Overnight at Bobcaygeon Lock 32
44°32’18.2112″N, 78°32’36.3300″W
What3Words: ///sprouted.attainment.monday

We left Kirkfield Lift Lock at 7:30am and cruised a long narrow canal before crossing Mitchell Lake and then Balsam Lake to Rosedale Lock.

Long narrow canal leading to Mitchell Lake – not a good place to meet a large boat

Rosedale Lock is a very pretty area with picnic tables and lots of big shade trees. It’s in a bit of a remote area and would be a great place to stop for one or two nights for a peaceful rest. The lock was only a four foot change in elevation so it was pretty quick and easy. The next big body of water was Cameron Lake and then on to Fenlon Falls. We arrived there at 11:00am and to the lock down – a 24 foot drop to the river below.

Steep steps to the river for cottagers in Fenlon Falls

The upper side of Fenlon Falls Lock has several overnight mooring spaces with electric power points for boaters. This is right in the heart of the downtown area. It would be a good spot to stop for a day or two for restocking the cupboards and fridge and to do some tourist shopping.

We tied up Belisama at a space on the mooring wall right in front of the falls and had our lunch there. The lock staff told us that the Kawartha Voyageur was headed to Fenlon Falls so we decided to have a short lunch and get back on the move so we would not meet the tour boat on the narrow canal.

We passed through the canal and headed out across Sturgeon Lake on our way to Bobcaygeon. We met the Kawartha Voyageur on Sturgeon Lake so there was no problem at all with feeling crowed.

Passing by Kawartha Voyageur on Sturgeon Lake en route to Fenlon Falls

We arrived at Bobcaygeon Lock at 2:30pm and stopped on the upper side for a rest. Around 5:00pm we decided to overnight on the lower side of the lock so we could get an early start in the morning. Also, there was a small festival happening in the park beside the lock and live music entertainment crews were setting up their instruments and amplifiers for a free concert early in the evening. We could see that the park was going to be crowded so thought it best to put some distance between us, lots of people and loud music. Turned out to be a good decision.

Getting ready to BBQ another chicken for our dinner while conversing with friends in London

We enjoyed more BBQ chicken on the boat. Lots of people walking by on shore jokingly expressed interest in joining us for dinner. Maybe another time, eh!

Thankfully the concert was over by 9:00pm. If was surprising how big the crowd was at the park for the event and the music was pretty good. Bobcaygeon looks like a nice community to visit. Hope to come back another time and stay a bit longer.

As a postscript, we wondered about the connection with the Tragically Hip’s song “Bobcaygeon” and the town. Apparently Gord Downie never gave an explanation why he chose that title except that “Bobcaygeon” rhymes with “constellation”, sort of. The line “It was in Bobcaygeon, I saw the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time” has become iconic. It put the town “on the map” when the song was released on the Phantom Power album in 1999. in 2011, The Hip held a massive outdoor concert in Bobcaygeon, drawing more than 25,000 fans. Sadly, we were unable to attend because I was working in Kuwait that year and Catherine was busy with Emily!

Cheers!