July 28-29 Do muskcrats have musks?

We stayed the next 2 nights at the Port of Orillia.  The first day we went exploring the town in the morning.  When we returned, the staff at the marina came running toward us from the boat.  They were trying to get the muskcrats out of our exhaust pipes !!  They occasionally have problems here with muskcrats getting into the exhaust tubes and chewing away at the things, then setting up a nest.  So, I saw on swimming into and out of the exhaust and I scared it away – well, I tried to scare it.  The critter was aggressive and did not respond to my threats until I tried to hit it with a boat hook.  After it swam away, I stuffed the exhaust outlets with lifejackets to keep them out.   That night we saw a play called ”I Love You, Your perfect, Now Change “,  a musical, with only 4 actors but it was very well done.  What’s more is that it was performed in the same building as the Gordon Lightfoot auditorium !   He was born here and started his singing career here in Orillia.  The pic below shows the sign for the Orillia coming into port, then a pic of lifevests stuffed into exhausts.  Finally, a pic of the picturesque parks of Orillia that lined the waterfront where we stayed.   The next day it was raining hard, with thunder crashing and high winds.  We just holed up in the boat for the entire day and evening.

July 27 Making way under fair weather

We made way in the morning to Balsam Lake (first pic), which is the highest point about sea level in the world (about 850 feet above sea level) where a boat under its own power can reach sea level.  From here on we will be descending to sea level.  To do that, we have to progress through a lot of locks, and one of the most treacherous passages of the entire trip – a narrow canal that was made by blasting through the Canadian shield.  That means sharp rock ledges on both sides of the canal (See pics 2,3,4).  We arrived at the second highest lift lock in the world, the Kirkfield lock (see pics 5, 6).   After progressing through about 6 more locks, and through the Hole in the Wall bridge (pic 7) we came to the largest lake on the system, Simcoe Lake.  We planned to dock at the last lock, but weather conditions were good and we pressed onward, since Simcoe Lake is known to have 6 to 8 foot seas regularly.    We made it across the lake to the Port of Orillia –about a 10 hour day on the water.

July 26 Crew departure and pressing on

The crew of BlueSkies left early in the morning bound for Pittsburgh.   We waited until the Bobcaygeon lock was ready and then locked through bound just a few miles to Fenelon Falls, the next lock where we intended to just rest for awhile.  The winds came up during that trip and we were in white capped waves on Sturgeon Lake while making way to Fenelon Falls.  When we arrived, there was no room at the lock since all boaters got off the lakes due to the winds.   We found ourselves pressing on to the next lock while nearly crashing into boats that lined both sides of the lock wall.   We made it to the next lock at Rosedale and settled in for the evening. Below is a pic of the crew of BlueSkies departing. 

July 25 Bobcaygeon

It was raining hard in the morning, but we needed to push on to Bobcaygeon where the Cannon’s car was stored.  We arrived on the early afternoon and all was well with the car.   The lock at Bobcaygeon was the first one built on the Trent Severn waterway.  The town is quaint with a lot of craft shops.  We enjoyed the afternoon roaming around town.  The crew of BlueSkies was preparing for an early departure in the morning.  Below is a pic of the crew in Bobcaygeon and BlueSkies at the Bobcaygeon lock.   Ethan became a fishing machine that evening while we were cooking out, see the pic below.

July 24 There is a reason it is called Stony Lake

We spent most of the day at Stony Lake because it was a spectacular day.  Clear, low humidity, and tolerable temperature.   Here the Canadian belt of granite begins.  We can see hundreds of pink granite rock outcrops everywhere here in the area called the Kawartha Lakes.  I was quite nervous trying to anchor in an area of solid rock, but we were able to find a good holding ground.   It was cool in the morning and the pic below shows Chelsea dressed for the coolness.  Then, a pic of the crew in chairs on the “jump off rock” outcrop near our anchorage.   In the late afternoon, we pulled anchor and headed for Lovesick Lock, which is an island – you can only get there by boat.   Even the lockmasters have to get here by boat.  In the pics, you can see Ethan getting a rowing lesson, and Sean giving us a concert on the guitar.

July 23 The highest lift lock in the world

We spent most of the morning roaming around the Peterborough lift lock, which is the highest lift lock in the world.   Of course, there are only 5 lift lock scattered about the world, 2 of them in Canada.  A lift lock is essentially 2 big bathtubs, one goes up as the other goes down.  The lockmaster fills the upper tub with one foot of water (that equals like 150,000 tons) and it causes it to go down and lifts the other on up.  After that experience, we pressed on to Clear and Stony Lake to anchor out.  The first few pics show the great lift lock at Peterborough.  Then Chelsea and Eliot consulting with the lockmaster at Sawyer Creek about anchoring spots on Stony Lake, and finally, the boys kayaking on the at the lake.

