Buckhorn to Orillia

 Friday, 12 July – Buckhorn to Fenelon Falls, ON – 33 mi., 2656 cum mi.

Nice day, 69 degrees. John brought the shiny new-looking props over to the boat. He was quite proud to have repaired them within specifications.

Luke mounted them, returned us to the water, and we took the boat on a sea trial. This time we had calm water on a wide open lake, so we were able to test the new props thoroughly. Absolutely no vibration at any speed. Quite satisfied, we paid our bills and
continued on our journey.  We went through two locks, up 30 ft total. Bobcaygeon looked like a really nice town, but the lock wall was full of boats, so we went on to Fenelon Falls.

We saw Gary and Christelle from Time and Tide, so we tied up to the upper wall where electricity and water were available. The port ignition switch failed in Bobcaygeon, so we biked to a hardware store, Canadian Tire, and a marina looking for a replacement – no luck. Fortunately, the lower helm switch was fine. Nice to have the redundancy. We enjoyed docktails with Gary and Christelle.
Had not seen as many loopers as we expected, since many were stuck at the closed Erie Canal. But we did get a visit from Santa who was collecting recyclables from the waste cans. He turns them in for cash and gives it to charities.  He was passing out santa hats so we had a little Christmas in July.

Saturday, 13 July – Fenelon Falls to Sunset Cove Marina, ON – 22 mi., 2678 cum mi.

Beautiful sunny day, 73 degrees. Most interesting today was the very narrow

Trent Canal. Being over a 10 meter vessel, we were required to announce “security” on channel 16 to make sure no other large vessels were traveling in the opposite direction. It was so narrow that passing was dangerous. The canal was a cut through the Canadian Shield that was done by hand starting in the early 1800’s. The rocks removed were still piled
on both sides. There were folks enjoying the water, fishing and
picnicking.  We went through two locks, one up (then passing through the highest point above sea level (841 ft) on the waterway, then one down
the Kirkfield Lock which is the second largest lift lock in the world (Peterborough is the largest). The entry into the lock was exciting. As we neared the end of the “bathtub, “ it looked as though we would drive over the edge. We stayed at the Sunset Cove Marina. Nice, friendly folks. They allow transients to do their laundry in their own home! All the folks at the dock were quite friendly. We dipped into the clean water. The seaweed was dense and tickled our legs. Then we partied and danced on the dock to great music blasting from one of the boats.

Sunday, 14 July - Sunset Cove to Orillia, ON – 19 mi., 2697 cum mi.

Beautiful blue sky, 72 degrees. A swing bridge, 5 locks, and another swing bridge. We had to wait a

while for the first bridge to open. The lock tenders also opened the bridge, and they do not arrive at their stations until 9 AM, then they hop into a car to the bridge. But they were friendly and we forgave them. Lake Simcoe is beautiful! It was refreshing to be out of the locks for the day and on open water again. Lots of Sunday boaters on the water, lots of radio conversations, and lots of sailboats taking advantage of the healthy breeze. The Narrows connecting
Lake Simcoe with Lake Couchiching was a zoo. There are at least four marinas, all with boat traffic and folks maneuvering to fuel docks, Sunday boaters, waverunners, kayakers, fishermen in small
boats, trawlers (like us) trying to get through the narrow channel and its strong current, and so on. Lake Couchiching is shallow, so dense seaweed was abundant. We docked at the Port of Orillia – a very nice town marina, right at the base of downtown Orillia. And what a nice town!
Flowers hanging from the light posts, artwork displayed on the
sidewalks, including 6 ft tall “Letters of Orillia” – unique artwork by local artists and sponsored by local businesses – decorating the main street through town with the alphabet. My good friend and colleague Ken Kung and his lovely wife Amy and their beautiful daughters, Yvonne and Alicia, drove up from Toronto where they were visiting Amy's

parents. So nice to see them again! We gathered at the boat, walked around town, and enjoyed dinner at ERA 67 – the best restaurant in

town. Thanks again Ken! The next morning we saw a machine cutting the seaweed at the slips. It reminded me of a Zamboni machine at the ice rink. We met another Ken and Trudy in a looper boat, Satisfaction. They were stuck in the Erie Canal for a month – two weeks each in two different locks. Between storms and floods, they had tales to tell. And we met up with Owen and Mindy on Sea Grace (Unsinkables from St Pete Beach) who we have not seen since Norfolk. The loopers are coming!