A Giant Bathtub on the Trent-Severn

Hastings to Peterborough, ON

We pulled away from the dock and slowly made our way toward Misty Maiden. They were having trouble starting one of their engines, so we held back for a while until they waved us on. Luckily, they were moving in about 15 minutes.

Our cruise across Rice Lake was beautiful. The open water and light breeze made for an enjoyable ride, and we were especially thrilled to see so many elegant swans gliding across the lake—a common sight in this part of Ontario. As we neared the end of Rice Lake, the scenery shifted. We entered a long, narrow channel that wound its way gently through the wetlands and woodlands of the Canadian Shield.

Eventually, we reached our only lock of the day; Lock 19 — Scott Mills. Although it’s just an 8-foot lift, it holds a unique distinction as the oldest operating lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway and the last one constructed from hand-hewn limestone blocks. The lock operator shared a fascinating bit of history: a visitor once told her that his great-grandfather had helped build this very lock. Each limestone block reportedly has two numbers engraved on the back—one indicating the worker who carved it, and the other marking the quarry it came from. We locked through alongside two other boats, including Stardust X, and a group of four jet skis.

After clearing the lock, we headed to the Peterborough Marina, enjoying the mist off of the Centennial Fountain in the middle of Little Lake. The main jet shoots water as high as 76m (250 ft) in the air which is the highest in Canada! After a quick pump out, docking was a bit tricky—we had to navigate all the way down the fairway, then back into a very tight space. Cam handled it like a pro.

Later that afternoon, Paul and Wendy Rogers arrived. We got them settled in and then prepared “docktails”. Jim and Lisa joined us after their dinner, and everyone hit it off right away. That evening, the four of us went to the marina’s on-site restaurant. Interestingly, the owners were from Albania, so the décor and menu had a unique, somewhat mismatched flair. Still, it was a fun experience. Heather ordered a salad, and the dressing came in a glass bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes—a quirky touch!

The next morning, we tackled a few chores. We got some laundry done, and Heather and Wendy went grocery shopping. Meanwhile, Cam pulled up the mats on the "dance floor" and gave the area underneath a thorough scrub, trying to stretch one mat that had curled and was tripping us.

In the afternoon, we all walked over to the iconic Peterborough Lift Lock—one of the engineering marvels of the Trent-Severn Waterway and the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world. We arrived just in time to witness a tour boat lockdown. It was fascinating to watch! We learned that about a foot of extra water is added to the top chamber to over-balance it so that when the valve is opened, the heavier chamber travels downward, forcing the lower chamber to rise to the top—otherwise, the chambers would just balance at the mid-point. Each boat displaces a volume of water equal to its weight so the weight of the chamber is no different with or without boats.

Later that afternoon, we had a lovely visit with Jill and Ted from Nice Aft. Diana and Marshall also arrived on Escape along with Heather's favourite Loop dog, MacKenzie. As the sun dipped lower, the six of us enjoyed “docktails” together before making dinner. We finally cooked the tuna that had been gifted to us back in Sneads Ferry. Wendy and Heather capped off the evening with a quick card game before heading to bed.

Peterborough to Taylor Island in Clear Lake

We pulled away from our slip and tied up at the blue line just before 7:00 AM to ensure that we would be first in line for the lock. This time, it seemed like no one else was in a rush to do the same. That gave us a calm start to the day—complete with breakfast, tea and coffee enjoyed right there on the blue line in the quiet morning light.

Our first lock of the day was Ashburnham Lock 20, with a 12-foot lift. Misty Maiden tied to the port side while we went for the starboard, though our bow ended up overlapping their stern slightly. For Lock 21—the famous Peterborough Lift Lock—we were initially told both boats could tie up on the port side. But as we entered, the lock crew directed us to the starboard instead, so we quickly scrambled to switch lines and fenders. It was great having extra crew on board to help with that!

Unlike traditional locks, the Peterborough Lift Lock feels more like tying up to a dock with railings. Once we were secure, the rear hinged gate rose behind us to seal the chamber off from the canal—and suddenly, we were rising fast. The whole chamber lifted 65 feet in just two minutes! At the top, it stopped when the water level of the chamber was a foot below the water level of the upper canal. Then they slowly added another foot of water to create enough weight in the chamber to provide the counterbalance for the chamber to descend to the bottom on the next run. The view behind us from the top was dizzying—it was surreal to be so high above the canal in a bathtub! It gave us a sneak preview of what’s to come at the Kirkfield Lift Lock, another Lift Lock where we will descend.

After the lift, we had a short three-mile cruise before entering a rapid series of five locks, each spaced roughly a mile apart. We switched our fenders back to port, while Misty Maiden prepared theirs on the starboard side. We locked through together, managing our fenders carefully between our starboard bow and their port stern. It was tight, but we made it work! Once again, we were happy that we had extra hands on board.

