Brewerton to Campbellford, Ont

I need to do a better job at keeping up on my journal, blog, and e-mails! You would think, on a boat, we would have plenty of leisure time. Well, we are either tossing lines or heading to sleep because we have had such an energetic day!

We left Brewerton, NY on June 18^th. Topped off the fuel tanks at $4.29/gal. We’d like to have to refuel only once in Canada, but that may be wishful thinking. We traveled the eight locks which took us to Oswego. We found the Lockmasters in the Oswego to be rather crabby. We watched, helplessly, as a small Looper boat lost control and ended up crosswise in the lock. Part of the problem was some wind, but mostly it was because the lockmaster let us up way too fast. We came close to being bow to bow (not good!). This poor couple is still talking about it!

We had a roly ride across Lake Ontario. Traveling with another Looper boat gave us all comfort. By the time we got to Kingston, Ont., the ride was a tad quieter .It was at this time, with all kinds of mail to be sent, that we found out the Canadian Postal Service was on strike .We hear that Parliament is going to order the Postal workers back to work on Mon….at lower pay. We had been idealizing Canada because their economy seems sound, few houses are for sale, and there are no empty storefronts. However, it seems there is no Utopia.

We are now north of Lock 12 on the Trent –Severn Waterway in a town called Campbellford, Ont. We traveled thru six locks for a distance of seven miles the first day on the Trent. We traveled six locks and thirty one miles yesterday. Guess which was the most tiring! Most of the locks, so far, are hand operated; it can be slow getting through them. (But who’s in a hurry?) When we started the waterway we met up with an elderly couple (in their early eighties) at the town of Quinte-West. They are from Holland, MI. and were at the rendezvous in May, so it was fun to revisit. However, at Lock four, they were tied up on the wall and indicated they were having engine problems. We asked if they needed help, and they kind of shrugged. After we went through the lock, we decided to tie up and walk back and check on them. (The husband has a heart condition, macular degeneration, and cataracts, so we were concerned). To make the story short, Gene spent a couple of hours with the Gypsea captain lying flat in an overheated engine room replacing a shattered impeller(SP?). The repairs were successful with parts from both boats. We celebrated with a glass of wine and story swapping. However, Gene was wiped out that night

We will leave Campbellford tomorrow with clean laundry, plenty of food and full tanks .If we hadn’t done laundry, we would have been wearing trash bags in a couple of days. We will head to Hastings for a day or two and then stop in Peterborough,Ont. for the Canada Day festivities which take place on July 1^st. We have traveled thru forty two locks. There are thirty-three more to go on the Trent-Severn. Three of the remaining lots are quite unusual and exciting to navigate. Tune in…..It has been a great ride, so far…..

At the Wall in Campbellfor On Canada

Under the Bridge from Trent into the Waterway

Free To B at a marina

Opening lock doors by hand

The Skipper on Board

Removing Stuff from the Erie

The lock flite at Campbellford ON Canada

Inside the lock at Campbellford ON Canada

Captain and the Skipper at Campbellfor Lock

6/17/11 Update

Hello, everyone! Hope all is well! After spending two weeks at home, we have resumed our Loop travels. We left the Troy Dock in Troy, NY on the 11^th after removing unneeded stuff from the boat and putting just as much stuff back on.

Gene hired one of the dock master’s helpers to finish waxing the boat. However, the “helper” was drunk most of the time, probably homeless, and did a lousy job! So, with a smudged boat, we began our travels on the Erie Canal. The first five locks are known as the Waterford Flight, a series of locks that elevated us quickly to a height of 169 feet. (That is a world record!) That took us to the Schenectady Yacht Club for a distance of seventeen miles. It took us five hours! We could have traveled the route in forty minutes by but hey!, we’re on a boat. The diesel fuel at this marina was the cheapest around, $4.19/gal. That should hold us until Canada. Needless to say, the motor boats are all traveling slowly to conserve fuel. We were treated to a wonderful breakfast at the marina, met up with former Loopers in their eighties and listened to their wonderful stories.

We are now at Lock 18 in Little Falls, NY. We have locked thru in downpours of rain, so spent most of the time (me, that is). That is still better than locking in wind and humidity. We have begun using our voice-activated, marriage-saving headsets. No more hollering like banshees! Should have used them a long time ago!

The towns and cities along the way (Amsterdam, Canajoharie, and Little Falls) have all suffered dramatically from the economy. The shops and tourist attractions are pretty much gone, and it looks like many restaurants are barely hanging on…how sad!

We have met up, again, with Loopers we met at the Rendezvous. That is fun as we share experiences and a glass of wine in the evenings .Interesting people from Ohio, Calif., Fla., S.C., so far. We are all looking forward to the beauty of Georgian Bay and Lake Michigan.

I have attached some pictures. 1) You will see a typical lock;2) the” Lollygag” from S.D., one of the more unusual Looper boats.3) “the Baby (Free To B)
4) a typical dam; and 5)  Lock 17 which is a guillotine style (instead of doors swinging open and shut, the door drops down. (There is only one other lock in North America, in Ottawa, with this design);

We are heading to the Rome, NY area today. We should be in Canada (Kingston) some time next week……Look forward to hearing from all of you!......Ginny (who has finally dried out!)