Today’s journey took us across Balsam Lake and the highest point, 840 feet above sea level, on the T-S Canal. We’ve heard that 300 buoys have been removed since we were last here in 2005 and sometimes we question the economy of this and it increases the value of a Chartplotter.
Descriptors for today include claustrophobic narrows, dizzying heights and wide beams. The narrow section of the Trent Canal from Balsam Lake to Murray Lake is not for the faint of heart as its shale rock borders will crush you if you make a mistake. It is customary to issue a Securite upon entering so it can be negotiated safely. You are rewarded for your efforts by a chorus of songbirds and catch a glimpse of herons and osprey in the low-hanging trees.
You go from this pastoral landscape right into the upper pan of the Kirkfield Lift Lock where you quickly descend 49 feet below. Here’s a picture from the top and then from the opposite end. As the old Chicago song says, “What goes up, must come down…”
The adventure continued through Canal Lake with skinny water (4 foot 8 inches lowest) and stumps below. We draw almost 4 feet and did a bump the stump between green buoys # 405 and 403 and thank goodness for single engine keel protection. Then there’s the “Hole in the Wall” Arch which often traps debris but today was being dredged and we had 5 foot 8 inches here so no problem.
We tied up at narrow Bolsover, Lock 37, but had to move twice as a wide beam Bayliner was locking through and needed a lot of the mooring wall width to come through. This canal was built in the 19th and early 20th century at a width of 32 feet but with some modern boats having beams of 20+ feet it makes it difficult to all fit securely. The canal recommends boats not having more than a depth of 5 feet and we think a beam width maximum should also be added.
Descriptors for today include claustrophobic narrows, dizzying heights and wide beams. The narrow section of the Trent Canal from Balsam Lake to Murray Lake is not for the faint of heart as its shale rock borders will crush you if you make a mistake. It is customary to issue a Securite upon entering so it can be negotiated safely. You are rewarded for your efforts by a chorus of songbirds and catch a glimpse of herons and osprey in the low-hanging trees.
You go from this pastoral landscape right into the upper pan of the Kirkfield Lift Lock where you quickly descend 49 feet below. Here’s a picture from the top and then from the opposite end. As the old Chicago song says, “What goes up, must come down…”
The adventure continued through Canal Lake with skinny water (4 foot 8 inches lowest) and stumps below. We draw almost 4 feet and did a bump the stump between green buoys # 405 and 403 and thank goodness for single engine keel protection. Then there’s the “Hole in the Wall” Arch which often traps debris but today was being dredged and we had 5 foot 8 inches here so no problem.
We tied up at narrow Bolsover, Lock 37, but had to move twice as a wide beam Bayliner was locking through and needed a lot of the mooring wall width to come through. This canal was built in the 19th and early 20th century at a width of 32 feet but with some modern boats having beams of 20+ feet it makes it difficult to all fit securely. The canal recommends boats not having more than a depth of 5 feet and we think a beam width maximum should also be added.
