This is a bit late, but I’ll get it in sequence. I now have some time to catch up and throw in some photos we took while transiting these inland rivers.

The wind on Lake Michigan cooperated for once and we were able to move from Muskegon (where Bob stayed with Sanderling and the cats while Judy flew to Kansas for her mother’s 92nd birthday celebration) to Holland (Michigan, that is) to St. Joseph, and then across the bottom of Lake Michigan to Chicago.

Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan

This is our view of the Chicago skyline as we approached on Saturday, September 7th about mid-afternoon. We arranged for a mooring in Monroe Harbor, which is dead center in the photo. Our mooring was located directly in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. We were meeting Caroline and Melissa for dinner in the evening, and since we both have visited Chicago a number of times we were not going to stay longer than one night there – we wanted to get on with the inland rivers! We took the launch to the marina office where we registered and met up with Caroline and Melissa. We walked to Miller’s Pub for dinner, then into the nearby Millennium Park where we enjoyed seeing “The Bean” (not it’s official name) and listening to the Chicago Lyric Opera perform various arias on the nearby stage. By the time we returned to Sanderling on her mooring the wind had shifted to the east and waves were blowing in the entrance to the mooring field through the breakwater, directly at Sanderling. It was a fitful night – even the cats were hunkered down!

Sunday morning we had to lower the radar mast in order to get below the 17 foot minimum clearance on the Chicago Sanitary Canal route through downtown Chicago, but the waves were still tossing us about and there was no way we could lower the mast (it weights about 150 pounds and we use a 4-part rope fall to assist) under those conditions. A helpful launch driver who happened by suggested that we pull further into the harbor to a free pumpout dock and while there pumping out our holding tanks we could lower the mast and be on our way. It worked our perfected; while Judy took care of the holding tanks and gave them a thorough rinsing, Bob rigged the gin-pole and rope fall, then the two of us lowered the mast into the mast/boom crutch and we were off to our next adventure – transiting downtown Chicago into the inland rivers.

Waiting for the Chicago Lock

The photo shows the Chicago skyline in the high fog on Sunday morning (September 9th) as we were waiting for the Chicago Lock to lock us down a few feet into the Chicago Sanitary Canal. Once in the canal we passed right through downtown Chicago and across all the well-known streets that we had walked on earlier visits, including Michigan Avenue and through the heart of the “Miracle Mile.” Quite a thrill to see the windy city from that perspective.

This is how it looked shortly after entering the canal. The second bridge in the photo is the Michigan Avenue DuSable Bridge. Tour boats abounded throughout this stretch, as well as water taxis and private boats out for a Sunday morning cruise.

 Other photos of Chicago via the Canal:

Ping Tom Memorial Park pagoda

Amtrak Railway Bridge – the last impediment to transiting the Chicago Sanitary Canal

Once through downtown Chicago with the minimum bridge clearance of 17 feet, there is one last impediment to a hastle-free transit: the Amtrak railway bridge with a clearance of less than 10 feet (on a good day). If the bridge is down (as it is in the above photo) one must call by phone some mysterious place and ask that the bridge be raised. We called twice with no results; we called the bridge via VHF radio with no results. On the third phone call the bridge was raised and we went our merry, if delayed, way. Shortly after this bridge the Chicago Sanitary Canal joins forces with the Cal-Sag Canal (higher clearances for boats that cannot get lower than 17 feet) and enters the Illinois River.

 Later in the afternoon we went through our first lock on the Illinois River at Lockport with another pleasure trawler which had transited the Chicago area via the Cal-Sag Canal, Tie A Knot with Jann and Gary aboard. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we were going to be traveling companions for the next month. We both tied to the outside of the lower lock wall bullnose for the night.

Day: 40.1SM/34.9NM – 6H25M         Trip: 2782.4NM/3197.1SM – 481H05M

For the next six days we cruised down the Illinois River, transiting the remaining six locks and dams along the way.

Lock/Dam Name	Location	River Miles Above Mississippi	Pool Level (above sea level)	Geo Coordinates
T.J. O’Brien L&D	Chicago	326	577 feet (176 m)	41°39′7.45″N 87°34′1.24″W
Lockport L&D	Lockport	291	577 feet (176 m)	41°34′8.61″N 88°4′39.29″W
Brandon Road L&D	Joliet	286	539 feet (164 m)	41°30′12.12″N 88°6′11.04″W
Dresden Island L&D	Morris	271	505 feet (154 m)	41°23′52.66″N 88°16′56.42″W
Marseille L&D	Marseilles	245	483 feet (147 m)	41°19′39.77″N 88°45′4.5″W
Starved Rock L&D	North Utica	231	458 feet (140 m)	41°19′27.93″N 88°59′10.82″W
Peoria L&D	Peoria	157	440 feet (134 m)	40°37′54.84″N 89°37′29.52″W
La Grange L&D	Beardstown	80	430 feet (131 m)	39°56′21.21″N 90°32′0.69″W

Most inland rivers are numbered in statute miles starting at their mouth; there are a few exceptions which we’ll encounter later. On the Illinois the mouth of the river is at Grafton, Illinois, a few miles upstream from St. Louis, Missouri. The Illinois River and waterway (includes the Chicago Sanitary Canal and the Cal-Sag Canal) drops from 578 feet at Lake Michigan to 419 feet (above mean sea level) at Grafton.  The locks and dams make it possible for commercial tow traffic to use the river to transport goods and makes it possible for us pleasure boaters to access the remaining inland rivers and circumnavigate the eastern United States in what has become known as the “Great Loop.”

Tow on the Illinois River – 3 wide and 5 long

After Lockport, we stopped for the night at Ottawa (mile 239) on a free town dock and stayed there for two nights during some very hot weather so we could take advantage of free electricity for our air conditioners; at Hamm’s “marina” near Rome (mile 178), Illinois; at Tall Timbers Marina at Havana, Illinois (mile 120); at Buckhorn Island (mile 46.1), and at Mortland Island near the small town of Hardin, Illinois (mile 18.7).

The two night stop at Ottawa provided an opportunity to do a little food shopping and eat out, to say nothing of being able to run our generators for two days while the heat soared into the 90s – all at no cost! We ate out with Jann and Gary and found Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at the local grocery store.

Of all the places we stopped along the Illinois River, Hamms “marina” was the most interesting, by far. It obviously was a very active marina at one time, and the owner operated several tugs along the river. Now it has become a storage for “marina queens” – boats that are seldom used and appear to have all of their better days behind them – of all shapes, sizes and lineages. There is even an old riverboat being stored for the time the owner wants it back. The owner is a congenial fellow who was happy to collect our $1.00 per foot overnight fee in return for which he offered a spider filled dock, an electrical hookup that worked all the time we were there, and water (if one were brave enough to actually drink it from the ancient and stagnant lines). Nonetheless, it was an interesting place to spend the night.

The river level was down several feet from the time that some of our cruising guides was written, so the entrance to Tall Timbers Marina was barely passable for us with our four-foot draft. Tie A Knot (at 4.5 foot draft) decided not to plow through the entrance mud, and anchored for the night above a tow staging area just upstream from the marina. While there we were impressed with the cleanliness of the marina and the attentiveness of the husband and wife owners. All the docks and small buildings in the marina were floating so they were able to reopen shortly after the spring floods. The marina also had the cleanest Port-A-Lets we have ever seen – just like walking into a head in an upscale marina!

One of the things that surprised us while on the Illinois River was the abundance of white pelicans – something we’d never even seen in Florida. At first we thought they were egrets, but it soon became apparent that the clouds of birds soaring overhead were white pelicans; undoubtedly we were in the mid-western flyway and they were heading to warmer climes ahead of the approaching winter snow.

And eagles – we saw several along the river. The bald eagle in the tree appeared to be alone, but the eagles eating a dead fish (undoubtedly one of the Asian carp) included an immature bald eagle waiting its turn at the table!

We shared many beautiful anchorages with Tie A Knot. Here’s a photo of Tie A Knot in the early morning at Buckhorn Island.

On Sunday, September 15th, we departed Mortland Island at 0825 and a few hours later entered the Mississippi River at Grafton (Illinois River mile 0; Mississippi River mile 219) and turned UPSTREAM to get to a marina at St. Charles, Missouri, where we planned to spend a few days. Both boats needed to resupply before departing for the roughly 200 miles of the Mississippi River we’d be traveling, and we (Bob and Judy) were going to rent a car and drive to Bob’s home town, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, so Judy could see the growing metropolis and meet some of his friends. We are now at mile 221 of the Upper Mississippi – that is 221 miles from where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. The Mississippi River above Cairo is called the Upper Mississippi; the river below Cairo is the Lower Mississippi and the two segments are numbered separately – the numbering of the Lower Mississippi starts at the Gulf of Mexico.

