Big Chute And The End Of The Trent-Severn Waterway

Wednesday August 9, 2017.  This was our final day on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  The destination was Lock 45 (Port Severn), about 16 miles distant.  Again, it was a beautiful day to be on the water.  We locked through Swift Rapids Lock 43 and descended 46 feet.  You feel like you are in a deep cavern and you go down, down, down.  But, the water was not turbulent so it was a smooth ride.  It takes 6 minutes to empty the lock.

                                              Looking Into Swift Rapids Lock 43

                                  Looking At The Top Of Lock 43 From The Bottom

                                           Swift Rapids Lock 43 Doors Opening

The main challenge for today is the famous Lock 44 Big Chute Marine Railway.  It’s not a lock in the conventional sense, rather, you drive your boat into a rail-mounted carriage and the lock staff arranges slings under your boat.  Then the whole carriage rolls up a hill, over the top, and down the other side and back into the water.  You stay on your boat during the transit and once you are back in the water, you just drive off.  It’s remarkably smooth and quick (and a little bit scary); the day we were there were no crowds of boats, we had to wait just a few minutes for our turn.

Watching The Big Chute Railway Lock Load A Boat And Start The Trip Across (We Were Waiting For Our Turn)

                        Captain Carey On Tug LeeLoo As She Is Secured In The Slings

                      Going Down The Other Side On The Rails - View From The Bow

      Pool Of Water At The Bottom End - Tug LeeLoo Was Safely Put Back Into The Water

We wanted to dock the boat on the wall at the bottom of Big Chute for a while to look around.  But the channel was narrow and the current was swift, so we decided to continue on to the top of Lock 45 (Port Severn).  Fortunately, were able to find space on the wall for our last free night on a lock wall.  There is not much to see or do in Port Severn, but we did find a place to go for dinner.  The total drop for the day was 58 feet.

Tomorrow we will pass through the final lock, Lock 45.  Interestingly, it’s the smallest lock on the waterway in terms of length and width.  The drop is only 14 feet.  But, after the lock there is a tight channel to maneuver through that’s particularly difficult because of the strong following current.  To have rudder control on a boat you have to travel faster than the current.  Plus, it’s a blind curve under a highway bridge.  The concern is that a large boat will enter the channel from the opposite (lower) end at the same time we enter the channel at the upper end.  Technically we have priority because of the following current.  The only thing you can do is make a “Securite” call announcing your plan to enter the channel and hope for the best.  It turned out okay.

                                              Port Severn Lock 45 - We Made It!

                       The Doors Closing On Our Last Trent-Severn Waterway Lock

Next stop . . . the Georgian Bay!