Time&TideTravels: Peterborough to Kirkfield Lift Locks

Peterborough - Kirkfield Lift Lock

3 July 2012

We left our anchorage in Rice Lake nice and early to make it to Peterborough in time to lock through. We were so excited to be on our way that we almost missed the entrance to the Otonabee river which winds all the way to Peterborough.

Leaving Rice Lake early in the morning

The entrance to the Otonabee River -
in our excitement we almost missed it.

A quaint little tree house on theOtanobee river

We arrived in Peterborough and had our first encounter with a lot of boat traffic. On more than one occasion we got to share a tight fit in the locks with the Island Princess. She is a tour boat that takes tourists up and down the lift lock.

Island Princess11 says goodbye

The tour guide was real treat, he got out of the boat and walked around the lock as it was lowering and came around and chatted with us.

The lift-lock was truly an experience. I have heard so much about it but it is very exciting to actually go through it.

Entering the Peterborough Lift Lock

Getting ready to lift

Island Princess 11 coming out of
Peterborough Lift lock

The view from the top

Locking can be stressful but it is also a great opportunity to catch up with other boaters and have a nice chat. It is also great fun (if you are not involved) and very scary (if you are involved) in watching houseboats go in and out of locks.

Houseboats get rented out to people who don’t even need to have experience driving a boat, and it must be hard to drive by the looks of it. One house boater told us without any shame that he wasn’t even required to have a licence to drive one….this was just before we saw him entering the lock sideways. Thank goodness the lock staff knows what they are doing and are always willing to help.

We continued on to lock 23 until the rain forced us to stop. It was a quiet spot and just fine for a relaxing afternoon.

4 July 2012

We made our way through to Lakefield, lock 26, where we stopped to do some shopping before heading out , through Hell’s Gate.

Hell's Gate - Stony Lake
Slow down, take your time and watch the markers

Scary on the charts but pretty easy
if you take your time

Chart plotter view of Hell's Gate

Narrow passage of Hell's Gate

Finally after a hot day of locking we stopped at Buckhorn (lock 31) for the evening. Here we met fellow loopers, Eddie and Sandi on MV Tarqin. We enjoyed an Independence Day toast with our American friends. We had the gennie going and while I made bread, Gary had the water maker running. It was a long and hot day.

Buckhorn Lock 31

Time & Tide and Tarqin
in Buckhorn

5 July 2012

Another very warm day as we meandered through Sturgeon and Pigeon lakes to Fenelon Falls and on to Bobcaygeon , where Gary had to go to a local marine store to pick up a tie down for the tender. No rest as we took off after lunch time and headed towards Kirkfield lift locks.

DANGER!! Scary sight on
the water...

Kawartha Voyager passing us in Sturgeon Lake
down bound from Bog Chute
(it passed us up bound in Lock 4)

Gannon Narrows Tug

Met up with Tarqin again in Bobcageon
Eddie and Sandi

Sturgeon Lake Float plane

Running with the auto pilot

We weren't fishing, just posing

Rosedale Lock

We had to go through a very shallow area, Mitchell Lake and into the Trent Canal which is so narrow and shallow I must have held my breath for more than an hour in fear of us touching. Even though we called a Securite before entering the channel ,we met up with a big boat heading the opposite way. He reported that he had touched bottom twice which made me even more nervous.

Narrow Trent Canal

Trent canal

See how narrow it is??!!

Uh-uh! Boat in narrow channel who touched
bottom twice

Kirkfield Lift Lock
I was very happy when we finally reached the huge Kirkfield lift locks where we spent the evening visiting with Randy and Natalie off MV Black Tickle