Bahamas or Bust

I will never again think that 5 feet of water is shallow. When we read 5 on the sounder that is when we could relax and breathe easy!! Most nights are spent on the lock walls or at anchor and we have not seen a marina in quite awhile. The boat we are with (today) does not have a generator or propane so we cooked their dinner for them.

We crossed 240 miles and about 40 locks of the Trent-Severn Canal in 13 days. Our longest run was 30 miles and 10 locks in one day. That day resulted in a very tired crew. Most days were 10 to 20 miles and 5 or 6 locks. We ran most of the time at 1500 RPM and 8 knots except in the many areas with speed limits of 10 kilometers per hour. We were pleased to achieve overall 1.7 nautical miles per gallon on the trip. Diesel is very expensive here, usually 75 cents Canadian per liter. We finally have been having great weather - its been hot! I spent one recent hot night sleeping in the cockpit watching the stars.

That reminds me, one other night we were awoken by a loud noise, footsteps on the deck, and then a big crash! We jumped up and ran out with flashlights to see our trash can knocked over, but nothing else. Then I flashed the light into the dinghy and there, hanging on, was a little raccoon. After a moment, he jumped off and swam for it.

The canal was fun, but we were tired of locking by the end. At the first lock we were so worried and held on to the ropes so tightly! By the end Karen and Amy would wrap the bow line and Heidi the stern line and then I would sit in the cockpit reading and keeping an eye on things while we locked down. They would go back to school. It is much better to do your runs with many locks on a weekday. The canal was interesting and parts were fun, but overall it seemed long. We tied up most nights on lock walls. Sometimes, as in Fenelon Falls, there was a nice little town there, so we took the opportunity to go to a great little pub for ribs. Also, Karen caught a great 3 pound Walleye in the early evening below the falls. Most times, however, the lock wall was in a quiet little spot with maybe a convienece store nearby. It is cottage country and the canal is lined with cottages nearly everywhere.

I think one of our favorites was Healey Falls where we walked about 15 minutes from the locks and took showers under the falls and swam in a natural pool there. Many locks have hydro-electric powerplants there. Another favorite was an early lock where you could tour the plant. They had built a new generator and preserved the old ones. You could climb through the old pipes and see the turbines and coils. The strangest thing we saw on the whole trip was the night in Severn Sound when they were having snowmobile "races" on the water. One guy ran about 2 miles until his very high performance engine seized. After the race they used a barge with 5 guys and a lift to pull the snowmobiles off the bottom

There was little need for navigation, I only used the GPS as a speedometer. We did have all the Canadian charts for the canal and the Ports guide and used them all the time. The depthfinder and fishfinder are absolutely essential on a trip like this. The canal is very well buoyed, but may spots are very very shallow. We ran aground twice, once in Rice Lake and once in a canal turning basin. Nothing was damaged and we got off easily. We broke both antenna masts, one on a low bridge and one on a tree overhanging the blueline. I stowed one in the engine room and fixed the other (it is now 10 feet lower).

I enjoyed many hours in the flybridge underway, alone, while Karen and the kids did school in the salon. Very relaxing. Many days we traveled the whole day with the same group of boats. I liked the lockmasters very much, they were happy to talk and give directions and advice and they would ask you where you were headed and then call ahead so that the next locks would be ready for you.

We all agree that it would be more fun next time to make reservations at a resort - maybe in Rice Lake or Buckhorn - and stay a few days, fishing, swimming, and having fun. Also, buying the one way transit pass was a good deal but buying the seasonal mooring pass was not. Next time, pay for lock wall docking one night at a time.

After a recent GPS check, we are 1900 miles from home in San Diego, we are 450 miles straight line distance from our starting point in Port Washington, WI, and we have put about 900 nautical miles in our wake in just under 2 months underway. We have been as far North as 46 degrees. We have seen the Northern Lights cover half the sky. We have seen loons, beavers, bald eagles, ospreys, minks and deer. Due to our recent great weather and our quick passage through the Trent-Severn we are now back on our original planned schedule (within a day or two). Of course, thunderstorms are predicted for this afternoon and showers tomorrow so we may not get to Picton, our planned last stop before crossing Lake Ontario.

As we look back on our cruise, the Trent-Severn was one of the best parts. The entire canal is part of Parks Canada. The days were easy and fun. We could dock at any lock wall for lunch and again for dinner and the night. Often, we spent the night in a nice park setting with a nearby store for ice cream or whatever. Other nights we were along side in a little village. The weather was nice during the entire time – cool, not hot, and only once in a while buggy. There were few boats on the canal mid week. Many locals were out only on weekends. Most boats were our size or smaller.

Locks are smaller, manually operated, and more fun than the Erie Canal. You could always take time to chat with the lockmasters for recommendations for where to stay, eat, swim, or fish. Most of these were very nice people, well informed, with plenty of time to chat. We did not race through the canal, but took our time, enjoying the countryside. This cruising is very relaxing and low-anxiety. Weather is not really an issue, nor is anchoring. There are plenty of people around, yet you can find solitude if you need it. If we were to do this again, we would take more time here and stay in Rice Lake or one of the other lakes for a week or two.

