The Big Chute

There are a few areas on America's Great Loop that are marked as highlights such as (1) Crossing the Gulf of Mexico, (2) Getting through Hell's Gate in South Carolina, (3) Cruising by Lady Liberty in NYC, and (4) Canada's Big Chute Marine Railway.  Today, we experienced The Big Chute!  The above video explains this lock better than what we could capture.

After the Big Chute Lock, we are settled in at Rawley's Resort near Port Severn (only 1 more lock to go through, Lock 45, before entering the Georgian Bay.  Rawley's was recommended to us by locals who were locking through with us.  We've got dinner reservations and we're looking forward to the Date Night Special!

There are two lift locks on the Trent-Severn Waterway, the Peterborough and the Kirkfield.  This is the Kirkfield.  It was built after the Peterborough Lock in the early 1900s--obviously when steel was the thing to use.  It operates the same as the Peterborough Lift Lock.  Interestingly, this lock has had major renovations to it whereas the older Peterborough has had minor changes made to it.

The Locks and the Waterway are a Canadian Historic Site.  The Kirkfield Lift Lock is located 2 miles form Kirkfield in the middle of the countryside.  The building you see in the background--a restaurant that has been closed.

This was taken at the Kirkfield Lift Lock.  This is typical of the Canadian Locks in that they also offer visitors park-like surroundings and are inviting and peaceful.

A FACEBOOK surprise for us:  When Brenda opened one of her group facebook pages yesterday, 3 photos caught her eye...Velsignet was in all three of them(this is one of them)! 
The photos were taken by a Fenelon Falls native as we passed through in the lock.
Fenelon Falls is a quaint town with fun shops (Brenda picked up a couple of new knitting projects at a very nice yarn store there)--and you can see by the photo that (1) lots of people walk around town; and (2) the canal and lock are right smack dab in the middle of it all.

This is the "Hole in the Wall Bridge" on Canal Lake.  It was constructed in 1905 and has an easy vertical clearance of 28 feet.

This is our exit out of the canal and into the large, 20 mile long X 16-mile wide Lake Simcoe. (If you've watched the Netflix "Turn:  Washington's Spies", you'll recognize the name of John Simcoe.)

Last night we tied up along the wall of the Lock 42, Couchiching Lock.  We enjoyed our first cups of coffee looking over this beautiful scene.

Chouchiching Lock (as all locks in the waterway) opened promptly at 9 a.m.

By 9:10 a.m., Velsignet was in the lock and Mike was enjoying another cup of Joe!

This is a typical narrow rock cut on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

As Velsignet sit along the Blue line on the Lock wall awaiting instructions from the Lock Tenders (via a loud speaker system), The Big Chute is delivering boats from the "other side" to our side.  

This is our chart plotter indicating the Big Chute.

Velsignet is in The Big Chute (Instructions:  pontoon first to port; motorboat next on starboard, and Mainship last in the middle.  The jet ski guys didn't get any instructions and so we assume they were experienced as they entered in knowing just what to do.)  Two large straps harnass Velsignet such that as the basin moves and water drains from it, Velsignet sits on its keel with the straps keeping her vertically intact.

After the Big Chute, we entered this narrow unforgiving and with a swift current channel called "The Little Chute."
As the down bound vessel, Velsignet had the right of way should we meet another boat.  However, to warn and discourage boaters from entering this short stretch of water, we announced our passage on the VHF radio.

This is the Fenelon Falls Dam.

This is looking back on The Big Chute as we cruise out of the lock area.  Its original smaller railway lift (50 feet long; ability to carry 18 tons; limited to one large boat) has been replaced with a larger lift that can carry 110 tons, vessels up to 100 feet long, and a system of rams and straps that can carry a combination of boats up and down each trip.

Another look back at The Big Chute.  We're pretty sure this is the only part of America's Great Loop that Velsignet moves over LAND vs Water.