bymiller
Active member
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Messages
- 30
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C SE
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2160D707
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- Sea Pearl 21 sailboat
- Vessel Name
- Daycare
- MMSI Number
- 367647960
After purchasing Little Lady, an '07 21EC, in June I brought it home, renamed her DAYCARE, loaded it and drove from Arkansas to Brewerton, NY and the Erie Canal. From the Erie Canal I went to the Oswego Canal and from Oswego, NY crossed Lake Ontario to Trenton, Ontario. Next was the Trent Severn Waterway which runs from Trenton to Severn located on Georgian Bay. Google "Trent Severn Waterway" to learn more about the interesting history and look on Youtube for "Peterborough Lift Lock " and "Big Chute Railway" to learn more about these unique locks. Many Great Loopers travel the Trent Severn.
An interesting trivia fact is that while travelling on the Trent Severn you will reach the highest altitude in the world that can be reached by boat from sea level.
I spent a day in Georgian Bay and then headed back to Trenton. Next was Kingston for the start of the Rideau Canal. Google this. It's been in service for almost 200 years and many of the locks are the original ones. The canal runs right through the center of Ottawa and has a famous 8 step lock that takes boaters to the Ottawa River.
From Ottawa it was down the Ottawa River through the Carrillon Canal lock and the Sainte-Anne_de-Bellevue Canal lock to Montreal and the St. Lawrence River. Since I have a boat with an air draft of less than 8' I could travel the Lachine Canal right through the city of Montreal. Getting into the St. Lawrence River was a bit scary because of the current but Daycare handled it perfectly. It was a speedy trip down the St. Lawrence to Sorel, Quebec and the Richelieu River. This was also a reality check because for the first time in the trip I was heading upstream and was happy when I could hit 5 mph.
On the Richelieu I went through the Saint-Ours lock, then through the Chambly Canal and finally back into the US and Lake Champlain. Traveled the length of Lake Champlain and into the Champlain Canal which took me to the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal. From the it was back to Brewerton to load up and drive the 1,200 miles to home.
So, I slept 35 nights in the boat. Spent several nights in marinas, a couple of nights anchored but most nights were spent on a lock wall. The Canadians call it "mooring". Traveled 1,459 miles. Put a bit over 200 hours on the engine. When I started the engine had a about 450 hours so in just over a month I put on almost half as many hours as had been put on in the last 6 years! Went through almost 200 locks.
What I discovered about the boat: It is very easy to single hand through locks; With the surrey top I stay dry while locking in the rain; I'm 6' 2" tall and the boat is very comfortable to sleep in and live in; There was adequate storage for supplies for about 30 days food (breakfast, lunch and dinner); The stove works very well; I carried my drinking water in a four gallon jug and used the water tank water to wash dishes; This is the first trip I tried to do without a cooler (my boat does not have a refrigerator) and it worked very well for me and it was nice to not be constantly chasing ice and finding a place to carry the cooler; The boat draws a lot of attention - a woman on a 45' sailboat said it was the "cutest boat on the Trent".
This was my third trip on the Trent and the Rideau and I can't wait to go back again next year. I've been on many of the rivers in the US and traveled all of the Erie Canal and while many are nice none come close to the Canadian Canals.
By
An interesting trivia fact is that while travelling on the Trent Severn you will reach the highest altitude in the world that can be reached by boat from sea level.
I spent a day in Georgian Bay and then headed back to Trenton. Next was Kingston for the start of the Rideau Canal. Google this. It's been in service for almost 200 years and many of the locks are the original ones. The canal runs right through the center of Ottawa and has a famous 8 step lock that takes boaters to the Ottawa River.
From Ottawa it was down the Ottawa River through the Carrillon Canal lock and the Sainte-Anne_de-Bellevue Canal lock to Montreal and the St. Lawrence River. Since I have a boat with an air draft of less than 8' I could travel the Lachine Canal right through the city of Montreal. Getting into the St. Lawrence River was a bit scary because of the current but Daycare handled it perfectly. It was a speedy trip down the St. Lawrence to Sorel, Quebec and the Richelieu River. This was also a reality check because for the first time in the trip I was heading upstream and was happy when I could hit 5 mph.
On the Richelieu I went through the Saint-Ours lock, then through the Chambly Canal and finally back into the US and Lake Champlain. Traveled the length of Lake Champlain and into the Champlain Canal which took me to the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal. From the it was back to Brewerton to load up and drive the 1,200 miles to home.
So, I slept 35 nights in the boat. Spent several nights in marinas, a couple of nights anchored but most nights were spent on a lock wall. The Canadians call it "mooring". Traveled 1,459 miles. Put a bit over 200 hours on the engine. When I started the engine had a about 450 hours so in just over a month I put on almost half as many hours as had been put on in the last 6 years! Went through almost 200 locks.
What I discovered about the boat: It is very easy to single hand through locks; With the surrey top I stay dry while locking in the rain; I'm 6' 2" tall and the boat is very comfortable to sleep in and live in; There was adequate storage for supplies for about 30 days food (breakfast, lunch and dinner); The stove works very well; I carried my drinking water in a four gallon jug and used the water tank water to wash dishes; This is the first trip I tried to do without a cooler (my boat does not have a refrigerator) and it worked very well for me and it was nice to not be constantly chasing ice and finding a place to carry the cooler; The boat draws a lot of attention - a woman on a 45' sailboat said it was the "cutest boat on the Trent".
This was my third trip on the Trent and the Rideau and I can't wait to go back again next year. I've been on many of the rivers in the US and traveled all of the Erie Canal and while many are nice none come close to the Canadian Canals.
By