Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
1
WAUKEELOG
Fall 2019 America’s Boating Club of Waukegan
Serving Waukegan and the North Shore A Unit of the United States Power Squadrons ®
Sail & Power Boating Published Four Times a Year
EVENTS Cruise to Racine September 7-8, Saturday and Sunday ExCom Meeting Tacos El Norte, Libertyville September 10, Tues. 7pm (Dinner @ 6:00pm) Kayak Outing Fox River Trail, Wilmot, WI September 21, Saturday 9am to Noon Fall Social Event Dover Straits, Mundelein September 22, Sunday Noon to 4pm ExCom Meeting Tacos El Norte, Libertyville October 8, Tues. 7pm (Dinner @ 6:00pm) District 20 Fall Conference Holiday Inn, Elgin October 25-26, Friday Night & Saturday Annual Meeting & Election Location: TBD November 9, Saturday
Commanders Comments
Cdr. Jesse Bowen, S After a rough start, our boating season finally gave us a few months of reasonable weather. I hope everyone was able to take advantage of the nice days and get out on the water. I think we had an eventful summer, highlighted by squadron and district participation in the Tall Ships Festival, described elsewhere in this edition of Waukeelog. In June, our combined Used Equipment Sale and Ready-Set-Wear It Campaign was well attended. For my part, I had a great time on a lake crossing to New Buffalo, where our Past District Commander George Prescott, greeted us as we were docking and invited us to the New Buffalo Yacht Club. The sail over was great – nine hours straight of 15+ knot winds out of the southwest, driving us at or near hull speed.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
2
Commander Cdr Jesse Bowen, S [email protected] Executive Officer Open Educational Officer Lt/C Brian Markey, JN [email protected] Administrative Officer Lt Paul Thacker, S [email protected] Treasurer Lt Clinton Rahn, S [email protected] Secretary Lt/C Amy Gallagher, S [email protected]
Immediate Past Commander Cdr Dave Sallmann, JN Members at Large Lt Randy Conner, AP Lt Todd Marshall Lt Lisa Brock
Waukeelog Editor P/D/C Mike Ludtke, SN [email protected]
Executive Committee Commanders Comments Continued from Page 1 The sail up to Kenosha for the Tall Ships Festival was also memorable in that we actually sailed most of the way, even though the wind was not always favorable. Coupled with a variety of day sails, I learned, as usual, new things about our boat. With any luck we will have a few more weeks of boating before it’s time to start thinking about the end of the season. There is still time to get involved with the Racine Cruise, September 7 – 8 (see the August 21 WSPS notice), and the Kayak Outing September 21 (see the WSPS notice from August 16) will round out our squadron’s boating events. However, fall is approaching, bringing with it several other events of note. Our Fall Member Luncheon is scheduled for Sunday, September 22 at Dover Straits Seafood Restaurant in Mundelein. Look for the official invitation next week. In October, we have the District 20 Fall Conference, to be held at the Holiday Inn in Elgin. The keynote speaker for that event will be Tom Mullaly, District Commodore of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. November will bring our Election Meeting. In December, the Commander’s Holiday Party will be on Sunday, December 15. Our fall education offerings also pick up soon. Currently, we have scheduled the Advanced Marine Navigation Class (formerly Advanced Piloting) and America’s Boating Course. Our recent education offerings have been in large part responsible for driving new membership. D/C Mary Merrell was recently informed that our squadron will receive recognition at the upcoming Governor’s Board meeting in Louisville for adding more than 15 new members. Well, time to start putting together that list of projects for the off-season. In addition to the usual maintenance tasks, I hope to more fully integrate our electronics complement so I have been learning more about marine networking and communications systems. Until next time,
Jesse
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
3
2019 Cruise Location Reefpoint Marina, Racine, WI
September 7-8, 2019
Please RSVP to Dave by Thursday September 5 if you plan to Cruise, attend the Dock Party and/or Dinner
We are cruising to Reefpoint Marina, Racine
September 7-8, 2019 Join us for a Great Time with Great Friends.
WSPS Gatherings
Saturday Dock Party: 1630 (Bring an appetizer to share)
Saturday Dinner: 1900 Reefpoint Brew House (pay at restaurant)
Sunday Breakfast: 0800-1000 (Potluck on the dock)
Call Reefpoint at 262 633 7171 to make your reservation. Identify yourself as part of the "Waukegan Sail & Power
Squadron" to help ensure we are located together. Also let them know if you have a slip at Waukegan and you
will get 1/3 off the transient slip rental fee.
Saturday there will be a dock party (please bring an appetizer to share) followed by dinner at the Reefpoint Brew House. Can't make the cruise? Please join us for the dock
party and/or dinner.
