THE LOST CHANNEL

THURSDAY, JULY 12TH  -  THE LOST CHANNEL ANCHORAGE - DAY 123

The play at the Opera House last night was a murder mystery spoof with a LOL approach and proved to be very entertaining.  The four of us were front row with our feet literally on the stage and the action 8 feet in front of us—an interesting perspective.  As we left the Port of Orillia Marina this morning, the weed eater was in operation trying to maintain the weed growth in the dock area.  The water is so clear you can see the bottom at 15 feet, but the weeds grow 4 feet long.  Leaving the   marina and crossing Lake Couchiching, we entered the Severn River which is  the final stretch of the Trent-Severn.   Marc and Betty have returned, so we were three boats in a row this morning.

  Amazing scenery  surrounded us; the trees were tall and full with lush   summer growth.  The pines, firs and evergreens were abundant with  maple and birch trees  scattered  throughout.   

Today was one of the busiest days on the TSW with boats ranging from canoes to motor yachts to cruise boats.  The locks required patience and careful boat  handling as the lock tenders loaded the locks with as many boats as  possible to  accommodate the heavy traffic. 

At Lock 42, a couple greeted us by name;  welcome Jean and Ron on   Latitude           Adjustment.  They have been following our blog and ecognized the boat name.—how amazing is that?!

This section of the river is populated with homes and cottages and some places have all the toys—docks, boats, slides and seaplanes. 

It was a day of beauty—calm water, trees, rock islands, people waving hello from the shore and friendly conversations with other  boaters in the locks.

 

McDonald’s cut was one of the last sections of the TSW to be completed in 1905.  The cut is narrow and winds through cliffs of solid granite.  Imagine excavating this cut by hand with no machinery—we  appreciated the effort of those who had the vision and determination to make this possible.

 

The final lock of the day was Lock 43 at Swift Rapids which was a 47 foot drop into the dark cavern. 

 At marker S115 our three boats turned right to anchor in the area known as The Lost Channel and within minutes of    setting the hook we were in the water for a refreshing end to our day of travel. 

Dinner was on KatMan2 last night with all of us bringing        something good to the table.  We ended the night with Betty’s homemade chocolate chip cookies and a shot of Quarenta y Tres with cream floated on top. 

Every day we are grateful to be on this adventure!