In the Trent Severn Canal - Part 2

Lock 36 – Kirkfield Lift Lock
July 9

We hadn’t really stopped to look carefully at the Peterborough Lift lock, so wanted to really see the lock, so we spent the night at Lock 36 – the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  

The canal actually travels over the highway for about 50 ft. there creating an aquaduct.  The lift lock is comprised of 2 “bathtubs” that counterbalance each other and lets you down 49 ft.  There are only 7 of this type of lift lock in the world.  Peterborough Lift lock is the largest in the world and this one is the second largest.   

 

Just before we got to the lift lock, the canal was barely wide enough for two 30 ft. boats to pass.  I don’t know what we would have done if we had encountered a boat our size.   


On the way there we were pretty sure we saw an otter, but the tender at Lock 38 tells us it was probably a muskrat. 

Don almost caught a large carp in his net (so he tells me).  We went back over there and saw a snake.  Don saw a huge snapping turtle about 2 ft. across.

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Lock 38- Talbot
July 10 - 11

We stayed 2 nights at Lock 38 hoping for improved weather.  We did a little bit of fishing, but had no luck.  It was greatly overfished.  We did, however, see a family of mink getting something out of the water.  I saw one with a fish, but they could have had frogs or anything. 

We went to a bait shop and got leaches and worms.  The disgusting leaches are in the refrigerator.  I am not at all sure I want to eat anything that eats a leach. 

We made Brownies on Thursday for the lock guys and banana bread on Friday.  They seemed to really like that.   

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Lock 39 – Portage
July 12

We had to move because of a two-night maximum at Lock 38.  The weather was really windy – probably at least 35 mph, and we untied, went 1 ½ mile down to Lock 39 and tied up.  It rained and blustered all day.  Not that many boats were moving.  This lock is not accessible from the road.  The workers get here from a little dirt gated access road.  The tenders here are far friendlier than the ones at Lock 38.

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Lock 43 – Swift Rapids
July 13 

Lake Simcoe was very calm and nice.  Had several lakes and canals to go thru before we got to the Swift Rapids.  We were hoping to see the falls, but they were under construction and were not running when we got there. 

We tied up in a 12 ft. long slip and had lots of help.  Then we pulled back and came back in and got secured.  The boat we had been following all day had 2 teenaged boys aboard who were helpful and cooperative.  Just great kids and I wanted to rent one.  We got settled and looked the lock over.  It was a huge lock with at least 15 boats camped there that night.  There was a couple traveling in a canoe and it was pretty interesting to see what all they brought out of their packs.  They had as much to cook with as we do I think. 

The lock is a drop of about 47 ft, but has the water coming in from the bottom and looks to be a very smooth ride.

 

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Lock 45 – Port Severn
July 14, 2003 

We went thru Swift Rapids lock – number 43, which was a drop of 47 ft.  It is truly a monster.  I had been quite nervous that it would seem kind of confining, but it was a comfortable and smooth lift.  We are both pretty glad that we are almost thru all of the locks as they can be quite tiring sometimes.  The Trent Severn is a long trip. 

The big adventure of the day was the Big Chute – Lock 44.  It is a rail car that takes the boat up and over a hill then back in the water.  The total drop is 57 ft, and it is a seven-minute ride.  We tied up on the dock and walked around to look what was going on and figure out what we should do.    

 

Then we moved the boat over to the end of the blue line and tied up to wait our turn at the lock.  After each group moved into the lock, we pulled the boat up closer.  We ended up hand pulling the boat up about 300 ft. so we would be in front of the lock.  We had both been a little nervous about entering the lock, but the guys on the lock were fantastic and we just laid her on her keel and they brought up straps to keep us stable and we rode up the hill and over.  I was going to ride in back so I didn’t have to look, but a really nice guy on a jet ski teased me into coming up front to watch.  It was quite a sight to see that railway descending 300 ft. into the water.  When the rail car got to the bottom, we just waited for the water to come back under us and drove out.  It was quite an experience.  We had about 10 ft. hanging off the back of the rail car.  It took us 2 hours from the time we got to the blue line until we were able to leave the rail car. 

 

We noticed that people with large boats help each other move them around, but the people with little boats don’t help at all.  I guess they don’t need help, so they don’t think of it. 

We went thru other lakes and finally arrived at the top of lock 45, the last lock in the Trent Severn system.  We tied for the night at the top of the lock so we could study our charts and see where to go next.  We will probably head for Midland to provision before we head into Georgian Bay.    

It was a very shallow spot, but secure for the night and quiet. 

Comparison between the Erie and Trent Severn Canals:   

Differences:

  • The Trent Severn has a sticker system for your windows so they can tell at a glance what your pass was for.  In the Erie it was a paper pass you had to show the tender while you were trying to hold your boat still.
  • The Erie was mostly wilderness with very few buildings, while the Trent Severn was full of cottages.
  • The Trent Severn traveled through several lakes, while the Erie connected with rivers.
  • You must turn off engines in the Trent Severn
  • Tie up on the walls in the Erie was free and in the Trent Severn it was $9.00 a foot for seasonal or .70 per foot for a night.  Transiting the Trent Severn was $4.25 a foot ($204).  Transiting the Erie was $120 and that included free lock wall tie-ups.
  • Most of the Erie had ropes hanging down to grab and the Trent had vinyl-covered cables.  Both worked fine once we got the hang of it.
  • Trent Severn Locks have names and Erie Locks only have numbers.

 

  Similarities:

  • Lock tenders were top notch.  They were very friendly and very professional.
  • The locks are beautifully cared for and the gardens are spectacular
  • The locks themselves seem to be in very good condition
  • Both use a light system to let you know when the lock is ready.

 

 

 

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