#25 Rosedale, ON to Port Of Orillia, ON Canada

Written by The Crew

Rev writes all the posts as "The Crew" at What Yacht To Do. It's just part of the First Mate duties. That list just keeps growing...

August 3, 2019

We left the peaceful comfort of Rosedale and headed out to Balsam Lake.

It was a beautiful morning.

Balsam Lake

But we knew that today was going to be a nerve-wracking day.

Today was the day we would have to go through the Kirkfield Cut.

This trek was going to be one of the most narrow passages on the Great Loop.

Boats over 40 feet have to announce on Channel 16 that they are entering and going down the channel.

We did pass a fishing boat, a 30-foot cruiser, and a kayaker.

We had to go really slow as you could imagine.

There was a bridge and the area seemed to widen a bit but right after, it was skinny again.

After some tense, nail-biting maneuvering, we came to the Kirkfield Lift Lock.

Kirkfield Lift Lock

The Kirkfield Lift Lock isn’t as big as the Peterborough Lift Lock but it’s still really impressive.

It’s like being in a giant infinity pool when you first get in.

What a view!

After we left the lock, we bumped something in the water below.

WHAT WAS THAT???

A few seconds later, we bumped again.

WHAT IS GOING ON???

Sam had to keep it slow but every sound or vibration could be a potential disaster.

Did we have damage or not?

We didn’t know.

At least we were still moving forward.

Hole in the Wall Bridge

Another site to see on this journey is the Hole in the Wall Bridge.

It is beautiful and functional at the same time.

Passing through it was another exciting part of our day.

Until…

Another bump.

Right under the bridge.

Come on!

Five More Locks

You’d think that we be enough excitement for one day.

But no.

We went through five more locks.

And not alone.

We were with 5-6 each time.

Go or No Go?

We were going to tie up on one of the five locks and spend the night.

Sam had not gotten a very good night’s sleep worrying over going through the cut.

But we just didn’t see where we could be comfortable at the locks.

So we headed for a swing bridge that one of the lock staff recommended.

It didn’t look like somewhere that we would want to stay.

There was also the jetty wall.

We weren’t feeling that either.

So, Sam called the Port of Orillia Marina and they said they could take us.

Yay.

It just meant we would have to cross Lake Simcoe.

It would be another hour and a half before we arrived.

But it would give Sam a chance to run the engines up and check to see if there was any damage from the bumps of the day.

No problems so on we went.

And it was worth it.

They have a stay 2 nights get the third night free.

So we signed up for that deal.

Marina World

We are living in a marina world and I am a marina girl.

I am so enjoying our stays at marinas in Canada.

Sam told me there weren’t many here on this part of the trip.

But he has gone out of his way to find them for me because he’s afraid I’ll fly home if he doesn’t. LOL

The time is coming soon that we are going to have to do this anchoring thing and I am freaked out!

I have to go now and watch a few YouTube videos on how to do it.

Stay tuned.

Our Thoughts

Our Trip: Nebo Fail – Again!

I don’t know what it is about this part of Canada.

Either T-Mobile or Nebo is having a problem.

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8 Comments

  1. Great Post Rev, the toughest part of your trip is over! The next couple of days will have beautiful scenery for you guys!

    Reply
    • Thank you! I really needed to hear that. We are going to do two locks tomorrow and then two on Monday. The end (of the locks) is near!!!

      Reply
  2. Looks like a beautiful marina, Marina Girl! Great pictures!! Did you ever find out about the mystery bumps? Curious minds want to know. Our local Fairfield Boys Club held it’s 50th annual Frog Jumping Contest today. Very successful fundraiser for us. Greg and I manned the frog rental station.

    Reply
    • No, we never did. The bumps will remain a mystery. Great job at the fundraiser!

      Reply
  3. Wow. You guys had some challenges. It’s great that you made so much progress, and ended up at a great marina. It sounds like you keep being rewarded after each leg, with good marinas and great people. Stay safe and looking forward to your next update.

    Reply
    • Hi Dave! Ups and downs are part of our everyday living here on this boat. Because. It’s a boat! But definitely more ups! We are enjoying figuring out how to do this.
      Thanks for coming along with us.

      Reply
  4. Anchoring is no big worry. Just do it and as long as you have sufficient rode, you will be fine. When you are ready to move on, retrieving the Anchor should be no problem. There is an art to doing this without any problems. You will see!

    Reply
    • You make it sound so easy! I hope it is.

      Reply

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