Orillia, Ontario

Thursday August 3, 2017 to Monday August 7, 2017.  Our next destination was the town of Orillia, Ontario, about 22 miles distant.  We finished the canal section of the Trent-Severn Waterway by quickly passing through two more closely spaced locks (Thorah and Gamebridge).  Then we had to cross Lake Simcoe.  This involves a sixteen mile open lake crossing.  The lake is plenty deep so you don’t have to worry about the depth of the water.  But it can be quite rough if the wind is strongly out of the west.  Fortunately, we had mild north winds and nearly flat calm seas.  It was an easy day.  In Orillia we docked at the Port of Orillia Marina for a few days to rest and to re-provision, and let some bad weather pass by.  Canada was enjoying three day holiday weekend so it’s best to stay off the water.  Too many boaters!

                                                     Band Concert In The Park

Orillia is a great town in which to spend a few days.  There are several bakeries and restaurants, and, of course, ice cream!  On Saturday, we went to the farmer’s market for fresh fruit.  We have also enjoy the music and festivities associated with the holiday weekend.  In the evenings, we got together with 6 fellow Loopers and played cards until midnight!  

We’ll likely leave Tuesday August 8, 2017 to finish the Trent-Severn Waterway.  We have two more conventional locks to pass through plus the famous Big Chute marine railway.  It’s about forty miles to Port Severn which is the western terminus of the waterway.