Trent Severn Waterway

Wow! It's been 10 days since we updated this blog. We've been very busy covering very little ground, in terms of miles, but we have seen alot and have been through no less than 30 locks - phew. In fact, we're a little tired of locks at the moment.

So, backing up to Kingston, ON where we ended 24 hours without Internet access by buying a Rogers Red Stick which promised access throughout our Canadian visit. Promises, promises.... Night after night we got no signal thus our blog was inactive so you weren't able to hear about lunch at the Funky Carp in Picton (those are swings at the outdoor counter), the incredible 65 foot double bath tub lock in Peterborough and the increasingly rural and beautiful lake country in which we are now traveling. You have also missed the repair of our props which suffered minor damage from 2 run ins with deadheads (water logged logs that can't be seen as they lie under the surface waiting for unsuspecting boaters..... remember the first one in the Hudson River, Hugh?). If the cost can be ignored (not), it was interesting to watch as 2 young men with aqualungs dove under Moon Beam, removed both props, which weigh about 80 lbs each, took them to their shop where they were hammered and welded back into shape. All this was done in 24 hours - thank you Buckhorn Yacht Harbour Marina! While waiting, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and treated Moon Beam to a well deserved bath.

The scenery here is beautiful, sort of a cross between the 1000 Islands and Georgian Bay. Much more rural than the beginning of the Trent Severn Canal, though there are areas with a lot of cottages. One stretch included miles of a very lightly inhabited river, while other areas have dozens of tiny islands which we had to weave through with great care. We are only an hour and a half by car from Toronto but it feels like we're a million miles away.

But not all is wonderful. In addition to the props, our generator won't start despite 2 hours on the phone with the generator co.... I got lots of exercise as the phone did not work in the engine room, so I'd get instructions, put the phone down & go below, clamber through the engine room to the generator, pull a few wires, try to start it with no luck, clamber back up, get the next instructions and do it all over. All this failed to cure the problem, and we will now have a generator guy look at it when we pickup Sandy in Orillia on Monday. No generator means we have to stay at marinas to get power for the fridge. Speaking of same, yours truly managed to turn off the breaker for the fridge, so tonight we had ice cream and sorbet soup. Actually very good but the Admiral is not excited about my latest culinary creations.

Tomorrow (Sat.) we will do battle with hordes of rented house boats operated by guys who, as best I can tell, have never operated anything larger than a rubber ducky. Would be amusing if it weren't for the danger they present to us. In one lock, the lock master had to tell the "captain" when to stop...... little unnerving as we were tired up in the lock directly in front of him. We must have seen 15 or more go by today and it's only Friday. They are really something and have every toy known to man on board including water slides. The ship's laundry is usually hung out the back, adding to their beauty. Wish us luck. Of course having made these comments, I'll probably ram one of them!

Are you packed Sandy?