Canada = Trent Severn Waterway + Georgian Bay
Our trip through Canada was highlighted by passage through the Trent Severn waterway and Georgian Bay. We entered Canada in Kingston, Ontario on the west edge of the St. Lawrence Seaway and proceeded west to travel the Trent Severn waterway from Trenton to Port Severn. We then transited Georgian Bay via the Small Craft Channel and North Channel before crossing back into the USA in Drummond, MI.
Welcome to Canada
As Kingston was our first entry into Canada we cleared customs and immigration via a phone call to Canada’s border patrol. We had read about challenges other Loopers had with this process; however our experience was uneventful. After a handful of simple questions we were given entry into Canada and flew the Canadian flag as a courtesy to the host country.
As we approached Kingston we passed Fort Henry, which was a British fortress dating back to the early 1800s and housed British troops until they were pulled out in 1870. During World War I the fort was used as an internment camp for political prisoners and during World War II used as a prisoners of war camp. The fort was reopened in 1948 as a museum and home to the internationally acclaimed Fort Henry Guard and continues to this day as a popular destination for visitors to Kingston.
Adjacent to Fort Henry is The Royal Military College of Canada, which educates cadets from all branches of Canada’s military. Kingston is also home to Canada’s tactical aviation force, 1 Wing Kingston, located at Canadian Forces Base Kingston. During our time in Kingston we saw daily fly overs from the base.
After passing Fort Henry we passed one of many prisons in the Kingston area. The Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada was opened in 1835 and was in continuous use until its closure in 2013. The prison is now a popular tourist destination somewhat attributed to the popular series Mayor of Kingstown in its third season on Paramount+.
From Kingston we traveled along the north shore of Lake Ontario to Picton and then Trenton, the gateway to the Trent Severn Waterway.
This is a 240 mile canal system connecting lakes and rivers from Lake Ontario at Trenton to Georgian Bay and Lake Huron at Port Severn.
As we navigated the Trent Severn we passed through 44 locks, cleared 39 bridges and passed alongside 160 dams or other structures used to manage the water level in the system.
Most of the conventional locks are manually operated, which retains the historical assignment of the waterway. Each summer Parks Canada employs students from all over Canada to serve as lock tenders who manually operate these locks by turning a handle.
In addition to the 37 conventional locks and two flight locks, the highlight of the Trent Severn was no question the two lift locks at Peterborough and Kirkfield and the Big Chute marine railway.
To learn more about locks please read my post on locks, “Over 100 Locks and counting”.
In addition to the locks, the Trent Severn Waterway is home to many small towns we enjoyed visiting. Most nights we docked on city walls or marinas to explore the towns.
Part way down the Trent Severn we left the boat in Orillia and flew home from Toronto to Texas for a few weeks to catch up with family.
We ended our journey down the Trent Severn Waterway in Port Severn where we passed through the last lock and entered the east end of Georgian Bay. With over 30,000 islands Georgian Bay is often referred to as the best freshwater cruising grounds in the world. We quickly became aware of the need to watch the channel as there were rocks everywhere. Every time we were with a group of loopers there would be a story of someone running aground or hitting a rock. Luckily we avoided similar fate.
The preferred cruising route through Georgian Bay is along the Small Craft Route, which is a charted route from Port Severn to Little Current through the 30,000 islands and is designed to be safe for vessels up to 70 feet. Most of this route winds inside islands, which provides excellent wind and weather protection with the added benefit of access to hidden towns and anchorages.
As we cruised west from our anchorage in Snug Harbour we passed Pointe au Baril. Historical accounts indicate that after some whiskey-fueled merrymaking, traders in the area left an empty barrel on the point as a marker, and soon thereafter French mariners started to refer to the place as Pointe au Baril, meaning “Barrel Point” (www.pc.gc.ca).
Pointe au Baril "Barrel Point"
Other accounts of Barrel Point say a tradition started where the first returning fisherman would light a lamp in the barrel to guide the remainder of the fleet back to safe harbor. At one point, the barrel was placed on its side, and its opening aligned to open water so that the emerging light could only be observed by a vessel when approaching it from a safe, shoal-free direction. The crew maintained eye contact with the lit barrel and in this way did not stray off course. This was a rather unique beacon using the same principle as today’s range tower/lighthouse arrangement (www.parrysound.com).
As we were progressing down the channel from Barrel Point we noticed boats in front of us appeared to have turned around and were heading back towards us. Our first thought was there was a problem and they were turning back; however after a quick review of the chart we realized we were about to enter the infamous Hangdog Channel. This section of the channel is marked with 45+ buoys and beacons to guide you through a series of switchback turns requiring multiple, near 180 degree turns to pass.
Not long after catching our breath from passing through Hangdog Channel we encountered another narrow passage that was even more treacherous. This time we were on our own as there were no other boats in sight to guide us through Parting Channel just before Obstacle Island.
At first glance of the channel we thought the markers were misplaced and out of order. As we studied the chart and got a bit closer we realized we would need to make a series of 90 degree turns in short progression to pass through this slalom course. On the last turn our dinghy came within inches of kissing the rock ledge along the channel wall.
A day or so later as were sharing our experience with others loopers and were told that Parting Channel is not part of the Small Craft Channel and is not recommended for boats over 40 feet. Luckily we are only 39 feet!
After our successful passage of Hangdog Channel and Parting Channel we spent the night at Wright’s Marina in Byng Inlet and then headed to anchor on the west side of Bustard Island at the end of Gun Barrel channel.
As soon as the anchor was set a thunderstorm arrived.
From Bustard Island we headed to Killarney via the scenic 10 mile long Collins Inlet, which is a fjord like waterway between Philip Edward Island and mainland Ontario.
We spent a couple of nights exploring Killarney and the surrounding area. From Killarney we anchored off Croker Island then made one night stops in Blind River and Thessalon before crossing back in to the US on Drummond Island.
Next stop USA!