Riding the Big Chute Railway
A one way passage rock cut - Little Chute.
A real thrill if another boat is coming the other way.
On this chilly, overcast morning at 8:30 a.m. we headed over from our dock to Big Chute where we waited to be called onto the railway. Luckily, we were the only boat there - what a difference from yesterday's madhouse! When we were called, George skillfully moved the boat onto the platform where the expert railway personnel moved three large straps under "Reflection" in a criss-crossed pattern so that she sat on her keel, but could not move from side to side because of the straps holding her steady. The aft section of the boat hung off the back of the car so that her rudder and props would not be damaged. We were amazed at the time and care we got, and when the railmen and George were satisfied that everything was safe, "Reflection" went on one of the greatest rides of her life. The view from the top of the hill before we went down in slow-motion was like being on the top of a roller coaster. In about 7 minutes we made it down back into the water, where we were quickly floated and on our way again. We motored through winding channels to Port Severn and the final lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. This lock was the smallest we encountered, and our boat filled up the lock! When we left the lock we couldn't believe the tight little channel we had to transit to get through our final bridge. But this was only the beginning! Of course, by now the wind was blowing hard right on our nose, and we had to make our way through a series of tight, shallow channels to reach the open waters of Georgian Bay. Captain George navigated us well through the entire process and we scooted across the bay to Bay Port Marina in Midland. Because we had gone through so much this morning, it seemed to take a long time, but we actually made the trip in only 3 1/2 hours. At this point we have traveled 740 miles and have gone through 73 locks over a period of 31 days!
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