We Cross Our Wake and Earn Gold!

hmastevens
May 13
10 min read

Fenelon Falls to Orillia, ON

Misty Maiden running beside us on still waters

After a peaceful night’s rest, we cast off at 8:30 AM, with our first lock—just three miles away—calling us forward. We made a brief stop at the blue line, then cruised straight into Lock 35 – Rosedale, a charming spot nestled in lush greenery. This lock gave us a gentle lift of 4 feet to reach the highest point on the Trent-Severn Waterway. In total, we had climbed 594 feet since beginning our journey in Trenton, Ontario. It was very picturesque at the Rosedale lock and peaceful as the morning mist was still clinging to the water.

From there, we began the long, slow journey through the Trent Canal, a stretch that’s as narrow as it is shallow. We took the lead through this section, handling the Securité call and relaying depth readings to Misty Maiden over VHF. At one point, we passed a tight spot reading just 4.3 feet—an anxious moment, considering Misty Maiden draws 5 feet—but she made it through unscathed.

As we approached Lock 36 – Kirkfield, we realized that the waterway was actually passing over the road; specifically Kirkfield Road - that was a first! As we reached the lock, we reached another major milestone: the point where we start our first descent on the Trent-Severn Waterway! Kirkfield, like the more famous Peterborough Lift

Lock, is a hydraulic lift lock—but this time we would be going down. We slowly descended 49 feet in what felt like a floating elevator. Only one chamber was operational due to maintenance, and although we heard it could be slow, our wait was only a half hour. We were relieved we weren’t at the front like Misty Maiden—peering over the edge felt like reaching the brink of a giant infinity pool. With four boats in the chamber, it took just 25 minutes to make the descent.

Friendly lock staff at the Kirkfield Lock

Once through Kirkfield, we were officially heading downstream—meaning the red and green navigation buoys reversed positions. A short 7-mile cruise brought us to Lock 37 – Bolsover (22-foot drop) where, for a change, the lock staff directed Sea Clef to enter ahead of Misty Maiden, giving us a new perspective of our boat buddies and allowing us to chat with Lisa who was always on the bow. A boat we’d picked up at Kirkfield was in the front of the lock and we locked together in this order the rest of the way to Lake Simcoe.

The locks came quickly after that:

Lock 38 – Talbot (14-foot drop)
Lock 39 – Portage (13-foot drop)
Lock 40 – Thorah (14-foot drop)
Lock 41 – Gamebridge (10-foot drop)

From the Portage Lock, we could see the next two locks lined up—a rare sight that gave us a sense of progress and anticipation of reaching Lake Simcoe. We settled into a rhythm with our three boats and the lock staff communicated with the locks ahead so they were open and ready for us at each lock. All these efforts led to a smooth process in these last locks of the day.

After exiting the Gamebridge Lock, we passed through a swing bridge and, with that, we had finally reached Lake Simcoe, one of Ontario’s largest lakes and a popular destination for boating and fishing. The water was glassy and calm—a boater’s dream. We throttled up to hasten the end of our long day, arriving at the Port of Orillia Marina by 6 PM.

We ended the evening with a well-deserved dinner and laid plans for another early start. Over the course of the day, we had locked up 4 feet and down a total of 122 feet.

While Heather had previously locked from Lock 6 to 41, and 42 to 45, she had never crossed Lake Simcoe. So she had a special moment at the Northern end of Lake Simcoe as she crossed her personal wake—a symbolic milestone just as Cam crossed his in Belleville, Ontario. The excitement is building, as we look forward to crossing our wake together in just a couple of days!

Orillia to Port Severn, ON

Goat Island Swing Bridge near Couchiching Lock

We got away early from the Port of Orillia Marina and just before our first lock of the day was the Goat Island rail swing bridge, which is operated by Parks Canada and only opens during official locking hours—starting at 9:00 AM. As we approached around 8:50 AM, an electronic sign over the bridge glowed Closed. We were hopeful for a prompt opening, but at 9:00, the sign changed to: Open Approx 10:00.

