Day 317 - Hastings — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 20, locks 5 lifted 123′, fuel purchased $636 ($490 US) fuel purchased 618 liter, 164 US gallons, slip fee. $117. ($90 US), daily high temperature 87°f. It is very hot and humid.

On Wednesday night there was a concert in the gazebo next to our boat. We had a front row seat. The evenings entertainment was both country and western. The back up singer and the warm up band were better than the headliner. The price was right and it was a fun night. The back up singer channeled Patsy Kline all night and the warm up band sang contemporary tunes such as Wagon Wheel and Margaritaville. The lead singer sang songs about cowboys from Newfoundland. Yes, Newfie cowboys.

I went for a walk again in the morning which has ended at Dooher’s bakery all three days. Today’s treat was apple and cheddar muffins. Previous days treats were butter tarts and cream filled donuts. It is probably a good thing we are moving today. Too much temptation nearby in Cambellford.

We shoved off at 9:45 am and cruised 100 yards to the fuel dock behind a gas station. We knew the fuel attendant only worked 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. He was arriving at work on his bicycle as we pulled up. Unlike in the US, the Canadians are required to do the fueling on the boat. In the US we did all our own fueling. Our fuel vents are a little tricky to master at first and not blow fuel continuously out the vents. Eventually he figured it out. Traveling at 6 miles an hour has helped our fuel economy.

View of the Trent Severn Waterway from the Cambellford bridge.

We were lifted through 5 locks up a total of 123′ today. The middle set of locks is a double lock. Once the back door opens you are entering the next lock. That one lifted us 48′. At the final lock for the day the lock master asked if we were planning on trying up to the lock wall for the evening or going to the nearby Hastings Village Marina. We told him the marina and he called them to get our slip assignment. Very nice people in Canada.

The Canadian lock tenders take good care of us.

There was one minor incident today. It was my fault. We pulled up near lock 15 and it appeared the lock door was closed. There was no red or green light visible to tell us what to do. In the bright sun it looked like the lock tender was dumping water to lower the water level before opening the gate. After waiting several minutes we saw the outer gates closing. At that moment we realized that that back gate leaked so much it looked like a waterfall that I thought was water rushing out of the lock. I quickly moved forward and the lock tender opened the door and we entered. She asked why we waited so long and I explained. I asked why she didn’t call us on the VHF radio or yell at us over her bullhorn. She has neither a radio nor a bullhorn. Closing the lock door was her only way to communicate with us. It worked.

We have good wifi for the first time on our trip. I asked the marina clerk if the wifi would reach our boat on the end of the dock? She said “look all the way across the river at the gazebo. People sit in that gazebo and try to steal our wifi.” She was right, it works.

The waterway is very narrow in several sections. It is important not to try to go on the wrong side of the channel markers. Remember – red right returning.

On Friday we will cruise 49 miles to Peterborough and transit only 3 locks. There is a famous shoe store in Peterborough that claims to have over 30,000 pairs of shoes. I do not know of any Looper that has passed through Peterborough and not purchased a new pair of shoes. We will stay in Peterborough for two days so we will have a full day for shoe shopping.

Bonus photo

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

“Less judgment than wit is more sail than ballast.”

William Penn

William Penn ( (24 October 1644 – 30 July 1718) was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early advocate of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans. Under his direction, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed.