Saturday Oct.11

Saturday October 11

So, we were sitting here with our last coffee. I was checking emails and got one form our friends in Thunder Bay, telling us that their surrogate son was here in Trenton working at the base if we needed help, and lo and behold, Mike turned up at the dock!

He took Rick to Can Tire to get a tarp and a pan to drain the oil and then went home to change and came back to help. In the meantime we took the rocker cover off the drive and found the first problem...a nut had fallen off the drive and jammed the gears. Mike and Rick fiddled around until Mike was able to get it out. No damage to the gears!  So Mike drove Rick to Bayside Marine to get a replacement, some gasket material to seal the drive and some extra oil.

Sue & Les, you guys rock! So does your friend Mike!

They found the nut, after some searching through miscellaneous nuts. After some searching for some washers through Rick’s stash to take up the slack AND inserting a cotter pin to hold it, they managed to get the drive back together. It took most of the afternoon to suck the old oil out and Mike said we should be good to get it down to warm weather despite the water leak. His philosophy: You’re more likely to break/drop/loose things if you try to take it apart now. For the cost, just change the oil as often as possible until you get someplace where you can EASILY take it apart. This guy used to fix and teaches mechanics how to fix C130 Hercules engines so we trust his judgement!

At 4:00 this afternoon, we replaced the oil and put the gasket on the drive. We have Mike’s phone number in case we need more help, but we have to wait until tomorrow for the seal to set up before we can top the oil completely and head out. We are confident that everything is ok (because mike was!)

So for all of you that wished for a good day, thanks...it was! Now it’s freezing here so we are going to bed to get warm... and sleep! The barometer shot up today so I had a major headache all afternoon. The river is very smooth tonight and we can see stars for the first time in a long time!

Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer here. Hope yours is too and in case we are out of Wi-fi range for a few days, Happy Thanksgiving! I know we will have one even without the turkey!  And we can have turkey in November when we get to the states.

Hard to see but this is the chewed nut

Not even round anymore

A new friend

Friday October 10

Friday October 10

1:40 pm. WE ARE OUT!!!

We got through the last lock at about 1:30 pm and got to the Fraser Park Marina in Trenton. It’s closed but we tied up anyway. Then we went looking for someone to tell us when it would be open. The parks caretakers didn’t know o they sent us to City Hall. City Hall didn’t know, so we asked about the nearest service station. It was about 20 minutes’ walk over the river bridge and up a hill and around a corner. So we are now back at the boat with enough gas to get to another marina. But no-one is open this weekend. Rick called Bayside Marina and the service tech said we should stay here if we were going to work on it ourselves because they were totally  book up with winterizing but if we needed something we could get it from them. Or if we needed and address to have stuff delivered, we could use them.

Someone was waiting at the boat when we came back to tell us he had just vacated a lower dock that we could use. It’s easier to climb on and off the boat and the dock is wide enough that we can take the drive off and work on it. He also just came back to give us his washroom key and the name of a diver/mechanic friend of his who will help us if we need it!!

So we are going to sit here and review our options, discuss the possible problems we are facing and what the best method is of getting to the problem. It could be something as simple as a screw loose ( yeah, yeah, we know) Or a bearing that needs to be replaced or a shaft part. The awesome thing is, we know we can get parts delivered from Britain in less than a week! And it could be even quicker here!

And then we are going out for dinner! Once we leave here there are no amenities until we reach Oswego NY. We be camping again.

So, attached are some pictures from the last locks

Thursday Oct.9

Thursday October 9

We left Campbellford at 10:00 am and immediately went through the first Lock. The guys were helpful, wondering why we stayed in town the day before. I commented that the little house they were using for an office would be really neat to live in if you worked on the lock. “No”, he said and explained that there were a lot of unhappy works this year because of cutbacks job changes and things weren’t looking up at all. Most of the crews at this end were working two or three locks, and while we only had to travel a mile to the next one, they had to go ten miles by road!

When we got the second lock of the day, they called ahead to Frankford to the next lock to say we’d be there around 2:30. It was a 12 mile run and we started off but about 7 miles down the reach the motor suddenly quit. SHIT! We threw down the anchor and checked the motor. It was fine; runs well in neutral. Rick cleaned the water filter. We checked the transmission fluids and it was fine. I got in the dinghy and tried to turn the prop... it was sticking and really had to turn. Rick couldn’t turn it from the drive either.  SO once again we hooked up the dingy and pushed the damn boat to the next lock. They saw us coming and waited for us. W got there about 4 minutes past the deadline.  While in the lock one of the attendants called someone he knew at “Freddie’s Marine” and told him about our problem. The shop was about a mile down the river so we stopped but Freddie couldn’t fix it because he had no idea how the outdrive worked. They all think power boats around here.  So we continued down the river to Lock 6 in Frankford. They left a key for us for the washrooms under the garbage can! They’ve been doing that a lot!

The last 6 locks are less than 7 miles apart so we can OUT of the system by the end of today. The dinghy was pushing us at 3 knots (mph) yesterday. We will go to the Trenton marina and find someone to help us fix the drive. We need to take it apart (not a big deal... done it before) check the bearings put in new seals and re-install.

So, I will let y’all know how that goes when we get down past the LAST LOCK!!

Friday Oct.10
On another note, I was thinking while I was mindlessly steering down the river the other day about something I read. I know it was sci-fi, but a scientist had the sense that if enough mental energy was put out in the universe, it could change the course of a day’s history. SO how ‘bout we all try an experiment?  On Saturday morning, let’s all think, wish, pray that it should be a really calm day and nothing should go wrong... for anyone, anywhere. Later...J

October 8

October 8 Campbellford again.

