One Last Sinking Feeling...

June 16, 2022

After having made it over the Big Chute, only Lock 45 in Port Severn was between us and South Bay Cove. The cruise from the Chute to Lock 45 is pretty and has a very narrow canal where the current can make for a challenging stretch of water for captains. My family used to boat in Gloucester Pool when I was a kid and I think it was nice for Gramps to see cousin Fred's island and Washtub Rock.

Lock 45 was within sight about an hour after we left Lock 44. The Port Severn lock can be exciting to exit. The passage is narrow, has a strong current, and it has unforgiving concrete walls. All of the locks have concrete walls, but not all of them are this narrow.

The gates opened for us to proceed into the lock and Gord expertly slid us in for a port side tie. We secured our lines to the available wires and waited. This was our last lock. We can see Lock 45 every time we drive to the marina by car, and from this vantage point, we could see the highway and the bridge we cross every time we drive to the boat. The gates closed behind us with a thud. I looked back at Jaxon and said "Hey buddy, this is our last sinking feeling." He gave me a smile with a little roll of his eyes, but he gets it. Brooklyn came up to the bow and Gramps stayed at the stern with Jaxon. Gord was at the helm chatting to some people at the lock's gate. And then we started our slow sinking feeling. Shall we say, a slow let down, in more ways than one. This moment is bittersweet. When the gates opened, we were cleared to exit the lock. We had a huge anchor ball ready at both sides of the stern of Holy Cow just in case the current got the better of us. Gord was ready and drove through it like a boss or a "Bos."

We had been travelling with Out of the Blue that day. They were right behind us and were ready to come down as soon as the lock filled to the upper level again. We told them we would wait on the other side of the rapids and beyond the bridge. This gave us a moment to put the outriggers up for the last time, to put the antennae up for the last time, to take the massive fenders off the sides of Holy Cow and to reflect a little on what we had just accomplished. We were now in Georgian Bay!

When Out of the Blue appeared around the corner, Gord put Holy Cow in gear and we made our way through the channel. As we hit open water, Gord radioed Out of the Blue to say we were going to open Holy Cow up one more time and plane until we reached the bend just before Picnic Island. We were now in familiar waters, and although you cannot let your guard down because that's when things go wrong, I think we all felt a little more relaxed.

Holy Cow raced along in the open water until we reached Turning Rock. When our favourite summer ice cream stop. Picnic Island, came into view, we slowed down for the remainder of our trip home. It's a no wake zone from here to South Bay Cove, and although we were anxious to get there, these were the last moments of this amazing, once in a lifetime adventure.

Stay tuned for One Last Post.

Voyage Log

Big Chute to South Bay Cove travel log here.