STORMS, CLOSED LOCKS AND CHASE

July 20, 2011  Dateline: Buckhorn, Ontario Canada

What a day.  The two closed locks opened this morning and I had to get moving.  Rich and Carol got the fenders adjusted, started the generator to charge my batteries and Rich started my port engine.  Rich pulled away from the dock and found that the starboard propeller would not turn.  He tried to put me back on the wall and some really nice people from a house boat grabbed lines from Carol and got us back to the wall.  Notice I said Rich started my port engine.  He forgot to start the starboard engine---I told him my ----starboard tachometer showed -0- revolutions. Did he pay attention?  NO   He told me to get that Caterpillar started,  I did and life was back to normal. 

This whole area is full of house boats; they are really big and rent for some $3,000 a week.  They are wide, long and slow, but it looks like people have a good time with them.

Rich took a picture of some trees; notice how the wind has caused their branches lean in one direction.

We only did three locks today and both Rich and Carol did a fine job of avoiding the walls and getting settled down inside the lock.  Locking fun—not—Rich brings me into the lock close to one of the walls.  Carol grabs a cable hanging down, see picture.  She ties my mid cleat and then runs to my bow to get a line on another cable.  At the same time Rich stops me, shuts off my engines and then runs down to the cockpit to put a line around a cable at my stern.  Sounds much easier than it is, but they are getting better at it.  You can see the cables hanging down from the walls on the above picture.

Rich and Carol had dinner with Garry and Pat, of Watermark, at a place called Cody Inn and had incredible Chinese food. They even have left-overs for lunch.   

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July 19, 2011  Dateline: Young’s Point, Ontario Canada

Last night a fierce storm came through Lakefield and the area surrounding Lakeside.  The storm knocked out electricity and downed trees.

At 8 AM Watermark and I left Lakeside Marine and headed the 6 miles to the first lock at Young’s Point.  When we arrived at the lock the lock tender, Phil, told us that the next lock up was closed because of the loss of electricity.  In addition, the lock after that one, Lovesick, had a tree fall on some power lines there.  Phil, the lock tender at Young’s Point, explained that the Lovesick lock is only accessible by water and it might take time to get the equipment in to restore the power.  He said it might take a few days to clear up.  He suggested that we tie up at the lock walls for the night.  No water, no electricity but at least a place to be tied up to.

Rich learned tonight that the two locks further up the system have been re-opened and so I will be leaving early in the morning.  There are some 20 large boats backed up waiting to go through the closed locks.  Phil said that Watermark and I would be the first to leave here tomorrow.  He will release pairs of boats in 20 minute increments to prevent a clog at the next two locks.

The original lock tender’s house still exists at the lock. It is now called Lockside Trading Company. It’s more than shopping… It’s a destination. Carol bought, guess what, another pair of shoes.

The owners of Watermark, live only 10 minutes from here by car but they stayed with their boat. 

The owners of Watermark, Grianan, Crawdad and me had a party at the lock side.  They all met George Sinko who is sailing a small pontoon boat, Patriot, around the Great Loop.  George is sailing with, Chase, his Labrador retriever and is trying to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and hopes to be entered in the Guinness Book of Records for the smallest boat to complete the loop. George began the trip from Ft Meyers, FL.  Rich had a great time with Chase. Chase loves to retrieve balls.

Chase on his pntoon boat

Patrriot