Peterborough and the Lift Lock

After a day or two of lousy weather, rain and cold, life is good again. It’s bright, sunny and almost hot. We thought our weather changed fast in the Midwest, but it sure does here also.

Yesterday afternoon, we pulled into the Peterborough Municipal Marina which is located in the center of town. The previous night had been spent tied to a seawall just outside a lock in the very small town of Hastings. It had rained all day on Wednesday and standing out on deck in the constant rain, handling lines at the half dozen or so locks that day was miserable. We were beat and ready to stop anywhere just to start the generator and get warm.
Last evening we had dinner in a local restaurant with cruising friends, Wayne and Karen Franklin and Renny and Merle Teetaert, with whom we had spent a great deal of time together in the same locks in the rain on Wednesday. Wayne had come by late in the afternoon yesterday bearing a bottle of his home made wine which we are anxious to try as soon as possible. It was a fun evening together and we enjoyed their company. Renny and Merle were flying back to Manitoba, Canada today, so we wish them well.

This morning Judy and I peddled our bikes through the downtown area of Peterborough, up and down many hills to Lock 20 of the Trent-Severn, better known as the Big Lift Lock. What a sight that lock is to see from the shore and tomorrow morning we’ll go through it on our way west.

Let me copy from the cruising book to describe this 1904 engineering marvel. “A hydraulic lift lock works like a simple balance beam scale. A boat enters a huge tank shaped like a giant cake pan. Parallel to that chamber, but 65 feet up on a big piston, is another chamber, a twin of the tank below. The water in each chamber weights 1500 tons (330,000 gallons). When the upper chamber is filled with an extra foot of water, the increased weight in the upper tank forces the lower tank, boats and all to rise on its piston, while the upper tanks sinks down.” Sounds simple, but what a structure that’s over a hundred years old.

Pictures probably don’t do justice to seeing large vessels, rising up 65 feet in the air, then sailing out of the tub on down the canal. It’s the largest hydraulic lock in the world and is a remarkable operation to see.

We biked back downtown for a quick lunch in a French café’ and back to the boat this afternoon for a few maintenance chores. Judy has already picked out among the many international restaurants here in Peterborough, a little spot for dinner called Brio Gusto…sounds French to me.

Both of us hate to leave Peterborough, since we’re missing a concert tomorrow night right next to the marina where they have a wonderful summer series with big name entertainers, but we need to keep moving.

Ned

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