- The ship's hoist - a masterpiece of engineering
- The Trent-Severn Waterway
- Pure Canada: coyotes and turkeys on the move
- The historic locks on the Trent-Severn Waterway
- Peterborough: The birthplace of the modern canoe
- Lakefield - like a film set for the cliché small town
- Wild Canada: The Kawartha Lakes lie before us
- A visit to a Pow Wow
- Area information Canada
"Good morning, visitors, and welcome to the Peterborough Liftlock!" it sounds almost exuberantly cheerful from the loudspeaker far above us. A friendly lock employee in a typical khaki-coloured uniform with a beaver emblem on his chest shows us where we can attach our lines to the steel struts, and shortly afterwards we are already ascending surprisingly quickly. On the left, we see masses of water plunging 20 metres into the depths and the second trough descending. Halfway down, the 1500 tonne water troughs meet. When we dare to look over the stern, we feel queasy for a moment. As we are moored at the very back, we are only a few metres away from the alarmingly low wall of the trough and the dizzying abyss.
Since 2024, the charter boat company Le Boat has included the Trent-Severn Waterway in the heart of Canada in its charter programme:
The ship's hoist - a masterpiece of engineering
The Peterborough ship lift is the highest hydraulic ship lift in the world. In contrast to some of the larger structures that work with counterweights, it is equipped with two hydraulically connected troughs. For the lifting and lowering process, additional water is supplied to the upper trough until its weight pushes it downwards - and its counterpart hydraulically upwards. And it has been doing this for over 120 years. The technical masterpiece has only undergone a few electronic modernisations in the control system since its opening in 1904, but the basic principle is still the same. The impressive structure is marked on the map with the modest designation "Lock 21". As if you wouldn't want it to stand out in the series of 45 locks on the historic Trent-Severn Waterway.
The Trent-Severn Waterway
The waterway stretches over 386 kilometres between Lake Ontario in the south and Lake Huron in the north-west. We want to explore 55 kilometres of it between Peterborough and Buckhorn in the coming week. With the cruising areas in the Canadian province of Ontario, the houseboat provider Le Boat has opened up a new and globally unique area for its charter guests. Just a few hours' drive north of the metropolis of Toronto is one of Canada's most popular boating areas, which attracts over a million visitors every year. On the border of the Canadian Shield, one of the oldest and largest rock formations on earth, the last ice age has shaped a landscape of glistening lakes, rivers and swamps, as the ancient granite rock hardly allows any water to seep away.
On the first section of our journey to Lakefield, the Trent-Severn Waterway follows a canal with 26 historic locks at short intervals before it merges into the endless expanse of the densely forested Kawartha Lakes further north. Work on the construction of the canal system began in the 1830s but continued until the 1920s. By the time the route was finally completed, it was obsolete for commercial purposes. The ships travelling on the Great Lakes had become too large for the canal and most goods were now transported by rail. With the advent of motorboats, however, it became increasingly important as a recreational shipping route and is now one of Ontario's most important tourist and leisure attractions.
Pure Canada: coyotes and turkeys on the move
Our gaze wanders over the landscape below us. It's mid-September, and red spots in the maple trees indicate the approaching change of season. We set off in the morning from Le Boat's base, the Del Mastro Horseshoe Bay Marina south of the centre of Peterborough. After taking over our Horizon 2 the day before and loading it up with provisions for the week, we get a taste of the Canadian adventure that lies ahead of us on our first night on board. We are woken up in the middle of the night by eerie howling and animalistic fighting noises. Coyotes! Despite the safety of our cosy bunks, the unfamiliar sounds of the wilderness make our hair stand on end. And we are still in the middle of civilisation. What might await us further north, where the forests are denser and human settlement sparser?
The next morning, as we sit with a steaming cup of coffee on the deck, damp from the morning mist, and plan the day's route, we spot a flock of turkeys. Seemingly unimpressed by our proximity and curiosity, the huge birds with their distinctive red skin flaps and shimmering blue breast take a morning stroll through the centre of the marina. The limited lock times in the low season force us to set off at a leisurely pace, as it is only a few minutes upriver to the first lock. We sail slowly along the green buoys, past typical Canadian wooden cottages in a variety of colours. Each one has its own jetty. Colourful kayaks lie on the manicured lawn next to bright red or sky-blue Adirondack chairs, which are almost as much a part of the garden décor in Canada as the flag with the red maple leaf fluttering in the lazy breeze.