Day: 25.6SM/22.3NM – 3H40M   Trip: 3044.1NM/3497.9SM – 522H35M

Monday, September 16, 2013 – Road trip to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

We arranged to get an Enterprise rental car as early as possible on Monday morning after getting to the Port Charles Harbor Marina at St. Charles, Missouri, the day before, along with Tie A Knot and crew. We were finally underway by car about 1030 after being picked up at the marina and taken to the closest Enterprise office about 20 miles away. We had our overnight bags with us so immediately headed north on the Avenue of the Saints (linking St. Louis and Minneapolis/St. Paul and going right through Bob’s hometown of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa).

After arriving in Mt. Pleasant we did a quick tour of all the interesting sites of significance in Bob’s formative years (took about an hour) including the house where he lived until he left for law school and the Iowa Wesleyan College campus then got a room in a local motel, changed clothes, and headed to Burlington, Iowa (on the Mississippi) to have dinner with one of Bob’s high school and college buddies and his wife, Arnie and Lois Sperfslage. Bob hadn’t seen them in a number of years so there was a lot to catch up on before and during dinner. We had a very enjoyable evening with Arnie and Lois, seeing their lovely home and the additions that Arnie had built and getting ice cream for desert at a mom and pop ice cream store near their home after dinner on the waterfront at Big Muddy’s!

The next morning we visited with Bob’s broker, met with the attorneys who bought Bob’s father’s law firm, drove through the Midwest Old Settler’s and Thresher’s park and drove to Oakland Mills to get a fried pork tenderloin at Butch’s River Rock Cafe. From there we continued east to rejoin the Avenue of the Saints and get back to Sanderling.

Throughout the visit Bob regaled Judy with many humorous tales of growing up in (and leaving) small town Iowa. (Bob isn’t sure that Judy would confirm this characterization.)

On the way back to Sanderling we stopped at a small grocery store and bought a few groceries that would get us down the Upper Mississippi, through the short stretch of the Ohio, and into the Cumberland River.

On Wednesday, September 18, 2013, we took on 200 gallons of diesel fuel, pumped out the holding tanks, and were on our way down the Mighty Mississippi at 1110. We knew we were only going a few miles to Alton, Illinois, so didn’t try to get an early start. Two and a half hours later we were at the Alton Marina, just upstream of the first lock and dam we would be transiting on the Mississippi. Along the way we passed and met several large tows, but they were nothing in size to the ones we would be seeing the next day.

This information is from Wikipedia:

Above St. Louis on the Upper Mississippi River and on other rivers such as the Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and Cumberland, boats can handle only up to 15 barges due the size of lock chambers. These boats tend to be limited to 5,000 horsepower (3,728 kW).

South of the Chain of Rocks Lock across from St. Louis on the Mississippi River, the river is open with no locks or impediments other than channel size and depth. Larger boats can run this segment of the river with the maximum tow size of 42 barges southbound and 40+ northbound. A typical River tow might be 35 to 42 barges, each about 200 feet (61 m) long by 35 feet (11 m) wide, configured in a rectangular shape 6 to 7 barges long and 5 to 6 barges wide, depending on the number of barges in tow. The whole tow, excluding the towboat, can easily be over 1,200 feet (370 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) wide, covering over 6 acres (2.4 ha) and holding thousands of tons of cargo. [The towboats pushing these large tows can be as much as 200 feet long and 56 feet wide with up to 11,100 horsepower (8,277 kW).]

The Alton Marina is a large, floating marina, with everything built on floating docks anchored to shore to rise with the periodic flooding of the Mississippi (at least a couple of times a year). Even the pool and store were part of the floating structure. All the slips except a few for transient boaters (like us) were covered. It’s quite a place.

Bob changed the engine oil and filters after the engine room had cooled down a bit after our arrival (something that he does every 250-275 hours of engine run-time). Later in the afternoon we attended a “loopers briefing” conducted by the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association harbor hosts for Alton, Bob and Patty Mitchell. Their up-to-date information on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers provided good information to assist us for the next 250 miles of our trip. They then drove all of us attending the briefing (about 12 people) to Mac’s Time-Out Lounge for dinner. Lots of fun.

Day: 21SM/18.3NM – 2H40M  Trip: 3062.4NM/3518.9SM – 525H15M

Shortly after departing the Alton Marina on Thursday, September 19, 2013, we passed through our first Mississippi River lock at mile 200, the Melvin Price Locks and Dam – it was substantially larger than the locks we had encountered on the Illinois River, at least it seemed so. It had two separate chambers, one large (the newer chamber) and one smaller (essentially the original chamber). We called the lockmaster before departing the marina and were told that the main (big) lock would be waiting for us when we arrived, and it was. We went right in and took a floating bollard about half-way down the starboard side of the chamber. The floating bollards make locking through easy for us and requires only one line at the mid-ship hawse cleated at one end to Sanderling and then single-looped around the bollard. As the water in the lock rises or lowers, the bollard floats up or down with the water level. Large round ball fenders near Sanderling’s bow and stern keep the boat from scraping the lock walls. We were the only boat in this huge lock; locking through these locks operated by the Army Corps of Engineers costs us nothing. Thank you, taxpayers!

This lock was the northern end of a man-made canal which bypasses the confluence of the Missouri River with the Mississippi and some shallow rapids in that area.

The next lock was only 10 miles further downstream, the Chain of Rocks Lock and Dam, near Granite City, Illinois. This lock is the end of a man-made canal and is the last lock and dam on the Mississippi River when southbound.

As we passed St. Louis we started encountering staging areas for the large tows that are put together to transit the remainder of the Mississippi to New Orleans. We were constantly on the lookout for small towboats moving one or two barges into position and joining them together to create the huge tows that we would be seeing on this part of the river.

Further downstream we saw several eagles at separate locations; this one flying along a sandy area probably looking for some “found” lunch!

Hoppies dock

We stopped for the day at Hoppies, a well-known and must-experience stop south of St. Louis at mile 158. Hoppies consists of some old barges anchored along the RDB (Right Descending Bank) at the town of Kimmswick, Missouri. Not much to look at, but it’s the only game in town for the next 158 miles of the Mississippi River and a place that sells both diesel and gasoline fuel for boats needing to top off. Electricity and water are available, but no heads or showers. We walked into town for lunch and then joined other boaters spending the night to listen to Fern’s briefing about things we should know for the rest of our transit of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Fern has been boating on the Mississippi for years and has a lot of good advice for us newcomers. One of her tid-bits that we put to good use was to always meet a tow on a straight-away or inside of the curve on the river to avoid their very strong and long-lasting prop wash when upbound; never take the outside of a tow on a curve.

One of the things you soon learn on any confined body of water is that it is important to contact the tow captain to arrange a passing well in advance of actually overtaking or meeting. This becomes even more important on the narrow stretch of the inland rivers where the tows are very restricted in their ability to maneuver and the channels are sometimes barely wide enough for them to swing their sterns to make the turn. More than once on the Mississippi we waited for a tow to come around a bend in the channel before proceeding through the bend ourselves. The tow captains have their own language to arrange meeting and passing situations with other boats. The Inland Rules provide that the primary means of arranging a meeting/passing is by VHF radio and in the alternative to sound your horn to alert the other boat of your intentions (one whistle to indicate you intend to pass on your port side and two whistles to indicate you intend to pass on your starboard side – this is at least the easy-to-understand interpretation of the rules even though it isn’t the exact language of the rules themselves). On the rivers the tow captains have incorporated the horn signals into the language used on the VHF. So they talk of a one whistle pass and a two whistle pass. Anyone boating on the inland rivers had best understand what it means: it’s not about sides of a boat – it’s about the maneuver, and it’s not my one-whistle side or my two-whistle side, or your one-whistle side or your two-whistle side. If you initiate the VHF call and want to indicate your intention to pass or meet the other boat on YOUR PORT SIDE, then you would refer to a one-whistle pass; this is true whether you’re passing or meeting the other boat. The corollary is also true: if the caller intends to meet or pass the other boat on the caller’s starboard side, then the caller would indicate a two-whistle pass. Of course, the clearest and simplest was to arrange a passing/meeting is simply to indicate in plain English that you would like to pas the other boat on it’s port or starboard side. Tow captains understand, either way, and the whole idea is to leave no doubt in either mind so there is no danger of a collision. With our AIS system, the tow captains frequently contact us in advance to arrange a meeting (they seldom pass us as even at our slow speeds we are generally going faster than the tows).

