Day 32 - Wed 29 Jun 2016
Docked – Swift Falls, ON (lock 43)

[photo: waiting for the train]

Well, it has been just over a month since we started this year’s adventure and things have been going well. We are both healthy (I think I am even losing weight), the boat is running well, we are under budget, having a good time, and for the most part enjoying good weather.

I guess we had an unrealistic expectation for the Trent-Severn Waterway, however, as we thought it would be beautiful to varying degrees along the whole way. Some of it has been magical, but some of it is not very attractive at all. It is still prettier than most of the eastern portion of the Erie Canal, in our opinion. I think the excessive weed we found in many places, the worst being yesterday, put an extra bit of negativity in that assessment. We are definitely looking forward to Georgian Bay and the North Channel.

We left the lock a bit early and tied up at the next one just a short bit away. The staff was very efficient in locking us down, as was the next one. We were then in Lake Simcoe where the wind was stronger than forecast for that early morning time, but the waves were only 1-2 feet. The motion at 7 kts was not comfortable, so I went to high-speed and it got much better, except for the occasional slam of a wave under the bridgedeck (structure between the hulls).

With the wind on our nose as we headed basically N, it got better as we reduced the fetch of the wind blowing over the water. Less than an hour later, it was pretty calm as we approached the N shore. After transiting the narrows, we enter Couchiching Lake and from here on, there were many places where the channel was narrow and sometimes winding. You needed to pay attention, to be sure.

At one point, we saw a small boat with a solitary fisherman standing at the bow. His trolling motor appeared to be taking him slowly into the narrow channel ahead of us (100 feet wide), but when we got there he was still just outside. I slowed to a minimum wake speed, but he seemed not to appreciate our courtesy. When we looked aft a few minutes later, we saw a large cruiser coming up at high speed. Diane was using the binoculars and verified that the fisherman had actually encroached on the channel in front of the large, speeding boat.

The boat slowed and no one was tossed in the water, but later we saw them at the lock and they said the fisherman was waving at them to go outside the channel to avoid him. None of us knew what he might have been thinking. Before we got to the lock, however, we had our first very bad experience with a Canadian. It was the operator on duty at the railroad bridge before Lock 42. This is the first time I have been really upset since the trip started.

We arrive to find a closed swing bridge with a 14 foot clearance, so it needs to open for us. The guidebook says if the bridge is closed, to signal with your horn. When we first arrive, we see a man in a reflective vest carrying tools. He sees us, but does not acknowledge us in any way, and keeps walking across the bridge to what we assume is his office. We hope he is the operator and going to open the bride, but nothing happens.

After 5 minutes, I sound the horn. No response, nor sight of the guy. Ten minutes later, as we have to keep maneuvering in the tight channel with the wind swirling around, we see another guy and yell to him, but get no response. Five minutes later, a truck pulls up and we see the original guy and the truck driver, but they disappear quickly. Then the large boat that was astern of us pulls up and we have a radio chat. Five minutes later, I yell loudly, but politely, to one guy asking how we get the bridge open. He points to the original guy, who is now back in sight.

The guy says a train is coming in a tone that suggests I am an idiot. I said, in a tone that was admittedly pretty sarcastic, “Well, thanks for letting us know.” That must have set him off because he started screaming how it was not his responsibility to inform us about anything. If the bridge is not open, it means a train is coming. I replied that maybe it could also be broken. His retort was that he would have told us that if it were. I guess we are supposed to be mind readers.

If there is one lesson I have learned in this world, it is that clear and timely communication can solve and prevent a lot of problems. How hard would it have been for him to tell us that when he first saw us? Well, we waited another 10 minutes for the train to arrive, another 5 minutes for it to pass (all 192 cars), and then it took him 8 minutes to open the bridge. I would be willing to bet he delayed out of spite, but what recourse did we have.

That got us both upset for a bit, but we quickly got back into enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. There were many narrow spots, but little boat traffic and it all went well. We arrived at the last lock of the day, Lock 43 at Swift Rapids. It is the highest conventional gate lock on the Trent-Severn and it fills and drops very rapidly.

We stopped at the bottom of the lock for the night. That will allow us to move about 8 miles in the morning to be there when the next lock opens for business. That is the Big Chute, which is not a lock at all, but a railway car that cradles your boat from one side of a small piece of land to the other. You are lifted out of the water for a short bit and then refloated on the other side. It should be a really neat adventure.

The late afternoon and evening were gorgeous, with bright sun but comfortable temperatures. We had the last of the crockpot lasagna and Brussel sprouts with garlic bread. Yumm. The breeze was delightful on the flybridge where I spent most of the time, with Diane enjoying the warmth in the cabin. A little later, I walked over to say hello to the Canadians astern of us and wound up visiting with them for well over an hour. They even lit a fire in the fire circle and we enjoyed that until about 2130 when it had just gotten dark.

Despite thinking we would never be far enough along to make the PDQ group pig roast on 30 Jun, it turns out that we can make it after all. I emailed Carol, the co-flotilla leader, and got a reply that it was still OK for us to join them. We have two locks to go and not many miles. We have a reservation at the Wye Heritage Marina, thanks to a recommendation by Golden Trawler.