June 11, 2022
We left the Peterborough Lift Lock with a mission and about one million tiny little bugs stuck to Holy Cow. We had ten locks ahead of us in order to arrive at our destination, which was Buckhorn. A friend of mine I used to work with often comes to a cottage here, so I was excited to see the area.
This part of the Trent Canal, from Peterborough to Buckhorn, had some tight spots to travel through. We were fortunate that we didn't encounter any other vessels through this area. Passing each other in this canal could prove challenging. Also, locking can be stressful and makes for an exhausting day. Facing ten locks on this travel day made me anxious. To keep my mind off of the challenge ahead, I took a bucket and mop up to the bow to wash off the millions (maybe thousands) of little tiny bugs that had landed on Holy Cow overnight. Fun fact, because we are in fresh water, we can use the washdown pump that pulls directly from the lake. Between locks, I hosed down and washed the bow, sides, and windshield of Holy Cow four times to rid us of those pesky bugs. And in case you were wondering, I used very little soap and yes, it's an environmentally friendly product.
It really was a beautiful travel day. I wasn't aware (but Gord was) that this part of the Trent Severn is known for house boats bobbing around because there are a few rental companies in the area. As we encountered house boat after house boat, it was like dodging crab pots in Florida only these nuisances aren't stationary. In fact, their behaviour is completely erratic. None of us, on Holy Cow, wanted to play bumper boats with these menaces, so Gord gave these watercrafts a wide berth.
As we approached our 9th lock of the day, and also maybe the smallest lock of the day, the wind picked up and it was extremely gusty. We needed to wait until the lock lowered to let us in. We could see a couple of boats inside the lock, so Gord backed up a little to ensure they had room to safely exit when the gates opened. As the wind bustled around, we could see a house boat in the lock struggling to keep control. Actually, it wasn't struggling, it was completely out of control. It was sideways, perpendicular to the lock wall, and that is never a good sign. As the gates opened and the house boat began it's exit, it started into a slow-motion, fish tail maneuver, and the stern bounced hard off the concrete wall of the lock. Gord put Holy Cow in reverse and gave the boat ample room to exit and maneuver around the channel markers. When I say ample room, there was enough room for ten boats to make that exit and safely get to the bay. Insert circus clown music here. I mean, honestly, the Park's Canada crew should be able to play that music when it's appropriate, and this was definitely one of those times!
We entered the lock and were the only boat getting a lift, which was a relief. As we were on our way up, the wind was whipping, and another house boat was approaching the lock at the top side, and it too, was doing what I now know is their signature fishtailing move. As he approached, he gave us no room to exit the lock safely. There were boats tied to both sides of the concrete walls leading into the lock, which made it a tight squeeze for us to get through. The house boat made it's way over to the wall and tied up just as the lock gates opened for us to exit. We waited until everyone was secured, then Gord put Holy Cow into gear and gently plowed out of the lock. As we rounded the first marker, there were three to four more house boats bobbing around in the bay. Groan.....Fortunately, none of them got close enough to cause any excitement, but they did provide some amusement from a spectator's point of view.
The damage from the storm that ripped through here while we were away was impressive, but not in a spectacular way. There were cottages destroyed by fallen trees, countless trees fallen over with their entire root systems peeled back from the rock beds, and some, more fortunate cottagers, with near misses from the crushing loads of the trees falling in their yards, not on their rooves. I can't imagine what it would have been like to witness the storm that caused all of this destruction.
When we arrived in Buckhorn, it was s a busy lock and there wasn't any room for us on the top side. Fortunately, Gord had a friend on shore who advocated for us, and a boat that was tied up on the lower side was soon leaving and gladly gave us their spot. Blazey is his name, and he and his wife had generously invited us for dinner. When we were tied up and settled, Blazey loaded us in his vehicle and took us back to his beautiful home for an African Braai which was amazing. We had a great night of story telling and delicious cuisine. When the kids bored of the adult chatter, Jaxon and Brooklyn left the table to play Jenga. They soon were using the blocks to build structures and Jaxon built the closest replica to Holy Cow that he could with the materials on hand. After a lovely visit, we left the Blazey's home and made our way back to the boat to tuck ourselves in for the evening.
The next morning, the rain that had been forecasted arrived in full force. It was a heavy rain that was in no hurry of passing over, so we decided to make some poached eggs for breakfast and stayed put for a few hours to see if it made more sense to travel if it lightened up later in the day .
Peterborough Lift Lock to Buckhorn travel log here.
Wow, good jenga-boat replica, Jaxon!