June 27-30, 2011 . . . Trenton to Campbellford

Trenton we stayed at the Fraser Municipal Marina where dockmasters Greg and Sandy took really good care of us. 200 gallons of diesel taken aboard, 756 liters, at 1.34$ per/liter; do the math...

We, Bonnie, parked SONATA on the back wall dead ahead of the view, between the two boats. The night-time sign is was it says, the entrance.

Lock 1 of the Trent-Severn; hand operated lock doors, followed by an example of the Lock Masters House at the locks.

We arrived at Lock 6, Upper, early so that we could remain overnight with electrical power. The first view is where we moored, behind the little fellow, and the next is the view of Frankford on our departure. We did walk down to the Oasis Grocery . . .

During our walk we came across a water hydrant . . . with a snow marker on it. Could this be why we are not here in the winter?

We passed our first white swans and her two young.

10 km/h speed limit signs . . . that is just below 6 knots, idle speed.

Sometimes this is the kind of marker you find in the channel, a marker island.

Flight locks, more than one lock, Locks 11 and 12, to Campbellford.

We arrived in Campbellford at the Old Mill Park. The park and the administrative building were just to SONATA's port side.

We were met by Dale Morton who assisted in securing SONATA to the wall and joining us in enjoying Campbellford. Dale is traveling the Trent and Georgia Bay.

The next morning, CANADA DAY, we had Rotary Club Pancakes in the park.

Glen and Jill Moore of LAST DANCE and Michael and Jennifer Strada of NOVA joined us for the pancakes.

As a part of CANADA DAY in the park SONATA was fortunate to have the kids petting zoo just to our port hand.

WE FOUND HIM!!! ELVIS LIVES and was found here in Campbellford. The fellow was great and we had an enjoyable evening at the free concert in the park.

The group that is here together . . . Loopers . . . sat for a group picture during the ELVIS Concert. Front row: Fannie Quigley, Mike and Jennifer Strada, Charlie and Bonnie Burke; second row, Jill and Glen Moore; third row, John Quigley.

From across the canal, from the Farmers Market, we first have the HAVEN with the Quigley's aboard, then LAST DANCE and SONATA.

Campbellford is the home of the "toonie", the $2 coin with the polar bear on one side. The artist that created the bear is from the area and a 20 foot replica is in the park along the river.

June 27-28, 2011 . . . Kingston to Trenton, Ontario, Canada

We stayed at the Confederation Basin which is downtown Kingston.

The city government buildings were there at the edge of the marina.

Also present were the bunkers built in the early 1800's to protect the Rideau waterway and Kingston from the "enemy-to-the-south."

Departing Kingston for Trenton we pass one of Canada's maximum security prisons . . . with "its" marina next door. (The marina next door is the Portsmouth Marina and not associated with the prison.)

The water SONATA traveled upon from Kingston to Trenton was a dream. Calm, calm . . . all the way, all day.

June 22-26, 2011 . . . Smith Falls to Kingston, Ontario

Bonnie found a map . . . you can follow our route from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Waterford, west to Little Falls and on to Oswego. Then back east to Clayton, New York; over to Gananoque, Canada, to Brockville, to Montreal. Thence west on the Ottawa River to Ottawa, to Smith Falls, to where we are now, Kingston. On Monday, the 27th, we will go to Trenton then up, west, on the Trent-Severn waterway to Port Severn.

Up here . . . there are many black squirrels . . . this one, one of three, was beside SONATA at Smith Falls.

The Smith Falls water tower in the light rain, mist, of the morning as we leave to continue on to Kingston.

At the Narrows, Lock 35 on the Rideau Canal, Bonnie maneuvers SONATA into the lock. If you look close you can see that the bridge is opened by hand, the young lady is turning a crank that wheels the bridge open.

The channel, the passages are very narrow here. Where is the channel? Some appear no wider than one and one-half times the width of SONATA. Some locations, where there is a "corner", a turn in the channel . . . there is a sign to "Sound your Whistle." Love my new Kahlenberg whistle.

For the evening, the 23rd, we stopped at Chaffey's Lock, Lock 37; on the lower side of the lock, toward Kingston.

Now this is a scary sight! The "masked Canadian yellow string mouth sea monster;" Charlie. Laugh all you want . . . coming up the Erie SONATA's propellors struck many dead-heads and logs; through the St. Lawrence, this same event repeated itself. In the Ottawa River we were in 80 feet of water and struck something, not once, but twice. The rapid boom, boom, boom, of the propellor blades places panic in your heart. The sea monster went over the stern, and, and in the clear water, looked at the bottom, the shafts, the rudders, the propellors; ran his hand down the side of each blade . . . NO DAMAGE! We are so fortunate!

More beautiful narrow channels . . . with a left turn sign.

SONATA's wonderful 2010C Garmin GPS Chartplotter gives us our location and at least an indication of which way the "road" will turn.

We arrived in Kingston's Inner Harbor after a two plus hour wait at the last four, Kingston Mills, locks, Locks 46-49. A SeaRay had engine problems, could not start . . . the operator had left the airconditioning on while away from the boat and the battery was dead. We anchored late in the evening in the Inner Harbor to await morning and passage through the Causeway Bridge and our berth at the City Confederation Basin Marina.

With the skilful linehandling work of Stephen Anderson, Bonnie slipped SONATA into its berth, K6, next to MY CYN. We met and talked with Stephen and Cynthia Anderson, of MY CYN, and their daughter and granddaughter . . . about the Downeast Loop. MY CYN is on the Downeast Loop and will proceed outbound on the St. Lawrence to Boldt Castle on Hart Island, and on to Brockville, Montreal, and beyond . . . MY CYN is home ported in Naples. We will see them again in the spring.

June 20-21,2011 . . . Ottawa to Smith Falls

Leaving Ottawa, headed west toward Kingston with a few stops along the way.

The Petoria Bridge, 10' clearance.

Traveling, locking to the West.

Mel and Jean Thomason aboard their vessel DOVEKIE.

While in a flight of three locks, a fellow on the wall commented that he was a boater but had never gone through any locks. We invited him aboard and he went with us, with SONATA, through the next two locks. We wish Avner Ginsburg well in his boating experiences.

Burritt's Rapids where we remained overnight, 30amp power available.

Our first photographed loon on this trip. Hope to see and hear many more.

The favorites of GREAT ESCAPE and SONATA; Theresa and Bonnie!!!

Lynn and Steve Budish, from Toronto on their way to Ottawa. Introduced to us by Don and Theresa at Smith Falls.

GREAT ESCAPE leaving Smith Falls, heading East to Ottawa.