Still, after all that, Trenton was a welcome sight. We got overnight dockage, fuel, shopping and there is a Tim Horton’s right by the dock. Donuts were a special treat for all of us (although Amy is really tired of hearing about Tim Horton’s). Trenton itself did not offer too much other than port services, and we cleared out early the next morning.

From Trenton, we cruised a small part of the Thousand Islands including Bellville, Picton, and Kingston, prior to returing to the US of A. A couple of days ago we crossed part of Lake Ontario from Kingston to Cape Vincent, New York. This is a little village full of very beautiful old homes on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. This is the main channel of the famous St. Lawrence Seaway, so we see several big sea-going cargo ships each day.

We really enjoyed the Price Edward Cruising Club in Picton and Kingston public harbor. The PECC was a great place full of friendly people and our 3 days there have been among my favorites of the entire trip. In Kingston, we enjoyed the first big city in a long time and visited a museum and toured a retired Canadian Coast Guard Icebreaker.

In the words of the old time sailors, we have been "wind bound" here at the Cape Vincent public dock for several days. It is clear skies and sunny weather, but strong winds from the south west are blowing along the entire length of the Lake causing high waves and very rough conditions here at the junction of the St. Lawrence river and the lake. Yesterday morning we tried to leave bound for Oswego, but we were turned back, after taking green water over the decks, by high waves and the rough conditions. We returned to the public dock and got our old place back, alongside several cruising sailboats also waiting for better weather. The Pope's, on Vatican II, have wintered in the Bahamas - like we are planning - and have had lots of great advice for us, plus they have been excellent dock company.

So for the last two days we have stayed here at the dock and worked hard on getting the little girls caught up on their school lessons. We are expecting good conditions tomorrow for the 50 mile run to Oswego, and we are prepared to take shelter at Main Duck Island or at Sackett's Harbor if conditions worsen once we are out. But the weather forecast is good and we have high hopes of beginning the Erie Canal late tomorrow or Sunday.

Last night we docked at Lock 20 just before a great thunderstorm caught up with us so this morning started out a little wet. It was sunny and cool and the air was so clear you could see 100 miles. I rolled up the cockpit canvas, did the morning checks, dried out the flybridge and got ready to get underway while Karen walked the dog and Amy and Heidi finished up breakfast. We had coffee, juice, English muffins, and oatmeal. As I removed the spring lines (leaving the bow and stern lines for the last minute) coiled the hose and put it away, I thought I would finally have a morning without having to tell our story. This story always starts "Are you really from San Diego?" and the next question is always "Well, how did you get here, by the Panama Canal?" But no, a nice local gentleman walking his dog stopped and asked and I told the bare facts for the 1 millionth time. I didn't mind, and I found a village name to attach to the lock number from him, we were in Marcy, New York.

Looking around, I noticed that the young man who is rowing the entire 300 mile canal had already left, as had Orbit II, the sailboat with the 10 horsepower engine that makes about 4 knots (headed for Bahamas then Japan, maybe). No surprise, since it was already about 10 AM. For the last few days we have passed and repassed these guys several times, along with about 6 different sailboats. Everyone, except the rower, is headed for the Bahamas - we have joined the migration!

Lock 20 was a quick drop and we were on our way 10 miles to Lock 19. Karen and the kids have been doing school in the salon during the day while we are underway and I have the flybridge to myself for 5 or 6 hours. Sometimes waves of joy sweep over me. I am so happy. Usually, though, it is kind of hard to stay awake. I hold the boat to about 1200 rpm and 8 miles per hour to keep the noise down enough for school and also because the Erie Canal speed limit is only 10 mph. At this speed we get nearly 2 mpg (everything is now being done in statute miles rather than nautical miles because that's the way the Erie is measured).

Now that we have done about 60 locks, we really have it down. I bring the boat in slowly on one engine. Using the inside engine to go straight into the lock, when you shift to neutral to slow down the boat turns to the wall slightly. I turn the rudders amidship as we drift to a near stop with the bow in and just behind the line we want. Amy grabs the bow line with her boathook, and I reverse the outside engine to pull the stern in as Heidi grabs the sternline. Both kids are good with a boathook and their lines. Sometimes a quick burst astern of both engines is needed for the final stop. Karen helps out and gives all deck instructions - I do not direct the kids from the bridge other than to tell them which lines I have selected for us bow and stern. Karen commands all the deck and line handling. When you are down at the bottom of a lock you have a lot more concrete wall to hit but you are out of the wind. When you are up you have to compensate for winds - usually blowing up or down river but often cross winds. The windsock on our bow is essential for judging this. There are no currents in the lock itself (except when they are raising or lowering the water) but the approach and exit is often with strong currents.

