Author: Jeff

I’ve been refining my plans for the future over the past few months, and they involve a new boat. I’m part of a bicycling culture where the N+1 concept is very familiar, and this news has shocked my friends and family very little.

Now, keep in mind that I enjoy boat shopping immensely. I don’t mind long drawn out wild goose chases. And I like unusual boats. I used to be a boat broker, and liked it.

I also didn’t have a firm use case. And then COVID-19 came along. Nonetheless I think I have a new plan.

Mazurka was a test bed for me. A training trawler. I bought the boat in early September 2015 with a 5 year plan of ownership. In a sense the lease is up.

I like Mazurka. A lot. I’m familiar with all the systems and am confident in the boat. And I still really like the look of the boat, which matters. And I’ve learned how to handle moderate seas comfortably. I could happily loop forever in this boat. But that’s not in the plans.

I’ll write more on this, but I guess I can say Mazurka is available for purchase. I think I’m realistic about pricing, and can deliver anywhere in the Canadian Great Lakes. Get in touch for details. I won’t bite! Happy to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly 🙂

I had a lovely long cruise around from Midland. Left about 0900 from my island anchorage and steamed straight up Georgian Bay, was in Tobermory at 1900. They had zero space, so I grabbed takeout dinner and headed down Lake Huron. Got into Grand Bend about 1100 the next day, and no berths available, but I tied to the rough wall and spent 24 hours there, then a nice trip down to Sarnia yesterday.

Part of this sprint was weather driven of course. It was generally calm and flat. Make miles while you can in open water. That’s been my motto. Plus I like night boating.

I cruised at 7-9 knots depending on conditions. In rougher water I go faster for a more comfortable ride.

I didn’t take any pictures other than the one at the top. That’s a boat that my old boss Bruce sold twice, and Crowley’s did a major refit on. Haven’t seen Clare in 25 years. Think she’s been around the world in that time.

I have taken a three videos and now that I’m tied up I’m able to share. Here’s one from the Trent Severn, one from Georgian Bay at anchor, and one Cruising down Lake Huron. Enjoy 🙂

Pretty nice here. I really need to get in the water some time.

I haven’t gone far since my last post. Spent a couple of days in Midland, had a brief visit by Miles, and spent a couple of days off the boat with family. Went to look at a boat that I’m maybe going to buy. But that’s another post.

After leaving Port Severn I spent a couple of days noodling around Beausoleil Island and the south end of the Bay.

Tonight I’m anchored here off Hope Island. Weather is unsettled and winds from the N. Next stop is Tobermory, and Thursday looks like a nice day to cruise straight up.

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I pulled in to the top of the lock yesterday about 5:00, started the generator, turned on the A/C, and went inside.  Very hot and humid.  Today I stayed put.  Cold front is just passing through as I write this, and it looks like a nice stretch of weather for the remainder of the week.

I love the area between here and Kirkfield.  I have vivid recollections of coming up through here four years ago.  It was my introduction to waterway cruising. Pretty spectacular still, 10,000 miles later.

I haven’t taken many pictures because I have a large collection already of this area and because I’m distancing myself from my phone a bit while underway.  It’s often charging when I’m underway and isn’t always close at hand.

The Big Chute is fun and interesting.  Most of the day’s pics are there.

Tomorrow I’m heading into Georgian Bay.  Will noodle around the south end for a few days visiting yards.  I’d like to get some work done on Mazurka and am sort of boat shopping, and generally like skulking around storage yards. Plus I have a trip down to London area on the weekend and don’t want to get too far away.

I suppose I should offer some overall notes and impressions on the Trent Severn. I really enjoyed this trip. There’s a lot a variety. It’s quiet this year. A lot of homes/cottages were empty, and local boat traffic seemed low. The lockmasters say overall traffic is down about 30%, but for many locks Canadian traffic has increased. US boats have hisorically been something like 50% of the through traffic and are not here this year.

The lockmasters have been generally helpful and friendly, as always. There has always been lots of space at the locks, and my season pass has been well used. I anchored out only once, and that was after a rude CN rail bridge operator denied me passage at 6:15 and there was nowhere close by to tie up.

In other boating news, I hope to have a new rudder for Tin Lizzie within the next couple of weeks.  She might yet see water in 2020!

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This picture was taken last night at the top of the Kirkfield Lift Lock. I’m now on my way down to Georgian Bay.

