To The Chute

It's the last long weekend of the summer :-( Well, rather than watching it slip by, we are heading up to the Big Chute marine railway on Saturday. This is going to be something of a mini holiday, as we're heading out tomorrow (Friday) morning to a marina on Lake Couchiching, doing the Casino Rama adventure, then the Chute on Saturday, and back towards Orillia on Sunday. As it is right now, the forecast is for fantastic, sunny weather all four days! Last year we got rained out, but made the most of it at our marina.

Here's a couple of pics I took in 2005, the last time we were there. The first one is waiting at the bottom blue line and the second is heading up on the the railway car. Cool.

I'm planning to take a whole whack of pictures and videos this weekend up there, as I'd like to include some new ones on TheWaterway.ca.

Doing The Great Loop

Anyone who travels on the Trent Severn Waterway will see quite a few boats who are 'doing the Loop'. Each year, we are able to meet some of these folks, talk to them about their trip and find out where they hail from.

In 2006, while in Trenton, I found myself talking to a gentleman who was 'doing the Loop' with his wife. Their home port is in California, where they had purchased this boat, 'Breakaway', for the trip. As they wanted to begin the trip from Florida, the boat was shipped through the Panama Canal to save the time needed to do that leg of the adventure.

Their web site, BreakawayYacht.com, chronicles the whole Loop cruise. An interesting feature they employed was the use of wrist band GPS units. After each day's travels, they simply uploaded the tracks to their site, so that they ended up with a highly accurate representation of the route traveled.

Take a look, as they have hundreds of photos. They're great to look at to get a feel for the various regions from the east coast to the Great Lakes, Mississippi River & the Gulf of Mexico.

Bottom Line

Recently, friends of ours were returning from their summer holidays trip to Georgian Bay, where they met some fellow boaters. I was going to say 'ran into fellow boaters', but it was this other couple who actually ran into something.

It seems that they had touched bottom in the channel leading out of Port Severn (the last lock, as one enters Georgian Bay). Their boat is a large express (roughly 45' long), which probably draws 4' of water - or more, depending on the running angle. As is was, it was suggested to them that they wouldn't have a problem passing through the narrow (and not too deep) Potato Channel. Unfortunately, they hit bottom, bending their prop and shaft.

Another painful reminder to always check your charts and not rely on hear say only. Sure, local knowledge can be a valuable source of insights, but that must be balanced with your own knowledge of your boat and it's limitations. That helpful boater you talked to last night could have a completely different style of boat or setup that might not necessarily reflect your needs on the water.

Their Big Adventure

Back in March of this year, my chiropractor, Dr. Bob, sent me a link to a Blogger Blog that is published by a friend of his - a boater doing a grand tour of the Caribbean. Titled 'Our Big Adventure - At Last' , it follows the crew of 'At Last' during their ongoing trip.

Dr. Bob had the good fortune to spend some time aboard 'At Last' and, knowing how much we love boating, was good enough to share the blog. Sure, given the fact that it was April when I first saw the blog, I was slightly depressed to see those folks enjoying the sun and seas while I was still working on getting our boat ready for relaunch - in the freezing cold;-) But soon thereafter my initial case of melancholy turned to inspiration after looking at the pictures, reading about their escapades and seeing how much fun they were having. Truly an adventure.

And that's why I'm now sharing it with you. Hopefully the same inspiration might overtake you to seek out your own adventure on the water. Something as simple as visiting a new area - even by car to see what awaits you.

Back when our kids were little and we really didn't have any money, I would tell my wife to pack some sandwiches in the cooler and have the kids get ready for a day out and take them to an unannounced destination for a day trip. We went to see the Peterborough Liftlock, Kirkfield Liftlock and the Big Chute - all by car. Even though we didn't have a boat at that time, it was something new and quite out of the ordinary for all of us.

Trips like that eventually led to us buying our first boat. Then another. And another. Now, five boats later we have crossed another threshold - to thoughts of long distance, live aboard cruising.

That's still a few years off, but, just like in the 'olden days', my wife & I will take off to boat shows to learn about different styles of boats and continue to venture out on the water to new (albeit relatively close to home) destinations. All leading us to our own Big Adventure :-)

Boat Shows

Toronto in water boat show will be taking place on September 13-16/07 at Ontario Place, along Toronto's waterfront. We visited this show for the first time last year and it was very good. The size/type of boats we are looking at are well represented there. Plus, the setting is very nice, too.

Given the time of year, I had gone there wearing a sweat shirt and discovered that a tee shirt would have been the better option. Note to self for this year - bring both. Looking forward to it again.

That is one event of many over the upcoming weeks that is going to keep us occupied. In less than two weeks it's the Labour Day long weekend that, unfortunately, kinda marks the unofficial end of summer :-( We are hoping to get away on the boat, with three different spots planned for our overnight accommodations. Sure hope it's good weather!