Cam radioed the lock master and got permission for us to anchor while we waited so we could turn off the engines. We dropped anchor—though didn’t set it. It was enough to hold our position so we could turn off the engines. We passed the time watching two trains rumble across the bridge, a reminder of the region's long connection to rail and water trade. Heather took the opportunity to tidy up and clean the heads. Around 9:45, we spotted the bridge operator walking out. He called over and asked all the boats to move closer for a quick opening between trains. Cam coordinated with the other vessels and we were soon underway again.

We arrived at Lock 42 – Couchiching, where a boat already tied up on the wall entered first. Misty Maiden joined us, but unfortunately, the last two boats travelling behind us didn’t fit—ironic, as the lead boat had been waiting for friends who now had to wait a little longer. We were held up inside the lock for quite a while so Parks Canada could get detailed information from each boat in preparation for Big Chute, one of the most unique features of the entire Trent-Severn Waterway. Eventually, Couchiching lowered us 21 feet, and we were off again.

The journey to the next lock was long, and we found ourselves more than an hour behind schedule due to the swing bridge delay. The weather reports on VHF were being broadcast repeatedly and we wanted to stay ahead of the storm. As we passed through Sparrow Lake, our friend Dave got in touch—his brother was at the family cottage on the lake and he came out to wave as we cruised by. It brought back memories from 2009 when his brother rode alongside us in their runabout to deliver a bottle of wine.

Exiting Swift Rapids Lock under dark skies

We arrived at Lock 43 – Swift Rapids under darkening skies. As we tied up, we felt the first sharp gusts of wind—the storm front had arrived. Donning our foul weather gear, we locked down an impressive 47 feet in a light rain. Swift Rapids is the largest conventional lock on the Trent-Severn. As we lowered, we appreciated the shelter from the towering lock walls.

After exiting Swift Rapids, we continued, knowing that we were on the edge of the storm system. Our destination was the legendary Big Chute Marine Railway. We had experienced the Marine Railway before but it was new to Jim and Lisa. Upon arrival, we were told over loudspeaker that operations were suspended due to lightning, and they had to wait 30 minutes after the last strike before resuming. We tied up to the blue line and walked up to the operator’s building for a closer look. We've never had time to tour the Visitor Centre so it was a great opportunity. From below the unique rail platform, we could see the engineering marvel we were about to experience: a rail car that carries boats cradled in slings out of the water, across a rail track over the road, and down a steep hill, to return them gently to the waters waters below.

Here's how it works: The specially-designed railway carriage is lowered into the water on a submerged track. The boat is then floated onto the deck of the carriage and cradled by slings. As it is slowly raised out of the water, the boat settles into the slings. Then the railway carriage is pulled by cables attached to winches in the Visitor Centre. It stays almost level due to a unique double track, which allows the front legs of the carriage to follow one set of tracks and the back legs another. It travels up the hill, across the road, and down the hill on the other side where the boat is floated off the slings. The captain is instructed to start the engines again and off we go!

Soon, we were called to board. We pulled up all our lines and fenders and manoeuvred onto the massive platform. The staff took great care securing and adjusting the slings and checking our position. With a few gentle lifts to test balance, the railway set off. We lifted up out of the water, descended 58 feet and

travelled 748 feet across land, moving at about 200 feet per minute. Ten minutes later, we were floating again—smooth and surreal. The ride was well documented by Lisa and Jim, as well as dozens of tourists on shore.

Misty Maiden shares the Chute with a jet ski

We quickly tied up and climbed the stairs to watch Lisa and Jim come down on Misty Maiden. In total, we locked down 125 feet in just three locks today, including the incredible Big Chute. Only one lock remained before reaching our home waters of Georgian Bay.

