To Trenton, Ontario and starting the Trent-Severn Waterway from Trenton to Hastings, the first 18 locks

On Monday, July 13 we left Kingston for Trenton, Ontario to the marina called Trent-Port Marina. This marina is at the base of what is called the Trent-Severn Waterway. This is a 240 mile canal connecting Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. There are 45 locks on this canal. The canal includes rivers and lakes as well. We left Kingston at 7:30 and arrived about 3:30 to the Marina and took on fuel which should last us until we get back to the states. Of course the winds picked up just as we were docking which is always challenging but we had a lot of help and made it in! Trent-Port Marina is a super nice facility with 10 shower rooms, free laundry, a small beach area, and nice boater lounge, and a fireplace. They have a map where you can put a pin from where you are from. There were several loopers there so someone called for "dock tails" and we sat outside at the many tables they had at the marina. Tim and I did not stay long as we were hungry and found a good restaurant called Thai Sushi. On Tuesday, we just did administrative tasks and stayed in most of the day because it was another hot and humid day and later the smoke from the Canadian forest fires started showing up. We did go to the nearby grocery store called Metro which was a great market. 

On Wednesday, July 15 we started the Trent-Severn! It was pretty much what we had heard. It is staffed by mostly college students, all very friendly. They open at 9:00 am. You need a pass to go through but it is free so they give you a sticker for your boat at the first lock. The locks are small and they only let you tie up on one side, usually the starboard side, so  usually only 2 or 3 boats go in at a time. We went behind The Dash and another boat lashed up to the Dash for most of the six locks we went through that day. We did have one boat lash up to us on one of the locks. They have cables that you attach your rope to. Another unique feature is the doors open with cranks that you can see the lock workers opening by walking and pushing them. On lock 6, Sue got to try the crank when we were coming through after them!  Strangely enough the first locks only take you about 7 miles but that took us until mid afternoon. We stopped in Frankford.  Most of the lock walls let you stay overnight. We stayed at the Frankford lock wall that had power. We had a smash burger for lunch at a food truck that one of the lock workers recommended and it was quite good. Later we walked to town to Mill Street Pub and in conversation we learned about local food favorites "butter tarts" and Hawks "cheeziees"  so we stopped at Foodland and bought some. They couldn't believe we had never had them. They were quite tasty!

On Thursday, July 16 we left Frankford for Campbellford.  We left at 7:45 to get there early for the 9:00 lock opening. By now the smoke from the northern wildfires was pretty thick. We could smell it and the skies were orange and hazy. The distance today was about 30 miles and 6 locks. This was our first double lock, one immediately after the other for a total lift of 48 feet. We arrived at the Campbellford town wall where we had reserved a slip. Here they actually make a sign for your boat so that you know where to dock. The town is very nice and we had dinner at 52 North. We were joined by Matt and Jean (boat Blue Loon) who are from Minnesota like Lance and Sue.  While there the local bakery was mentioned (Dooher's) but we realized it was closed and wouldn't open until 9 am but we were leaving before that the next day. The table next to us overheard it and it happened to be the owner, Cory, and she said to come by before they opened in the morning because they get there super early and would open just for us! After dinner we walked to Old Mill Park and saw the giant "Toonie" coin.  A toonie is a $2 coin in Canada. For some reason, Cambellford was designated as "The Home of the Two Dollar Coin" by the Canadian Mint. We also had a drink at the restaurant called Capers. The next morning we did got to Dooher's at 7:00 and Cory remembered us and even had made fresh filled donuts for us! We bought Eccles and also tried their butter tarts. Dooher's started in 1949 and is now run by the third generation!

On Friday, July 17 we left for our next stop on the Trent-Severn, Hastings, Ontario.  Lock 13 opened at 9 am but this time we were second in line. We had another double lock 16/17 and then a long stretch with no locks through Seymour Lake and the Trent River. On the Trent we got a message from the harbor host for this area, Steve and Dodie, who took our photo as we went by their home located on the Trent River!  We made it to our final lock of the day, Lock 18, which runs through the heart  of Hastings and the Hastings Village Marina is just beyond the lock. This is one of the locks that has a swing bridge that gets opened just after the lock. Later we walked this same bridge to get to the downtown and ate at McGillicafey's. The panko breaded Pickerel fish special was amazing. We stopped at Sweet Bee's ice cream which was on the way back to the marina. Saturday was our rest day this week as it rained almost the entire day. We did take a walk and snapped a few more photos of the town. Stay tuned for more of the Trent-Severn!