We have been cruising the meandering waters of the Trent Severn Canal for 9 days. The Trent is known to have one of the finest interconnected systems of navigation in the world. It’s a natural and man-made system of rivers, lakes, canals, and locks and they only goal is to support recreational boaters. The next 3 days were just as fabulous with great cruising, lots of locks and fun filled stops.
While cruising we experienced diverse landscapes and outstanding scenery. Towns and villages dot the canal and they showcase summer with some many outdoor activities and folks and families enjoying nature. Each little town has it’s own history and the streets are lines with tiny bakeries, filled with butter tarts, little restaurants and mom and pop stores.
The weather was beautiful, sunny skies and upper 80’s and it was the weekend, so the canal and lock walls were crowded and finding space was going to be difficult. Being strategic, flexible and having a ton of luck along with some friends ahead of us passing along intel, we were able to stop at all the must-see places in this stretch.
Although we never wanted to leave Lovesick, we fired up the engines early and dropped the lines so, we could be staged at the first lock and still have some time to explore the little town of Buckhorn. The blue line was empty so, we pulled in and walked the beautiful lock. We found a very quaint breakfast place and had a relaxing breakfast.
After locking through at Buckhorn we cruised to Bobcaygeon having luck on our side, we found a spot on the upper wall. No power but we were thrilled to have a spot to tie up for the night. We just loved this vibrant town, folks were enjoying the town and the waterway was filled with small boats, pontoons, jet skis, the famous houseboats, and a few loopers. Sitting on the flybridge was quite entertaining watching all the vessels and folks with various techniques dock and undock. The landscaping and potted flowers were unbelievable and gave the town such a welcoming vibe.
Our time in Bobcaygeon was quite busy and not many pictures were taken but we had a great day. Quite surprising that we never snapped a picture of the busy lock and canal. Along with some people watching, we found a great brewery, visited the famous Bigley’s, walked over to the Kawarthas Dairy factory and picked up a 1/2 gallon of Maple Sea Salt ice cream. We ended the evening meeting Sweet Equity at Graz where we listened to a great one man band.
Leaving Bobcaygeon, we had multiple plans and a bunch of options for stopping for the night. The cruise was beautiful and after our first lock at Fenelon Falls we found a spot. With the help of friends and the lockmaster, we squeezed in and settled for the night. Since the town is an happening place, the lock is very busy with on lookers. We enjoy conversations with tourist and locals while locking through, although some times Tracy needs to stop talking and tie lines.
Our time in Fenelon Falls was also busy, Tracy had to check the excel sheet to make sure we did not stay two nights. We explored the town and the great selection of shops, picked up butter tarts and pastry and a little bakery, and some beers at the local brewery. The highlight was a ‘date night’ of dinner and play. We enjoyed dinner at The Locker over looking Fenelon Falls and walked to the Grove Theater, where we watched the musical Into the Woods in an idyllic natural outdoor setting. Definitely a wonderful day mixed with cruising, exploring the town, people watching and live entertainment.
The cruise from Fenelon Falls to the Jetty Wall was a 23 Nautical Miles in just over 6 hours. It was long cruising day that involved 7 locks, one being another hydraulic lift lock, shallow water, narrow canal, rivers, lakes, lots of wildlife a hot sun but the day ended with a campfire and smores! The ever changing scenery was beautiful and kept us on our toes. The ‘Jetty Wall’ is just that a wall on a jetty. Absolutely nothing around, but a great place to stage our crossing of Lake Simcoe. We were the only folks stopped here for the evening but being a Sunday and the start of the Trent from the lake, lots of locals on pontoons, jet skis and day boats cruised by us.
