Overnight at Lower Level Lock 20 Peterborough
44°17’55.6620″N, 78°18’16.7220″W
What3Words: ///subway.sped.changeable
Catherine writes:
We woke to dense fog and a very chilly boat.
Fisherman returning to Harris Boat Works in early morning fog
Once the fog cleared we could see the full moon descending as the sun was rising at the same time.
Sunrise and moonset panorama – click anywhere on the image to enlarge
We were up with the birds who have a lot of housing choices here.
Purple Martin high rise development at Harris Boat Works – thoughtful touch by the owners
Tea and crumpets for breakfast helped to warm us up.
It’s my (Catherine’s) turn to choose the breakfast menu
It was very calm and looked like a great start for our trip to Peterborough which we planned to begin after the fog lifted.
With fingers (and toes ) crossed, Skipper Wally started the engines. The port side started fine. The starboard started alright but only ran for 30 seconds and quit. The result was very blue air inside the boat as Skipper vented his frustration. We contemplated ending our journey and having the boat hauled out at Harris Boat Works as well as putting the original For Sale sign back on it.
He went to find Graham who was busy with another customer and said he would come as soon as he could. Wally tried to prime the starboard engine and miracle of miracles it started and stayed running!
We sat on the dock with both engines running for 20 minutes, then decided to head out around noon. First, we went back and forth in front of the marina for another 20 minutes to make sure or be as sure as we could that we were on the correct fuel tank and were going to be okay.
We did a few laps in sight of the marina – within easy towing distance 🙂
With everything humming along, we set the navigation app for the mouth of the Otonabee River which would take us to Peterborough.
Approaching the mouth of the Otonabee River
It was a much better day going up the river than it had been when we came down, sunny and pleasant without much wind. There were a lot of fishing boats, a few canoes and kayaks as well. Cottages and homes were interspersed with wetlands, so we kept the speed at 10 km to not create any wake.
Turtles hanging out at the mouth of the Otonabee River
Seagulls at the mouth of the Otonabee River waiting for fishermen to clean their catch
We arrived at Lock 19 – Scott’s Mills at 3:00 p.m. and called to make sure we could lock through. We were also concerned that both sides of the channel leading to the lock were lined with fairly large boats. The lock staff asked what the beam of the boat was, and Wally told them it was about 13’ so we were told to go slowly, and we should fit. If we were concerned, lock staff said they would relocate the boats.
It was a tight squeeze – two large Le Boat Houseboats and a brand new tug boat style cruiser on port side with another trawler and Le Boat Houseboat to starboard. Skipper Wally took us right up the middle with about 2 feet to spare on each side. We were too on edge to take any pictures, but we hadn’t seen this many boats together in one place for about two weeks!
When we got into the lock, a couple standing alongside the lock asked, “didn’t we see you in Bay Port earlier this summer?” Neither of us could remember where Bay Port was until it finally twigged that they were referring to the marina in Midland! They had a trawler style boat as well. Gosh, wasn’t that a couple of years ago? Their clue was Wally’s masterfully built barbeque box on the back deck!
We got through the lock with no problem and scooted across Little Lake to Lock 20 – Ashburnham where we had stayed before. We had been trying to barbecue for about 5 days, but it has always been too windy and that night was no exception. No power at this lock so it was egg salad wraps for dinner, very easy and tasty.
Locals fishing near Lock 20 – look close – are there two herons or only one? – click anywhere on the image to enlarge
Arrangements were made with friends Sue and Peter to meet at the Canoe Museum Café for coffee in the morning and have them come up in the lift lock with us so that should be fun!
Fishermen at dusk on Little Lake in Peterborough – click anywhere on the image to enlarge it
Bye for now
So glad that the engine started for you. And so nice of you to give Sue and Peter a ‘lift’! Bet you had fun!
Hi Barb. Yes, we sure are happy the engines are running again. Only 2-3 days now before we reach Buckhorn for our winter haul-out. Fingers crossed that we can get there without incident. It was also fun to have Sue and Peter aboard for the ride up the lift. Catch up with you soon. Cath