July 22 Peterborough, Ontario

We crossed Rice Lake and started up the Otonombi River toward the town of Peterborough, which is a fairly large town.   Here we docked at the Peterborough Marina, for laundry, restocking, et al.   A good dinner at the brew pub of Hot Belly Mama’s.  But the highlight of the day was the Canadian Canoe Museum.  It displayed the extensive history of canoe making and the use of canoes for commerce.  Also, Canada offers great waterways for canoeing. The first pic shows how hard it is to be underway, as Chelsea and Eliot found it hard to stay awake.  The second pic shows a typical cottage like setting along the river banks in Ontario.  The next few pics show displays in the Canadian Canoe Museum.  There is a canoe that has a built in record player that was used by men to court fair young ladies.  Christine says that is her next boat ! One pic is a tribute to Charlie Strimple, who revealed to us right here in Canada that he was part native American and part of a tribe that we had never heard of- and so we did not believe him.    But, here is was, right in front of us, the actual name of tribe: Potawatomi !?!

July 21 Making way to Hastings !

It was windy.  We thought about anchoring on Rice Lake, but all the lockmasters warned us that it would be a rough night on the lake.  So we made way to Hastings where there was a small town and a place to swim.  There were no special attractions in Hastings, but we decided to tie up to the lock wall for the night. Today broke all the records for heat in Ontario.  It was supposed to be 98 degrees, but due to the wind, it did not seem quite that hot.   But, it was hot enough to get in the water and swim.  Here are shots of the boys jumping off BlueSkies.  Even Sean needed to cool off as he jumped off the top of the boat !  Finally, here is Sean piloting the boat --which he found out was fairly  tedious because we go slow and the only scenery are trees and water, and not many female teenagers to gaze upon. 

July 20 Campbellford on the Trent River

We bumped our way up another 6 locks to Campbellford.   We took turns captaining the boat.  You can see both Ethan and Sean taking turns at the helm.   We arrived at Campbellford to swim, take in a concert at the park where we were docked, and had a calm evening – even with Chelsea dictating orders.   The Cannon boys jumped off the top of the boat to swim for about 5 hours non-stop.  It was like watching a couple of robots addicted to running a circuit from the swim ladder, through to the top of the boat on the hardtop, and jumping in the water.  No fishing today, but good ice cream.  Here is a pic of Eliot and Ethan piloting the boat, and then Sean, making way to Lock 8 on the Trent Severn.  We are now at Lock 12.   Will we make it to Lock 32 by July 25th??

July 19 Up the Trent River

Got a late start with soooo many new crew members on board.   Underway around 1030 hours.  But the crew did great, going through the first six locks of the Trent Severn.  Avery took the bow line at each lock and Sean took the stern line.  Ethan helped Avery and Grandma on the bow.   Sean was great and did not need any help at all.   We locked through fine.   And most of all, Eliot was the captain through most of the locks.   We docked at Frankford where a fishing expedition began.  Sean caught the first fish, but Avery trumped with a larger Pickeral.   The first pic shows Sean manning the stern at Lock 1 on the Trent Severn.  The next pic is the fish that Avery caught and won the prize for the day.  Then, a pic of Eliot at the splash park in Frankford , giving his best professional pose.

July 18 Trenton, Gateway to the Trent Severn

We pulled anchor early and made way to Trenton.  Winds were up to 25 knots, but luckily it was an easy docking at Frazer Park marina.   After shopping and washing the boat, we took in a free concert featuring the Commodores, a 1930’s style 20 piece swing band.  They have been together since 1920 and the age of the audience showed—no one under 50 years of age.    Yikes! Christine and I fit right in !  Then it was back to the boat to meet the new crew of Blueskies.   The pics below shows the Commordores,  the and new crew members: Eliot, Chelsea, Ethan, Avery, and nephew Sean.  The final pic is the gateway sign for the Trent Severn waterway.

July 16 Anchoring on the Bay of Quinte

We left out of Kingtson a bit late so we could update the blog, and we had to wait for the swing bidge to open until 10 am.   But we got out on Lake Ontario, which will be the most expansive water until we reach Lake Michigan.  It was calm today and we were lucky that the waters were calm.  We rounded the Bay of Quinte and went into a nice cove around 3pm to anchor out.   We set anchor and went for a nice swim.  Good weather and quite anchorage.   The first pic shows Kingston from the water, then out on the expansive Lake Ontario, and finally a quite anchorage on the Bay of Quinte.

July 14-15 Kington (alias the Kings Town)

It was a long day. We arrived in Kingston around 6pm. We waited for hours at the Kingston Mills, the final set of locks. But we finally arrived at Kingston marina. It was windy and a lot of current and the only slip available was for a 30 ft boat in a conjested area. But the marina supplied 4 dockhands to man strategic points in order to get us moored up safely.


Kingston was bustling. The Buster Festival was going on. Street performers from all over the world come here for a weekend in the summer to perform. We also took in some of the historical sites, such as the Bellevue House, the residence of John A. McDonald, who was the first prime minister of Canada. At the house, we had afternoon tea with folks dressed up in period costumes. The first pic is a shot taken from the Great Lakes Maritime Museum, looking at Wolf Islands wind farm, which generates enough power for all the homes and businesses in Kingston. Next pic is a black squirrel sighting, which appear more common here in Ontario than anywhere we have been. Finally, here is a pic of the Buster Festival and a street performer having his way with the audience.