Association Forum - Living on board full time & going South (PART 14)

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Living on board full time & going South (PART 14)

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/03/2007 : 22:02:16

After the eventful crossing of Lake Simcoe we headed to a marine gas-station to fill our tanks (18 ltr for a total of $21.00) and continued to the public marina of the city of Orillia. On arrival we were hailed by a dock attendant who informed us that we were lucky and arrived just in time to claim one of only 3 slips left out of 230 in anticipation for their annual festival called “Christmas in June”, to be held that same weekend. Boats from from far and wide arrived and set to work to decorate their vessels in the hope of winning an award. The event brings plenty of business and people to town and includes a full course Christmas turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Peace and quiet went overboard with parties and music everywhere lasting deep into the night. It was fun and something different...!! Even amphibious cars participated. The harbor was lit up like a Christmas tree. During one evening we were invited to a superb dinner on board Chuck and Claria's vessel “Odyssee” whom we met several times and who had kept a lookout for us while crossing the lakeWe also spent a delightful afternoon and evening with Bill and Laura Jansen, old friends from way-back.

3820 AMPHIBIOUS CAR TAKES PART IN THE “CHIRSTMAS IN JUNE”, SPONSORED BY THE TOWN OF ORILLIA, ONTARIO

3823 AMPHIBIOUS CAR RACE “CHIRSTMAS IN JUNE”, SPONSORED BY THE TOWN OF ORILLIA, ONTARIO

3827 “CHRISTMAS IN JUNE”, ORILLIA, ONTARIO

3855 “CHRISTMAS IN JUNE”, AWARD WINNING DECOR

Crossing Lake Couchiching Monday morning, June 24th, '07 after leaving Orillia with beautiful wind-still weather we were prompted to jump overboard for a refreshing swim in the deep and clean lake. Further on, the lake narrows into the Severn River and Trent Canal and on through Sparrow Lake to Lock 43 Swift Rapids, a distance of about 40 km (26 miles).

3865 ON “AUTO PILOT”, LAKE COUCHICHING, ONTARIO

Disabled...!! Just past Sparrow Lake while being overtaken by a large yacht creating huge wash our wood rudder sheared off just below the bottom pintle. The splintered part of the rudder hit the propeller and stopped the outboard dead. Without rudder or power the boat rounded up in the channel and narrowly missed a nearby rock awash. In a blur we surveyed the propeller for damage, grabbed the broken rudder parts, untied the rudder's pull-up line, depressed the rudder spring-loaded pintle stop and removed the rudder's aluminum top-part with much urgency. All the while, pushed by wind and current, the boat drifted closer and closer to a nearby barely submerged rock formation. At first pull the motor responded and throwing it in reverse, Johanna kept the boat clear of the rocks... Fortunately the prop's shear-pin was still intact in spite of the mishap... Dis-assembling, removing and replacing the broken rudder with a spare blade which was stored below now became a race... The assembled rudder was quickly attached to the gudgeons, the rudder's break away pin replaced, and tiller attached to be ready for service. The new, home made, beach type, tapered, full length, seasoned oak rudder made our C250 respond straightaway... Believe me... did it ever feel good to have the boat in control again...!!

3875 DISABLED... SPLINTERED RUDDER...!!

Slowly but surely daring to put more pressure on the rudder we continued to Swift Rapids Lock 43 where we decided to stay the night. Enough excitement for one day...!! This lock, by the way, is the highest conventional lock in the system and is in “the middle of nowhere...”. Even the Lock master and assistants commute by boat. Horse and deer flies the size of Stealth bombers greeted us with a relentless and ferocious appetite at this location... (we could loose a few pounds , however, it seems to me that there are better ways... we're still hurting!!)

3880 SWIFT RAPIDS LOCK 43 THE HIGHEST CONVENTIONAL LOCK IN THE SYSTEM

After a hearty breakfast the next morning we motored on through the most rugged shores lining the waterway further west through what is known as the “The Canadian Shield”. Bare granite rock shows everywhere. During this part of the trip the feeling of getting deeper into a remote area gets stronger although both shore lines are still dotted with cottages, some mansions. The water in the system at 23 degrees C (76 F) is clear with a bit of a brownish tint... and appears to be drinkable. Before we left Orillia we provisioned the boat well and as we motor further West by North West it gives us a feeling of self sufficiency until at least we arrive at Port Severn our final destination.

3894 WAITNG AT THE “BIG CHUTE”,

3888 THE “BIG CHUTE”

Almost without warning we appear to be heading in a dead-end direction... Sure enough the markers lead us toward a new experience and also an indication that our 400 km (260 mile) trip is nearing its end. We have heard lots about the “Big Chute” but still are somewhat puzzled as to what to expect... and here it is... just ahead of us... a blue line to wait our turn and a little further what appears to be a railroad coming out of the water and leading over the hill... Soon the spider-like dry-dock type of mechanism rises above the granite elevation and slowly rolls, on steel rails, towards the edge of the water to submerge leaving only the upright side parts above water... Two yachts ahead of us are signaled to motor into the structure and in moments they are moored/suspended in slings... We are advised via loudspeaker, to remain moored until the next trip. The dry-dock, containing the yachts, starts moving toward shore, rising out of the water until it is completely above the water line and moving in the direction of the granite summit. Then it disappears over the hill... The really interesting thing is that this rolling dry-dock rises out/in of the water with its bottom platform kept horizontal... This, upon later inspection, is achieved by rolling the front and rear wheels on different levels of rail track, one rises or descends faster that the other...