I had left Mazurka at lock 4 just above Trenton for a few days. Sarah drove me back Monday night with a load of groceries. We had to walk the last km or so as the gate was locked. The lock tenders loaned me a wheelbarrow in the morning to fetch the liquids that we left by the gate.

Tuesday was overcast and calm. Nice traveling weather. I stayed the night at the top of lock 12 just before Campbellford.

Wednesday I stayed at the bottom of Lock 19 just below Peterborough. Thursday night I was at the bottom of Lock 28 at Burleigh Falls. Last night was at the top of Kirkfield Lift Lock.

Tonight I’m anchored here just north of Orillia.

Not much else to report! Weather has been warm and sunny.

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Now at the bottom lock.  Tomorrow I’ll travel north for a bit, then will take a break from boating for a few days.  I’ve been aboard and mostly underway since June 1.

Yesterday and today have been very relaxed.  Reprovisioned and ate out in Trenton today.  Yesterday I stopped in Belleville to refuel.  Fellow 34 owner Rob flagged me down and I enjoyed a visit with him, with cold beer and barbecued steak. 

Fuel fill-up stats: 32 days, 751 nautical miles traveled (~1400 km), 139 hours main, 68 hours generator.  That’s a lot of gennie time for me but I ran the AC a lot and was only plugged in a few days.  It’s been hot.  Total fuel used: 737 l (195 US gal). Just in case you were curious…

I’ve seen a few wild birds that were very comfortable around boats and people, like this one hanging out at the Belleville marina.

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After I left Kingston yesterday I noodled over to Collins Bay. Anchored there, visited Marine Outfitters this morning, then on to Napanee for dinner and overnight.

Weather has been unstettled. Bits of rain and interesting clouds.

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I like the trip into Napanee. There are a few interesting homes. One is for sale!

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I’m on my way back up towards Peterborough and on through the Trent Severn Waterway. Noodling along.

I met up with Gavin and Emerson in Smith’s Falls on Thursday as planned, and we had a relaxed cruise down to Kingston, where I dropped them off today. Great trip. Weather was very hot but moderated today after some rain.

Most of these pics are Emerson’s. He also took a couple of videos of the locks, like this one.

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Since I’ve never traveled the Ottawa River I thought I’d take a cruise down from Ottawa as far as I could, which is the Carrillon Lock near Hawksbury ON. Normally the lock provides passage through to meet up with the St Lawrence River near Montreal, but it is closed this season.

Not much to report. I locked down yesterday and headed down the river. Got to the lock at dusk. My plan had been to spend the night there. I thought I had read that there was an open visitors centre. But the floating docks weren’t out and there were a bunch of folks fishing who had jumped the fence, so I turned around. Had a beautiful moonlit cruise back up the river until about 0100 when I stopped and anchored.

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It was relentlessly clear and sunny yesterday, and despite lots of sunscreen and trying to stay in the shade I was pretty scorched by the end of the day. This morning when I got up I couldn’t face another day outside under the sun and so cruised back up to Ottawa staying inside with the AC on. Made the last lock up and am now back on the canal.

Tomorrow I head back down the canal towards Kingston. Meeting Gavin and Emerson in Smith’s Falls, and they’re going to go down to Kingston with me.

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I pulled it to downtown mid-afternoon, and to my delight there was a prime spot open with power. It was hot and sticky so I spent most of the remainder of the day inside with the AC blasting.

Highlights for me on the trip down were excursions up the Tay Canal to Perth and the Kemptville Creek to Kemptville. Both involved waterfront patio dining. Spent one night in the remote marsh on the Tay, I basically ran into the mud between two beaver lodges.

The locks here are all parks. They’re all lovely, and most are operated as they were 100 years ago. I was quite taken with the swing bridges, some of which were swung by the locktenders completely manually. I took this video of the bridge being closed behind me.

I’m going to hang here for a couple of days. The weather has been perfect for a month, but it’s forecast to be hot this week, and I’m quite happy to escape the sun and heat for a while.

After that? I’m going to head down the Ottawa River, but it’s going to be a return trip. I learned a few days ago that the Carrillon Lock is closed for the season. Should have checked earlier. So there is no passage through to Montreal.

That’s OK. I’m really enjoying the travel. But I’ve pretty much abandoned the idea of going east from Montreal anyway. That’s a trip I’d like to take, but not this year, and probably not in Mazurka.

So now my plan is to do a return trip down the Ottawa to the closed lock, then back through the Rideau to Kingston, then back to the Trent Severn. All good.

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