The following week, it's the annual corn roast at our marina. Then the boat show. Three weeks later, they will start to pull the boats out of the water for the winter layup. Well, at least our section of the marina is done last, so we might get an extra week or two in the water. Man, if it's going to be anything like it was last year, we could conceivably keep the boat in until December! The attached photo was taken just down the street from our house, overlooking Lake Simcoe - on Christmas Day! Usually, one would see snowmobiles and ice fishermen on the lake by Christmas.

It's unlikely that we'd see those kind of conditions two years in a row. . . But, hey - with global warming, you never know . . . .?

Water Show Fun

The Port of Orillia hosts a number of events each summer and one of them includes a water show, with professional skiers and wake boarders. This year it was the weekend of August 11-12.

This photo shows one of the performers launching off the jump - mid air. Cool. These guys put on a great show and the 'viewing gallery' is right at the water's edge, so everyone enjoys a good view. Our location was great for taking a few pictures & a couple of video clips. Too bad it wasn't as sunny as the day before, but it was fun - despite the short rain delay on the Sunday.

Here's one of the video clips, with a wake boarder wiping out at the end of his run;

Made In Canada

This past weekend I was talking to a friend that I hadn't seen in a couple of years. Being a boater himself, I told him about our trip from Lake Simcoe to Lake Ontario last year and he was impressed that we had traveled so far. I went on to say how I was struck with the wanderlust to go farther & see what lied beyond. To me it was more than a simple boat trip, but more of an adventure. I then told him how one could travel from to virtually anywhere in the world that was accessible by boat from the very spot we were standing (a dock in the Port of Orillia). This came as a bit of news to my friend.


OK, so maybe not anywhere in the world, but, given the fact that we could reach the Atlantic Ocean via a water route, we would be able to travel to any spot that is accessible from an ocean. Clear? Good.

Take a look at this map to get an idea. The line in red (circled in red) is the Trent Severn Waterway. Lake Simcoe (home) is located approximately 2/3 of the way from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.

Starting fairly close to home, major cities such as Toronto, Detroit, New York, Montreal and Chicago are all within a 2 - 3 week travel time. Beyond that, the 'Americas Great Loop' carves a path to Florida and the Gulf Of Mexico via the Mississippi River and Atlantic eastern seaboard and all points in between. Now that's an adventure.

Other 'local' routes include the Rideau Canal and the Erie Canal. Add to that a number of regional canals/routes through the mid/eastern U.S. and one could spend years traveling on the water in the area. Then, of course there's the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Europe + + + and, given the resources and a capable vessel and a lifetime could be spent heading out across the world - without ever having the boat leave the water.

Let's get packing :-)

Trent Severn Waterway Panel

Speaking of the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW), currently there is a government panel traveling through the region to gather input on the future of the system. This panel was put together to hold consultations in the communities that are influenced by - or upon - the TSW. Designed as a public forum for affected users and business owners, the 'Panel On The Future Of The Trent Severn Waterway' will be holding these meetings until the middle of September and then make recommendations to the federal Minister of the Environment.

The panel's official web site is tswpanel.ca.

TheWaterway.ca - F5 -

After the first year in the life of TheWaterway.ca, it's time for a re-do and I have a number of new elements that I'm going to be incorporating in the new version. These will include switching over all the photos to a slideshow format + adding many more. As well, I'll be greatly expanding the Maps page to include highly detailed routes, the locks, marinas, etc., which will be based on Google Maps. Believe it or not, this page gets a large amount of hits.


The other pages I'm looking forward to adding are going to focus on fishing, winter activities and - hopefully - something for user input. That last one might not make it right away to the new version, but I hope to add something along those lines fairly soon.

The site will have a whole new, more expansive look and feel. With any luck, I should have it up and running by fall. After all, my 'spare' time is limited until the boat is put to sleep for the off season. Stay tuned for updates.

Modern Technology

I recently acquired a new laptop computer. The old one I was using was, well, old. It still worked, but didn't have the capabilities I now need.

This new unit is an Acer Aspire. It is equipped with a 1.6 gigahertz Celeron processor, 80 gig hard drive, DVD burner, built in wireless, and flash card reader. The best part was the price. I paid $535 for it at Future Shop in July and I thought that was cheap (in an inexpensive way), but just this week saw them in the Wal-Mart flyer for the super low price of $469.00. Too bad my 30 day price match guarantee is over :-( But I'm not complaining . . .

The thing works great and I am really impressed with he graphics. My office desktop has an LCD monitor and after not using it for the three weeks we were away noticed how much crisper the screen is on the laptop. Not only that, but downloading photos/videos from the SD cards my camera uses is WAY faster than on my desktop. I am thinking that it might have something to do with the fact that it uses the new Windows Vista operating system. Maybe Microsoft finally got something right with improved camera/PC interface?? It would be interesting to see if other users have had a similar experience.

On an average weekend I would take between 200 - 300 photos and maybe 5 video clips with my digital still camera. That's roughly 1 gig of memory. What would normally take 30 - 45 minutes to download onto my desktop (XP) takes only 5 - 10 minutes on the laptop. Very cool. And they look nicer there, too :-)

Time Flies

I don't know how many times I seem to say this lately, but 'I can't believe it was that long ago'! A few anniversaries of note coming up this week.