Soon the mechanism returns and we are hailed to motor to the middle of the dry-dock where we are halted by a bow sling. “Keep motoring slowly forward”, we are advised... “until the stern sling is in place and tightened...”. The dinghy, not knowing what end is up, follows the boat on a long painter.... Before we realize what's happening we are in forward motion and rapidly rising out of the water judging from a sinking dinghy until it, the dinghy, lies low and forlorn on the bottom of the now totally dry platform... and yes... we're over dry land... boat and contraption and all... it is the weirdest feeling to be rolling across a highway with tourists walking along, looking up and taking pictures... In a few minutes from the time we left the water on one side we are descending the rather steep and long slope on the other side... (Total time is 7 minutes from start to finish) Before we realize we enter the water again, (confess I was busy making pictures), and was told to start the engine... Our minds, not completely with the task at hand, made us, when caught by the wind, do some rather interesting departure maneuvers... The “Big Chute” master and staff, I'm sure have seen it all before...!! By the way literature tells us that the horizontal distance traveled is 600 ft , the drop is almost 20 mtr (57 feet) . It is referred to as “a giant traveling carriage” . We moor next to the Big Chute to take a look from shore and to investigate this unique “lock system” a little closer.

3899 DINGHY ON THE BOTTOM OF THE “BIG CHUTE”

3902 GOING DOWN ON THE “BIG CHUTE”

3905 GOING DOWN ON THE “BIG CHUTE”

Arriving a few hours later after our Big Chute experience at our final Trent/Severn destination we docked and booked a slip for four days at Severn Boat Haven. To avoid the Canada Day, July 1st, 07, long weekend rush on road and water we decided to return to Port Hope to pick up our truck and trailer. We left Wednesday morning, June 27th, '07 by bus to Toronto . Helga the co-owner of Severn Boat Haven was kind enough to drive us early in the morning to the bus station 2.5 km away. We arrived in Toronto about noon... After walking through busy downtown Toronto to Union Station we caught the 3:30 train to Cobourg where Elsie Zweerink picked us up. Saying our goodbye's to Opa, (Johanna's 91 year old father), and heartfelt “thank you”, to the Zweerinks we headed back with the truck & trailer to Port Severn about 200 km West. Strange feeling to have wheels again and yes... be careful... traffic moves a lot faster on the road than on the water. We arrived safety during late afternoon and will stay in Port Severn until after the long weekend....

3939 JOHANNA LEAVING BY BUS FOR TORONTO

3942 HENK DOWNTOWN TORONTO (A FISH OUT OF THE WATER)

2007-1 TRAIN FROM TORONTO TO COBOURG, ONT.

Until next time... love you all
Henk for Johanna too

Henk & Johanna
"Floating", a few off your "barnacles".
"Someday Lady" '95 C250WB #151 ('03 - 2016)
"Sea ya" 30ft Bayliner (04-2018 - 09-2018)
"Mariah" '96 C250WB #191 (05-2019 - 15-05-2023)
"Lady J" '00 C250WK #499 (05-2021 - 09-2022)

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 07/04/2007 : 08:41:54

amazing

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 07/04/2007 : 10:42:45

Great post Henk... where are you off to next??

For those of you interested in this kind of small boat voyaging... here's a great voyage log.

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/index.htm

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 07/04/2007 : 19:37:35

I didn't know the C250 could come with a wood rudder. Is that stock?

Great trip and photos! Some day I hope to do this sort of trip. Thanks for sharing with us!

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 07/09/2007 : 12:54:27

When considering motor sailing the 240 mile Trent/Severn Waterway we noticed that the depth in some parts of the system was advertised as maximum 5ft draft... The C250 WB keel swings up but the rudder, although it swings as well, makes steering the boat hard if not impossible in kicked up position...

Not really wanting to invest in a new, rather costly, spare blade, I simply made two new wood blades using the exisitng blade as pattern and both to fit the aluminum rudder housing. One blade was made from an old, seasoned oak plank 12" wide by 11/4 thick tapered to 3/8" thickness with added, glued on, wedge like strips to the top part. The other blade (the one that gave-way under load) was made from a 12" wide x 11/8" thick seasoned pine plank shaped but not tapered and about one foot shorter than the original. It broke/sheared/cracked just below the alluminum housing. We used the home-made oak blade for the balance of the trip. The oak barn-board flooring plank is far stronger and, time will tell, will do the job without breaking the bank as spare blade...

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