We had reserved a slip at a small marina in Port Severn, but upon arrival, water depth for Misty Maiden looked uncertain. After a thorough discussion with the staff, we decided not to risk it. Fortunately, the lock staff at Lock 45 – Port Severn welcomed us to tie up at their free docks, which turned out to be a peaceful and practical choice.

As the sun set and evening descended, it was hard to settle down. The next day would mark both a celebration and a closing—we would officially cross our wake, a major milestone for any Great Loop cruiser. But it also meant the end of our epic journey was near. It would be the end of a lifestyle that we had enjoyed for 13 months. Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Port Severn to Penetanguishene, ON

It was a beautiful morning—a perfect cruising day, and that quiet kind of stillness that comes before something meaningful. We walked over to check out Lock 45 – Port Severn, taking a close look at the exit where strong currents swirl and the navigation markers switch sides once again—a final nod to the engineering ingenuity of this incredible waterway.

We chatted with the friendly lock staff, who told us we didn’t need to move to the blue line. Instead, we could simply let them know when we were ready to depart, and they’d place us in the queue. Our friends had encouraged us to take our time getting back, so we aimed to leave around noon. Misty Maiden cast off at 9:30 AM, and for a change, we watched them lock through from above. It was the end of our journey with them.

At 11:00, we put our name in for the lock, but it wasn’t until 12:40 PM that we finally entered. The delay made us a bit anxious—friends and family were already waiting for us at the marina, and we didn’t want to keep them waiting too long in the hot sun.

Once through the lock, we cruised out into the open water of Georgian Bay, with mixed emotions. The tight Potato Island cut, which had seemed intimidating in past years, turned out to be no trouble at all—just one more example of how much confidence and skill we’d gained on this journey.

Nervous energy bubbled as we crossed the Bay, trying to make good time. And then, finally, we reached it—the turn into Penetang Harbour. It was official: we had crossed our wake! How did we celebrate the moment? We cranked up a Beach Boys tune and sang along and danced on the bridge.

As we approached Beacon Bay Marina in Penetanguishene, we could make out a small crowd at our slip. Looking through the binoculars, we saw a sign that read: “Welcome Home Sea Clef”—complete with Sebastian the crab (our logo mascot) and our boat name in a gold script that echoed our logo. What an incredibly welcoming sight! We were happy to have our son Andrew, an experienced dock hand, leading the team who caught our lines and secured them again where they had been cut 12 months and 24 days before.

Waiting to greet us were Terry and Pauline, who had generously hosted us in Florida for a month; Andrew and Eliza — our guests for a week in the North Channel; Raffael and Ashley, friends of Andrew and Eliza's who’d shared a dinner aboard Sea Clef in Miami, Florida after kindly receiving a mountain of packages on our behalf; as well as Ozzy, Winston, and Lily, our four-footed friends.

Just moments after we tied up, Dave and Kathy arrived. They had begun the Loop with us aboard their boat Good Idea, and Dave had been instrumental in preparing Sea Clef—helping with installations and offering guidance throughout our journey. It felt deeply right to see them there.

With bubbly in hand and cupcakes passed around, the dock buzzed with stories, hugs, and laughter. Even some of the bubbly had been given to us by Kirk and Catherine who had travelled with us on the Okeechobee Waterway in Florida. Later that evening, we all gathered for dinner at Explorers Bistro, joined by Jim and Lisa from Misty Maiden. There were twelve of us in total, and Pauline had even arranged for a cheerful “Welcome Home” balloon bouquet at the table.

The celebration was warm, full of heartfelt toasts, shared memories, and the kind of joy that only comes at the end of something extraordinary. Our Great Loop was complete—but more than that, we were surrounded by the people who had shaped it with us. We couldn’t have asked for a better homecoming.

We were anxious to go home to our dirt home, settle in, and collect our First Mate, Frodo, who travelled with us for the first couple of months. We returned to our home on Sea Clef just a week later to enjoy the beautiful waters of Georgian Bay and the North Channel. It would be hard to move out of Sea Clef and put her into storage for the winter after 13 months of living aboard.