Last night we decided to stay here today and get some small jobs done before we hit the big lake. So we watched a movie and went to bed very late...1:00 am. Actually we watched two movies. It has been so long since we’ve been able t0 hear music we watched Rock of Ages and Burlesque... yes, for the music! Quit rolling your eyes, Liz.  Tonight we might even watch Chicago or Mama Mia!

We have our stereo hooked up and can listen to our mp3 players but not underway. The motor is too noisy. Strangely enough when the motor has been running for a while, I hear voices and sometimes music. I know I am not crazy because a couple of women I met 10 years ago sailing up said the same thing. We all heard voices in the sound of the engine or the swish of the water... sometimes mother, sister. I happened to hear Lucille Ball and Ricky Ricardo arguing all the time. Now I hear music... not clearly enough to know what it is, unfortunately.

So today we re-sealed the windows on the dodger (roof over the cockpit) put the numbers on the dinghy and the port of registry on the back of the boat; caught up on the groceries, fixed the windows so they will close and keep us drier on the trip down; made boots for the shrouds that go through the dodger; put a vent in the engine compartment; fixed the toilet vent; stuff like that.

This morning the day was bright and clear and we thought maybe we had miscalculated. At 10:30 one of the clerks in the tourist centre came by to ask if we were leaving today...the guys at the lock were wondering! How’s THAT for service! We started to think maybe by noon or 1:00 pm, but by 11:00 am there were gale force winds running against the current and squalls blowing through every half hour! And it continued all day and all evening, so we did the jobs between rainfalls. We just finished and it is going down to 6 tonight.  I keep telling myself Columbus, Champlain Franklin all did this in much worse conditions. Unfortunately only one of them lived to tell the tales. And I used to teach winter camping up in Thunder Bay, so I should just suck it up and deal. And I’m sure that next month when I’m in Florida I’ll laugh about this...But right now I’m going to go have a hot shower in a cold building, then climb into bed with a cup of tea and catch up on the sleep I should have got last night!

Oct7 Hastings to Campbellford

Tuesday October 7, Hastings to Campbellford

Today was a very tiring day. The wind was absolutely horrid and cold. There were times when we couldn’t see through the rain. We can’t get the screens down completely because of the mast and when the wind comes across from the starboard it gets everything wet. We were thinking that we might split the window but I worked so hard to get them to fit, it kills me to think about cutting them up! But I can always get another piece of window material and re-make it. Or just add another zipper.

I was thinking last night that I’m just about at the stage where I’m not worried about what is coming...just trying to enjoy each day for what it is...then today happened! There were three step locks in a row and with the wind swinging us around, it was harrowing trying to aim for the centre of a space only 10 feet wider than the boat and not hit the wall with the furling and mast which stick out the front by an extra 3 feet.

For anyone who doesn’t know, I drive in and out of the locks. I have mastered the art of fine manoeuvring which means NOT hitting the wall, parking within a foot of it so Rick can get off without falling into the water and stopping the boat on a dime. [Hey, when ya’ got it, flaunt it!]  This started 10 years ago when we were bringing the boat up through the locks. I decided that I would drive because a] I’m clumsy and would probably fall, and b] didn’t want to try to stop 6 ½ tons of boat by grabbing a slimy rope hanging on the lock wall. I got good at it, so I do it, which means that Rick is the one standing on the deck in the rain or fog or sunshine and catching the slimy ropes, but he’s good at THAT!

Anyway, we got thorough 6 locks and a long stretch of Winding River against the wind and with the current which meant standing up waves. We stopped at Campbellford because we couldn’t make the next lock [10:00am to 3:30 pm is not a long time when you only do 5 miles an hour] so we are at the town dock and can have showers tonight. We have lots of stuff close by...NoFrills across the road, Can Tire 5 minutes away and a theatre if we wanted to go. There’s Senior Centre on the dock beside us as well. SO Rick just walked over to Can Tire again. I suggested he wear one of the raincoats with the reflective sleeves but he decided not to, and now it’s raining.  Should I go meet him with the umbrella?  Hmmm...no I don’t think so...no need for two of us to get soaking wet. Oh alright...Never mind he’s back!

So we walked through the downtown this afternoon looking for stuff and decided we would go for dinner. The trouble with a small town is you never know what you will find in a diner when it’s not an ESM or Kelsey’s. SO we stopped at the closest place called Be Our Guest. When we walked in it was like a pizza place. The cooks looked dup and asked for our order. We asked about gluten free and they sort of hesitated and said, Well, we have gluten free items...steak, chicken, salad.” I had really wanted a burger so we left. But outside we decided that chicken would be good so we went back in.  By the time we sat down and the waitress took our order [chicken souvlaki with Greek salad, veggies, rice and Greek potatoes], the place was FULL! ...old people, young people and a whole herd of ladies who apparently meet there every week. So we picked the right place! The food was awesome and the best part was we had to walk 5 blocks back to the boat so we didn’t feel guilty!

We have a bunch of small repair job to do, so if the weather is no better tomorrow (and it doesn’t look good) we are going to stay here another day. We can get the name on the back, letter the dinghy so we are legal crossing into the States.  We figure we will be in Trenton by Friday working on the government schedule.

So we’ll watch a movie tonight because we have shore power! And then we’ll crash.

Attached is a picture of one of the step locks at Healey Falls. 75 foot drop!