Trent Severn

[eastont]

I am planning to visit my daughter in Fenelon Falls this June, and I'm wondering.

How long will it take from Lake Ontario, traveling in a 36' at about 10 knots max.

That would be with a couple of stops for fuel/food, depending on how long we're on board.

I saw on the Parks Canada web site that it assumed to take 2/3 days.

Any one doen this?

 

[MolsonCanadian]

Re: Trent Severn

They are reducing their hours again, and hiking the fees. AND apparently having sceduled lockages at some locks, and what I hear is its at 10:00am daily. If you arrive at 10:05, you have to wait until the next day. It could take you 4-5 days to get there.

I've done Midland to Fenelon Falls, its a great trip.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Trent Severn

I hope your still monitoring this thread eastont. Don.t know if you saw my post in "canadian boaters" but it's only before June 20th and after labor day that they are talking about one locking or one flight per day. The rates for locking aren't going up until next year, so this year is a good time for your trip.
Allow extra days for layovers in stretches like the eight locks in sixteen miles from Peterborough to Lakefield. It can get a little tiring. When I've been pushed, I've made it from Lakefield to Lindsay in an afternoon. However that's cruising at 27mph and I can't say how much of that was running time and how much was locking.

 

[eastont]

Re: Trent Severn

Yes, I'm monitoring this thread, but there is not much coming out of it.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Trent Severn

OK, it's 248 miles from the Bay of Quinte at Trenton to Fenelon Falls. At 10 knots that would take approximately 29 hours. You have to go through 33 locks at lets say 1/2 hour each and round that up to 17 hours. Add another 3 hours for the 10 kph zones. That adds up to 49 hours. So say your willing to run 6 hours a day, that's just over 8 days.
Sounds like a nice trip.

 

[eastont]

Re: Trent Severn

Thanks wrench....I e-mailed Parks Canada and they estimate the trip to take 2-3 days. Quite a difference.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Trent Severn

Recalculation:
I was working off of a chart that had the depths in feet so I assumed the distance was in miles, but no, it was in kilometers. So the distance is really 154 miles at 10 knots is 14 hours. The other two figures will remain the same. So we have 35 hours at 6 hours per day is 6 days.
It's still quite a bit more than their estimate but I think it's a bit more realistic.

 

[heatz1express]

Re: Trent Severn

I am hoping to bring a boat to Lake Simcoe from Kingston in May. locks open May 17th and with the reduced operating times I am expecting it to take 3 days to reach Peterborough and then another couple of days to go the rest of the way to Lake Simcoe.
I've done the stretch from Lake Simcoe to Peterborough, but the Trenton to Peterborough run will be new to me. lots of locks though, I know that. Also quite a bit of current coming off the dams from what I've heard.
I think Parks Canada is right on with their estimate. As long as there are no breakdowns or problems at any of the locks. A few Summers ago we got caught between big chute and port severn during a power outage. We had to wait it out, spending nights at Big Chute and at Driftwood cove marina in port severn. it ended up being a memorable adventure. We watched the staff of the marine railway throw their dog off and all jump in and swim to shore due to lightning. My son caught a pike off the docks at driftwood cove! People we were with who headed back from big chute to lauderdale point on sparrow lake, got there boat on the trailer and then spent the night in the car because trees were down, blocking the roads out!

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Trent Severn

People we were with who headed back from big chute to lauderdale point on sparrow lake, got there boat on the trailer and then spent the night in the car because trees were down, blocking the roads out!

I think I would have spent the night in the boat, even if it was on the trailer. The only thing your missing is the water to flush the head.
BTW, it's not uncommon for Parks Canada to close the Otonabee River section north of Peterborough at times in the early season, due to high water flow. Although we didn't have a very high snow load this winter.