will was loving every minute of it! Was def the highlight of the Trent Severn lock system!
After the Big Chute, we navigated through channels in the rocks, past more spectacular houses built on their own individual rock islands in the middle of the water. Kids have just gotten out of school for the summer in Canada, so the summer is just getting started, and we anticipate the waterways will come alive in the next few weeks with families taking full advantage of some of these summer cottages, before it starts to get cold again in Sept. It’s a relatively short summer season this far north. One of the pics shows a little of what’s to come. dodging rocks. We were in the channel leaving Port Severn into Midland Bay with over 20 feet of water under the keel and as you can see, we were surrounded by massive rocks just off to port and starboard. The mantra on the trip by all boaters is “stay in the marked channel” and we can def see why. We hear the rocks and cliffs in Georgian Bay and North Channel! are both beautiful and to be revered so more to come in the upcoming months.
We were welcomed into Midland by some seagulls where we will stay for about 10 days. Ann is going to go to Connecticut to see baby Hunter, Paige and Andrew and get some much missed Hunter hugs and snuggles, while Will stays in Midland to do some boat maintenance and other chores. We are planning to depart Midland on July 4, so please check back then. And enjoy Amercia’s 250th birthday wherever you may be! God Bless America!!!