Day: 46.5SM/40.5 NM – 5H30M   Trip: 3102.9NM/3565.4SM – 530H45M

We departed Hoppies dock  at 0730 on Friday, September 20, 2013 heading a short distance to Kaskaskia Lock where we hoped to be able to tie to the river side of the bull nose on the downstream side of the lock. This lock is not a lock on the Mississippi River, but rather on a river that joins the Mississippi at mile 117. When we arrived about 1150 we were in luck – no other boaters had arrived so we took the first position along the wall. It had started to rain by the time we arrived and continued to rain throughout the afternoon, so we were happy to be off the river and cozy in our warm, dry boat. There were no amenities here, just a place to tie up that was out of the way. Later in the day a sailboat came in and tied up behind us.

Shortly after we arrived a tow locked down from the Kaskaskia River and made an interesting maneuver. The tow was two barges wide and 3 barges long. It exited the lock on the opposite side from us (the wall was low so we could see the whole thing), the towboat unfastened from the barges while the barges were still moving slightly downstream toward the Mississippi (about 1/2 mile away), passed the barges, turned around, and reattached itself to the formerly forward end of the string of barges. After a large tow passed the mouth of the river in the Mississippi, it backed out into the Mississippi, turned and proceeded upstream. A crew member who was on the forward edge of the tow told us that this was the only way the towboat cold get the tow turned to head upstream in the Mississippi. If the tow proceeded to push the barges into the Mississippi the current would sweep the leading end downstream and the towboat could never get the two turned around 180 degrees to head upstream. By backing into the Mississippi the two captain could back downstream with the current and by the time it cleared the side river the entire tow wold be headed upstream. Pretty darned clever! The whole turn-around maneuver took all of about 10 minutes including unleashing and refastening the towboat.

Day: 42.1SM/36.6NM – 4H20M    Trip: 3139.5NM/3607SM – 535H05M

The next length of the Mississippi would be the longest and provide the fewest opportunities to find a good anchorage (there would be no marinas or docks until we were in the Ohio River). Consequently, we set out as soon as we could see to safely navigate, about 0645 on September 21, 2013. The rain had stopped and it was going to be a clear and sunny day. We were hoping to find an anchorage behind one of the many wing dams which have been constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to help mother nature control the flow of current in the rivers, but the unintended (who knows) consequences are that the formerly deep water downstream of the wing dams have silted in and the lower water level of the river when we passed through eliminated most of the anchorages discussed in the cruising guides. We passed up several potential anchorages at around mile 40-45 but that was too early in the day and would have resulted in a long day the next day when we would be going upstream on the Ohio River where there were even fewer anchorages. By late afternoon we started checking anchorages which had formerly been good for boats our size at around mile 20, but all were silted in and too shallow. We were running out of time so turned back upstream and proceeded against the 2.5 MPH current to an extensive shallow area at about mile 24.5 on the inside of a sharp curve in the river about 200 yards off the main channel on the LDB (Left Descending Bank). We looked at several places there behind wing dams (and out of the current) but they, too, were silted in and unavailable. At 1730 ended up anchoring in the river in about 9 feet of water with good holding in sand. Even if the river level dropped a few feet overnight we would still have enough depth to get back into the main channel. We checked with a passing tow captain to confirm that we would be out of the way of all river traffic; the only thing we had to be concerned about was “run-away” barges – barges that had broken loose from tows and were drifting downstream on their own with the current. After we had anchored Bob measured the current – it was flying past at 3 MPH – we let out 150 feet of chain (at 1 pound per foot) to keep us steady during the night. Throughout the night we were awakened from time to time by the sound of tows backing down and accelerating their huge diesel engines to maneuver the sharp bend in the river. We did have a nice sunset that evening!

Day: 104.0SM/90.5NM – 11H00M   Trip: 3230.0NM/3711.5SM – 546H05M

Sunday, September 22, 2013 – Into the Ohio River

We had the anchor up (and 150 feet of chain) and were underway at 0650. We hoped to get to Lock 52 at mile 939 on the Ohio River before nightfall. The  fast current of the Mississippi River pushed us along at over 9 MPH and by 1015 we were departing the Mississippi River and turning into the Ohio River at mile 981 (mile 0 of the Upper Mississippi River) at Cairo, Illinois. The character of the water changed almost immediately from a relatively narrow and turbulent body of water on the Upper Mississippi to a broad and fairly calm body of water on the Ohio River. The tow traffic picked up considerably, however, as the lower Ohio River is a major staging area for tows transitioning between the Ohio and the Mississippi. Many small towboats were moving barges around to break up large tows for their trip up the Ohio, or addition additional barges to tows heading down the Mississippi.

Dam modules already in place

Locks apparently completed and in place

Construction site for dam modules

We soon passed a major Army Corps of Engineers Construction site for the Olmstead Locks and Dam at mile 964 that is projected to cost (with over-runs) upwards of a BILLION dollars. This single dam will replace existing dams number 52 and 53. Some people we met who were involved in the operation of other dams referred to it as a major boondoggle and a pit of corruption and payoffs; some even questioned whether it would be completed at all.

There was an incredible amount of construction traffic connected with the project – land-based vehicles as well as towboats large and small.

The lock structure appears to be completed and the dam itself is being constructed in modules fabricated ashore than placed into position in the prepared riverbed. The technique was developed in Europe where it has been used successfully in a number of projects, but has never been used before in the United States.

Shortly after passing the construction zone we were able to enter Lock #53 at mile 962. This photo shows Lock #53 from the upstream side after we exited the chamber looking back with the new dam construction site in the background.

Chartplotter displaying AIS data from nearby tows

We continued to pass several staging areas as we moved up the Ohio approaching Lock #52. Here is a view of our chart plotter (GPS) showing a number of other vessels (all tows or solitary tow boats). The chartplotter shows our speed as 6.3 MPH, our heading as 118 degrees true, and the water depth as 25.3 feet. In the lower right corner is our lattitude/longitude.

We arrived at lock #52 too late in the afternoon to proceed any further upstream – there are no anchorages within range for the remaining daylight – so we anchored on the Kentucky side of the river about 1/2 mile below the dam. Like the previous night, the current was flowing at about 3 MPH (we learned the next morning that the dam was releasing extra water to lower the pool above the dam so some needed repairs could be made to the dam’s wickets. The dam operator told us to call them early the next morning to let them know we wanted to lock through and to get an approximation of when we would be able to go through. We set the alarm for 0530 so we would be ready to go and call them at 0600.

About a hour after we arrived a smaller 36 foot trawler anchored about 100 yards off our port side where the current from the dam was creating more waves than where we were anchored closer to shore and with a little protection from a jetty of land that directed the main flow of water away from us (toward their anchoring area). About an hour later they moved to directly behind us and hopefully had a less “rocky” night.

Day: 67.3SM/58.6NM – 10H05M   Trip: 3288.6NM/3778.8SM – 556H10M

On Monday, September 23, 2013 we were up and at-em by 0530. We had done everything to get ready to get underway except raise the anchor. At about 0600 we heard the other trawler call the lock and let them know that there were two of us who wanted to lock through at their earliest convenience. We confirmed our status with the lock operator. The lock replied that it would be at least six hours before we could lock through since they were currently in the process of locking through one tow and another was on its way. Both of us let them know that we’d be standing by for further instructions and would be ready to go whenever the lock was available.

About 15 minutes later a different voice contacted us via the VHF and told us he had figured out a way to get us through early, and that we should immediately proceed to the lock chamber, but hurry as he was putting us in ahead of a tow that was approaching upbound (we could see the tow about a mile below the lock. We both immediately got our anchors up and headed for the chamber which was slowly opening for us to enter.

Lock #53 with upbound tow waiting to enter after we exit

View across the dam with the far wickets lowered to allow more water to escape. We had anchored well downstream of the lock and away from the strongest rushing water.

Exiting lock #52 into the sunrise. Judy is securing lines used to tie to the lock wall.

Once we got into the chamber and had the opportunity to talk with one of the lock hands who directed us to the pins he wanted us to take, we learned that between the time the lock was originally contacted and the return call the shift had changed; the current shift supervisor realized that both of us had been anchored overnight and did everything he could to get us through ahead of the tow that was slowly approaching. While we were being raised in the chamber the approaching tow actually tied off to the wall below the dam and waited for our departure and for the lock to be “turned around” so he could enter after we exited.

We then continued up the Ohio River, past Paducah (where the Tennessee River enters the Ohio at mile 932) to the mouth of the Cumberland River at Ohio River mile 920 and turned up the Cumberland River heading to Lake Barkley and the Barkley Lock and Dam, another 30 miles upriver. The other trawler had gotten ahead of us at the mouth of the Cumberland because we waited for a downbound tow before negotiating a blind hairpin curve in the river, but by the time we arrived at the Barkley Lock and Dam we were back together again (they had to wait for a tow locking through). As we approached and called the lock operator we were told that the lock was ready for all of us (there was also a small fishing boat waiting to lock through) and to enter the chamber as soon as a tow had cleared the gate area.

