Monday, July 17 - Crossing Lake Simcoe

Monday, July 17 - Crossing Lake Simcoe 

As we exited the lock, I took this picture of the weeds hanging on the cables.  As we pull into a lock, we loop two ropes on our boat around these poles that are attached to the top of the lock wall and weighted at the bottom.  As the lock fills and the boat rises, our ropes slide up the cables.  Some of the walls are pretty slimy because they are under water so much of the time.  This one was pretty clean.

Between locks 40 and 41, we passed some large farm operations.  The sight soothes my South Georgia soul.

After the second lock, we exited into Lake Simcoe, the largest lake on the Trent-Severn Waterway at 20 miles long and 16 miles wide.  With its open water and shallow depth, boaters have to get a good weather report before crossing.  Today was great, so we headed into the big lake.  The surrounding countryside was gorgeous, but we were too far from shore to get good pictures.  Yes, I have my good camera with a zoom lens with me, but I have too much trouble getting pictures from it to my phone so I can send them.

Our crossing was uneventful, with smooth water and little wind.  We arrived at Atherly Narrows about an hour and a half later.  The Narrows connects Lake Simcoe with Lake Couchiching, and is the site of one of the oldest human developments in North America.  The installation of  fish fences or weirs began some  5,000 years ago.  They were used by Aboriginal people to guide fish into areas where they could be speared or netted.  The Ojibwas, who are stewards of the site, believe that this is a sacred place that represents an ancient and spiritual bond between the Creator and all living things.  

We did not see the weirs, but did see beautifully clear water, swans, and lovely grasses.

We pulled into a marina in the narrows for gas and a pump out.  Here the dockhands do everything related to gas and all passengers have to be off the boat.  And in the US, dockhands can’t touch the gas pump once it gets to your boat.  The marina was very nice, it was just too far from town so we moved on to Port of Orillia Marina. 

 

Port of Orillia is huge and very nice.  One of the dock guys told us the marina burned a couple of years ago so everything we saw is new.

Harbor Hosts are Great Loop Association members who agree to provide information and support to Loopers passing through their area.  On the daily email “Forum” hosted by the Great Loop Association, these Harbor Hosts frequently post messages encouraging boaters to contact them as we pass through.  Since we would be in Orillia a couple of days, I sent a message to Harbor Host Ken Jennings (yes, that’s really his name, Jeopardy fans) saying there would be several Looper boats at the marina tonight if he would like to stop by.  He replied that he would be there, and that his wife, Georgi, would be available to take us shopping while he was in a physical therapy appointment.  We jumped on that! 

Georgi was delightful.  She took the four of us to a wonderful local market, similar to a Whole Foods, then to a “regular” grocery store, then to a liquor store where she shamed Danny into buying some local Canadian beer.  We completely filled up her car.

Back at the marina, we  put up groceries, then hosted 5 couples for docktails.  Georgi and Ken gave us some great information AND kept us entertained.  What a wonderful day on the Loop!!