We finally got some functioning wi-fi at Hurst Marina at mile 23 of the Rideau on August 20 so we will catch up a little on the blog.
We left Campbellford on July 29 destined for the Frankford lock, 6 locks away.
A lock along the way as we leave.
We had a nice walk around the small city and Julie even found a salon to get her hair done. We stayed two nights and we even got a little much needed rain while there.
Our next stop was the south end of the Trent Severn, the Trent Port Marina another six locks away.
It is a wonderful modern facility and is clearly in the top 5 marinas in our 4 years of travel. Staff was there to catch lines, free laundry, floating docks, clean and private showers/restrooms and Kawartha ice cream on site! The city has everything one needs. We even walked to the Wal Mart up the hill to get a few staples we needed…marine/RV toilet tissue and such! Anyways, we got two good walks in on our two day stay. We had a wonderful dinner at Tomasso’s Italian Restaurant along the river. As we entered the restaurant we saw Bill and Laurie from iFloat who we met along the Trent and have seen a couple times now along the way. On Thursday nights they have a free concert about 50 yards from the outdoor patio, so we booked a reservation on the patio to enjoy the music while dining. It was wonderful weather, the three piece band was a great cover band playing lots of oldies from the 70’s and 80’s. We grabbed a chair in the park after eating and enjoyed the band for a while longer after dinner. And half our dinners were put in the refrigerator for another meal later….big portions! Trenton is always a great stop, we enjoyed it both years we visited.
We also saw Don and Marge from Bacchus who were returning from the Georgian Bay trip and are on their way back to New York. You may recall we met them in Honey Harbor in late June/early July as they were headed to the GB. We also met Gary and Nancy from (Summer Lynn). They are from Alaska and purchased their boat in Spring Lake at Barrett’s which is where they started their Loop last summer. They will put the boat up for sale when they get back to Spring Lake in September. They will be a great resource for us as we start our planning for an Alaska Passage trip in our future cruising. It is such a small world…. We also talked to Laurie in the boater’s lounge before we left and learned they were struggling with some boat repair issues and yes as usual (Murphy’s law) it is a weekend.
Friday morning we left with the target of anchoring about halfway between Trenton and Kingston which is the start of the Rideau. We have been trying to get a slip in Kingston, but this weekend is a long weekend for Canada as Monday is a Civic holiday for Canadians. On the way toward our anchorage I finally got a call back and they confirmed there was no space. We’ll just have to find another anchorage as the other marina in town is not returning calls after numerous voice mails. We don’t really want to skip Kingston again this year so maybe we will take our time getting there and snag a slip after the Holiday.
We have been anchoring out a lot during the past month since getting fuel. The generator only draws from the port side fuel tank, so it is 25 gallons or so lower than the starboard side. After this boat was manufactured, a dinghy was placed on the upper deck with most of the weight (outboard engine) on the starboard side. An inverter and a 4 group 31 battery bank was also installed adding more weight to the starboard side. It seems like all the good storage locations are on the starboard side too, thus we have a slight list to starboard especially when the port side fuel tank becomes lighter than starboard. So I studied the fuel manifold and opened the balancing valve and closed the starboard side fuel return. Diesel engines pump more fuel than needed and return the balance to the tank so this way all return fuel would go to the port tank. About an hour later the fuel tanks were about equal. So this again proves one continues to learn the systems on a boat long after purchase! We have owned Sum Escape for over 5 years and this is the first time I have balanced fuel….we previously only balanced by purchasing more fuel in the port side.
Along the way as we monitored AIS we saw a familiar target. The display showed a boat named LeeLoo, a 32 foot Nordic Tug previously owned by our friends Carey and Nancy (now aboard Tug LeeLoo a 37 foot Nordic Tug). I hailed them on the VHF but they did not answer. Too far away for a picture but the binoculars confirmed it was indeed their old boat. She still looks shiny Carey and Nancy!
We continued cruising along nicely on a beautiful calm day and nearing our anchorage choices. Julie came above to the flybridge to help choose a location as we were about to pass option #1. She went back below and came back quickly and said “come down here, there is a terrible noise”. Engine room access open, here is what it sounded like!
