Jack Tar Adventures

Link to today’s route:  https://share.nebo.global/voyage/c3530084-3e34-4ac3-ab5d-bcb67d14b845

Today marked the second day of overcast skies and with the air thick with smoke from the forest fires in N & NW Ontario and Minnesota.  We backtracked a half hour to another marina to get a pump out and then started up Lake Couchiching (coo-che-ching – known by the locals as “the Couch” – cooch).

We left the bimini and radar mast down so we wouldn’t have to wait at the railroad swing bridge even though it was marked as still working. We are not taking ANY chances this time. Just as we got in the channel headed toward the railroad bridge, we heard on the radio from another boat ahead of us that lock 42 after the railroad bridge was closed. For a moment, we just looked at each other.  This couldn’t be happening.  Were we never meant to go to Georgian Bay??  The boat that radioed suggested turning around and anchoring outside the channel where it would be easier to hold position.  Reluctantly, we started back. Peter decided to call the lock to find out the situation. The lock was not closed!  Just backed up. There were 12-14 boats waiting to lock through. We had been given bad information.  In the meantime, three other trawlers had passed us in the other direction and were now ahead of us in line.  Oh well.  At least we didn’t have to go back to Orillia. Again.

After all the angst and drama over the railroad swing bridge, it was wide open when we finally got there. Very anticlimactic.  The bridge operator has a bad reputation for being rude and reluctant to open the bridge.  Maybe there’s a new operator because that was not our experience.  He was very nice and waved to us and said he was sorry there was going to be a long wait up ahead.

Immediately after getting past the railroad bridge, there were five other boats ahead of us in a holding pattern waiting to to get on the wall…

Two hours of holding before Couchiching lock, we finally got in the chamber with eight other boats.  The ladies there were magicians at fitting everyone in. 

We got through the lock and were back in red Adirondack chair country.

This rope swing is very well know and actually marked on the map.

There were spots along our route where the water was 90 feet deep. We were told in Couchiching that the Swift Rapids would be closing for maintenance by 3:30. It was gonna be a close call and we wanted to get to the other side of it before the maintenance so we didn’t get stuck again.  We pulled up at Swift Rapids at 3:20 and they locked us through with three other boats including a bow rider that waked us to get in before us.

Lock 43 is isolated with a sense of wilderness. This is the deepest single chambered lock on the Trent Waterway.  We happily tucked in on the lock wall behind another trawler, Time for Us, to enjoy the evening and a glass of wine.