Today we cruised with Holy Cow, Out of the Blue and Yolo. At least we started that way. The first lock only three of us could lock through as we are all quite beamy. Yolo would lock through alone and catch up later. But on the next lock, they only allowed us and Holy Cow to lock through and Out of the Blue had to wait. As we exited the lock we heard that YOLO caught up to Out of the Blue. So now we went in teams of two.
Couchiching Lock 42 (21' drop) with swing bridges above and below the lock.
Swift Rapids Lock 43 (47' drop). This is a modern hydraulic lock, built in 1965, replacing the original marine railway constructed in 1919. The massive hydroelectric plant adjacent to the lock was built in 1917. This is the highest lift of any conventional lock on the system. The staff monitor the locking procedures from a control tower above the lock. This lock is also unique because once it begins to fill or drain, the process cannot be reversed.
Big Chute Lock 44 (57' drop). What seemingly could be a very chaotic situation was handled with professional cool by Park Canada's experienced staff, making our railway experience a simple, albeit exciting experience as we released control and rode along.
When we reached Lock 44, The Giant Chute, Holy Cow went to the free wall where they would stay and continue tomorrow with additional family joining them for the thrill ride. Lucky for us and without hesitation, Gord got off of his boat and took photos of us locking through the Chute. What an amazing experience and engineering feat. Gord and Jen (Holy Cow) are now just a short distance from their home port of Honey Harbor, ON. They are an amazingly generous family that offered us a wealth of knowledge about navigating the TSW and Georgian Bay.
Following the Giant Chute we realized we WOULD NOT make our next and final lock (Severn Lock 45) in time to lock through before they close at 3:30 p.m. This is another set-back and travel delay and won’t lock through until after 10:00 a.m. Altering course again!
Severn: We made a quick decision based on a book I’ve been using to choose places to stay and at the recommendation of a lock attendant at Lock 44, we went to Raleigh Resort and Marina. After being tied up for a couple of hours we received our bill of $240.00 via email. After a brief discussion we decided that was a ridiculous price for and empty marina with electric hook up. There was no water or laundry, the pool was not available (it looked really nice) and we were the only boat at their 16 slip marina. However, we did get a pass for the use of a nice pool towel, lol. We promptly requested a refund and moved 500’ to the top of Lock 45 and stayed on the free wall. I don't know why we didn't do this to begin with. It was very pleasant staying there. Nice Park for the dogs. The government docks or “free walls” really aren’t free. We purchased a one-way pass that allows passage at the locks and “free” mooring on the lock walls, so technically they aren’t free but already paid for so we used them whenever we could.
Looking across at where we moved from.
Travel photos from the day.
