Trent-Severn Waterway--Peterborough, Ontario, to Lakefield, Ontario

We hung around Peterborough on 3 July to find out if our mailed arrived, and it did not, so we dropped the dock lines at noon and headed through Lock 20 in Peterborough. We had heard earlier in the morning from SEAQUEL and XPLORER, who left around 9:00 a.m., that the Peterborough Lift Lock was having mechanical problems and could possibly be inoperable for 3 hours or more. Once we got to Lock 20 (which was right around the corner from the Peterborough Marina), the Lockmaster told us that he would lock us through, but if the Peterborough Lift Lock was to close for repairs, all boats would have to turn around and come back through Lock 20. We decided to take our chances and go on through the lock and hang out on the wall at Lock 21 until it was determined whether or not the Lock would be closed.

After only 15 minutes of being tied to the wall, all boats were told to get ready to lock through. Boy, were we lucky! We were somewhat anxious about getting into this Lock, knowing it wasn’t operating properly, but we were putting our faith in the Lockmaster and his crew that they knew what they were doing. We were manually locked through rather than hydraulically, with four other boats.

Four feet from the top of the lock, the lift stopped, and we had to sit there for 30-45 minutes until the Lockmaster and his crew could get the lock going again. We were thankful that it was a beautiful, warm day, with not much wind! Since we were the last boat in the "Pan" we had an interesting view out the back of the lock, some 60 feet below to the water. Interesting !!

Now, let us tell you about the Peterborough Lift Lock, which is the first of its kind that we have experienced on this trip. The Lock was completed in 1904 and is an engineering marvel. There are two huge pans for boats to enter—one for boats going up and the other for boats going down. Each of the two pans weighs 1300 tons when filled. With one pan going up and the other pan down, the two balance each other. It does not matter how many boats are in either pan. A boat displaces its own weight in water, so no matter how many boats are in each pan, they still weigh 1300 tons. When it comes time to lower one pan and raise the other, one extra foot of water (130) tons of water is allowed to enter the upper pan. This extra weight allows the upper pan to push down and raise the lower pan to the top level. The two pans are locked in place and the extra water is let out of the lower pan. Boats enter and exit the upper and lower pans, and the process is repeated. It somewhat resembles a huge Ferris Wheel. A VERY interesting experience.

We traversed six locks today, and tied to the lock wall above Lock 26 in Lakefield, Ontario, for the night. SEAQUEL and XPLORER stayed at the Lakefield Marina about 10 minutes (by boat) from the Lock.

We stayed an extra night in Lakefield on the Lock wall due to predicted rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday (4 July). It did rain, but not bad enough to keep us from taking a 10 minute walk into town to meet everyone at the town library to check e-mails and then for lunch at Hamblins. After lunch we went our separate ways to check out the various stores in the town. Mike and I eventually made it back to the boat and did some reading and napping before walking to Lakefield Marina to join Mike and Cathy on their boat for a delicious home cooked meal with Barry and Sheryl.

We will leave Lock 26 on Thursday, 5 July, headed to Buckhorn, Ontario. Our plan is to tie to the Lock wall above Lock 31 for the night. Stay tuned…