We enjoyed our stay in Peterborough and left on Monday, July 14, refreshed and ready for the next stage into the Kawartha Lakes. It was similar to our first day out of Trenton where we traveled only a few miles but endured a large number of locks, one right after the other. And we had sent our prop, damaged in the Erie Canal by a large log, up to Kawartha Props in Buckhorn to be repaired, so we were off to pick it up. But the journey began with a strange encounter — and the Peterborough Hydraulic lock.

We have written about the Canadian responses to our current American leadership, but we were unprepared for the supporters we have encountered on occasion. Hervey was wandering around as we waited for the first lock of the day to open, taking us out of the lake at Peterborough and setting us up for the large lift in the hydraulic lock. As he handed out boat cards and shook hands (with everybody!), a woman called out from her car, “Are you American?” He replied, “Yes,” and approached her to give her a card. As he was doing so, she said, “I love Trump!” Stunned, he replied, “I don’t!” She then proceeded to wax poetic about the “American Savior” without apology. Hervey walked away in mid-sentence and returned to the boat, a little burned by the comment and still taken aback.

For the most part, Canadians approach us gently until they know our position on the issue. They are not eager to give offense and do look upon us as guests and neighbors. But once our position is clear, they voice their concern and sadness at the damage being done to our mutual relationship. They bring up the war of 1812 and the heightened tensions over the Oregon Treaty Conflict in 1846. And they are confident that they have natural resources that strengthen their negotiating stance (oil, aluminum, and hydroelectric energy). And they are universally kind and civil, in spite of the rudeness we are showing them.

But now back to our journey…

This was a long day that did not go very many miles but involved eight locks (Lesson still not learned!) and took us from the fertile plains around Peterborough into the Canadian shield lakes of the Kawartha region and “cottage country.” The Peterborough lock was very fast and showcased some amazing engineering as the lift of well over 110 tons of boats and even more mass in water was counterbalanced by the water in the descending basin next to us. We were packed into a large “tank” with gates at both ends that was filled with water. As we ascended, we watched a slightly heavier “tank” exchange positions with us. It was very cool!

The landscape changed subtly as the rocks and trees dominated and the fertile farmland faded into memory. We passed by Trent University and their interesting architecture. There seemed to be a thin skim of pine needles and moss over the rocks up here in the Canadian Shield and hitting a rock with our propellers became a real possibility — and a source of terrible anxiety for the captain. The cottages and cabins ranged from shacks that you don’t think could make it through a Canadian winter to large suburban-type homes that appeared in clusters in certain communities. Everyone had a dock and several boats (power and otherwise) and there were many cabins all alone on islands.

We only had two locks on July 15 as we made our way to Buckhorn to pick up our refurbished propeller. Hervey visited Kawartha Props and they had the prop ready for us. Only a two-day turnaround, but they get a lot of practice up here and are entirely professional. We also had a mechanic come on board to help resolve some issues and change the oil. Hervey had them look over the outboard engine that we had purchased (used) for the dingy and they shook their heads at it, unable to get it into reverse (more about this later). And Hervey and Duke went swimming!

It was a short but dramatic run from Buckhorn to Bobcaygeon. A storm threatened but we could tell it was small squall event rather than an overwhelming deluge. Nonetheless, there were moments when we could not see the far shore and had to rely upon our chart plotter for navigation. Luckily, it only lasted for about 30 minutes and we were able to pull into the wonderful town of Bobcaygeon in the early afternoon, in time for a late lunch and a stroll about the village. The marina where we stayed was just below the lock and we admired the beautiful wooden cruiser kept there.

Hervey met a guy from Toronto who was preparing to run a northern river to the Arctic Ocean in this homebuilt rig. Oliver Solaro (https://northernontario.travel/author/oliver-solaro) is an adventurer on a spectrum much further out than people like the two of us. He showed me his simple rig and told me about his previous trips.

There were only four locks today, as we reached our highest point on the Loop: 850 feet above sea level! From here, it is all downhill to the Gulf of Mexico! The land changed again as we came back into more agricultural land. But the cottage culture still dominated in places and the cabins on Balsam lake in particular were extraordinary. The Kirkfield lock was a smaller version of the Peterborough hydraulic lock, but because it was descending for us, it had an excitement all its own. The Trent-Severn Waterway narrowed here to a dug canal. It was very narrow and had some tricky turns at places. At one point, Hervey had to broadcast a “Securite” call to announce that we were a large vessel coming through and others should hold back until we were in sight.

We spent the night of July 18 at the head of a series of locks at Bolsover as the sole occupants of the marina there. Hervey went swimming here and we enjoyed a lovely evening, until the mosquitoes drove us inside and to bed.

July 19 was our last day before Lake Simcoe and the town of Orillia where we would take another break. This is the home territory of Gordon Lightfoot and we played his music often as we approached his home territory. There were five locks today, but that left only four more for the entire Trent-Severn Waterway. We pushed through and crossed Lake Simcoe (14 miles) to get to our port for a couple of nights in the early afternoon.

And Orillia did not disappoint! The park just north of the marina was hosting a Scottish Festival and Hervey went over to see what was going on. Before you know it, he had made friends with several couples who shared his Scottish heritage (Lindsay and McNair). The music and energy were terrific and he brought back 24 butter tarts for the freezer. We had breakfast the next morning (Sunday) at the Canadian Legion with more peameal bacon (like Canadian bacon with a slight cornmeal crust) and a great conversation with a local member who was also a farmer. Civility in discussing sensitive issues is prevalent and we talked for an hour after breakfast. Then, one of the couples who Hervey had met at the Scottish Fair the day before (A mixed marriage: she from Dundee and he from London!) came in and another lively discussion commenced.

We stayed in Orillia on Sunday and left the next morning for two more locks. We were delayed at a Canadian Railways Bridge for a couple of hours, but soon continued on and made our way through Couchiching Lock and Swift Rapids lock and approached the Big Chute Marine Railway. As we transited Sparrow Lake (beautiful! and full of cabins and fish and canoeists), Hervey’s head filled with dreams of returning here to hang out and fish hard for a week or so. We soon arrived at the Big Chute and checked into a marina just at the head of the lock. The “lock” is actually a railway that carries boats across from one lake to the next and had been out of commission for a couple of days before we arrived. As we settled into the marina and walked the dog, we watched the lock start up again and transit all the waiting boats to the other side, 58 feet down. We are six miles from the end of our journey, and our final lock, on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The whole process took about 15 minutes and we were let down into the Severn River and Gloucester Sound as we made our way among the islands for the last lock of the day (and the waterway!) at Port Severn, Ontario. It was a beautiful area and we could sense the presence of big water just across the hills around us. Then, it was through the last lock and onto Georgian Bay at last!

A personal note: one of our fellow loopers, Egbert Dees from Virginia, onboard his very handsome homebuilt boat “Pur Dee”, was found dead near Clayton, NY on July 20 or 21. We met him in Oswego, NY and had a long conversation with him. The cause of death is unknown: https://www.nny360.com/top_stories/virginia-man-found-dead-in-st-lawrence-river-was-on-a-6-000-mile-journey/article_d64d0eef-9f3a-599e-a19d-88a0ce588bc9.html