Group Departure (both Sail & Power Fleets) from Waukegan Harbor on Saturday 1000.
Communications Channel VHF 69.
Please RSVP Cruise Captain Dave Sallmann by
Thursday, September 5th [email protected] 847-951-0915
PHOTO
GALLARY ADDED TO WEB
SITE We are asking members to submit pictures of their on-the-water activities that can be posted to our website Photo Gallery. Sail, power or paddling activities are welcome. Pictures of members proudly flying our squadron burgee or the USPS Ensign on the water are especially welcome. Also, if you have some nice pictures of 2019 squadron events send them to us for posting. Smart phone pictures are fine. Submit them by email to [email protected] and include a little information on folks and vessels in the picture and the approximate date of the shot. Pictures sent should be in the standard jpeg or png formats which are what most smart phones and digital cameras generate. To make things easier when we upload to the website, we prefer file size of each picture file to be less than 1MB. If you are unable to change the file size, send the picture anyway and we will resize it. Hopefully, we will get a lot of pictures of what we do as a squadron for members and the public to enjoy. Bob Sloat
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
4
2019 RACE TO MACKINAC A First Timer’s Perspective By PC David Sallmann, JN
Southern Cross at start of race
The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is said to be the longest annual freshwater race in the world. “The Mac" starts at the Chicago Lighthouse, just off Navy Pier and ends after a 333-mile course to Mackinac Island. Approximately 300 boats leave Chicago every July for the race which has become a bucket-list event for ocean racers. More than 2,700 people attend the race annually and in 2016, participants traveled to Chicago from 621 different cities, 38 states and 12 countries. This year marked the 111th running of the “MAC”.
Although the Mac remains an amateur event, the race has a proven track record of attracting some of the finest sailing talent in the sport. Record-holders include the renowned late sailor Roy Disney with his monohull Pyewacket at 23 hours, 30 minutes in 2002, and the late famous adventurer Steve Fossett on Stars and Stripes, which set the multihull record of 18 hours, 50 minutes 1998. A number of WSPS members have raced their boats or have crewed on the Chicago to Mackinac Race over its 111-year history.
Although we have participated in Lake Michigan distance sailboat races on Southern Cross, our O’DAY 39 cruising sailboat, we had not raced her in the “MAC”. The rich history of this race attracted my son Bob and me. We decided late last year to prepare for and participate in the “MAC”; however, I was somewhat apprehensive for several reasons. First, I didn’t know if we could get the required “Offshore Racing Rule Certificate” for Southern Cross. Second, the safety requirements for the Mackinac Race significantly exceed the requirements for other Lake Michigan Races in which we had participated. Third, the logistics and time commitment to race to Mackinac Island and then return the crew and boat to Waukegan are much greater than other races that we had done. Fourth, the weather for the last several races were not good. High waves and strong head winds forced many participants to drop out. Last, but not least, the Race to Mackinac is an invitational race. We needed an invitation.
I spent many hours during the Winter and Spring addressing these issues. I requested an invitation to participate in the race. We provided the race committee resumes of our crew’s racing experience. WSPS member Terry Hartl has more than 200 nights at sea, rallying and racing sailboats. I’m sure his experience helped us to receive an invitation to race. Five of our seven-member crew took and passed an online Safety at Sea Course required of at least one half the crew members. I applied for and was granted an ORR certificate for Southern Cross. I methodically procured the required safety equipment that I did
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
5
not previously have onboard Southern Cross. Three weeks before the race I passed the required vessel inspection by the Safety committee.
Race day arrived July 12. We left Waukegan harbor, motored to Chicago and commenced the race at 3PM. Approximately 80 hours later we crossed the finish line off Mackinac Island. The weather was uneventful; generally light winds, mostly small waves with periods of no wind. The winds were not favorable to Southern Cross, a heavy boat that does best with more wind. We were frustrated by the light air and did not sail the best course. We covered more miles than we should have, adding to our finish time. I was disappointed with our finish position, but we were not last, and we learned from our mistakes.
The race was a memorable event for all of us. It was enjoyable most of the time, but the lack of wind during portions of the race was frustrating. Will we race Southern Cross in next year’s “MAC”? That remains to be determined.
View of Mackinac Bridge from Southern Cross near the finish
Ready, Set, Wear-it event at Waukegan Harbor.
June 8, 2019
New sign for the Waukegan Life Jacket Loaner Site. We have three loaner sites maintained by Waukegan and all have been updated with the new ABC logo.