Lower gate closing

Judy tending to line around floating bollard (also referred to as a “pin”)

Exiting the lock with the next tow waiting to enter

A short distance later and we were heading to our assigned slip at Green Turtle Bay Marina on Lake Barkley at Cumberland River mile 30.8, where we would be the next two nights and would catch up with Tie A Knot and our friends Jann and Gary.

Day: 50.9SM/44.3NM – 9H30M   Trip: 3332.9NM/3829.7SM – 565H40M

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 – St. Ignace, Michigan

After our delightful day trip to Mackinac Island on Sunday, where we took a horse carriage tour and biked around the island’s 8-mile periphery (and ate ice cream and fudge), we were ready to depart the area and start heading down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Not! The wind forecast for the next several days was going to put 15-20 knot wind and 3-4 foot waves in the area we needed to transit from St. Ignace for the next several days. So we’re staying put in St. Ignace until at least Thursday (based on the current weather forecasts and wind/wave prediction models) and we may not get out of here until Friday – but Friday is currently a real likelihood with wind predicted at less than 10 knots and waves less than one foot. That’s more to our liking. It’s not that we can’t manage rougher seas, but we prefer not to as long as there is a reasonable alternative by waiting a few days. Seas of 4 feet become uncomfortable, and anything over four is very uncomfortable for Sanderling’s human passengers!

Thursday, August 22, 2013 – Still in St. Ignace, but not for long!

The crystal clear water of the harbor at St. Ignace, Michigan

Yesterday we debated the pros and cons of heading out this morning and going to Northport or Charlevoix, Michigan. Based on the weather forecasts (waves 2-3 later in the afternoon) we decided to wait. I got up early this morning (0700) and checked the forecast and it was about the same as yesterday’s, so we decided to stick with our earlier plan and wait for another day. Tomorrow and Saturday should be nearly perfect conditions.

We’re now going to head to Traverse City on Grand Traverse Bay by Saturday noon or so, and should be back out to the Northport (near the mouth of the bay) by Saturday evening. The purpose of the trip is to get to a CVS drug store so Judy can get a prescription filled. We originally thought there would be some other options about getting to that CVS via rental car, but the rental car locations seem to be very sparse in this part of the country so the easiest thing to do was to just cruise to Traverse City (the closest CVS). Weather forecast for Sunday is iffy, so we may be stuck in Grand Traverse Bay for a day or so before we can venture out onto Lake Michigan again.

In any event, we’ll get underway around 0600 Friday (tomorrow) morning, cross into Lake Michigan (from Lake Huron) and then head south along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. It’s about 70 statute miles from here to Northport and about 60 to Charlevoix, so we’ll take either depending on how well we advance over our route. We should be able to make Northport without any difficulty.

We’ve had a nice time here in St. Ignace but we’re ready to leave and get on with our cruise! We don’t like waiting due to weather, but that’s one of those things that we have no control over!

Friday, August 23, 2013 – Northport

Mackinac Bridge in the early morning sunlight

We departed St. Ignace at 0625 this morning (even before sunrise) and about 0700 crossed under the Mackinac Bridge and into Lake Michigan. There was a bit of a current opposing us as we headed west for about 14 miles before turning south through the shipping channel and started our trek down the eastern side of the lake. We’re anchored tonight at a bay just to the east of Northport, Michigan, in about 15 feet of very clear water.

Our cruising plans for the next few days changed about mid afternoon today when we discovered that there was a rental car agency associated with a collision center in Frankfort. Because of the forecast for high winds starting on Sunday and continuing perhaps for several days, we decided to get as far south as possible tomorrow (Frankfort) where Judy will be able to get a rental car on Monday and drive to Traverse City to the CVS where her prescription are waiting for her. We’ll then continue on south when weather permits, perhaps by Tuesday. Grand Haven, where we want to be in a marina by the 29th so Judy can fly out of Grand Rapids on the 30th, is two days away for us from Frankfort; as long as long as we have two days of good weather we’ll make it without difficulty.

We have only about 70 miles to go tomorrow to get to the marina in Frankfort where we now have reservations, so we’ll get an early start again tomorrow morning. We should get there by mid-afternoon at our slow speed of 7.3 MPH!

Day: 78.4SM/68.2NM  – 10H55M     Trip: 2445.9NM/2810.9SM – 427H10M

Monday, August 26, 2013 – Frankfort, Michigan

We made it to Frankfort from Northport on Saturday, August 24th before the bad weather arrived later that night.

Sunday was blustery with wind from the south at over 15 knots; the nearby beach was filled with sunbathers, kite surfers, paddle boarders, and surfers! It looked like Cocoa Beach on a good day! We spent the day on Sunday checking out the main street of the town (only 1/2 block away), finding ice cream stores and new restaurants.

Judy arranged for a rental car from the local collision center for Monday so we could drive to Traverse City to go to a CVS drug store to pick up her meds.

The top of the dunes north of Frankfurt at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore Park

Almost a 45 degree bank of sand leading right down to the lake’s edge

On the way back we drove through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park – a spectacular area of dunes between Frankfort and Crystal Lake on the south and Northport to the north. We’d seen the dunes from the water on Friday and they were spectacular; seeing them from the tops gave us an entirely different perspective. Of course my Golden Age Pass got us into the scenic drive at no charge! Along the course of our drive we stopped to do a little shopping in the local Glenn’s Supermarket – a great store for replenishing.

Weather for the next three days is forecast to be great – waves less than 1 foot and wind around 5 to 10 knots – our kind of weather for cruising on the lake. We’ll depart around 0800 heading about 55 miles to Ludington where we’ll anchor for the night. The next day we hope to get around 40 miles to White Lake and the day thereafter 30 miles to Grand Haven. We’ll make it as long as the weather holds.

More later!

Saturday, August 31, 2013 – Muskegon, Michigan

On Tuesday (August 27th) everything looked good, weather wise, when we got up at 0630 despite overcast skies and light rain. Forecast from Frankfort to Ludington looked good all the way with winds out of the north and waves 1-2. We cast off from the dock at 0800 and were soon southbound along the Michigan coast heading to Ludington. The first part of our route took us on a long stretch and about 5 miles offshore in order to make Little Point Sable. By the time we reached Little Point Sable at 1400 the seas had built to about 3 feet and were getting rough, with wind from the southwest at about 15 knots. After rounding the point the seas increased to 3-4 and for the next hour and a half we were tossed about quite a bit heading to Ludington which was the closest harbor. We actually had to go past the harbor entrance by about half a mile in order to work our way back into the harbor without having a beam sea which would have rolled us even more than taking the waves at at 45 degrees angle. We were both seated and hanging onto the seat backs and we both wondered how sore we’d be in the morning from bracing ourselves. As soon as we entered the breakwater everything calmed down and it was like we had suddenly been transported to a different place! We looked at several anchorages which were identified on a web site, but decided we didn’t like either of them due to depth and what appeared to be “clutter” on the bottom (it shows up on our depth/fish finder), so we moved to a 12 foot area at the southeast corner of the harbor and spent a very restful night despite the cement plant 1/4 mile to the north!

Day: 55.0SM/47.9NM – 8H15M      Trip: 2553.7NM/2934.4SM – 444H45M

The forecast for Wednesday (August 28) was again good and when we awoke at 0630 everything seemed OK again! So again, we decided to go out and if it was good we’d continue as far as we could until the afternoon winds came up, perhaps we could get as far as White Lake, about 50 miles. We departed the anchorage at 0715 and threaded our way through numerous small boats trolling for salmon (they’re congregating getting ready to spawn and enter the river there) – all the fishing people seemed to be enjoying themselves, but with all their lines trailing behind their boats they do not like to alter course, so we picked our way around them. Upon exiting the breakwater the lake was quite calm and we again headed south. We added some rpms to cruise at about 8 MPH in order to arrive at our destination a little earlier than we would at 7.3 MPH. As it turned out the weather cooperated fully and at White Lake we decided to keep going all the way to Muskegon (about 12 miles further down the lake) to take advantage of the good weather and ensure that we’d get there in plenty of time to get Judy to the airport on Friday morning. We entered the breakwater at Muskegon at 1445 and had the anchor down in about 10 feet of water in Snug Harbor (northwest corner of the harbor) by 1510. We happened to anchor on a direct path between a public boat launching ramp in a state park and the harbor channel, so every small fishing boat in the area passed by us on the way to or returning from fishing late into the evening and the next morning at first light. There were so many small boats passing into the evening that we turned on all three deck/spreader lights to better illuminate Sanderling rather than relying only on the anchor light and left them on late into the night even after we went to bed. The boats were fishing for salmon as well as bass.