It was already four years since the big blackout of '03. That was an experience. I remember driving home from work and on the way discovering the two sets of traffic lights being out. Then it was the power garage door opener at that - didn't. When my son called me to say he had heard the power was out right down to New York City, I knew we'd be in for a long night. With that, I drove to my wife's work and told her what was happening and that it was time to close up shop - we were heading down to the boat!

At least there we would have 12 volts of refrigeration and lights. Besides, there wasn't much else to do, given it was the hottest weekend of the year. Mow the lawn? I think not.

In no time, there were a number of other like minded friends showing up and before you knew it, we had a party at the end of the dock. Sure was neat to look around and only see blackness! It was a party atmosphere all around that night. Goes to show how the boating life brings us together for allot of reasons:-)

The other big thing (or is it 'thang'?) from this week is the 30th anniversary of the passing of The King, the Big 'E' - Elvis Presley. Wow, 30 years, man. Yes, I remember that day, arriving home to my sister & (future/former) brother-in-law telling me he was dead. Even though I was only 14 (I thought I was allot older than I was then), it was a great shock.

Over the years I have come to be a big fan. The little 'E' shown here is a cool window Elvis my wife picked up for me at the dollar store. He is hanging from the windshield of our boat, right in front of the two stuffed pigs and 1 set of fuzzy dice (I think I am allot younger than I am).

Thank you, thank you very much . . .

Finally, I lost a good friend three years ago - one of our boating buddies. This picture of Dan & his wife, Janice, aboard their boat is probably one of the best ways to remember the guy.

As for right now, I'd say that he's out there somewhere, next to a stream or lake with a fishing rod in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. Happy fishing there, Chunky. Save a cold one for me. . .

Birds Of A Feather

Lots of birds to see along the Rent Severn Waterway. These funny looking fellows were part of a flock of seven that we saw approaching the Kirkfield Liftlock. These are Black Vultures who were hanging around, as there were a number of dead carp in the area. The dead carp have been as a result of a yet to be determined cause. Should find out about what has been causing the mass die off of the carp sometime in September, when the government officials have concluded their studies.

One bird of prey that can be seen in pretty much all of the system is the Osprey. They are magnificent, majestic birds. Usually flying high aloft, they can be seen gently swooshing around the updrafts, searching for their prey - small fish.

Here's a videop clip I took of one dropping down to the water for a kill. This was taken just below the water control dam in Young's Point - July/07:

Lock & Load

This past Friday was the last night of our big 2007 waterway trip, and we got to experience spending the night at a lock station for the first time. Sounds like fun, eh?

Up to this time, we had always 'overnighted' in marinas. The advantage to the marina choice is that we get access to shore power (electrical hook up), drinking water and showers in the washrooms. Also, most are located within walking or biking distance of shopping or attractions.

At the majority of the locks along the Trent Severn Waterway, hydro and water are unavailable and showers are non existent. So, I guess for most people, this would be a short term choice unless it wasn't too sweaty out or if you had a generator and things of that nature. The upside of our stay at Lock #39 ('Portage') was that we were the only ones on the top of the lock and it was a beautiful night. And given the fact that we'd be home the following day (sigh), the lack of a shower for one night wasn't a big deal.

It had been quite windy all day, but calmed right down to nothing just after we ate our supper (BBQ hot dogs - hey, it was simple), as the photos attest. I took a number of shots of the area and it was great to capture the trees reflecting off the water. Check the video clip - it offers a panoramic view of the surroundings. Sorry for the colour being out a bit, but I was using my digital still camera for that clip and the lighting wasn't 100% for it . . .


The really big 'WOW' was after dark. About 10:30 I went outside and was blown away by the amount & clarity of the stars in the sky! Given that we are surrounded by so much light pollution in our modern world, it was a huge treat to see the night sky as it's supposed to look. I actually sat back on the concrete break wall to take it all in, and then opened the forward hatch on the boat to stare at the stars from our berth. Truly wonderful - and one more inspiration to take the cruising lifestyle to the next level.

Back Home :-(

It sure is amazing how fast three weeks can pass. Especially when it's holiday time. Well, that time has passed and we are back to the old grind. Not that I am complaining, as I have tons of work to do on TheWaterway.ca site, including a total rebuild. There are a number of new features I am working on incorporating there, including a dedicated Videos page, information on fishing along the system and links to cruising blogs. I've come across some really interesting ones and I think my visitors would enjoy seeing some of them.

Speaking of visitors, TheWaterway.ca has seen a substantial spike in traffic over the past three weeks. I guess heading out on the water for that period of time was a good idea? Good karma, man ;-)

As a result of that spike in traffic, I was moved to sign up for a couple of marine related affiliate programs to include on the site, one of which is BoaterExam.com.


This site allows visitors to take the Boaters Competency test right online and receive their license right away. I felt that was a really good fit and it has already begun to show promising results - with only limited exposure on the site so far.