The new locks have size and speed but old locks have character and lock keepers that treat them like their own. This lock keeper had flowers on all the gates. In the 100+ weather we were having they needed to be watered several times a day. A bucket with holes was his tool. This is the lock before our next stop Peterboro.
All of the lock keepers are really nice. This young man even offered to let the girls open the gates. He also took pictures of all of us together in the lock. The lift on this lock was small and slow so we didn’t have to be holding lines all the time.
Peterboro is on Little Lake which is much closer to a holding pond between locks than a lake. They do many things to get people to stay here as they travel the Trent Severn including live concerts in the park. Baldy, a popular folk singer, was playing the night we were there. I have no idea how to spell his name but he was really quite good and we enjoyed sitting on a blanket on the grass to listen. They also have a large fountain in the middle of the lake that is quite spectacular. They have lights on it at night, very pretty. You can motor right to it to get decks washed and cooled off if you want. The mist was very fine and felt lovely.
Peterborough is mainly known for the lock to the west of Little Lake. This is one of two lift locks on the Trent where you pull in to a bathtub like enclosure, they close the gate and the whole bathtub is raised up while the other side is lowered. The pistons that do the lifting are just under 8ft in diameter. This structure was built between 1896 and 1904 it was suppose to cost $500,000 it ended up being $856,000. It celebrated its 106th birthday two days after we went through. Operation is quite simple, river levels are carefully controlled so that there is always 12inches more water in the upper tub than the bottom, this provides 146,000 lbs of force to drive the system and all that needs to be done is control the valves between the two hydraulic rams It is the highest lift lock in the world at 65 feet. There are 9 lift locks in the world the two highest are on Trent Severn.
The approach
Sue was able to get off and take pictures for us. She went up in the elevator and got to be in the control booth.
Joan caught a fish this big. Actually when we have to tie up on port I have a very hard time judging distance and her hand signals help a lot getting in. Even locks that have 6 to ten feet more clearance than Windsong’s beam,it can be difficult to maneuver in if you start out in the wrong place.
Close up of ram that does the work. After digging down 40 feet to bedrock they blasted into the bedrock another 75 feet to set the base for the rams.
Windsong halfway up the 65 foot lift. This is probably the only time you can look over the side of your boat straight down 70 feet. It is scary. During the lift the tub creaks, bangs and squeaks, making for more than a little nervousness. The Lock Keeper also tells you all about problems during construction and how the entire structure is pure poured concrete absolutely no rebar or other reinforcement. 
The other lock lost a little more water than we did and they could not get a proper lock on our tub. It only had one boat in it so they moved it forward and added some water. When the lock is full they use high pressure pumps to inject water directly into the cylinder to get lock in correct position. Water is the hydraulic fluid
We are locked in so the double gate folds down after they first add a foot of water to equalize the pressure
Do you think any of the yachting magazines would want this picture of a well dressed owner captain. Actually this is about the 5th or sixth day of heat wave. Temperatures are now only in the 90s. Standing on stairs with ankles in water is quite cooling.
The Kawartha Voyageur is the largest vessel on Trent Severn and Rideau. The channel out of this lock would not allow Windsong and Kawartha 120 ft by 22 beam to pass so the lock master held me in the lock till Kawartha arrived and tied up to blue line. Kawartha sleeps 65 guest and 11 crew and does tours of 5 to 11 days on both Trent and Rideau.
I am totally in love with loons. They are not the easiest to get pictures of because just when you get focused they dive. Also I never know if I should be using the binoculars, the camera or just looking. The call they make is haunting, I love to just sit and listen.
Many cabins and palatial homes along waterway these people had nothing to hide.
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