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.

Morning tea and coffee to chase the cold away

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.

Travelling down the Otonabee

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.

Perfect gingerbread house on the Otonabee – even noted in the Ports Cruising Guidebook

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.

Can you spot the Osprey?

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.

Finally on Rice Lake headed to Harris Boat Works near Gores Landing

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.

Squall approaching Harris Boat Works – where’s 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.

Area perspective – from Peterborough to Harris Boat Works and next on to Lock 18 in Hastings – click anywhere on the map to enlarge

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!