240 miles on the...Trent-Severn Waterway
Arriving in Trenton and the start of the Trent-Severn Waterway - for Westbound travelers, anyway - marked the second leg of Molly's journey from NY to Michigan (or the third leg if we count Bay of Quinte). For scores of other boaters, primarily Loopers, the TS (Trent-Severn) is a popular alternate route that bypasses lakes Ontario and Erie and offers relaxed cruising through beautiful country. In fact, by coincidence, we arrived in Trenton just as an AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association) seminar was wrapping up, so several Loopers were already tied up at Trent Port Marina.
We didn't spend much time exploring the town of Trenton, but there didn't seem to be too much to see. The highlight for us was discovering that 30mL vials of insulin are available over the counter for only $30/each at Canadian drugstores, which was good since we were about to run out far away from home and our pharmacy.
After a night or two in the Trent Port Marina, we motored over to their fuel dock and had Molly's holding tanks emptied before entering the TS (we'd heard pumpout facilities were not to be found once in the waterway). Somehow Dad managed to scope out a nearby fish-n-chips place and ordered all of us off the boat for lunch.
With the holding tanks empty, the fuel tanks mostly full, the dinghy rolled and stowed on the swim platform, two large ball-type fenders positioned at the bow, and a good estimate of Molly's air draft (highest point above water), we headed for the first bridge, which you can see in the background in the picture below. We passed (barely) beneath the low-hanging "Trenton" bridge and made our way to lock number 1 of 44.
All of the locks on the TS have staging areas above and below the lock, indicated by a painted blue stripe, for boats to tie up and wait their turn. Once the lock doors are open and the down-bound traffic has exited the lock, up-bound traffic is clear to enter and lay up against the lock wall.
As you enter the lock, the lock master and attendants indicate which side of the wall to tie up on and where to position your boat, which can be just about anywhere if you're locking through alone or behind/next to other boats if you're locking through with a crowd.
Cables, secured top and bottom, hang vertically along the lock walls and are spaced about 20' apart. Line handlers wrap their dock lines around a cable and hold the line throughout the locking procedure. Jake and Josh proved to be excellent help.
Two locks behind us and on our way through the gorgeous TS.
Speed restrictions, distances between locks, and nightly 6pm lock closures make it difficult to transit more than six or seven locks each day, so boaters typically tie up for the night either above or below a lock. Locals have their favorites spots to tie up and hang out, and weekends can get particularly busy. We cruised on past the top of the lock pictured below, where several boaters had already stopped for the day.
Arriving just below Percy Reach, lock 8, we tied up along the wall and spent a tranquil first night on the waterway.
Molly had some upscale company for the night: Swanee, a 50-some footer.
Those large ball fenders on Molly's bow may look a little silly, but they did a fantastic job of protecting her flared bow.
Sales tax on Swanee likely exceeded Molly's purchase price.
The boys fished almost every chance they had, which was almost every evening. Our first night on the TS was a wonderful end to our first day on the waterway.
We didn't spend much time exploring the town of Trenton, but there didn't seem to be too much to see. The highlight for us was discovering that 30mL vials of insulin are available over the counter for only $30/each at Canadian drugstores, which was good since we were about to run out far away from home and our pharmacy.
After a night or two in the Trent Port Marina, we motored over to their fuel dock and had Molly's holding tanks emptied before entering the TS (we'd heard pumpout facilities were not to be found once in the waterway). Somehow Dad managed to scope out a nearby fish-n-chips place and ordered all of us off the boat for lunch.
With the holding tanks empty, the fuel tanks mostly full, the dinghy rolled and stowed on the swim platform, two large ball-type fenders positioned at the bow, and a good estimate of Molly's air draft (highest point above water), we headed for the first bridge, which you can see in the background in the picture below. We passed (barely) beneath the low-hanging "Trenton" bridge and made our way to lock number 1 of 44.
All of the locks on the TS have staging areas above and below the lock, indicated by a painted blue stripe, for boats to tie up and wait their turn. Once the lock doors are open and the down-bound traffic has exited the lock, up-bound traffic is clear to enter and lay up against the lock wall.
As you enter the lock, the lock master and attendants indicate which side of the wall to tie up on and where to position your boat, which can be just about anywhere if you're locking through alone or behind/next to other boats if you're locking through with a crowd.
Cables, secured top and bottom, hang vertically along the lock walls and are spaced about 20' apart. Line handlers wrap their dock lines around a cable and hold the line throughout the locking procedure. Jake and Josh proved to be excellent help.
Two locks behind us and on our way through the gorgeous TS.
Speed restrictions, distances between locks, and nightly 6pm lock closures make it difficult to transit more than six or seven locks each day, so boaters typically tie up for the night either above or below a lock. Locals have their favorites spots to tie up and hang out, and weekends can get particularly busy. We cruised on past the top of the lock pictured below, where several boaters had already stopped for the day.
Arriving just below Percy Reach, lock 8, we tied up along the wall and spent a tranquil first night on the waterway.
Molly had some upscale company for the night: Swanee, a 50-some footer.
Those large ball fenders on Molly's bow may look a little silly, but they did a fantastic job of protecting her flared bow.
Sales tax on Swanee likely exceeded Molly's purchase price.
The boys fished almost every chance they had, which was almost every evening. Our first night on the TS was a wonderful end to our first day on the waterway.
Researching Albins I found your restoration videos. Very helpful. This blog is even more exciting - seeing Molly out enjoying herself. Hope you are still cruising along somewheres and that Molly is treating you well (old trawlers occasionally sting their owners like that old frog and scorpion story- nothing personal, just in their nature).
ReplyDeleteJohn