Day 337 - The Big Chute Marine Railway

Miles cruised 18, locks transited 2, distance dropped Big Chute 58′, lock 45 dropped 12′, total feet dropped 70′, fuel purchased $470, fuel gallons 165, slip fee $68, daily high temperature 78°f

Hanging out at Big Chute Marina we met the locals on the dock. Randy is 61. He lives on his new girlfriend Lindy’s houseboat. His wife died of complications from breast cancer and Lindy’s husband also passed away. They found each other and want to buy a boat to do the Loop in a few years. Randy has invested heavily in tech related penny stocks and is just waiting for his big payday to buy his Looper boat.

In the slip next to us is Gary and Donna. They have a Sea Ray Sundancer 24′. I asked him if he had 20 foot-itis and might be interested in CL. He said he would always own a boat that he could put on a trailer. They were on Georgian Bay this weekend and were trapped in harbor by high winds and big waves. Gary got a ride home and picked up his truck and trailer and hauled their boat back to the marina. Donna does not like open water so she was very happy. Gary owns a welding company and his boat name is Arc Maker.

Arc Maker is SeaRay Sundancer 24′

On Tuesday we were underway at 11:00 am. This was the moment of truth. CL is going over the road in the Big Chute Marine Railway. We waited until there were no other boats locking through and went over to the blue line dock. Within a few minutes we were called by loudspeaker to enter the rail platform. We had been advised there was some current from the right side so we aimed for the right side of the railway car and ended up dead center. We were grabbed by two slings and lifted slightly. The lock master was happy with his work so I turned off the engines and he lifted us little more. The back end of the boat with the propellers was hanging off the back of the railcar. In less than 10 minutes were hauled across the road, fifty-eight feet down the hill and launched on the other side. I must say that is an interesting experience.

Why did the Loopers cross the road?

The channel marker colors changed sides after the Big Chute. It was red right until we passed under a bridge then they switched back to green right. I can see how how some Loopers get turned around and hit the rocks. We have two people navigating. One person watches the GPS when stearing and the other person checks and double checks the course on the iPad using Navionics. That way we have a full view of the direction we are going and the fine level detail by zooming in. So far, so good.

The channels are very narrow and twisty with granite boulders reaching out to grab us at every turn. Add a strong wind and and it just too much fun. We are glad to be safely tied up at the Queen’s Cove Marina in Victoria Harbor. We are officially in Georgian Bay. It is 550 miles from Queens Cove to Waukegan. Going to Lake Superior will add a few more miles to the trip.

We fueled up and pumped out at the Queen’s Cove Marina. We will not need to buy fuel in Canada again. The cost of diesel fuel in Canada is only $2.84 per gallon with the favorable exchange rate. That is only about $1.00 more than in the US.

CL in her slip at Queen’s Cove Marina in Victoria Harbor, Ontario, Canada. We transited 44 locks on the Trent Severn Wayerway. We will not have to te sit any more locks for two weeks until we get to Lake Superior.

Queen’s Cove Marina has one of our favorite things.

We did have one issue after our boat was hoisted onto the Marine Railway, our AC did not work. The water pump was not pumping. Dale checked the strainer and made sure water was coming in from the thru hull connection. That was all fine. Dale asked the maintenance manager at the marina if he could send one of his mechanics to check it. He asked if we had just transited the Bug Chute? Dale said yes and he said you probably have an airlock in your AC pump. Dale went back down into the bilge and loosened the water pump housing to get the air out. It worked and now our AC is operating perfectly. Who knew?

Bonus photo.

On Wednesday we will cruise west through Georgian Bay. We are 110 miles from Little Current. Perhaps we will stop in Byng Inlet.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote for the day.

“When I have come with happy heart to sixty years and ten, I’ll buy a boat and sail away upon a summer sea; and in a little lonely isle that’s far, far from men, in peace and praise I’ll spend the days the gods allow to me!”

Robert Service

Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a British-Canadian poet and writer who has often been called “the Bard of the Yukon”.[1][2] He is best known for his poems “The Shooting of Dan McGrew” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough (1907; also published as The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses). His vivid descriptions of the Yukon and its people made it seem that he was a veteran of the Klondike gold rush, instead of the late-arriving bank clerk he actually was. “These humorous tales in verse were considered doggerel by the literary set, yet remain extremely popular to this day.”