Day: 58.4SM/ 50.8NM  – 7H55M   Trip: 2604.6NM/2992.8SM – 452H40M

On Thursday (August 29) we only had to cross Muskegan Harbor to get to our marina – Great Lakes Marina – where we would spend the next seven day while Judy flies to Kansas for her brother and sister-in-law’s 50th wedding celebration and her mother’s 92nd birthday. We got a rental car from Enterprise (where we have a corporate account) on Friday morning and I drove Judy to the airport in Grand Rapids for her 1215 flight. I’m keeping the rental car for the week she is gone so I can see some of the sights in the area, get to restaurants and do some boat shopping, if necessary.

Day: 30.0SM/2.6NM – 0H45M     Trip: 2607.2NM/2995.8SM – 453H25M

Posted on August 17, 2013

Sunday, August 11, 2013 Little Current

We departed Little Current at 1200 and after a short 15.2 statute miles anchored in Logan Bay on Clapperton Island. The cruise was uneventful, with a few boat departing Little Current about the same time, and other boats coming in to Little Current to spend a few hours at the town docks (free unless spending the night) or to go through Little Current to the east on the hour when the bridge spanning the channel opens for boat traffic. Little Current is located at a narrow channel which more or less divides the eastern section of the North Channel cruising grounds from the western areas and the main North Channel body of water. Although there are no lunar/solar tides in North Channel, there are wind driven water level fluctuations called seiches which can create quite a current in some locations, particularly at a restriction like Little Current. During the short time we were there the wind was blowing out of the west, causing water to move in an easterly direction through the confined channel. The low bridge across the channel opens only on the hour, so boats wanting to proceed to the east had to stop well in advance of the bridge and keep well off until the bridge opened; boats westbound have to keep in forward gear dead slow in order to keep close to the bridge in order to get through when it opens. It makes for quite a pile-up of boats on either side of the bridge depending on the amount of bigger boat traffic at any given time (small boats can go under the bridge when it is closed so don’t have to wait for the opening.

You can read an excellent explanation of seiches at http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/seiches. That article states in part:

A seiche has to occur in an enclosed body of water such as a lake, bay or gulf. A seiche, a French word meaning “to sway back and forth”, is a standing wave that oscillates in a lake as a result of seismic or atmospheric disturbances creating huge fluctuations of water levels in just moments. The standing waves slosh back and forth between shores of the lake basin, often referred as tide-like changes of the Great Lakes, by many. Most seiches on the Great Lakes are results of atmospheric disturbances and a cease in wind, not seismic activity or huge tidal forces.

Logan Bay was a nice stop after departing around noon and provided good protection for the westerly winds that were forecast to gust up to 25 MPH later in the evening and into the night. There were only two other boats there (one sail and one LUFF) during our stay.

Day: 12SM5./13.2NM – 2H20M       Trip: 2245.8NM/2580.5SM – 395H05M

Monday, August 12, 2013 Logan Bay to Eagle Island

We departed Logan Bay at 0930 and headed to another island that would provide good protection for winds forecast to be from the west and northwest gusting to 25 for the afternoon and the day – Eagle Island. It proved to be a good choice and although there were as many as six boats there at one time, there was plenty of room for everything even as the wind gusts shifted from southwest to west to northwest through the afternoon and next day.

One thing I haven’t mentioned that is common to all the bodies of water in this area – loons. We see them constantly, and hear their mournful calls as the sun sets and rises each day. Eagle Bay was no exception and it seemed that there was always at least a pair of loons present on the bay, fishing or preening.

Day: 11.2SM/9.7NM – 1H35M   Trip: 2255.5NM/2591.7SM

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 Eagle Island to Moiles Harbour (John Island)

We stayed in the protected bay at Eagle Island for two days waiting for the wind gusts to subside so we could move a little further west. By Wednesday morning the time had come to move a little further, so we departed Eagle Island at 0845 and anchored at 1125 at Moiles Harbour (really just a bay) at the eastern end of John Island. There were several other boats in this small but very protected anchorage and we found a good spot in about 20 feet of water. Winds picked up again, so instead of moving on to Beardrop Harbor we stayed for an extra day. We originally intended to move to Beardrop for our last night before heading 60 miles to the west in the main bay of North Channel, but because we needed a calm day for the long-distance and because Beardrop was only four miles away, we just stayed put in Moiles Harbour for an additional night rather than moving and anchoring in an area that was not as well protected from the southwesterly wind. The forecast for the next day was very good for the entire 60 mile route, so we planned an early departure.

Day: 18.1SM/15.8NM – 2H40M     Trip: 2271.3NM/2609.8SM – 399H20M

Friday, August 16, 2013 Moiles Harbour to Witney Bay via Drummond Island U.S. Customs

We were up at underway at 0630 as the sun rose and the wind had died to less than 6 MPH as forecast. The water was like glass as the sun rose over the mountains to the east – the first time in a week when the wind hadn’t been blowing at 12 MPH or more.

Once we cleared the few small islands to the west of Moiles Harbour we set a course that was almost due west for the next 40 miles, then crossed the boarder into the US, raised our yellow quarantine flag, and shortly afterwards turned south at the northern tip of Drummond Island to head to Yacht Haven Marina and the US Customs where we were required to check in to reenter the US legally. We had no plans to stop at the marina other than to clear Customs and we were glad we didn’t – it was in terrible shape and the marina had virtually nothing to offer other than access to Customs. The young Customs officer came aboard and examined our boat documentation and passports, did a cursory inspection of the interior (looking for smuggled aliens?), and checked through their computer system (as far as we know), we were given a Customs Log number and our passports were returned.

As we were heading back to Sanderling to get underway we overheard a radio call from a boat that had hit a rock and was sinking about a mile north of the marina. The marina staff scrambled and one of them jumped in a boat to go to the rescue. The radio call indicated the boat was a Tiara and we could see it from the marina sitting stern down in an area with about 15 feet of water. Apparently the driver had failed to notice that it was crossing a very shallow area out of the channel leading into the marina and at its high rate of speed had struck a rock and somehow damaged the bottom to such an extent that the onboard pumps could not keep up with the incoming water. Just like the Titanic, the women and children aboard got in a dinghy and were helped ashore by nearby boat. The marina’s boat took the Tiara in tow and as we were leaving the Customs dock the Tiara, with two men aboard, was being towed to a travel lift where we assume they were going to place the sinking craft while it was still afloat and lift it out of the water. We don’t know the outcome.

Since it was still fairly early (1600) we got underway and continued on around the west side of Drummond Island (in the main shipping channel from Lake Superior and Soo St. Marie) to Whitney Bay at the southwest corner of Drummond Island. We anchored at 1805 in about 10 feet of water so clear we could see every detail on the bottom, including our anchor and chain. We immediately fired up the grill and had hamburgers for dinner as the sun was setting.

Day: 78.5SM/

Saturday, August 17, 2013 Whitney Bay, Michigan to St. Ignace, Michigan

We were underway at 0705 on our way westward along the south shore of Michigan’s upper peninsula to St. Ignace. Again, the wind was fairly calm and the sun was shining to help warm the cool (to us) air. We saw a few Great Lakes ships enroute toward Lake Michigan, and a few heading east into Lake Huron. Since it was a weekend there were quite a few pleasure boats (both power and sail) out and about. As we rounded the northern tip of Mackinac Island we saw a number of high speed ferries plying back and forth between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island and their wakes actually created quite a chop in the narrows between the two locations.

When we stopped at the St. Ignace Municipal Marina we pulled into the fuel dock and took on 200 gallons of diesel fuel and pumped out the forward holding tank before proceeding to our slip.

We’re going to Mackiinac Island tomorrow for the day, and if the weather cooperates we’ll depart Monday for the western shore of mainland Michigan.

Day: 43.8SM/

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Monday, August 5, 2013 – Killarney to Covered Portage

Day: 5.4SM/4.7NM – 0H45M      Trip: 2183.7NM/2509.2SM – 384H20M

Thursday, August 8, 2013 – Covered Portage to Baie Fine

25.0SM/21.8NM – 3H30M      2205.5NM/253.2SM – 387H50M

Friday, August 9, 2013 – Baie Fine to Beaver Island Anchorage (Strawberry Island)

21.2SM/18.4NM – 3H05M     2223.9NM/2555.4SM – 390H55<M

Saturday, August 10, 2013 – Beaver Island Anchorage (Strawberry Island) to Little Current

to Little Current (Town Docks)

Day: 9.9SM/

Sunday, August 11, 2013 – Little Current to Logan Bay (Clapperton Island)

Roy’s cruiser’s net broadcast on Saturday mornings

We’re about to depart Little Current. I attended Roy’s Cruisers’ Net broadcast on VHF-71 this morning and there were around 140 boats that called in (Roy thought it was probably a record number for this time of year). His all-time high was around 175 on July 27th this year – who says people aren’t cruising!