Visit our sites at Waukegan Harbor, Southport Marina Pool Building and the North Point Marina Office
Building.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
6
District 20 Cruise & Rendezvous and Kenosha Tall Ships Festival By PDC Mike Ludtke, SN-CN
The weekend of 1-4 August 2019, members of District 20 gathered in Kenosha WI for the Kenosha Tall Ships Festival and the annual District 20 Cruise & Rendezvous. The weekend started on Thursday with the Parade of Sail, with the ships entering the harbor in parade formation and firing their cannons. USPS boats acted as escorts for the ships, which gave many a great view of the ships from the water. Many others lined the shores and breakwaters to welcome the fleet.
Niagra blasts her canon during the Parade of Sail
Photo Credit: Lori Miller Thursday night the land festivities started with a welcoming ceremony for the Tall Ships and then a concert by America English, a Beatles tribute band.
American English
Friday many of us spent the day volunteering,
assisting the crews of the Tall Ships by keeping the lines to board the ships orderly, answering questions from the guests and stamping passport books. The passport books were quite popular with the kids. Upon entry, each child was given a passport book, which includes a page for each of the Tall Ships. After they toured the ships, they would get their booked stamped by one of the volunteers. The five-hour shifts were long, but time passed quickly, as there was a constant stream of people getting on and off the ships.
Dave Sallmann helping at the Tall Ship Bluenose
Saturday, we gathered at the Public Museum for our Friendship Room, followed by a short Council Meeting, where we were updated with news from the District Bridge. Lunch, for the 54 attendees, was catered in from Tenuta’s Delicatessen. A group of about 20 then went sailing on the Tall Ship Red Witch, while others toured the Tall Ships Festival, or visited the local farmers market. Later in the afternoon, we all met up again at the harbors boater lounge for docktails.
The Red Witch loading for a sail-away
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
7
Sunday, many started their journeys home, either by boat or car. Others spent the day volunteering at the tall ship’s festival or touring the ships.
Picton Castle tied up in Kenosha
Much of the feedback from the weekend was positive. All the boaters seemed to love the harbor. And there was plenty to do over the weekend. The venue for our meeting and luncheon had ample parking and a prime location for exploring town. And of course, the Tall Ships Festival was a great attraction for all that attended. Many said they would do it again, when the tall ships return in three years.
Sunset at the Tall Ships
DC Mary Merrell and
C&R Chair Mike Ludtke aboard the Niagra
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
8
September
Randy Conner Paul Green Bill Judson Rex Miller
Kathy Murphy Maris Prieditis
Clint Rahn Marcie Sallmann
Wallis Sloat Lynn Strauss Manfred Suhr
October
Lauri Ahlman Matthew Banach
Sue Bowen Robert Dick Helen Green
Ralph Hodosh Cynthia Johnson
John Katzenmayer Oscar Lutz
Bruce Schafernak Herb Strauss
November
Rich Clark John Gabris
Donna Nicosia Robert Sallmann
BIRTHDAYS
Use our online resources to keep up to date with America’s Boating Club. WSPS is on Facebook & the web. Videos are available on YouTube at America’s Boating Channel. And keep up with
National on their Twitter feed.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
9
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
10
America's Great Loop Chapter 7: Erie Canal to the Oswego Canal across Lake Ontario and locking through the Trent Severn Waterway to Georgian Bay By John Simons The following article is the seventh installment in a series designed to help you plan the adventure of your lifetime. I will provide an overview on the various sections of America's Great Loop so you can plan your trip and know what to expect along the way. Our Great Loop adventure took one year and covered 6,500 miles. We departed from Waukegan, Il on Lake Michigan mid-September 2015 and after making a series of left turns we returned to Waukegan in September, 2016. Our crew consisted of John and Priscilla Simons and Dale and Andy Arnold. Our adventure was almost five years in the planning. Yours can happen much faster. All we had to do was research and buy a motor yacht, learn to operate her, retire and decide how we would handle our individual homes while on our adventure. In chapter one I described our journey from Waukegan, Illinois to Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. See Spring 2018 Waukeelog. In chapter two I described our journey on the rivers from Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky to Mobile, Alabama. See Summer 2018 Waukeelog In chapter three I described our journey from Mobile Bay along the Florida panhandle and crossing the Gulf of Mexico to the west coast of Florida. Then we cruised to Key West. See Fall 2018 Waukeelog. In part four I described our adventures in Key West to Marathon and Fort Lauderdale. Next we cruised to the Bahamas for a month and then
Stuart, FL. See the Winter 2018 Waukeelog. In chapter five I described our cruise from Stuart, Florida up the AICW to Norfolk, Virginia including the Dismal Swamp Canal. See Spring 2019 Waukeelog. In chapter six I described our cruise from Norfolk, Virginia through the Chesapeake Bay and up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal. See Summer 2019 Waukeelog. In this chapter I will describe our cruise on the Erie Canal to the Oswego Canal across Lake Ontario and locking thru the Trent Severn Waterway to Georgian Bay. After cruising up the Hudson River from NYC we are now about to enter the Erie Canal. We spent two nights in Waterford, NY and cast off at 10:00 am on Tuesday for Amsterdam, NY. We proceeded to enter the lift of five successive locks at the east entrance to the Erie Canal. We purchased our 10-day canal transit pass for $50 and were lifted 169′ in less than a mile. As you exit one lock you enter the next one. In total we transited 9 locks in one day. This is a new record for us. We might be able to beat this record when we transit the Trent Severn Waterway in Canada.
