Another overnight in Campbellford
44°18’26.2260″N, 77°48’0.5832″W
What3Words: ///crickets.luxurious.lagoon

Today was another rainy day – a good day to stay put. Catherine pulled out her sewing machine and worked some more on the Sunbrella fabric exterior window coverings. She managed to  get two small exterior window coverings done for the front cabin windows. Now Skipper Wally has to help install the dome fasteners on the fabric and around the window so we can try them out. That’s a blue job.

I worked on draft entries for the blog while Catherine was sewing.

The local YMCA had an open swim session around noon so Catherine took a cab and enjoyed a swim at their brand new facility, about 2.5 kms from where we were moored. While she was doing that, I walked over to the local Canadian Tire Store (CTC) to pick up some more “boating supplies”.

I have spent a considerable amount of time and money at several CTC and Home Hardware stores along the way. They often have just what I am looking for, or, if I need something more specialized, they usually have an alternative that will do the job just fine until I can get to a marine chandlery.

With Catherine off swimming, I was by myself for lunch. She said there was a café at the YMCA and she planned to have a bite to eat there after her swim, therefore I should look after myself for the noon meal. I chose the healthy meal option from a very busy food truck that was setup at the edge of the CTC parking lot.

Catherine returned to the boat early in the afternoon. The weather was still unsettled so we had a nice afternoon nap and then walked back to the fabric store so Catherine could look around some more while I went to the Dollar Store.

The rain had let up for awhile so we did what we had seen many other people do over the past few days. The staff at the Chamber of Commerce office said that the Twoonie was probably the most photographed place in the town!

Around 6:00 pm we walked back across the bridge to the Riverview Restaurant and shared a big plate of nachos and a large beer. The healthy eating continues – this could be habit forming!

After dinner we walked over the to the nearby Metro store for some more groceries. Catherine enforced a “no junk food” policy. Can’t say that I was in any position to argue with her after my indulgences yesterday and today.

Cheers!

Another overnight in Campbellford
44°18’26.2260″N, 77°48’0.5832″W
What3Words: ///crickets.luxurious.lagoon

Catherine writes:

We were up early for coffee and to make our way to “Your #1 Sewing Centre” and to “Dooher’s Bakery” which opened at 9:00 am. Everyone we had met coming through the nearby locks and at the tourist information centre told us we had to go to Dooher’s which is famous for doughnuts and other fabulous baking.

I wanted to go to the sewing store first to see if I could buy a “walking foot” for the sewing machine. The store had a very small front but opened into a huge area with beautiful cotton fabric for quilting and every sewing supply a person could need.

I could have spent all day browsing their inventory, but Wally was waiting for me so I planned to come back tomorrow.

Our aunt Betty, a wonderful quilter, would have loved it! Happily, they had the attachment I needed so I bought that and then met Wally at the bakery.

My dad used to say he’d “died and gone to heaven” when he tasted something wonderful. This was pretty much how we felt going into the old-time bakery. The shelves stacked with doughnuts, muffins, cakes, pies, tarts, bread. Very friendly staff helped with decision making.

We had to practice some restraint as bread doesn’t usually keep that well on a boat. We came out of there with cardboard boxes and paper bags full of goodies.

Today was granddaughter Zoe’s 20^th birthday. Wow, how did that happen? We called her in Kamloops, sang Happy Birthday to her and had a nice chat.

The weather started to degrade, and it began raining in the early afternoon.  The rain wasn’t too hard but steady and continued into the night.

I got the sewing machine out and with the help of the internet figured out how to install the walking foot. Further adjustments were needed for the machine tension. Then I had to decipher how to make a mitred corner, which is a way to remove bulk at corners to keep them flat. YouTube videos saved the day! There were a few less than successful attempts but I finally figured out the attachment, the tension and how to sew the mitred corners.

I’m not sure how much more sewing I will be able to get done this year on the boat. It’s best if I can do the cutting and sewing onboard and fit the coverings as I go but that might not be possible. It will be a good winter project. I’ll take photos and measurements of the windows before we go home. Good thing I bought extra fabric!

The rain continued sporadically through the day. Our patience was rewarded with a beautiful rainbow early that evening.

Bye for now!

Overnight at Campbellford Mooring Wall at Municipal Park
44°18’26.2260″N, 77°48’0.5832″W
What3Words: ///crickets.luxurious.lagoon

Catherine writes:

After listening to the wind howling and waves slapping against the hull for most of the night, we awoke to a peaceful sunrise and remarkably calm water.

We had a long haul (for us) of almost 50 km to get to Campbellford Lock 13. We left at 8:00 am heading northeast towards Hastings which would be Lock 18.

