Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Saturday, July 28. Flotilla Day 2: An excursion by dinghy to Wood’s Bay and Moon River Falls was our entertainment for today. As I’ve mentioned before, the water is crystal clear, formed by the melting of glacial ice 11 thousand years ago, leaving carved rocks streaked with interesting colors. The forest is made up of some hardwoods but mostly various coniferous trees, many looking like Christmas trees, rather than the hardwoods, pines, cedars that we see at home. Sections of the area reminded us of Paint Rock on the Tennessee River and the rocky cliffs at Smith Lake. One picture (if you can make it out) shows a small pile of rocks. This is actually called an "Inukshuk." We've seen them in several places, and we always smile when we do. These stone forms are roughly in the shape of a human, and are among the oldest and most important objects of the Inuit indians. Built today from whatever stones are at hand, these friendly forms indicate direction and mean, "You are on the right path."

About 16 dinghies filled with Loopers took the 12-mile round trip through several wide bays, lakes, and narrow channels to see some gorgeous falls. I took a dip in the clear pool below the falls, but some daring people actually swam through the turbulence where the water cascades over the rocks. They had quite a ride! Then we headed back to the boat for a swim, cocktails on Seaquel, and then Bob grilled us a steak. The weather has been great (high 70's), and the scenery here among the Thirty Thousand Islands is glorious.

Friday, July 27. All 22 Looper boats were off and running by 8:00 a.m., with Karen and Bob Jantz as our leaders. Our travel speed was governed by the slowest boat, so we were only going around 7 or 8 knots. That is really slow! By the time we got to our destination, the boats were spread out over a 3 mile area, but the scenery was spectacular. One thing I’ve enjoyed most about doing the Great Loop has been watching the vista change as we’ve traveled. Georgian Bay is different from anywhere we’ve been yet: large open bays punctuated by windswept granite islands and rock outcroppings, many with cottages perched on them. Then we often must squeeze through a tight turn before the next bay. I had been noticing the bright orange growth on many of the rocks. This is typically the first stage of plant growth. It traps soil, and eventually trees grow on the rocks.

This is “cottage country,” and it is mind-boggling. Winters are ferocious, so the cottages are only used for a few months in the summer. The cottages are built with materials that must be brought in by boat since there are no roads. We found out that electrical lines are available to the cottages, and many cottagers use a holding tank that has to be emptied for their sewer systems. The houses range from small and rustic to very large, but as I’ve said before, none are ostentatious.

By 1 p.m. all 22 boats were rafted together on Rawson’s Bay – quite a sight, and no small feat! We took a dinghy ride around the bay, then we swam in the clear, cool water. After supper, a jam session started on the boat next to us. A good day!

Monday thru Thursday, July 23-26. What fun to spend several days with hundreds of Loopers all in one spot. It was especially good to hook back up with friends with whom we’ve traveled for a while, then split apart because of schedule or taking different routes. We’ve listened to excellent seminars, and we’ve dined, planned, and played together. This area is perfectly beautiful! A cruise of southern Georgian Bay on the Georgia Queen rounded out the last night and gave us a preview of what is to come. We’ve spent today preparing for our next big adventure, a flotilla with twenty-two Looper boats to scenic areas along the Thirty Thousand Island portion of Georgian Bay. We would never have attempted to cruise this sometimes tricky area on our own. The flotilla is being led by Karen and Bob Jantz, who have done it with huge success for the past few years. Many hopefuls have been turned away, so we are glad we made our reservations early.

Sunday, July 22. A bus tour with other Loopers was a good way to see the area, so we signed up. “Penetanguishene” is a native word for “place of white rolling sands.” The name “Penetang” is used interchangeably for the area today. Our tour first took us to Discovery Harbour, a re-created historic British naval base, established after the War of 1812 to protect Upper Canada from attack by "you know who." It was abandoned in 1856 and today is an interesting tourist site. We also went by the area’s largest prison (why is it that we always end up near large prisons?), and the huge mental health facility, for the criminally insane and otherwise mentally ill. They have a gorgeous view of the Bay, one of the best in the area. Location, location, location! The tour also stopped at a large Martyrs' Shrine, where people come to pray and honor Canadian martyrs. The sanctuary and grounds were lovely.

The Southern portion of Georgian Bay, where Penetang is located, is only about 90 minutes north of Toronto, but the contrast between the two areas is notable. Instead of busy metropolitan Toronto, the smaller, historic communities of Penetang and nearby Midland are pleasantly residential, infinitely quieter, and very picturesque. Both have friendly shops on each side of a main street, which ends at the Bay. We especially enjoyed looking at the murals on the town buildings and shops. One artist did most of them, and after he died, we understand that his son touches them up as necessary. Of course Georgian Bay is a prominent focus for recreation here; therefore, the area has been discovered as a desirable place to build condos. We saw only a few, but many more are planned. Maybe the town planners should take a look at what has happened to U.S. waterfronts!

This sequence shows Looper boat Carole Anne entering the chamber of the Big Chute. Slings are placed manually under the hull as appropriate to support each boat in the chamber. The chamber holding the boat(s) is hauled up a railroad track out of the water and over a highway. The boat is literally high and dry as you look down at the waterway. When the chamber containing the boat(s) reaches the end of the "track" and back into the water, the boat floats free. You are then on your way again through the Trent-Severn Waterway. The purpose of this particular lock configuration was to avoid the migration of invasive fish species into other lakes. While this is not technically a lock, it is yet another engineering marvel on the system of Canadian historic canals.