One of the few signs on the Great Loop.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
11
On Tuesday we arrived at Amsterdam NY on the Erie Canal at the Riverlink Marina around 4:00 pm. There is a restaurant in the marina. We used our 30-amp pigtails to hook up to a double 30-amp power terminal to run our 50-amp system. On goes the air conditioning full blast from 3 of our 4 AC units. If it is as hot as predicted tomorrow, over 90°F, we will start the generator and run the AC during the day on the canal. The 30-amp pigtail is a “must have” item on the Loop, not all marinas have 50-amp power available. We cast off at 9:00 am and immediately transited our first of 7 locks for the day. The last lock #17 is the tallest at 40′ and has a lift gate entrance instead of gates that open sideways. After passing guard gate #4 (flood control gate) we stopped at Little Falls Canal Marina for the night. This is one of the stops that has electricity. We have the AC cranking. It is very hot and humid again today. We cast off at 8:45 am and went to the pump out station at the end of the dock. We do not have any marina reservations for several days, so we want to be as self-sufficient as possible. All the marinas in Sylvan Beach are full for the weekend. We will check out the town dock in Rome, NY. Another option but not our favorite would be to tie up on a lock wall in the middle of nowhere for the night. We were told that the first two spots on the town dock in Rome (Bellamy Harbor) have free electricity. We shall see.
The Lock at Little Falls, NY
When we reached lock 20, we were at the highest point on the Erie Canal which is 440′ above sea level. The remainder of our time on the canal we will be going down. Eventually we will cross Lake Oneida and transit the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario. We will be stopping near Syracuse for 10 – 14 days so our crossing of Lake Ontario is not imminent. Eventually we have to climb more locks in Canada because Lake Michigan is 577′ above sea level. We decided to stop at the Rome town dock. There were no other boats so both power pedestals were available. The one we selected has 50-amp power. At least enough to run one AC unit. We popped the circuit breaker when we had two units humming. A torrential rainstorm swept through and cooled things down. Tomorrow we will transit 50′ down, in two locks, and cruise 20 miles across Lake Oneida and then transit one lock down 7′ on the west side of Lake Oneida before arriving at Pirates Cove Marina in Clay, NY. Total trip 43 miles. Changing Latitudes will spend 12 days at Pirates Cove while Dale and Andy go back to Chicago to babysit. John and Priscilla drove to Lake Champlain to visit friends.
Trapped at lock #1 on the Oswego Canal
After 12 days we finally cast off from Pirates Cove and were trapped like rats at the entrance to lock number one on the Oswego Canal in Phoenix, NY. The lock is working but the bridge on the north side of the lock will not open. Priscilla and I walked over
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
12
to talk with the lock master. There was a fellow flipping pages on a giant paper schematic of the bridge’s electrical system. The power supply to lower the guard gates is not working. The bridge cannot be raised until the guard gates are down. The electrician said it could take 30 minutes or 3 hours to determine the cause of the problem. We wished him good luck. The bridge height is only 11 feet. We need 18′ of clearance. This is our first extended delay for our entire trip. As always it could be worse. On the bright side we are tied to the free dock which is in downtown Phoenix. There is a bakery and a restaurant less than a block away and this is the home of Scooper Douper’s ice cream treats. In addition, there is a concert tonight in the park next to our boat at 6:00 pm. The generator is running. The air conditioning is on. We will be fine. At 2:30 pm after waiting 4.5 hours the lock opened. Eight boats crammed into every space along both sides of the wall. We were in a herd; the same one we will transit seven locks with all the way to Oswego. Nine hours from the time we departed Pirate’s Cove we arrived in Oswego. We can see Lake Ontario is calm and flat as glass as we pulled into our slip, plugged in, cranked the AC and opened a beer. However, as with the rest of the day opening the celebratory beer was not without its drama. The bottle opener we had used for the entire trip and opened 100’s if not 1,000’s of beers broke in two. Farewell old friend, you served us well.