The historic locks on the Trent-Severn Waterway
We reach Lock 19, part of the historic Scotts Mills lock system, which compensates for a total difference in height of 180 metres on the stretch from Trenton to Port Severn. Like all the following locks, except for the ship lift, it is traditionally operated manually. It takes two lock keepers to open and close the gates and heavy wooden gates using pure muscle power. To signal our intention to lock, we moor at the blue-painted edge of the waiting area. If you want to take a break or stay overnight, moor in front of the blue line. Fully equipped marinas are rare on the route. Most boat tourists make use of the free overnight accommodation at the locks, where there are sanitary facilities and sometimes also electricity. However, you should find out beforehand whether the infrastructure is in the upper or lower water.
We run a front and a rear line around two of the black rubber-coated steel cables. drop cables or guide cables which hang from the walls at regular intervals. It is not necessary to guide the lines here. We watch in fascination as the well-practised team of two open and close the gates. First the lock keyA T-shaped crank is inserted into a spindle on the yellow bridge above the gate. The mechanism of the gates is set in motion via cogwheels, allowing water to enter the chamber. Once the chamber is filled, the two lock keepers push against two horizontal levers. Like a donkey mill, they push them in a circle until the gates are fully open. Then they turn to us with a smile, wave and wish us a safe journey.
Peterborough: The birthplace of the modern canoe
Including the boat lift, there are three barrages in the city area of Peterborough. In the direct neighbourhood of the Ashburnham lock, a maritime highlight invites you to take at least a short shore leave. The city is considered the birthplace of the modern canoe and the Canadian Canoe Museum has been located on the banks of Little Lake since 2024. The modern wooden building houses the world's largest collection of canoes and kayaks with 650 exhibits. In the glazed exhibition hall, replicas of traditional birch bark canoes hang from the ceiling and on a pedestal, an over hundred-year-old specimen with curved lines, cedar mouldings and finely spliced ribs is presented. In a Mi'kmaq wigwam, visitors can listen to indigenous creation stories and try their hand at building a birch bark canoe in the Preserving Skills Gallery or plan an expedition like in the days of the gold rush.
If you want to get as close as possible to the city centre by boat, follow the fairway branching off from the main route to the left onto Little Lake. Once you have passed the large fountain in the centre, the city marina is located at the western end of the small lake. But even from the free waiting area at the boat lift, it is only a short walk down a long hill into the heart of the city. On the way towards the centre, we come across a yellow school bus. It opens its doors with a hiss as it reaches Kaawaate East City Public School on the hilltop, and a crowd of noisy children pours out. We stroll past old two-storey townhouses with bay windows and wooden verandas, follow Hunter Street westwards and cross the Otonabee River. After turning left into George Street, we reach another Peterborough landmark, the Market Hall. Until modern supermarkets moved in, the red brick building from 1890 with its striking clock tower served as a farmers' market hall. Today it houses a theatre.
Lakefield - like a film set for the cliché small town
Once we have left the town and the boat lift behind us, the agricultural Trent Valley spreads out on both sides of the canal bank. Cattle graze on barren pastures in front of large barns from which the red paint is peeling. In the afternoon, we reach Lock 26, the last lock for the day. Behind it, the narrowest part of the canal leads around a tight bend until it finally widens out into a small lake at Lakefield. We head for the marina and are pleased with the clean and heated sanitary facilities and the opportunity to stretch our legs. The small town looks to us like the film set of the fictional town of Stars Hollow from the cult series "Gilmore Girls". If the series doesn't ring a bell: the scenery looks as if all is still right with the world here, radiating a feeling of warmth and familiarity.
Piled up pumpkins in all shapes and sizes lie in front of small arts and crafts shops, autumn garlands in warm colours, corncobs and small straw dolls adorn the shop windows, the smell of pumpkin spice and apple pie fills the air.