Saturday, July 21. The last three locks of the Trent Severn Waterway were just as memorable as any on the whole trip. On our way to each lock, we cruised through narrow channels with granite boulders below and on each side of us, leading to wide, shallow lakes with rocky outcroppings. There are several really shallow spots along this stretch so we stayed on alert and made it just fine. As always we enjoyed seeing the charming cottages and houses built right on big boulders and pristine woods made up of tall “Christmas trees,” birches and such. Not a condo anywhere! Being a beautiful Sunday, lots of families were out on the water swimming, skiing, or boating.

We were happy to see Looper buddies Carol and Lee on Carole Anne at each lock. They were also heading to the Summer Rendezvous at Penetang, so we were both eager to make good time. We breezed through Swift Rapids, Lock 43, then came to the one everyone talks about, the Big Chute, Lock 44. Technically, this is not a lock because you are actually lifted out of the water on slings, then transported over a highway and released on the other side. What a crazy, thrilling experience! (One more lock, Port Severn, then past some rapids, and we were out on beautiful Georgian Bay. The wind picked up, but we pushed on until we finally pulled into Bay Moorings Marina in Penetanguishene (prounouced pena-tang-wish-een), site of the Great Loop Rendezvous, by 4 p.m. A warm reunion with Looper friends Lillys and Braffets as we pulled in to the dock was an excellent way to end this long day. We slept soundly.

Friday, July 20. We finally have Internet access again here at the Port of Orilla in Ontario! We waited until noon to cross Lake Simcoe in hopes that the rough seas would calm down. The whitecaps were still kicking up, and the seas slammed us around for a while, but we made it across without too many problems. A bit of afternoon shopping in downtown Orilla was in order since we have only one day here. The summer Rendezvous is still a day or two away, so Second Wind will be leaving early in the morning. After a delicious dinner and a visit to Apple Annie’s Bakery with the Johnsons and the Godbys, we said our fond farewells. They have been great buddy boaters; we will miss them and hope to run into them again along the way.

Thursday, July 19. After an early start on this overcast, misting morning, we all woke abruptly when we left Lock 34 at Fenelon Falls. For the next several hours our three Looper boats alternated between largely unmarked shallow lakes with granite bottoms (one of the photos shows the bottom beside the channel) and exceedingly narrow, shallow canals – with granite bottoms. Of course we had been forewarned where the main trouble spots would be, so we stayed slap in the middle of the channel and cruised very s-l-o-w-l-y. Around noon we arrived at Lock 36, Kirkfield Lift Lock, the second highest lift lock in the world. Now we can say that we’ve experience both of them in three days. This 49-foot high lift lock is a bit scarier than the Peterborough Lift Lock because this time, you enter the chamber from the high side. That is, you drive your boat into a chamber that is literally “hanging out” 49 feet in the air. After Kirkfield, we went under a bridge called the “Hole in the Wall, experienced some fairly heavy rain and a succession of five locks before we stopped for the evening at Lock 40, described as having an “isolated rural setting,” with no public road access. The three Looper couples all got together for a sip of wine and chips on our boat and celebrated our day. We have traveled all of 42 miles today! WooHoo!Tomorrow we will cross Lake Simcoe, noted for rough seas. Maybe the thunderstorm watch will be over by then.

Wednesday, July 18. . We followed the narrow, often twisty channel today through a couple of lakes, an area called Hell’s Gate, and a lock named “Lovesick Lock 30.” (According to Dozier’s Waterway Guide, this is the most remote of all the locks, named for an Indian boy spurned by a redheaded Irish Girl.) We have clearly entered the Canadian Shield. Houses are built on islands made entirely of rock, and we can see the granite bottom through the crystal clear water. Gorgeous rocky scenery, though the bottom is unforgiving if we veer outside the channel.

We were lucky to find a place for three Looper boats to tie up at the Bobcaygeon lock wall. It is one of the most popular villages on the Trent-Severn, attracting not only boaters, but other tourists as well. The guys entertained themselves while the girls hit the shops (we loved the flower boxes everywhere). We gathered for a delicious fish and chips supper at the popular Just for the Halibut restaurant, a quick grocery run, then on to bed. Wish we could stay here longer, but the calendar days keep turning.

Tuesday, July 17. Three big Looper boats, Sea Quest (43-foot Carver) Crazy Eights (42-Jefferson) and Second Wind (our 34-foot PDQ catamaran) crammed into the lower Peterborough Lift Lock chamber with inches to spare. All I can say is that the experience was thrilling and a bit scary, but we had fun! Pictures can’t do it justice, but notice the size of the person on the ground and imagine hanging out with two other boats in a tub of water 65 feet above. After that, we traveled together through a succession of locks and eventually entered the Kawartha Lakes area, once known to Indians as “happy lands and bright waters.” The terrain is now very rocky, and the homes and cottages are charming. At the recommendation of one of the lock masters, we stopped for the evening at Young’s Point Lock, a tourist community with the Lockside Trading Company right beside the lock. All three boats tied off to the wall. Dinner was at Granny’s, a local restaurant – not the best culinary experience of the trip. The special of the day was “Open Faced Hamburger Patty” with fresh fried potatoes. Need I say more?

When Bob and I took our sneak peak at the Peterborough Lift Lock, we were lucky enough to see a tour boat actually being lowered. The pictures show the process. The Lift Lock, rising 65 vertical feet, is the highest of its kind in the world. The operation is ingenious. It works like a hydraulic scale. The tour boat entered a chamber (think bread pan) filled with water at the top of the lock. Parallel to that chamber, but 65 feet below, was an identical chamber filled with water. When the upper chamber was filled with an additional foot of water, it became heavier than the bottom one, so it started moving down, which forced the bottom chamber up. When the chamber with the tour boat reached the bottom of the lock, a little gate released the additional foot of water. The chambers were now equalized again, the front gate opened, and the tour boat came out into the canal below.