So Julie took the upper helm and I came down to the lower helm hearing the terrible squealing noise. Just then the port engine alarm sounded with a “reduce power now, engine overheated” message. I shut down the engine at about 225 degrees. Went to engine room, plenty of coolant, no leaks. That’s good. Given the squealing, my theory was a seized engine coolant pump at that point. We continued on to the Hay Bay anchorage, only a couple miles away, on one engine and as Julie piloted I started calling to get things lined up after the Holiday weekend. It seems like all boat problems occur on a weekend and this one is a long weekend to boot! After we got anchored and the engine had cooled, I had Julie restart it for a brief period while I could observe what I could see through the gaps in the belt guard. Lots of squealing from the belt but still turning, alternator was charging, cooling water was discharging from exhaust. My assessment is that it has to be a seized coolant pump. So, Toromont CAT was called for a replacement pump and installation service and fortunately they can repair the engine on Tuesday. I don’t like their $180 per hour labor charge plus travel time and mileage charges but as they say, any port in a storm. Next challenge is to find a marina not too far away that we can limp to on one engine. We called the harbor host Eric from Trenton who we met on Friday when he knocked on the boat to welcome us to Trenton. He suggested Loyalist Cove in Bath, ON which is on the way to Kingston. After a few calls we were able to secure a slip that should be relatively easy to get into on one engine. They are also OK with Toromont CAT completing the repair there. We will go there Sunday and spend a couple nights until the repair can be completed. I don’t think any other damage was done as we shut down quickly and were only running 1250 RPM’s before the issue, hardly into the turbo boost at that RPM. Fingers are crossed a new belt and remanufactured coolant pump do the trick. At least this area is easily accessible for the repair too. This is the second time in our four years of cruising when two engines are a good thing and we were able to continue on one. As Julie reminded me, it was a beautiful day, light winds and we are headed to a great anchorage....the difference between a crisis and adventure is attitude. This is just part of the adventure.
There we lots of fisherman in the area and we saw a few walleye (or are they pickerel in Canada??) landed. One fisherman was apparently very peeved that we anchored here as he trolled as close to the boat as he could numerous times and did not return our hello greetings. So, he got the stares back as he stared at us. J Once all the repair and marina arrangements were made, we were able to enjoy a little float time on the rafts in the late afternoon and we had a peaceful night on the hook. A nice sunset.
We did note that the water was a bit like Spring Lake…lots of algae in the water. As the winds shifted, there was a noticeable but not extreme farm smell. There are some large farms surrounding Hay Bay and perhaps run off is an issue here. We didn’t immerse ourselves swimming here, only floated in our chairs. Locals were swimming at the cottages so we are comfortable water quality was OK, we are just spoiled with all the clean and clear water we have enjoyed the last couple months.
Late in the day after watching the weather forecast, we moved to an anchorage closer to the marina we are headed to and which would provide protection from the winds which will shift to the NW overnight. It was quite windy from the SW as we left so we did get a few swells as we moved slowly on one engine. And even at 7 MPH one needs to be diligent and on the lookout for debris... a fairly large log we avoided.
Speaking of that, the best way to run on one engine is to stop the “dead” prop shaft so it is not spinning the transmission and dripless shaft seal. So that large pipe wrench in the engine room purchased four years ago just for an event such as this was put into service. Once we were free of the anchor and moving forward, Julie piloted and I went to the engine room to rig the pipe wrench to stop the port shaft from turning. We communicated with our headsets and Julie stopped the boat then went forward slowly so I could see the rotation and properly wedge the wrench against a strong point of the hull, a large stringer. Worked great.
This anchorage had wonderfully clear water so Tom swan some “laps’’ around the boat and Julie did yoga so we both got some exercise. We got a little rain and the wind shifted as forecasted and we even got to listen to another live band, albeit from the comfort of our boat. We aren’t even sure where the band was as all we could see was a small campground and a few cottages ashore. But they were pretty good and fun to listen to. An internet search on Sunday morning revealed that the campground had a music weekend so that is where the music originated.
Sunday we lingered in the anchorage and enjoyed the day before departing for Loyalist Cove Marina. It was a low wind day so it was no problem getting in to the assigned slip, especially since two marina staff were there to catch lines.