Our favorite bottle opener
The next morning, I took a stroll up the hill to check out the conditions on Lake Ontario before we cast off. It was blowy and lumpy out there. At the top of the hill next to the marina is Fort Ontario. As with most forts we have toured it was built by the British, captured by the French, recaptured by the Americans and recaptured by the British. Fort capturing kept generations of soldiers busy for decades. We cast off at 11:00 am and crossed Lake Ontario into Canada. The lake had been flat as glass the day before, but a NE breeze blew in overnight and built up the waves to 3′ – 4′. The forecast was for the waves to flatten out in the afternoon. I guess the waves didn’t read the forecast. We were heading NW with NE beam seas. Crank up the turbos, get on top of the waves and in 2.5 hours we were across Lake Ontario and in Canada. It was a little rolly but after 40 miles we were in the lee of the land and everything flattened out. We took the Murray Canal to the Bay of Quinte. There are two swing bridges on the Murray Canal. The Murray Canal is only five miles long. There is a sign that says fee to open swing bridge $4.95. We had never paid to get a bridge to open. When we were passing by the bridge tender held out a basket on a long pole and I dropped a Canadian $5.00 into the basket. At the current exchange rate, a US $5.00 bill is worth $6.75 Canadian.
Paying the fee to transit the swing bridges on the
Murray Canal in Canada.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
13
We are staying at the brand-new Trent Port Marina. Everything is new out of the box. It is so new it does not show up on some GPS charts. The marina is in the town of Trenton which is the start of the Trent Severn Waterway.
Trent Port Marina
We cleared Canadian customs and immigration at the marina. I had preregistered online to save time. The marina has a dedicated phone line to call customs. Even though I had an email confirmation that I had preregistered the customs agent could not find my information. No worries, I gave it to her again, it took less than five minutes. She gave me a registration number to post in the window on CL. One of the questions asked is do you have firearms, drugs or alcohol onboard. I answered we have alcohol onboard. When asked how much alcohol we had I answered we have “ships stores.” Our Looper friend George Hospodar had researched this regulation because some Loopers were being charged tax by the Canadian customs agents. Ships stores means we only have limited quantities for personal use. The limits are one bottle of wine or liquor or a case (24 cans) of beer per person per week. Since we will be in Canada for five weeks we were well within the limits of the regulation. Alcohol prices in Canada are three times higher
than in the US. We will transit the 45 locks of the Trent Severn Waterway to get to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. One of the locks (number 44) is called the Big Chute. The Big Chute is a railroad car that picks up your boat and carries it over a hill into the canal on the other side. That will be a cool photo.
Trent-Severn Waterway
We heard from our Looper friend John Halter on Mitzvah. He had a mishap with his propeller. He was anchored and tied to the shore in the North Channel. He put his engine in reverse to keep the stern of the boat pointed towards the shore so he could untie the shoreline. As he jumped into his dingy to go to shore his anchor dragged and his propeller hit the rocks. He dove over the side and pounded the dents out with a hammer. Another Looper loaned him an axe under the assumption that an axe is more hydrodynamic than a hammer for pounding underwater.
John Halter on Mitzvah
straightening his propeller
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
14
We will stay in Trenton for two or three nights before heading up the Trent Severn Waterway. We have to cruise 240 miles and transit 45 locks to get from Trenton, Ontario to Port Severn on Georgian Bay. The plan is to be in Orillia which is 208 miles and 41 locks by August 18. John and Priscilla will get off the boat for three days and meet their family at Niagara Falls. We will stay in Trenton until Monday, August 1. I have posted our rough itinerary below. There are always a few extra days built in incase we really like a marina and want to stay longer. Several times we will be docking on lock walls overnight. We have been told to always dock at the top of the lock to get a good breeze at night. There is no air flow at the bottom of the lock. The other bit of advice is to loop our dock lines through the rings on the lock wall and secure them on the cleats on our boat. Nefarious youths in the towns along the waterway find it humorous to untie the boats on the lock walls at night and let them drift away. We will be vigilant. Perhaps those youths have since moved away. Our trip plan is based on miles traveled, locks transited and fun places other Loopers have told us to visit. August 1 – 2 – Cambellford – 32 miles and 13 locks August 3 – 4 – Hastings – 19 miles and 5 locks August 5 – 6 – Peterborough – 49 miles and 3 locks August 7 – 8 – Young’s Point – 15 miles and 6 locks August 9 – 10 – Stony Lake – 5 miles and 0 locks August 11 – 12 – Bobcaygeon – 33 miles and 5 locks August 13 – 14 – Fenelon Falls – 15 miles and 2 locks August 15 – 17 – open days August 18 – 21 – Orillia – 47 miles and 6 locks August 22 – 23 – Port Severn – 32 miles and 4 locks including the Big Chute August 24 – Georgian Bay The cost for a “Transit one-way pass” is $4.65 per foot X 45 feet = $209.00.. With the exchange rate
the actual cost in $USD will be $161. The posted speed limit on the waterway is 10 km/hr which is 6 mph. That is idle speed for us. When both engines are in gear, we go 6 mph. We will have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.