After lines are secure I shut down the engines and climb down the ladder to take the stern lines from Heidi. Here in the Erie I usually have my gloves on and and hold onto a slimy, dirty, loose lockline. In the Trent Severn it was much easier as we looped our regular mooring lines around fixed lines and then relaxed. We hold on for about 5 to 10 minutes. After the lock doors are open I climb up, start the engines and watch lock traffic. When I am ready, I yell "OK". Amy drops her line and pushes off the bow with her boathook and then Karen and Heidi do the stern. When Karen is ready, she yells "OK". The boat is angled out from the wall, with the stern off about 12 inches and the bow as far as Amy can get it - usually about 3 feet (tricky in a cross-wind). Then I go forward on both engines with the rudder centered, just a touch, to move away from the wall, go to neutral and drift, and then use the inside engine and steer to move us out slowly. Once clear of the door we go forward on both engines and throttle up to about 900 RPM for control when we hit the currents that always haunt you down lock. When clear of the lock structures we speed up to our 8 mph cruise.

At Lock 19 we had to wait for another boat about 20 minutes behind us and I learned the most amazing fact about a pressure wave that travels down the canal ahead of the boat. The Lockmaster told us he could not close the gates and lock us through because the pressure wave from Steel Away - about a 65 foot semi displacement motor yacht - could break the pintles on the lock doors. I couldn't understand, but as we watched water began draining out of the lock. First we got a push forward and the water came up about a foot, then the water level dropped 3 feet and Steel Away was not even in sight! As he arrived, about 10 minutes later, we pulled forward a little and he tied up behind us. Then we all had to wait for the water level to return. That took about another 5 minutes. After the locking, we talked on the radio and he arranged a "Two Whistle" pass, meaning he passed on our portside.

Lock 18 was 13 miles so we settled in for a 90 minute cruise. I was done with my coffee and ready for some music so I put a CD into the player and composed most of this message in my head for the next hour or so. Watching the farms and the distant mountains draw closer. Watching for snags and logs. There was an occasional barge dredging or working on the canal. Looking at birds. Next thing I noticed it was about 2 PM and we were in Herkimeyer - a very small village. There was a Denny's on the road where the New York Throughway crosses the canal, and a public dock. That sounded good to us so, after consultation with Karen and the kids, we turned in, dealt with a strong following wind, docked, locked up the doors and windows (this is New York) and had a great lunch. Eating out is not typical, although docking somewhere for lunch is, but today we are giving Karen the day off in the galley.

After lunch we moved on to Lock 18 where we locked through with two sailboats from Toronto, headed for the Bahamas. These were great folks and during the locking, we told our tale once again. Locks are quiet and peaceful and there is plenty of time to talk. All three boats were headed for Little Falls, NY, and since we were first out of the lock we were first to arrive. Lucky for us there was about 45 feet of space on the wall between a big tour boat (not in use) and the nice young man in the 10 hp sailboat. We got our 42 feet of boat + dinghy into the space, while dealing with a very strong current. I had to turn around and dock into the current, there was no way to get into that small space while being swept downcurrent.

Getting tied up at the Little Falls public dock was very tricky since there were no cleats! We had to get out our 250 foot 1/2 inch spare nylon anchor line and run it about 75 feet to a large post forward of the bow. The 50 foot docklines reach a post by the stern. All the boats around are all using the same posts. There are 10 lines on each.

During all that time, Karen and Amy and Heidi have been working hard on school and most everything is done for the day except Amy has to make a "map of a room in her house" tomorrow.

Walking up the dock, all the boats we have been with for the last 3 days are here - plus a nice motor yacht from, of all places, Los Angeles. We finally got to ask "Are you really from LA?" and the couple on board is, and has been here for about 4 years. There are veterans of several cruises to Florida and the Bahamas. As we talked for about an hour, I said excuse me, and I got out my notebook and wrote down all the places they said to go to anchor, buy fuel, and marinas to use. Another boater from the sailboats stopped by to pitch in some recommendations.

We then walked into this delightful little town for shopping. On the way we played here in the park near the public dock. The little girls have some money burning a hole in their pocket and want to go to a gift shop. We didn't find one open (it is now 6 PM) but we did find a bank (for me) a dollar store, drug store, and grocery store. The girls got more beads for making their bead crafts and Pokemon toys and some little ponies. They know that they can spend their money on whatever they please but NO STUFFED ANIMALS. By this time our backpacks were filled with groceries, and a New York Pizza sounded to good to pass up so we stopped at a little place and ate dinner. Walking back to the boat we saw several trains go by and watched one by looking down on it from the bridge we were on. Ahead, we could see tomorrow's lock, a drop of 47 feet in a single lock. I think that is going to be the 2nd highest conventional lock we have ever done.

When we returned, we fed Duncan, put away the groceries, fired up the generator, and got email and I wrote this while Karen watched some TV while the kids played cutting up paper making clothes for their little toy animals. Amy made a "Dutch Princess" out of a little dog. Amy and Heidi had "Quiet time" and then got into bed. Karen is walking Duncan and I am finishing up before going to bed and doing a little reading of Patrick O'Brien's great sea novels.

So ends a typical Indiscipline day on the canal. We expect to reach the Hudson in 3 days, New York City in 5. We have now traveled over 1200 miles since we left Port Washington, WI.