You can listen to Roy’s broadcasts (and read his newsletters) at http://www.lcyc.ca/index.php/cruisers-net

We’ll be heading to one of the anchorages at Clapperton Island today, then Eagle island, then perhaps to Beardrop Bay. Weather will be the big factor beyond Clapperton. From Beardrop Bay we’re going to head to Drummond Island (Michigan) to check back into the US, and from there to St. Ignace where we’ll spend a couple of nights and take a day-trip by ferry to Mackinac Island to see what the hoopla is all about. From there we’ll head over to the Michigan coast and make our way down the eastern side of Lake Michigan.

Will provide more info to this blog and fill in all the blanks as WiFi permits.

Thursday, June 13, 2013 – Horse Point, Bay of Quinte, Ontario

As much as we had a nice, sunny afternoon yesterday, today was rainy and gray. We awoke to light rain which had started during the night, and got underway at 0925 in the drizzle. The good news – there was no anchor beard, the mass of aquatic plants and grass that sometimes accumulates on the anchor and chain as it lies on the bottom and forms a mass when the anchor is retrieved. There was some visible plant growth in the small bay when we checked it prior to anchoring, but moved into slightly deeper water and apparently avoided it (the grass/weeds won’t grow when the sunlight doesn’t reach the bottom, so the deeper the water the less likely one will find the plant growth).

We traveled westward 15 miles to Trenton, Ontario, the “Gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway” and tied to the dock at the Fraser Park Marina. What a great place it is. Not only is the staff (Craig) incredibly helpful and friendly, the marina is only a block away from a spacious new Metro supermarket (formerly A&P) and the downtown area with other shops and restaurants within easy walking distance. While there we “discovered” Kawartha ice cream and their blackberry cream white chocolate chip ice cream. No other ice cream can compare!

While in Trenton we did about eight loads of laundry in our small European-style washer-dryer (it was running all day long), changed the engine oil and filters, ate out twice, loaded up on diet coke, Lipton diet green tea, and diet mountain dew at the Metro, and also found some olive oil with spices and freshly baked French baguettes!

Saturday, June 15, 2013 – Trenton

At 0850 we shifted from the dock where we had been staying for two nights to the fuel/pumpout dock to pump out our two holding tanks (absolutely no overboard discharge allowed in these waters). We were then underway and heading under the bridge into the Trent-Severn Waterway at 0915. We had to wait at lock #1 for about 45 minutes and had no response from the Parks Canada employees even after hailing them on the VHF radio several times. Judy finally walked about ¼ mile to the lock and could find no one other than people fishing. About 10 minutes after she returned to Sanderling we saw the lock tenders and the lock doors opened. We learned while we were in the lock that the the lock tenders take care of both locks #1 and #3, and they were assisting boats ahead of us go through #3 when we arrived at #1. Once we were through #1 the rest of the locks were ready for us when we arrived. Each of the crews did take care of two different locks so were driving back and forth the short distance between their locks.

We stopped for the day at the top of lock #6 where there is a beautiful park and camp ground. The name of the local community is Frankford.

The country is beautiful with tree-covered hills and the rushing Trent River alongside us. There has been more rainfall this past couple of weeks so the waterway authority is allowing more water than normal to flow through the dams in order to prevent serious flooding further upstream.

Tomorrow (Sunday) we hope to reach Campbellford, about 25 miles and another six locks further north (upstream).

Day: 7.6SM/6.6NM – 2H05M Trip: 1696.3NM/1949.1SM – 283H00M

Sunday, June 16, 2013 – Lock #6 – Frankford, Ontario

It’s drizzling this morning and the forecast calls for up to 25 mm (a little over an inch) of rain today. A houseboat that pulled onto the southbound blue line yesterday afternoon departed through the lock about 1100 this morning, but we’re going to stay put for the day and hope for better weather tomorrow (forecast: 40% chance of thunderstorms) to continue northward to Campbellford.

On the Trent-Severn Waterway you’re traveling either north or south when talking to lock and bridge tenders, even though in reality you may at any time be heading north, south, east or west. The basic waterway from the start at Trenton to the finish at Severn is actually northwest, but the waterway follows various rivers (we’re now on the Trent River) and lakes which do not necessarily line up in a north-south direction. So to make it easier, if you’re heading to Severn and eventually Georgian Bay you’re heading north, and if you’re heading to Trenton you’re heading south, no matter what your compass or GPS indicates!

Breakfast this morning for me (Judy’s breakfast is always her hearty coffee) consisted of pancakes, sujuk and kielbasa – the first time I’ve made my at-home-standard-weekend breakfast on this cruise! While we’re underway I usually have toast with peanut butter and honey – it’s fast and easy to fix as well as being fairly nutritious. Some days I’ll eat cheerios with a banana if we have a ripe banana onboard, and I frequently have yogurt in addition to toast and cereal.

The “blue line” referred to in the first paragraph of this day’s post is actually a wide blue line, painted along the right side of the wall leading to each lock, whether locking up or down. If you intend to go through the lock and the lock gate is not open, you tie to the blue line and wait for the lock door to open. If you’re on the blue line, it means that you intend to proceed through the lock; if you’re behind the blue line (not yet moved forward onto the line, then there’s no expectation that you’re going to go through the lock. It’s more or less a signal to the lock tenders that you do or do not intend to proceed through the lock. Unlike the canals in New York (Erie, Champlain, Oswego) there is no VHF radio contact with the locks in Canada – everything is based on your position on or off the blue line or what you tell the preceding lock tender about which locks you intend to transit that day. If you tell the preceding lock tender that you’re going through the next lock, the tender will call the next lock (by phone) to let them know you’re on your way and will be going through. That allows the next lock tender to prepare the lock for your arrival if there’s not much distance between the lock. The system works quite well and eliminates a lot of radio chatter. You’re not supposed to stay on the blue line during the day, since your presence on the line indicates that you want to proceed through the lock, but once the locks close for the day (1600 during the week; 1700 during the weekend) you can tie up to the blue line to spend the night as long as you’re prepared to lock through when the locks open for the day (0900). We bought a season pass from Parks Canada for both locking and mooring so there is no charge for us to go through the locks or to stay on the lock wall for the night. A few of the locks have hydro (electricity) for an additional $10.00 per night (not included in the Park Canada pass).

Monday, June 17, 2013 – Frankford

Departed at 0830 to get to Lock #7 (about 6 miles away) in order to get their first opening. Arrived in plenty of time and tied to the blue line; waited about 20 minutes before the lock opened, and as we were entering a Canadian trawler and crew that had been at Frankford came in with us. We were together the rest of the day and the remaining locks to Campbellford.

Shortly after we exited the flight of two locks just below Campbellford our engine overheat alarm went off. When I glanced at the temperature gauge it read about 220F degrees, when it’s normally around 170 to 180F in these waters. Fortunately we had moved beyond the dam at that point and were in a rather swiftly flowing, narrow river not too far from where we hoped to moor for the night. Judy immediately put out 125 feet of anchor chain in 10 feet of water which caught and held us firmly.By this time the raw water alarm was screaming, also, so there were two different overheat alarms sounding from both the inside and topside steering stations! The cats were panicked by the sound and were trying to find a place to hide. I turned off the engine and opened two deck plates into the engine room. It was obvious that the alternator belt had NOT broken, so more investigation was required.

I entered the really hot engine room and checked the thru hull intake filter (not clogged) and then took the plate off the impeller housing (the impeller was not broken into pieces) and watched while Judy turned the engine over to check to see whether the water pump was working – it was. We restarted the engine (alarms still screaming) and there seemed to be water coming out of the exhaust as it should be, meaning that raw water was again cooling the engine. Judy noticed that the engine temperature was starting to drop, and shortly the engine temperature alarm had stopped but the raw water alarm on the exhaust hose continued to scream. After the engine continued running for five minutes or so with the raw water alarm still screaming, I returned to the engine room and disconnected the alarm! That solved that problem. We motored forward and took up the anchor line as we went, then continued into the dock at Campbellford and found other boaters waiting to help us get our lines onto the dock in the swift current. Soon all was back to normal.

Although I have no way of knowing for certain, I think we must have sucked something into the engine water intake just after exiting the last lock. When I opened the various ports to inspect the water filter and the impeller the clog must have exited the thru-hull allowing the cooling water to again flow through the engine. I have no other explanation since I didn’t have to “fix” anything in order to get the cooling water flowing again.

We’ll be here in Campbellford for at least the night – we’re currently trying to decide whether to stay tomorrow or continue on to Lake Rice to anchor for a night before getting to the first hydraulic lift lock at Peterborough.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 – Campbellford

We’ve returned from having our mandatory whipped sweet cream filled glazed donuts at Dooher’s Bakery (also bought a loaf of Canadian Harvest bread and two cheese bagels), buying a number of pounds of chocolate goodies at the World’s Finest Chocolate Factory Outlet Store, and eight bacon-wrapped filet mignons at M&M’s Meat Market. I think we’re all set for a couple of weeks. Those donuts were the best donuts we’ve ever eaten; Judy had two and I had three before we finished!