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with very flat water. Boat traffic had dropped off significantly since leaving Peterborough. There were hardly any rental houseboats on the water anymore and very few large cruisers. Rice Lake is renowned for its fishing so there were a few sports fishers out trying their luck.

Wally was able to take advantage of the wide-open spaces to run the engines at high rpms.
He was pleased at their performance.

We arrived at Hastings Lock 18 around noon, waited for the swinging bridge to open, went through the lock and tied up on the low side for a quick lunch. Alongside the lock was a new condominium development fronted along the canal wall by an unusual use for old canoes – very creative and pretty with fall flowers.

The next Locks were at Healey Falls – step Locks 17 and 16 which were monsters and dropped 54 feet, then shortly after into Lock 15 which dropped a further 22 feet.

Look waaay up.

Crowe Bay Lock 14 was next at a mere 26 feet.

Then it was straight through to Campbellford where we would be staying at the town mooring wall operated by the Chamber of Commerce. Wally had made a reservation for two nights with Karen at the office who had said “look for the sign.” As we came under the bridge into town, we saw a small houseboat tied at the wall and fastened to the railing behind them was a sign “Welcome Belisama.” It was such a lovely personal touch that we have never seen anywhere before!

Karen came out to greet us and give us tourist information about the town (pop 7,800). The mooring wall was beside Old Mill Park which features a bandstand and a giant twoonie coin on a pedestal standing 27 feet tall. The twoonie was designed by a local artist Brent Townsend. The coin has turned out to be a big tourist draw, kind of like the Big Nickel in Sudbury!

We settled in for a quiet night on the boat, tired after all the fresh air and sunshine today.

Bye for now!

 

Overnight at Harris Boat Works – Gore Landing, Rice Lake
44°7’21.4140″N, 78°14’26.4192″W
What3Words: ///cigar.homemakers.decibel

It started raining lightly shortly after we left Lock 19 around 8:30 am. The air was cooler so we bundled up and Catherine fixed hot tea and coffee in our travel mugs.

Most of the over 30 km to Rice Lake and Harris Boat Works was on the Otonabee River. Our progress was slow while observing the 10kmh speed limit.

There were lots of cottages along the riverbanks but most were noticeably much smaller that what we saw north of Peterborough. The cottages were modest and well kept – they would fit right in with our taste and budget. There were plenty of houses along the shoreline in spots as well. It looked like there are many permanent residences, not seasonal cottages.

Several sections of the Otonabee River were uninhabited and quite wild. We enjoyed watching for wildlife over the water and along the shoreline – Osprey, Herons, Egrets and Mute Swans.

We finally got out on Rice Lake and could see several km across the lake where Harris Boat Works is located. There weren’t any other boats on the water and it was a good distance to each shoreline. This was an opportunity for me to open up the engines and give them a workout.

I slowly ran them both up to 2,000 rpm and kept a close eye on the gauges in case there was a problem. The engines ran fine and hummed along like they are loving a chance to sprint for awhile.

As we approached our destination the sky was clouding over and the wind began to pick up. It started to rain lightly as we approached the dock.

The wind was pretty strong so the marina sent out a staff member to give us a hand tying up. We were glad he was there to help us! The wind was doing its best to keep us off the dock – we probably would not have been able to tie up without his help. This was most definitely our most challenging docking exercise so far on this trip.

Just as we got our lines secured a squall blew in hard and it began to pour rain. Talk about lucky timing! The squall lasted about 15 minutes and then calmed down, but the rain and the wind continued the rest of the day and into the night. Sure glad we were secure! And that we had hydro so we could heat up some soup for lunch!

Harris Boat Works Marina is small but very well kept. It’s focus is on serving local boaters with mostly small craft for fishing and daily rides. The owner is the grandson of the original founder. The business has been in the family for 3 generations and still going strong.

I talked to one of the mechanics, He told me he started working there when he was 18 and he’s 52 now and never had any desire to go anywhere else. Life is good on the water. I’m envious of the life he has had and his current situation. Something to be said about having deep roots in one spot. Here’s a link to their website: Harris Boat Works

The temperature dropped so it’s hot tea, hot soup and toast for dinner – just right.

I had a chance to do some draft writing for the blog in-between squalls when the boat stopped rocking. Tomorrow, we head up Rice Lake and hope to make it to Campbellford about 35 km away. We will stay there for a few days to catch up on our rest, blog some more and Catherine wants to go to a quilting store there to see if she can get a special “walking foot” for her sewing machine to help her with sewing the Sunbrella window coverings.

Cheers!