Swift Rapids, Ontario

Tuesday August 8, 2017.  For the first time in quite a while we were traveling alone again.  Paul and Taffy (Catalina) departed on Monday to return to the states for a week for some family business.  Eric and Robin (Robin’s Nest) and our new friends John and Crin (Goosechase) also departed on Monday.  Because we were determined to not travel on a Canadian holiday we waited until Tuesday to leave.  The weather was also more settled.

     We Found Canadian Geese In Canada - They Are Just As Messy As In The States!

One thing we were happy about was that we were finally out of houseboat rental territory.  It is a fun vacation for novice (wantabe) boaters, but it is a hard training ground with all the boats and the locks to negotiate.  We heard of houseboats hitting other boats and going sideways inside locks.  A houseboat doesn't maneuver easily so it was our motto to stay as far away from the houseboats as we could!

Our destination today was the top of the lock wall at Lock 43 (Swift Rapids), an easy trip of about 30 miles.  And we had to pass through just a single lock (Couchiching).  This section of the Trent-Severn Waterway was the best yet.  The water was deep (for a river) and the scenery was beautiful.

                                           Railroad Bridge On The Severn River

                                        Beautiful Scenery Along The Severn River

Swift Rapids is a totally rural lock with no services nearby.  The lock is also the largest conventional lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway in terms of lift (or drop).  In our case it was drop of 46 feet.  There is a 7.8 MW power plant at Swift Rapids, so you could hear the roar of the water at night.  Because we only locked through Couchiching Lock, the total drop for the day was 20 feet.  

                                         Hydro Electric Plant at Swift Rapids Lock

Evening View Of Tug LeeLoo Waiting Patiently On The Blue Line To Lock Through First Thing The Next Morning