Scenery Along the Trent-Severn Waterway
On August 1 we cruised 30 miles and transited 12 locks. It was an 8-hour day from the time we arrived at the first lock until we were tied up in Campbellford, Ontario. We were lifted 235 feet in total. The scenery along the waterway was very pastoral with lots of trees and rolling hills. The lock masters are even more laid back in Canada than on the Erie Canal. People are allowed to climb all over the lock walls and bridges while the lock is in operation. No one is wearing a life vest. There is an ice cream store within a a short walk of several of the locks. Trivia question – How are the Canadian lock gates operated to get them to open and close? A. Electric motors are used to open and close the gates. B. A hydraulic ram is used to open and close the gates. C. Humans walk around in circles pushing an iron
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
15
bar to open and close the gates. D. Large weights similar to window weights are used to open and close the gates. Th answer is - C. Humans walk around in circles pushing an iron bar to open and close the gates.
The Trent-Severn lock system is operated
by people power We are tied up on the west wall in downtown Campbellford. They offer the third night free with a two-night stay. We had planned to stay two nights. Perhaps we will stay here three nights and only one night in Hastings. We were told that Banjos restaurant is the place to go in Hastings. On Friday and Saturday, we will be in Petersborough. Several Loopers told us not to miss the Canadian butter tarts. I was not sure what a butter tart was so I bought six at Dooher’s bakery. A butter tart is a mini pecan pie without the pecans. Then I noticed they sell butter tarts with pecans. Next time I will buy the mini pecan pies. We cruised 20 miles and transited locks 5 and were lifted 123′. We spent the night in Hastings. On Wednesday nights there was a concert in the gazebo next to our boat. We had a front row seat. The evening’s entertainment was both country and western. The backup singer and the warm up band were better than the headliner. The price was right, and it was a fun night. The backup singer channeled Patsy Kline all night and the warm up band sang contemporary tunes such as Wagon Wheel and Margaritaville. The lead singer sang
songs about cowboys from Newfoundland. Yes, Newfie cowboys.
Tied to the wall in Hastings, Ontario
There was one minor incident today. It was my fault. We pulled up near lock 15 and it appeared the lock door was closed. There was no red or green light visible to tell us what to do. In the bright sun it looked like the lock tender was dumping water to lower the water level before opening the gate. After waiting several minutes, we saw the outer gates closing. At that moment we realized that that back gate leaked so much it looked like a waterfall that I thought was water rushing out of the lock. I quickly moved the boat forward and the lock tender opened the door and we entered. She asked why we waited so long, and I explained. I asked why she didn’t call us on the VHF radio or yell at us over her bullhorn. She has neither a radio nor a bullhorn. Closing the lock door was her only way to communicate with us. It worked. On Friday we cruised 49 miles to Peterborough and transited only 3 locks. The forecast for Friday was for SW winds 15 – 20 mph gusting to 25 mph. We need to cross Rice Lake which is 14 miles long and faces SW. We decided to shove of at 8:00 am to cross as much as the lake as we could before the waves built up. Rice Lake is three miles wide at some points, so we were able to crank up the turbos and blow out the carbon after running at 6 mph for three days.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
16
The waves were just building to 1 – 2 feet as we turned north into the Otanabee River. Friday was light duty. We cruised 39 miles and transited only one 8′ lock (#19) to arrive in Peterborough. Given the choice of tying to the lock wall with no services or plugging into a marina, the marina always wins. We arrived at the Peterborough Marina in Peterborough, Ontario at 12:30 pm and received the second-best swag bag of the trip. The AGLCA harbor host Freya Peterson put it together. The best swag bag was from Utz’s Marina in Cape May. Freya makes homemade jalapeño jam and puts a jar in each bag. She also had several brochures for the stops on the Waterway and Georgian Bay. We get a 10% discount on the slip fee and a free pump out for being Loopers. On Sunday we will transit the famous Peterborough