We did a load of laundry last night and took showers aboard, so we filled the water tanks this morning (total of 160 gallons in two tanks). Judy’s finishing some work using the internet, and then we’re going to head north again. We think we’ll tie to an upper lock wall before reaching Lake Rice later this afternoon. Perhaps Peterborough tomorrow.

Checked the engine this morning and reconnected the raw water alarm – it is no longer screaming. When we started the engine it was pumping water out of the exhaust just like it is supposed to, and there was no sign of any water leaks from hoses around the engine. Most likely cause of the overheating problem yesterday was a plastic bag sucked into the raw water intake thru-hull.

We departed Campbellford at 1200 and at 1230 we were ready to exit Lock #13 with friends Rick and Anna whom we met and traveled with yesterday. They have a beautifully restored Marine Trader 36 which they are taking a short distance north to their home just above lock 17.

At 1430 we exited lock 17 and Rick and Anna veered to port to take their moor

ing in the bay at their home and we continued northward. We anchored at Dunn Point at Trent-Severn mile 41 at 1515 hours, and had an enjoyable afternoon basking in the sun with both cats able to run about the boat. That evening we heard and later saw our first loon of this trip – what a mournful sound and beautiful sight they are on the water.

Forgot to mention that we saw TWO bald eagles on a tree limb yesterday and Judy got some great pics of them as we passed slowly by.

Day: 9.9SM/     3H15M       – Trip:

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 – Dunn Point

We had the anchor up and were underway at 0940. Surprisingly there was no grass “beard” on the anchor. We are not in the real “cottage” area of the Trent-Severn and the banks of the rivers and lakes are lined with summer cottages (a few newer year-round homes as well, it appears). We passed through lock #18 at Hastings and into Lake Rice. We looked for a place to anchor where we could find an unsecured WiFi (from someone’s home) and finally found a good spot further along the lake near the Hiawatha Indian Reservation not too far from where we would turn north into the Otanabee River. We could see a few weeds growing from the bottom, so figured that we’d have a “beard” tomorrow when we raised anchor!

Day: 27.3SM/              4H45M   –  Trip:

Thursday, June 20, 2013 – Hiawatha Indian Reservation north shore Lake Rice

Another clear and sunny day with little wind and temperature about 65F when we got underway at 0900. We did have a bit of a “beard” when the anchor was raised and it took awhile to clear off the grass while Judy headed toward the Otanabee River.

At 1230 we went into lock #19, and at 1305 we had lines to the dock at the Municipal Marina in Peterborough. After we had registered and each had two scoops of Kawartha ice cream (Blackberry Thunder) we walked several miles to the lift lock just north of Peterborough to get a feel for what we would be doing tomorrow. While this is one of seven lift locks in the world (Canada, England, France and Belgium), it will be a first for us. This one is the world’s tallest. We hope to depart the marina about 1000 and be in the lift lock between 1100 and 1200.

Day: 23.9SM         4H25M         –   Trip:

Peterborough Lift Lock

Peterborough Lift Lock

Monday, June 24, 2013

Since departing Peterborough we’ve stayed at Lakeville Lock #26 (where we were able to walk into town and buy containers of Hawatha ice cream), anchored near Taylor Island in Clear Lake, and then anchored in beautiful small Gilchrist Bay off Stony Lake where we’ll soon depart this morning heading to the Whetung Ojibwa Crafts and Art Gallery dock for a short stop and then will find an anchorage in Buckhorn Lake.

More later!

Wednesday, June 26, 203 – Bobcaygeon Lock #32 mile 138

This morning Bob walked to a restaurant and had an omelette, home fries, bacon and toast for breakfast before we got underway. We watched a couple of house boats (rented locally) lock through the lock with the assistance of the lock operator, and then at 1030 we went into the lock ourselves. We went through several more locks before anchoring in Fells Bay off Cameron Lake at 1400.

The bay was very small and we were well protected from wind from about any direction. There were cottages and larger houses around the edge of the lake and people were swimming from shore and generally enjoying the nice afternoon.

It wasn’t very long after we anchored that we began to hear loons calling and saw them in the water. Upon inspection with our binoculars, it was apparent that the pair had a small chick that they were taking care of. Later in the day we even observed the chick on the back of one of the adult loons! The little family stayed between us and the shore for the entire time we were anchored in the small bay.

Day: 19.1SM/16.6NM 3H30M – Trip: 1842.3NM/2116.9SM 318H40M

Thursday, June 27, 2013 – Fells Bay, Cameron Lake mile 155

Just before raising the anchor this morning we saw another loon who was swimming very close to Sanderling. Judy was able to get some good photos of it while it swam by. The anchor was up at 0935 and we were on our way. The next lock was just a few miles further northward and a 40 foot vertical lift; as it turned out we were in the lock with three rental house boats, not the best of all possible worlds since the house boats operators are generally very inexperienced and to be avoided, if at all possible, to lessen the possibility of a collision! Despite their lack of experience, the lock tenders are very good at helping them get their boats tied to the walls (this is basically rental house boat nirvana) and as long as they understand directions the boat operators get along fairly well. We helped the last houseboat into the lock get their lines fixed to the lock walls – we had been in another lock with the same boat the previous day, so at least this wasn’t the boat operator’s first lock!

By 1225 we had our lines to the wall above the Kirkville Lock #36 (the second hydraulic lift lock on the waterway) and walked forward to the lockmaster’s office to discuss what was available for an overnight further along the waterway. After learning that the next five locks all could accommodate several boats beyond their blue lines, we proceeded into the port “bathtub” along with a beautiful Ranger 28 tug behind us, and shortly were being lowered about 45 feet to the lower level. This was the first “down” lock we encountered on the waterway – all of the preceding locks were locking us up to a higher level of water. The highest lake level is 840 feet above sea level (Lake Balsam). We started on Lake Ontario (Trenton) at about 243 feet above sea level, and we’ll be lowered at Georgian Bay (Port Severn) to 576 feet above sea level! There are a total of 44 locks (one number isn’t used) and Lock 44 at Big Chute is really not a lock but a marine railway. The last lock at Port Severn is #45.

By 1305 we were out of the Kirkville lift and on our way. At 1620 we had traversed four more locks and had our lines to the lower wall at lock #40 where we were going to spend the night in a quiet, rural setting. There was one small boat tied to the far end of the wall when we arrived and they had their Honda generator and a 2.5 gallon gasoline container on shore with a long yellow etension cord running to their boat to power their refrigerator and air conditioner. We met them while we were eating our garlic shrimp and pasta dinner and they were heading to the lock wash room to wash their dinner dishes.

Day: 25.6SM/22.3NM 6H45M – Trip: 1864.6NM/2142.5SM 325H225M

Friday, June 28, 2013 – Lock #40 lower wall shortly before Lake Simcoe mile 180

After discarding the accumulated trash in the lock’s trash bin, we cast off the lines from the downside wall about 0840 and slowly moved to the wall of Lock #41 in order to be there when the lock crew lowered the water for the first lock at about 0900. We tied to the upper lock wall and waited while the crew took care of their preliminary tasks (such as raising the Canadian flag, placing fire extinguishers and life preservers around the lock) and when the gate opened we proceeded in and tied to the starboard wall (our preferred side). A few minutes later we were out of the lock and were passing under a railroad bridge and then a low car bridge which opened for us. Immediately after the car bridge we tied to a long wall prior to entering Lake Simcoe in order to decide whether to go into a marina or to anchor somewhere. We eventually tried to get a reservation at a marina in Orillia (just off Lake Simcoe) for three days starting on Saturday, but there was no slip available for a boat our size. Monday is the first of July, Canada Day, and apparently everyone with a boat is going out for the three day weekend and many go into marinas to party.

We crossed the eastern end of the lake still heading northward and anchored in a relatively large bay, McPhee Bay at the northeastern corner of Lake Simco. The water is a clear bluish-green and we can easily see the bottom at 14 feet below Sanderling. There is a marina on a smaller bay on the southern side of McPhee Bay and there are a few ski boats, and slightly larger boats, out for the afternoon. It will undoubtedly be busier tomorrow (Saturday) with the start of the weekend.

