“You are either watching the show, or you are in the show. We are definitely in the show!”

– from fellow Great Looper Richard Spurlock aboard Jill Kristy – MacGregor 26X – from Frostproof, Florida

The Trent-Severn Waterway begins at Trenton on Lake Ontario and continues for 240 miles to the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. The Trent-Severn is the Canadian version of the American Erie Canal as the natural rivers and lakes are linked by canals and about 45 locks, including two lift locks and a marine railway, all operated by Parks Canada.

The Waterway was built over a 90-year period to connect Lake Huron with Lake Ontario and allow boat traffic entirely within Canadian boundaries. Finally completed in 1920, the waterway has been designated a “National Historic Site of Canada.”  It is used primarily by recreational boaters on holiday (and Great Loopers.)

Here’s a reminder of the Great Loop journey. We are making great time!

As mentioned in our previous blog, we left Trenton, the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, July 18. Tom on Dancing Bear was also traveling with us.

It was pouring rain but that didn’t deter us. This was actually a great day for us. Many boats stayed behind because of the weather, so we didn’t have to wait at the locks. And Sunshine is a great boat to travel in the rain.

One of the first boats to join us in the lock was a sailboat named Jill Kristy.

This couple – Richard and Jill Spurlock – were so nice, and hailed from Frostproof, Florida. I quoted the captain at the beginning of this blog. They are doing the loop for the third time! God bless them.

The lockmasters here are quite friendly and many of the locks are hand operated by students who are doing this as a summer job. You can see them turning the hand lock, going around and around, to close and open the lock. We asked the interns how they liked their job. They loved it! They get to work in the outdoors, get exercise, and interact with boaters, who for the most part are a friendly bunch. Our granddaughters would like this summer job!

At the north end of the Waterway, the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron is a large wilderness area and one of Canada’s most beautiful cruising grounds. Here you can cruise among the 30,000 islands of exposed granite partially covered by forest which are part of the geologic formation known as the Canadian Shield. Many say that the natural beauty of the area makes cruising in the Georgian Bay comparable with cruising in Maine.

The distance from the end of the Trent-Severn Waterway to Lake Michigan is about 300 miles. The whole distance of 540 miles from Trenton on Lake Ontario to Lake Michigan can be covered in about three weeks if you don’t linger, or four to five weeks if you take your time and see more places. We are opting for the latter, putting us into early September.

When we finish this year’s portion of the Loop, we will have visited four of the five Great Lakes – Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan.  We will not visit Lake Erie as we have opted to do the Canadian (Georgian Bay) route of the Loop.

When entering the lock, the number of boats waiting will determine if you make that lock. This first day, we made most of the locks. We were able to pull in starboard (right side) which is optimal as Captain Pat has his door to the exterior of the boat on the starboard side.

Also, you make sure your bumper balls and fenders are on the starboard side so your boat is not scraping the wall of the lock as it goes up or down.

You have to grab these metal rods that are hanging down to secure your boat to the wall. I do the back rod, Captain Pat does the front. I kept going up to the middle of the boat because I was afraid I would not be able to grab the bar. Patrick said, don’t do that, it messes with my controlling of the boat!

Sometimes you have to use the boat hook if the boat is not close enough to the bar. I’ll have to admit Captain Pat is so good maneuvering the boat I rarely had to use the hook which is good. I am not that coordinated. -😊

We made it through eight locks. With our Canadian sticker for the Parks system, we can stay at the Lock on the wall at no charge (for the most part.) There is a bathroom and shower facility available, and sometimes water and electricity. (Which is why we purchased those stickers, even though Patrick took his tumble on the bike!) Most of the locks are located in these cute little towns that have groceries and restaurants, catering to the transient boaters.

I loved Percy Reach, our first stop. It reminded me of Lincoln State Park in Indiana, where we used to camp on vacation when I was a child. The campgrounds were beautiful.

Here are more photos from our first day on the Trent-Severn Waterway.