The old railway station building from the early 19th century is located slightly off the busy main street. Trains have not been running here since 1950, the tracks have long since been removed and weathered paint is peeling off the wood panelling. Today, it houses a romantic bookshop that is packed to the rafters. Unfortunately, the owner tells us that after 28 years he has to close at the end of the year because he can't find a successor.
Wild Canada: The Kawartha Lakes lie before us
As we turn our backs on Lakefield the next morning, Katchewanooka Lake, the first of the Kawartha Lakes, lies before us. Eight kilometres long and less than a kilometre wide, it is by far the smallest lake compared to its neighbours to the north and west. However, as this is the first time on this trip that the shores on both sides have receded significantly and civilisation has receded noticeably into the background, we are delighted at the sight of the lake lying there in the morning light. The narrow buoyage indicates that the lake, peaceful as it may be in front of us, has its hidden pitfalls. In contrast to the rocky shoals further north, there are shallow areas of shallow water here that can prove fatal to inattentive skippers. Some of these are revealed by patches of grass protruding from the water. Anglers sit on their boats between the stalks and wave to us as we pass, Canadian wild geese pass overhead and break the silence with their trumpet-like call. On the now more distant banks, the reddish and orange speckles in the dense foliage of the forests increase. Every now and then, a red maple leaf flashes between the trees on a white background.
A visit to a Pow Wow
Our destination for today is Youngs Point. Lock 27 is the last lock before the Great Lakes. And before we explore the Kawartha Lakes in our second part of the journey, another highlight awaits us that we are particularly looking forward to. As luck would have it, we are near the reserve on the weekend when the indigenous Mississauga community celebrates its annual gathering. Their name means "people of the great estuary". In the form of dances, drums and songs, the river people honour their elders at the Pow Wow, commemorate their ancestors and thank creation for the fish-rich waters. During some sacred dances, spectators are asked to leave their cameras and mobile phones in their pockets.
Rhythmic drumming makes the air vibrate between the tall conifers, the savoury aroma of Indian tacos, smoked fish and corn fritters wafts over from the food stalls. Beautifully decorated dancers kick up the dust in the main square with their stomping moccasins. We wander between the tents and admire lovingly crafted dream catchers and colourful feather decorations. On the way back to the boat, the pulse of the drums and the impressions of the day echo in our heads for a long time. The second part of our journey begins tomorrow. The Kawartha Lakes lie ahead of us, a chain of lakes stretching westwards with countless islands and densely forested shores. After the journey across the sometimes narrow canal, which is full of locks, the next few days await us with vastness and pure nature. From a distance, the howl of a coyote echoes across the water, like a call to the wilderness that awaits us.
Area information Canada
Charter
Le Boat specialises in licence-free houseboat holidays in Europe and Canada. The fleet comprises around 900 houseboats, which are available in several comfort classes for two to twelve people. There are plans to expand the fleet to 1,300 boats over the next few years. Le Boat currently offers 18 cruising areas in nine countries, including Germany, France, Ireland and Canada.
More information on: leboat.com
The boat
The Horizon 2 is part of Le Boat's premium series. It is equipped with two double cabins and two bathrooms. There is a spacious, bright saloon with large sliding glass doors to the bathing platform. There is also a large sun deck with an outdoor sunbed, sunbathing area, table, barbecue and an outdoor shower. Thanks to the bow and stern thruster, she is - like all Le Boat houseboats - easy to manoeuvre and also suitable for holidaymakers without a boating licence or experience. Length: 11.50 m, width: 4.20 m.
Precinct
The area is licence-free. The locks are open from May to October. In the low season, however, they are restricted, sometimes only from 10 am to 3.30 pm. To indicate the intention to lock, moor at the blue marker at the waiting area. There are cables in the chambers to guide the lines. A vignette in the windscreen saves charter guests the fee. Overnight stays at the locks are free of charge for a maximum of two nights.
Literature
"Ports Cruising Guide: 2021 Trent Severn & Lake Simcoe", 47.95 CAD (approx. 29 euros); The travel guide lists marinas, anchorages, locks, restaurants, petrol stations and supply options and includes GPS coordinates, a practical distance table and aerial photos.
