Champing At The Boat

Howdy everybody. Well, it's April 2023 and we're going to be bringing the Mary Mary back down the Trent-Severn Waterway to take up residence somewhere further south. (Still in Canada,  though) We haven't actually got a place to stow her yet for the coming winter, but that's in the works. We're thinking somewhere in the Trenton/Belleville area. Any suggestions are welcome. We'll be launching her back into the water at Penetanguishene, probably around the end of May/beginning of June and hitting the Trent a week or so after that. No rush, certainly, so plenty of time for visiting and sight-seeing. 

We did the Trent system northbound in 2013, so we know what to expect, sort of. The lock at Kirkfield is still problematic but Parks Canada assures it will be up and running by the time we get there. (It's one of the first locks, southbound) Another dicey area, navigation-wise, is the channel underneath Hwy. 400. It's narrow and the water rush from the first lock at Port Severn can make it tricky. We've done it coming out, but not going in. In fact we did a little video of it the first time. Here it is.

 

I have included a link to a map of the waterway, so you can see where you might like to hook up with us as we motor along. 

Map of the Trent-Severn Waterway

Still a couple of months away but champing at the bit to get underway. 

Cappie out.

End of the Season Trip - Day 2

Day 2 - Sept. 16, 2019 - The Bustards to The French River

The best laid plans of mice. Well, despite the ridiculously benign conditions of yesterday, things always change, don’t they?

We got up today with the intention of taking a tin-boat ride around the waterways of the Bustards and then taking the oceanic highway over to Odjig Island (formerly the unfortunately named Squaw Island. I only mention it because the name has only recently been changed, and if you’re following us on a map, you might be confused. There we were going to anchor in Frog Bay, now called Frenchman’s Cove. Kidding, there is no Frog Bay.) 

The tin boat that we haul behind us (a fourteen-foot runabout with a 15 hp Johnson on the back. No relation to Brooke) was a good ride as we explored Wicks Channel. It is a long, straight passage leading to the windward side of the islands and we followed along as best as possible checking out the sights. On the way back we were crossed off the bow by a large black bear, swimming on its way to forage. How bears got out here in the first place is a mystery to me as the Bustards are a good four or five miles off the mainland. Could a mating pair have swum this far out?

Brooke at the helm of the tin boat

Then we wayed anchor and headed off from the islands with the intention of motoring across the 25 miles to Odjig, thinking that the low winds would offer easy passage. This was not the case as, once we had passed the head of the barrier islands, we were met with 3 to 4-foot swells that would have made the 2-hour trip very unpleasant. Where these swells could have originated with so little wind, who knows?

So instead, we headed to the French River and made our way to McDougal Bay where we have anchored for the night. Hopefully, the promise of an even calmer day tomorrow will enable us to resume our quest for the North Channel. 

Exploring The French River

It was extremely harrowing and upsetting, Mister Hattie had to get up twice for treats, but a dinner of dry-rub ribs and avocado and tomato salad had us back in high spirits. That and half the rum supply. We also went a bit further up the French in the tin-boat as far as the Dallas Rapids. 

Ship's cat, Mister Hattie, worn out from the traveling

As it turns out, Cappie didn’t fall off the boat.

Next episode: No turning back.