Elevated out of the water …

A Damaged Prop

Perhaps you already heard the Captain successfully “reshaped” the prop back in Merrickville. Details remain a little foggy, something about an early morning departure, a navigational beacon, and a bed of rocks that was not at all like the sand in Florida, you get the idea.

You might be asking, to solve the problem, WWRD? Rick’s Answer: “if you travel slow”,  just how slow can this slow boat go ?? – “you won’t feel much vibration”. Meanwhile, Maureen and I cleaned the boat, again, to make sure nothing could wobble its way to the floors. The Plan: find a qualified mechanic to fix the boat, hopefully in Queens Cove.

Normally, one does not look forward to being elevated out of the water, with one very special exception – the Big Chute!

Lock 44 – The Big Chute Marine Railway

Under the masterful direction of the Parcs Canada lockmasters, up to 100 tons of watercraft, in various sizes and shapes, float onto an 80-foot wooden cradle.  Captain Rick says Exhale weighs 25 tons, more or less.

Once the flotilla is stabilized and secured, the passenger laden vessels are lifted out of the water and gradually elevated roughly 60 feet.

Via cables and dual railroad tracks, the railcar traverses dry land, then gently drops its cargo into the lake waters below.

To learn about the Big Chute, click here.

Hello Gypsy

We first saw Gypsy at Osprey Marina, early in March.

It was such a pleasure to reconnect with Jim and Susan Merritt, captains of Gypsy.  They seem to be testing capacity as it appears 8 or 10 guests joined them for the day long adventure on the Marine Railway. Thanks guys for the great photos from the Big Chute!

Good Bye Trent Severn Waterway

We waived goodbye to the TSWaterway as we completed Lock 45. To see the official Parks Canada photos of each lock (1 through 45), click here.

Port Severn, is the smallest lock on the waterway.

Lift: 3.7m Width: 7.0m Length: 25.6m

Hello Georgian Bay

While it was quite the adventure to complete all the locks in the Trent Severn, we were excited to see the majestic Georgian Bay.

First stop – Queens Cove Marina in Victoria Harbor.  The boat was lifted out of the water, again, this time to assess the extent of the prop damage.

So far, it appears the prop just needs to be reshaped by the local “black smith” equivalent. Crossing our fingers that is true.  

Murphy’s Law – we ordered another prop to be delivered soon, so there will be a spare part in stock, hopefully never to be used. BTW – the prop weighs about 400 lbs; it required a massive wrench, heat, and a cutting torch to be removed. Unfortunately, replacement bolts meant a special order from China … meanwhile, we are hanging out in Cleveland.

With the boat out of the water we embarked on a pre-scheduled side trip, traversing back to the USA, via New York’s Peace Bridge, destined to Cleveland, Ohio.

Yet Another Side Trip

A belated Happy Anniversary, Jamie and David, and a special Happy Birthday, Jamie.  It is a privilege to hangout with our grandson, Tyler, while you take a little break to a resort in Mexico.

Thanks Aunt Cindy and Uncle Scott for letting Maddie hang out with you in Cleveland, a welcome respite from the Energizer Bunny two year-old.

Next Stop:

Georgian Bay, with no pre-scheduled stops, for the very first time on our journey!

Where Have We Been So Far?

States and Provinces traversed on the water, commencing March 1, 2018:

U.S. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Vermont.  Canada: Quebec, Ontario.

Side trips (via land or air):

Los Angeles (MS [April and May], Rick [May, June and July] & Maddie [May], Cleveland (RMG, MS & Maddie [April and July], Craig [April])