July 18th-July 24th: Georgian Bay

Wow!!  Two updates within a week.  Yes, we are in another marina that has Wi-Fi.  We are now in the Georgian Bay, about halfway across.  The last week we were at anchor with friends Margaret and David Tovell.  They shared many of their favorite anchorages with us and they were all beautiful.  Great swimming and time together.  We had to leave them yesterday at Parry Sound, one of the larger communities on the Bay, where we continued on and they made their way back to their marina in Honey Harbor.  We moved on to Byng Inlet (you can see our location at
http://greatloop.org/mod/aglcalocator/membermap.php?id=4500) where we rejoined Bonnie and Charlie Burke.
   
The Georgian Bay is known as the "Land of Thirty Thousand Islands" - and we have pictures of them all! Many islands, some large, some small; some inhabited with cottages, some barren.  It is a beautiful area that provides wonderful boating as long as you are not scared off by some of the very narrow passages between rocks that must be navigated to gain access to the anchorages.  The water can be surprisingly warm (as you will be able to tell by the pictures) and is crystal clear.

The Boyz have been good with a few exciting adventures to include Mufasa's near encounter with a Canadian rattle snake, but that is too long a story. Enjoy the pictures.



The Tovells with us during some sightseeing




Byng Inlet Lighthouse



Port Au Baril Lighthouse.  We had to go out into the main part
of the Georgian Bay because the small boat channel was too narrow
in this section for GREAT ESCAPE.

Typical cottage in the Georgian Bay

We get to see all modes of water transportation

Someone looks intent;someone looks bored

This is Henry's Fish camp, a fish restaurant located on an island
in the middle of the Georgian Bay (We stopped last time and
were disappointed - Jimmy Carroll's fish fry is better)

Dave Tovell - the Chef

A man shouldn't drink alone

Margaret Tovell in Parry Sound

Another Georgian Bay lighthouse

PANACHE V - The Tovell's home away from home in the summer

Another cottage

A typical narrow passage in the Georgian Bay

No need to cut grass at this cottage

Everyone in the water

Relaxing at anchor

Which way do I go ??

Teresa and Margaret.  I told you the water was warm

The Boyz relaxing

Watch PANACHE V disappear around this little passage

Around the rock

Out at last

Do you think they want you to go slow through here?

                                     

This is the kind of scenery in the entire Georgian Bay

July 4th - July 17: Trent Severn Waterway

Hello all!  Yes, we are still moving.  Sorry about the lack of activity on the Blog, but we have been going through some isolated areas of Ontario.  We are presently in a marina, so I will update through tomorrow and than it's back into the wilderness.

We have completed our travel through the Trent-Severn waterway.  Starting in Trenton, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Ontario and we are presently in the Georgian Bay.  Looking at a map, the Georgian Bay is in the north eastern corner of Lake Huron.  From here, our trip goes northwest through the Georgian Bay and enters the Great Lakes where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet.  But, that's a few weeks away.

The Trent Severn meanders through farmland in the south, through some good sized lakes and than a more rugged, rock dominated section in the north.  There are 42 locks with three very unique ones.  There are two "lift locks" which raise a boat in a pan of water, and one railway lock,where the boat is actually lifted out of the water to travel over a hill.  For an overall summary, we have traveled about 1300 nautical miles so far and have gone through 142 locks. No more locks until we get to the big rivers.

There are quite a few pictures in this segment, so I will try to give some detail where appropriate. 

There were several "Looper" boats in Trenton, so we had an
impromptu cocktail party and than went out for a nice dinner

Entering the waterway at Trenton

As in the Rideau Canal, some of the locks are still operated by hand

This lock door was NOT operated by hand

Another Looper, Cie and Ron Andrews from Tucson, AZ, locking
through with us on their boat REALITY CHECK

A narrow opening on the canal

Approaching the first "Lift lock" - The Peterborough Lift Lock.
Very simply, there are 2 pans of water connected at the bottom through
piping with a valve.  Boats enter the lower and upper pans and a gate is
closed behind them.  The upper pan is than filled with about a foot more water - the valve is opened,
 and the heavier upper pan lowers while the lighter lower pan rises.  When
movement is complete, the valve is shut and tha pans are locked in place.  The boats
depart and the process is repeated.

Boats at the top of the lock in the upper pan

The same two boats now at at the bottom of the lock, departing the pan

This is "Trent" - guard dog for the lock operating station

Rob, the lock operator the day we went through

No, this is not the Dismal Swamp but a narrow section on
the Trent Severn

The Boyz found a new friend

Many Canadians rent houseboats for some vacation time.  Sometimes
their boating experience is limited.  Locking through with a houseboat can be
interesting 

This young gentleman was "Jack" who we met at a lock.  He was very interested
in GREAT ESCAPE and asked many good questions.

Teresa got a shower in this lock

We re-joined SONATA with Bonnie and Charlie Burke for several days
while traveling through the canal

Wild animal

Summer cottages

Teresa and Bonnie decided to go kayaking at one of the locks where we stayed
overnight.  They wanted to "lock through" but when they were told they
would have to pay the minumum lockage fee they changed their minds

The locks and their associated park area are used for all kinds of events

Bonnie and Charlie resting after a long day on the water

Shipmate resting after a long day of doing nothing.  As a matter ot fact, this is his
normal position on the boat

A beautiful garden at Fenlon Falls lock

I thought they only wore these hats in "Caddy Shack"

This is a "real" dog

The GPS is showing the elevation above sea level on a lake about halfway
through the waterway.  I think this is the highest elevation during the trip.

men, men, men, men...

This little spot is called "Hole in the Wall"

Another narrow section

This is the Kirkfield lift lock.  We are now in the upper lock heading down

Summer cottage on the rocks

Which way do we go ???

This is the Kawartha Voyager, a cruise ship that makes 5 day cruises
on the waterway. As you can see, it goes into the lock by itself

Kawartha Voyager leaving the lock

Here, two boats enter the "Big Chute" railway lock.  The lock is a carriage that
runs on a rail system.  The carriage moves with big cables, similar to a ski lift.
Boats enter the carriage and are steadied with a belt system.  Than the carriage moves
out of the water and over a hill, back into the water where you depart

High and dry

Larger boats hang out over the end of  the carriage

Over the hill going down

And away we go

This is GREAT ESCAPE going through the Big Chute

Checking out the view

The lock operators

Looking astern about halfway through the lock process

Looking astern going down the hill

After leaving the waterway, we met with some good Canadian friends,
David and Margret Tovell.  They treated us to a wonderful dinner cruise on the RMS Segwun, the
oldest operating steamship in North America.  It still has coal fired boilers that run its steam engines 

Margaret and Teresa enjoying a lovely evening

David and Donald enjoying a brew

The wheel in the pilot house

Enjoying an wonderful meal on the Segwun