lift lock. That is the highest hydraulic lock in the world at 64′ for the lift. I walked over to watch it in operation today. It is an amazing feat of engineering. On Sunday we cast off at 8:30 am and took advantage of our free Looper pump out (a $16 value). We transited 7 locks including the “Big Pan” hydraulic lift. The total lift from the 7 locks was 141 feet. The experience in the Big Pan is very different from other locks. After driving the boat into the pan, the crew tied off and the back gate closed by lifting from flat on the bottom. Then the two pans, side by side change position. The upper pan goes down and the lower pan goes up 65 feet. We cruised 15 miles and transited 6 locks to get to Youngs Point. We met with some of Andy’s friends there. As avid boaters in this area, they showed us around and provided great insight into the next phase of our adventure. There is a famous shoe store in Bobcaygeon that claims to have over 30,000 pairs of shoes. I do not know of any Looper that has passed through Bobcaygeon and not purchased a new pair of shoes. We will stay in Bobcaygeon for
two days so we will have a full day for shoe shopping. We cast off at 11:00 am and transited one lock at 6′. Total travel was 13 miles. We anchored in 17′ of water, had lunch and went swimming all afternoon. After swimming, we cruised 1/2 mile to McKraken’s Marina. They have a bakery that makes the best blueberry scones ever. And did I mention the banana bread? We cast off from McCraken’s Marina on Stony Lake at 10 am. We passed through a section of the waterway called Hell’s Gate. It is narrow and very rocky outside the channel but easy to navigate if you just follow the channel markers. We passed Burleigh Falls on our way to the Burleigh Falls Lock. Given the drought conditions in Canada Burleigh Falls looks more like Barely Falls. As we approached the lock, we saw a houseboat entering. We had been warned that there are over 300 rental houseboats on this section of the waterway. The other Looper’s advice is to let the houseboats go first so they can bounce off both sides of the lock walls before they tie up instead of bouncing off of us.
Beware of Houseboats
The Burleigh lock was full when we arrived, so we tied up to the wall and waited for the next opening. One houseboat arrived and we waved him in. He was headed for the left side of the lock but when he was finally tied up, he was on the right side.
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
17
This lock was a 24′ lift. The next two locks had houseboats tied up all around them. The locks charge 90 cents a foot for overnight dockage with no electric or hydro (water). Upon arrival at the Buckhorn Yacht Harbour we were directed into a covered slip. You know what that means, no satellite TV. We arrived at Fenelon Falls lock #34 at 11:30 am. The lock door was closed so we tied up on the blue line. We want to tie up overnight on the top of the lock, so I walked across the bridge to the upper lock wall. There were two open electric pedestals. However, neither one had enough space on the wall to fit CL. I asked the nice lady on the 48′ from California if she could move up a few feet so we could fit in. She squawked about being tied up and I should look at the other end of the wall. At the other end there was a pedestal and enough room us if a small boat pulled up five feet. The owner had a plate of pancakes in his hand and a scowl on his face. He was not inclined to help. I went back to the first spot and Andy the Canadian in the small houseboat said he would make room for us. I noticed the lock doors were open on the low side, so I hurried back to CL. The risk is a boat would come from the other side of the lock and take our newly created spot on the wall. We transited the 24′ lock and pulled into our spot with ease. Andy showed me where to check in with the lock master to pay for the overnight dockage and double electricity. They charge for each 30 amp plug and we need two 30’s to run our system. The total cost is $45 USD. It started raining torrentially. Andy, the houseboat guy, ran back in the rain and was soaked. No good deed goes unpunished. I waited out the rain the under the eves on the lock master building and chatted with a couple from Detroit, MI. They had been on holiday at a rental cabin and came to the lock in a 16′ boat to kill time until they have to return the boat at 4:30 pm. It had been raining and raining and raining like the end of the world. Not a good plan them. If there was a single salt crystal remaining on CL it is long gone now.