Monday, the Canadian Holiday, we took a nice walk and also got some groceries. We observed some old churches, library building etc. in this Loyalist community for the late 1700’s. Interesting.
Tuesday morning we called in our credit card number to Toromont CAT at 7 AM as requested to assure we would get our ordered repair. But we found out that the assigned tech had a death in the family yesterday so would not be able to help us today but the pump had arrived. Another tech called and said he was just coming back from a month off due to health issues and was on “light duty”. So I texted him pictures of the work area, assuring him that there was easy access to the engine room, plenty of room to access the front of the engine, etc. He said he would be back to me later in the morning but it may be later in the week before they could help us. So, as a contingency plan I talked to the good folks at Loyalist Cove and they came to look at the job. They inspected the engine room and concluded they could install the coolant pump but thought perhaps we should give CAT a couple hours to get back with us. Just as Dave was leaving the boat, Toromont CAT called and said Shawn was on his way! Shawn arrived and evaluated the space, confirmed the issue was in fact a seized pump (so glad my diagnosis was correct!) and began to assimilate 5 gallon buckets to drain anti freeze into, tools needed for the job, etc. I helped!
About 12 gallons of antifreeze were carefully drained, old pump removed, new pump painted (with the paint I had on board) new pump and belt installed and anti freeze pumped back into engine within about four hours. It is interesting to note that Shawn said he had only ever needed to change a few coolant pumps and then only for them starting to leak, he had never had one seize up like this one did. Murphy is alive and well… After running engine, getting it to temperature to fully “absorb” all the antifreeze and checking for leaks we were adjudged good to go! But a pretty nasty thunderstorm kept us in our slip for another night.
Thank you Loyalist Cove Marina and Toromont CAT for helping us out with this repair issue.
Wednesday we left shortly after 7 AM for Kingston with a scheduled fuel and pump out stop at Portsmouth on the way. We arrived at the fuel dock at 8 AM just as they were opening and got 700 liters of fuel and a pump out in short order. Given they are a sister marina to Kingston Confederation Basin where we wanted to stay, I asked the dock attendant to call them for slip availability. Molly put all her charm to work to secure us a slip there!
The Kinston Confederation Basin Marina.
We arrived as it was starting to rain but that made for good laundry weather. Unfortunately, the wi-fi was not very good so not much was accomplished in that area. We are looking forward to some good wi-fi so we can download some videos, look at Lucy Jo photos, and generally catch up on things. But living off the grid has its advantages too!
The Kingston City Hall.
We took a nice walk to a Thai restaurant for a great freshly prepared lunch. It was really good. We were also able to take a nice walking tour of Kingston, do a little shopping and saw amazing old homes and architecture.
Kingston has a lot of history and we found it a nice stop. They even had fireworks at Fort Henry.
We left on Thursday in time for the 9 AM bridge opening that takes us into the Rideau Waterway.
We planned on 7 locks, targeting Upper Brewers Locks, above the locks with power, for the night. We were hoping to be tied up there before the forecasted thunderstorms at 2 or 3 PM.
At the very first lock we combined with four other boats taking the starboard front of the lock.
We lost a fender overboard as we rose in the lock and actually deflated it against the lock wall before the lock attendant retrieved it for us as the lock filled. I (Tom) tied it so I am responsible. No damage and we just substituted another fender from the other side of the boat.
As we neared the top of the lock, the bow line could not be released as the woman aboard had cleated the line off (a “no no” in a lock) and the bow of the boat was being pulled down. Julie jumped off with her knife and handed it to the lady who promptly cut the line and the boat lurched upwards. First time our knives have been used, but it proves why they are handy to have nearby.
In the third lock, the boat we have been locking with at the front of the lock bumped his gearshift into forward with his hip as he exited the helm and the boat ran into the front sill of the lock. No damage other than to his ego. The fourth and fifth locks were uneventful but that certainly was enough excitement for today!
Some skinny water along the way!