Here’s the series of locks we completed:

• Lock 22 – Nassau Mills: 14-foot lift

• Lock 23 – Otonabee: 12-foot lift

• Lock 24 – Douro: 12-foot lift

• Lock 25 – Sawer Creek: 10-foot lift

• Lock 26 – Lakefield: 16-foot lift

• Lock 27 – Young’s Point: 7-foot lift

We each managed to grab a staggered lunch during or just after Lock 25. After the Lakefield Lock, we had a peaceful five-mile stretch before arriving at Lock 27 – Young's Point. Another boat was already waiting on the blue line, so we didn’t make it in with Misty Maiden. They locked through quickly, and about 10 minutes later, it was our turn.

By the end of the day, we had locked up a total of 148 feet—a pretty impressive vertical journey!

Misty Maiden was waiting for us in Clear Lake. We took the lead toward our anchorage at Taylor Island, a quiet and scenic spot surrounded by granite outcroppings and forest. After we dropped anchor, Misty Maiden came in and anchored behind us. We tried to lower the dinghy, but ran into an issue—the davit system wasn’t getting power. Cam tried a few troubleshooting steps without success. We would end up waiting until Penetanguishene to sort it out. Misty Maiden chose not to lower their dinghy so we were separated for the night, except by text and radio.

In the meantime, Heather took a refreshing swim and cleared some sea grass from the bow thruster. The water was warm—almost 79°F! Paul also took a dip, enjoying the surprisingly mild temperature for a northern Ontario lake.

We wrapped up the day with some delicious BBQ chicken and asparagus under the setting sun, followed by games and good company aboard. Another beautiful day on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Taylor Island to Fenelon Falls, ON

We got to enjoy a bit of a sleep-in this morning before pulling anchor around 8:30 AM. Not too far from our anchorage we came across St Peter's On-the-Rock Anglican Church that is situated on it's own island and is only accessible by boat. Funnily enough, it is located in Hell's Gate, a twisty route between rocks and islands! It looked like they were ready for parishioners that Sunday morning.

Our first destination was Lock 28 – Burleigh Falls, which features a 24-foot lift. Lock 28 was formerly a flight of two locks, 28 and 29, but the flight was replaced with a single, more efficient lock system to improve navigation along this stretch of the waterway. From Burleigh Falls, we cruised toward Lock 30 – Lovesick, with a 4-foot lift, often referred to as the prettiest lock on the Trent-Severn, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Nestled on a small island, the lock station is surrounded by colorful flower gardens and mature trees. The island itself is part of the scenic Wolf Island Provincial Park, adding to the picturesque atmosphere.

Soon after, we reached Lock 31 – Buckhorn, with an 11-foot lift. Our original plan was to stop here for a few hours of touring and then continue to Bobcaygeon, aiming to tie up around 5:30 PM. However, it was still before 11:00 AM, and stopping for the day seemed too early—plus, that plan wouldn’t leave us enough time to explore the town properly. So, we continued to Bobcaygeon, one of the most popular and charming towns on the waterway. Before the lock, we stopped for a quick pump-out. Wendy and Paul disembarked here—they caught a cab back to their car in Peterborough. We were sorry to see them go so soon but we knew we would reconnect with them near our home cruising grounds later in the summer.

Misty Maiden locked through ahead of us but couldn’t find any space along the wall to tie up—a risk we were aware of. Unfortunately, this meant we wouldn’t be able to stop and explore Bobcaygeon either. We went ahead and locked through Lock 32 – Bobcaygeon, which had a 6-foot lift. The area around the lock was bustling with people, and we quickly realized—we were the entertainment! The lock is right in the heart of town, and passersby often gather to watch the boats manoeuvre through.

After that, we had a 15-mile cruise to Lock 34 – Fenelon Falls, another 24-foot lift. Once again, we drew a crowd! Spectators were lined up along the length of the lock, enjoying the show. Misty Maiden went in first and tied up on the starboard side. We were originally aiming for port, but the lock staff redirected us to starboard at the last moment. It was a tight fit—they had Misty Maiden pull far forward, and then we moved up as much as we could. Jim held onto our anchor while they closed the starboard gate behind us. Then we were able to ease our boat slightly back into position and give Misty Maiden some breathing room. To our surprise, two small runabouts and a 35-foot cruiser also squeezed in on the port side. Just as we reached the top, a space freed up along the wall, and both of us were able to tie up for the night—perfect timing.

That evening, we crossed the street to Murphy’s, a local favourite, for a relaxed dinner with Jim and Lisa. We followed dinner with a short stroll through town, visiting the beautiful falls and the lock station before heading back to the boat for some well-earned rest.

Today we locked up a total of 69 feet in an exhausting 9 1/2 hour day!

Click on the photos below to view the images in slideshow mode. You can also watch our videos on the area including Reminiscing as our Loop Nears its Completion on the Trent-Severn Waterway, We Get Lifted in a Giant Bathtub on the Trent-Severn Waterway, and part of Heather Earns her Personal Gold Flag Traversing the Trent-Severn. Next up, we complete the Trent-Severn and cross our wake to go Gold!