Sunday morning the weather was cool and blustery. It felt like a fall day. We cast off at 9:00 am and cruised 3 miles to the first and only lock of the day and were lifted 4′. The last time we will be lifted on the Trent. The remaining locks will lower us. We are on our way to the Kirkfield lock #36 and will spend the night on the lock wall with no power or water. It will be almost like anchoring out except no anchor. There is a small restaurant nearby. We thawed some fish that we caught in Key West. If the restaurant is not a good one, we will eat on the boat. On Monday there is no restaurant at our marina on Lake Simcoe so we will be eating onboard soon either way. The Kirkfield lock is a hydraulic lift lock, similar to one the we transited in Peterborough. However, the Kirkfield lock is not enclosed so there is a greater sense of being suspended in air. We are at the highest point on the Trent Waterway. When we enter the upper pan on Monday we will be lowered down 49′. The remaining 9 locks on the Waterway will continue to lower us down to the level of the Great Lakes. The other change is the color designation of the channel markers. From now on the red markers will be on the left. I flipped the tongue depressor on our dashboard to indicate the correct colors. On Monday morning we let the black houseboat lock through first. It is always best to lock through alone if you can. We locked through the Kirkfield lift lock alone and were able to get great photos with us in the front of the 49′ drop. Where else can you be on your boat and be suspended five stories in the air. We arrived at Lake Simcoe and it was flat. We turned north toward Lagoon City Marina. As we approached the entrance we decided to pull over to the beach, drop the anchor out deep and swim. Several smaller boats went closer to shore and anchored where they could jump off their boats and be waist deep. Pulling in to slip 631 at Lagoon City Marina was a challenge. I thought we had run aground because CL would not maneuver into the slip. I hit the bow
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
18
thruster and nothing happened. Weeds jammed it immediately. The dock hands had to really pull us in because the weeds in the slip were so thick. It took two burly men to pull our stern in to the dock. It will be interesting to see how easily we can exit. As of today, we have been on the Loop for 11 months. We will cross our wake in one month in Waukegan, Illinois. Thirty-one days to go. “Someday this cruise is gonna end”- CFJ. The torrential rains ended briefly at noon on Tuesday. We decide to head over to the pump out station at the Lagoon City Marina. We had so many weeds wrapped on the props we could not back out of our slip. The marina staff came over and pushed us out. We crept back with no control. When I had enough room ahead a put the engines in forward and spun the weeds off the props. Then I had control. The marina staff said the outline of our hull was clearly visible in the weed bed. We pumped out and cruised west on the canal to Lake Simcoe. We knew the breeze was up and the lake would be lumpy. We were headed Northwest and then North with winds out of the South. The waves were larger than expected with 6′ – 8′ with the occasional 10′ we were surfing our 45′ boat. We only had a few miles to travel so we carried on. The key to comfortable cruising in those conditions was once again getting up on top of the waves and cruising at 20 mph. When we arrived at the north end of the lake we entered a narrow canal and were fully protected. We spent a week in Orillia. We were underway at 10:00 am and headed north on Couchining Lake. We passed two swing bridges and locked down 22′ then locked down 45′. The lock #43 is the tallest standard lock on the Trent. The scenery along the river continues to be stunning with granite rocks close by us. This is vacation home country for people from Toronto and the rivers are lined with summer homes and boat docks. We arrived at the Big Chute Marina at 3:00 pm and plugged in. We have a front row seat next to the Big Chute Marine Railway. We will transit the Big Chute on Tuesday. On Tuesday we were underway at 11:00 am. This was the moment of truth. CL is going over the road
in the Big Chute Marine Railway. We waited until there were no other boats locking through and went over to the blue line dock. Within a few minutes we were called by loudspeaker to enter the rail platform. We had been advised there was some current from the right side so we aimed for the right side of the railway car and ended up dead center. We were grabbed by two slings and lifted slightly. The lock master was happy with his work so I turned off the engines and he lifted us little more. The back end of the boat with the propellers was hanging off the back of the railcar. In less than 10 minutes were hauled across the road, fifty-eight feet down the hill and launched on the other side. I must say that is an interesting experience.
Big Chute Marine Railway
The channel marker colors changed sides after the Big Chute. It was red right until we passed under a bridge then they switched back to green right. I can see how some Loopers get turned around and hit the rocks. We have two people navigating. One person watches the GPS when steering and the other person checks and double checks the course on the iPad using Navionics. That way we have a full view of the direction we are going and the fine level detail by zooming in. So far, so good. The channels are very narrow and twisty with granite boulders reaching out to grab us at every turn. Add a strong wind and it just too much fun. We are glad to be safely tied up at the Queen’s Cove Marina in Victoria Harbor. We are officially in
WAUKEELOG FALL 2019 .
19
Remember to Support our
Advertisers and Members
To place your ad, contact Waukeelog Editor Mike Ludtke at [email protected]
Georgian Bay. It is 550 miles from Queens Cove to Waukegan. Going to Lake Superior will add a few more miles to the trip. We spent two nights at the Queen’s Cove Marina. Not another Looper in sight. The swimming pool at the Queen’s Cove Marina was a little chilly. The water temperature was only 82°f. The last few nights have been cool, so the water temperature dropped. The lake is warmer than the swimming pool. This is the beginning of the end of our Great Loop Adventure. We only have to transit Georgian Bay, the North Channel and Lake Michigan to cross our wake in Waukegan, IL. My second career is working as a broker for Weber Yachts. Upon completing the America’s Great Loop, Weber Yachts sold our Loop boat within two weeks. If I can be of assistance for you to find your ideal boat or sell your current boat, please do hesitate to contact me. Capt. John Simons Broker / Weber Yachts www.weberyachts.com [email protected] Cell: 847-226-1070