The last two planned locks were Upper Brewers where upon completion, we would have wall space and power available. But a call to the lockmaster about 5 minutes out provided the information that the upper lock wall had just filled up in the last five minutes. So we stopped below the locks and stayed there without power. We had a thunderstorm roll in at 3 or so, just as we thought we could take walk for some exercise! But after the storm we had a nice walk around the area. We saw another
We agreed to leave at first lockage with Greg and Diedra (French Toast) to travel these two locks and the lockmasters had the lock chamber ready right at 9AM opening time). Along the way we passed a loon with its baby on its back. We slowed down and tried to idle by in the channel. As we approached the baby tried to get back on Mom’s back a couple times but Mom wanted the baby to dive which it finally did. Mom was looking for junior to reappear as we left the area. We hope all is well, they are such beautiful birds.
We travelled about 10 miles to an anchorage that was suggested by many, Morton’s Bay. It is a beautiful spot! It reminds us of the Georgian Bay.
After lunch we launched the dinghy and as we were doing so the tilt mechanism did not sound right as we were lowering the motor to start it. It started fine. As we got on plane and I tried to tilt up a bit, nothing, the motor was in the full down position and would not go up at all. That is a big problem as we cannot load the dinghy back aboard the upper deck without tilting the engine back up. And towing it through locks means another lockage fee as well as a lot of hassle to control it as well as the boat in the locks.
Well, we’ll deal with that later, time to go to Jones Falls locks and visit the Sweeney House, a preserved lockmaster family quarters and also take a needed walk.
The blockhouse.
These locks are really something having been in service since 1836. The stone arch dam at Jones Falls was the third largest dam in the world when constructed in 1836. The engineering and manual valves, gates, etc are still functioning and the waterway is truly a Canadian treasure. We even took the “rugged trail” from the lockmasters station to the old blacksmith shop along the lock turning basin. When we asked about the trail one of the Parks Canada associates looked at our shorts and tennis shoes and said “you can go that way but it is a rugged trail”. For us, that just means it is better exercise! Have we mentioned that the Rideau is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Well it is. We have been fortunate to see so many of these world wonders in the last year here and in Australia and New Zealand. As we were walking around, the clouds were building and looking rather black so we cut our visit short and returned to Sum Escape just before the rain and thunderstorm hit. Good timing!
After the storm, a quick look at the owners manual suggested a way to manually release the tilt mechanism and manually raise the motor, then retighten the screw. Upon inspection of this option we found that the way the dinghy tubes extend beside the motor and the bolt through of the outboard on the dinghy transom would make this next to possible to accomplish. In addition, this screw was underwater so really tough to work with. I got on the internet and searched for this particular tilt operation problem. We could hear the switch “click” but no motor sounds or tilt capability. Others with this same issue found that by “thumping” the tilt motor sometimes that would engage the motor brushes. Not a permanent solution, but at least a way to get the tilt to engage. So, we raised the dinghy on the crane cable to a height where I could work on it. I gave it a couple good screwdriver handle “whacks” and Julie engaged the switch. It worked! When we got the dinghy loaded, the tilt would not lower the engine into its cradle. A few more “thunks” with the screwdriver got it to engage and drop. We will leave the dinghy where is until we can find a repair facility!
Unfortunately, we are in the middle of the best anchoring out opportunities in the Rideau system. Oh well, lock walls are OK too I guess. I did call a couple Yamaha authorized repair facilities and was able too get the part number for the electric trim pump motor they said I would need from one of them. We then ordered the part from Len’s Cove Marina on Big Rideau Lake as the timing of our arrival there and the part arrival should coincide. They have no room in their repair schedule to install the part so I will have to investigate how difficult that might be. Fingers crossed!
On Saturday we did 4 more locks and then headed to West Bay in Sand Lake for our anchorage that night. We stopped again at the Jones Falls lock wall and walked around the beautiful grounds there. We visited the 1830’s block house and blacksmith shops which were attended by Parks Canada staff to explain the facilities. The lock is a little low on water in the early morning!
Later in the afternoon we left for the anchorage at West Bay. A nice narrow channel along the way.
It had a number of cottages around but was still very quiet and enjoyable. A lot of weeds with the anchor retrieval, but that has been par for the course in all these lakes, very clear water but weeds along the bottom.
We posted this in Ottawa on August 23 but burned through a bunch of our data plan to do so. We will post the rest of our fantastic Rideau Canal trip when we can find some good wi-fi and we have some time...too many interesting things to see here and our son Jordan is also about to land to visit for a few days. More soon...
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