The weather forecast is fairly benign, so we’ll stay here for a couple of days before proceeding through the next lock and looking for another place to anchor. We want to avoid the weekend crowds at the lock walls and “party spots” as much as possible, so won’t try to move very far until Tuesday morning. We have contacted a marina at Port Severn (the nothern end of the Trent-Severn Waterway, and will stay there for two nights beginning either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Day: 17.8SM/15.5NM 3H55M – Trip: 1880.1NM/21603SM 329H20M

We ended up anchored in McPhee Bay for four nights – the weather was delightful (not too hot, not too cool), and we were well protected from any wind from all directions but the southwest (nothing materialized). There were a lot of small boats out on the bay every day and we could see larger boats crossing the southwestern end of the bay heading toward Orillia or out into Lake Simcoe, so we knew things were busy at “The Narrows” with its several marinas and narrow channel. One day we lowered the dinghy and rode around the bay and into the two marinas located a bit off the bay through narrow channels. One of them was quite large, with many covered slips as well as a very active fuel dock. During the four days we were there several larger boats (34-38 feet, guessing) rafted at the far end of the bay and several other boats anchored near them, but everyone seemed to clear out at night (except the two rafted boats) and head back to their marinas. Different boats showed up on other days. Guess they preferred to party at night in their marinas than enjoy the peaceful lake after the water skiers called it quits!

One unpleasant aspect of anchoring in the bay were bugs – hundreds of them – little flying things, some with white wings and bodies and others looking more like mosquitoes (without the sting) and still others that reminded me of the mayflies we had on the rivers in Iowa at night. I had to vacuum the decks every morning to get rid of them and the little bodies piled up near the LED anchor light I set out on the bow every night.

 Tuesday, July 2, 2013 – McPhee Bay mile 195

We got underway at 1010 and proceeded just a few miles onto the free dock at the Port of Orillia to shop at the Metro supermarket within walking distance of the dock in Lake Couchiching. We also had hoped to find some water for our tanks since we assumed we were getting low after filling the tanks (160 gallons total) at Peterborough on the 22nd of June (12 days earlier). There were no water bibs on the free dock, and the nearby marina would not give or sell us any water unless we stayed overnight; since staying at the marina that we had tried to get into four days earlier, but couldn’t due to the holiday, was not in our plans, we continued on without filling the water tanks, although we did some major grocery restocking at Metro. We also found a small ice cream store right across the street so had a little mid-afternoon treat!

We continued on for another 12 miles or so to the upper wall at Couchiching lock #42. We had intended to go through that lock and anchor in a lake for the night and arrived at the lock before the “normal” 4:30 locking time, but when we were about 100 yards from entering the lock on a green light, the light suddenly turned read and the staff told us that we had to be there at 4:15 in order to lock through. There was no way to argue – they control the lock, so we ended up on the upper wall for the night. A short time after we tied to the wall (after 4:30 now) a small boat came in and complained that they needed to get through because they were driving a rental boat and it had to be returned; the crew let them lock down! Needless to say, we were a bit perturbed, but again, what could we do – complaining wouldn’t accomplish anything and would probably result in a less than harmonious locking through the next morning. So we stayed the night on the wall, along with several other boats.

Day: 21.2SM/18.4NM – 4H10M          Trip: 1898.5NM/2181.5SM     333H30M

Wednesday, July 3, 2013 – Couchiching Lock #42 mile 209

Despite not being able to lock through Couchching lock the night before, we were able to reach our day’s destination early in the afternoon after locking through and exiting the lock at 09:15 this morning. We think the lock crew felt a little guilty about shutting us out the night before, because they actually opened the lock early for us to enter – something that we’d never experienced before on the Waterway. We had a slight delay at lock #43, Swift Rapids, while an electrician tried to repair a locking pin, but we were on our way after waiting about 40 minutes. The pin wasn’t repaired while we were waiting, but the lock was safe to operate anyway since the pressure from the water above the lock is what actually holds the doors in place while the water inside the lock is being raised or lowered (we were being lowered). This was the first time on the waterway that we were in a lock with more than four other boats (that happened only once); there were seven of us in this lock, Sanderling and 6 smaller boats of various types. The lock couldn’t have held any more boats.

After locking through we continued on through some beautiful, rugged lake country with large homes built alongside the lakes and rivers and on their own small islands (granite outcroppings) to THE BIG CHUTE! This is called a “lock” even though it’s totally different from any other kind of lock in the world – it is essentially a marine railway or subdued roller-coaster. A boat is driven onto a large wheeled platform and secured with a complex system of straps very similar to how a boat would be lifted from the water at a boatyard by a travel lift, and then the boats (it can take several at a time depending on size) and the platform are moved along the track over a huge granite formation and down into the lake water on the other side 57 feet below (or above, if you’re heading southbound).  The lift at this location was originally built in 1917 and has been modernized several times. The current railway was constructed in 1978 and can carry 110 tons and vessels up to 100 feet in length.

We arrived at 1325 and tied to the Parks Canada dock just west of the railway and walked to the lock with plenty of time to watch the railway make a number of trips up and down the inclined railway before they stopped for the day at 4:30 (like all the other locks). We got a good feel for the way the railway operates and how we would maneuver Sanderling onto the platform. We also visited the small museum which explained some of the history of the area and the lock, then ate dinner at the restaurant in the nearby marina.

Day: 22.8SM/19.8NM  – 4H10M               Trip: 1918.4NM/2204.3SM – 337H40M

Thursday, July 4, 2013 – Big Chute Lock #44 mile 232

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

We were up about 0715 today to prepare for our great adventure on the Big Chute. We removed all the fenders (so they wouldn’t snag anything on the platform as we were going in and wouldn’t interfere with the securing straps) and marked the starboard cap rail to indicate where it would be safe to locate the straps.

The crew has so much experience with all different types of boats that they only need to ask a few questions of each boat to know how to position the boat and the straps. Every boat wishing to lock through moves to the blue line on a wall near the lock, and then the lock operator calls each boat in the order he deems appropriate to approach the platform and enter. It’s not a first-come, first-serve type of operation operation as most other locks on this waterway..

Boat lifting up

Boats being lowered into upper lake

Sanderling in the slings ready to be lifted over and down

We were on the blue line about 0855 and the lift’s first boats were brought from the lower level. We entered the platform about 0915 (the only boat down bound) and by 0930 we had been deposited in the lower lake and exited the platform to continue northward.

We knew we didn’t have far to go to Port Severn so took our time winding through more lakes and narrow channels that were undoubtedly rapids in the days before the construction of all the dams and locks – in fact, many areas still have a very swift current of several knots and the existence of huge rock boulders is apparent on the depth sounder – it’s just that they are now 20 or more feet underwater!

We arrived at the Starport Marina at Port Severn and first went to the pump out dock to get our slip assignment, empty the forward holding tank, and pay for our two-night stay. By 1125 we were at our assigned slip hooking up the electric line and filling the water tanks. We determine the amount of water we add to our 160 gallon tanks (total) by first filling a small two gallon bucket and timing how long it takes to add the two gallons. Today, it took 20 seconds to fill the two gallon bucket – 10 seconds per gallon – six gallons per minute. When we switched the hose to the water fill, it only took 12 minutes until the water was coming out of the air vents – 72 gallons, and it had been 13 days since we last filled the tanks. Guess we really didn’t have to worry about running out of water.

We’ll be in Port Severn above the last lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. On Saturday morning we’ll lock through into Georgian Bay and start a new chapter in our adventure.

Day: 6.0SM/5.2NM – 1H35M        Trip: 1923.6NM/2210.3SM – 339H15M

Friday, July 5, 2013

How nice to have showers with as much hot water as you wish and full capacity washers and dryers! This marina (Starport Marina) is very nice. There are a lot of boaters here – obviously the boats gets used, there are no “marina queens” here! Talked with several of them today to get some ideas about Georgian Bay.

Most of my day was spent troubleshooting our forward heater/air conditioner which wasn’t pumping water through the system and consequently shutting down. At the same time the batteries were equalizing to put them up to their full charge capacity – something that can be done only with a 4-hour supply of 110 volt electricity. We always do it at a marina and try to do it about every 30 days or so. The last equalization took place when we were at Waterford; we had used almost 6,000 amp/hours of 12 volt electricity since then!

The AC system wasn’t as successful, although I have identified the source of the problem – it’s just something I cannot fix myself without ready access to parts from Mermaid – it will wait until we get back to Florida. There is no electricity to the 110 volt raw water pump that must operate in order to produce either heat or cool air – without it the system shuts down. I don’t know what the actual problem is, but in order to trouble shoot it further I need to remove the entire unit so I can get to the circuit boards. In the meantime, if we do need either heat or AC for an extended period of time, I can run a 110 volt line to the pump from any one of our 110 volt outlets, and just plug it in when we want to run the AC or have heat in the saloon. We do have a small space heater that we can use for heat, and the aft cabin AC/heat system is still working.

Judy spent most of the day working online and laundered the sheets, pillow cases and towels in the marina’s laundry (included with the docking fee).

We’re going to eat out at the Dam Restaurant tonight and will probably stop at the Icebreaker ice cream shop for some Kawartha ice cream for desert.

We’ll depart some time tomorrow morning – no hurry – and head into Georgian Bay.