Thorah to Bobcaygeon

Pecan left Thorah at 8:30am and made a fuel fill stop at Sunset Cove Marina at 10:40am, then on to Bobcaygeon where we docked at Gordon's Marina at 3:43pm. We powered the final 10 or so miles at 13 to 14 knots because it looked that it was going to be very very close making the Bobcaygeon lock by 3:30. As luck would have it we made the lock right at 3:29pm. One minute to spare, although it helps that the lock was already open and ready for us in our direction of travel. Since lock operators do not monitor any VHF radio there would be no way to call ahead and notify them of our approach--you have to literally be in shouting distance to hail them.




Entering the Kirkfield lift lock. While the Peterborough lift lock gets a lot of attention because of it's lift height is the highest of it's type, the Trent-Severn also has a second lift lock at Kirkfield. Works like this: going downstream you enter in essence a large tub of water. A companion tub adjacent to you has exactly 1 foot less and is at the lower reach and may or may not have boat in that tub going upstream. Once boats are in the 'tubs' the lift lock operator opens valves and the greater weight of the upstream or higher tub causes it to lower to the bottom reach while the downstream tub rises to the upstream position. The lock operator then slowly opens the end of the tub we are in to let out the extra 1 foot of water already in it.