Grandkid’s Cruise to Peterborough-Trent Severn Waterway-Part-1

Grandkid’s Cruise To Peterborough—First Leg of a 12-day Adventure

The idea for the “Grandkid’s Cruise” came almost a year before we actually set out on the road trip to Ontario, Canada with the boat in tow. We wanted the cruise to be educational by visiting somewhere, by boat, which had some historical content and some boating features. The Trent Severn Waterway (TSW) immediately came to mind. The kids would learn about how early commerce transportation came to be in Canada and the historical significance of traveling a waterway with a lock system in place.

PROVISIONING AND PLANNING
Our oldest grandson, Silas, has always been interested in how mechanical things work. We knew this trip would pique his interest—all the different types of locks we would encounter. Our granddaughter, Hadley, at six years old, was a little young to know exactly what she’d be experiencing. However, she does love to go on an adventure and was a good sport at finding ways to amuse herself. Jim and I planned by making sure we had activities for them. We took games, drawing paper and pencils, snacks, and food they love. We had to plan a little differently for this cruise than our normal provisioning and packing procedure.

We also had to address the sleeping arrangements. Last summer, we took many overnight trips with the kids, and we came up with a workable sleeping solution to accommodate all four of us on the boat. Silas would sleep on the table, which turns into a bed when we lower the table and add a middle cushion. For the trip, we had to remove some of the stuff we usually store in the “cave” so that Hadley could fit at one end of it. We made a cushion out of foam to make it a little more comfortable.

Other than that, the trip was easy to plan.

Here we are at the start of our two-and-a-half-day road trip to Peterborough.

From Traverse City, it is about an hour’s drive to the Mackinac Bridge. The kids had never been across it.

Soon we were on the International Bridge, between Sault Ste. Marie, USA, and Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. Once over the bridge, we had the pleasure of going through customs. This is the first time the kids have been out of the United States. Also, their first time going through customs. We had an overview of the customs process with Silas and Hadley, emphasizing the importance, and the seriousness, of crossing into another country.

Jim thoroughly prepared for the trip with copies of the kid’s birth certificates and authorization letters from the parents. It always helps to have your information organized when going through customs.

We spent our first-night boaterhoming, just southwest of Sudbury, Ontario. We found a great campground by a small lake. There was enough time before dark for the kids to run around and explore while I warmed up the goulash.

Jim and Hadley share breakfast in the cockpit of the boat before we take off on the second day on the road.

SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS!
We wanted to launch the boat in Severn, Ontario, at the northern end of the TSW, near Georgian Bay. That way we would start with the Big Chute Marine Railway, one of the most interesting locks on the TSW. However, the Big Chute closed down several times that summer, and as we got close, we found out it would be closed when we got there. What to do?

PLAN–B – Grandkid’s Cruise to Peterborough
With the kids involved in the discussion, we all came up with a PLAN–B. We still wanted to ride the Big Chute, so we decided to drive to the end of where we were to originally go (Peterborough) and go NW instead of SE. After picking up our friend, Mark (below-another Ranger Tug owner), in Orillia, we drove to Peterborough and launched the boat. Mark then drove our truck and trailer to Orillia, which would be closer to our departure point. Two-and-a-half days after we left home, we were finally on the water.

The blue line represents the Trent Severn Waterway route. The red line represents the portion we cruised with the kids this year. With Plan B, we drove to Peterborough and cruised northwest to Orillia and by car to the Big Chute. Our original plan would have had us starting in Orillia and cruising southeast to Peterborough.

Things We Wanted the Kids to Learn During the Trip
We were hoping for them to learn all aspects of adventure cruising, not only navigation and reading charts, but safety, and general life onboard, such as cleaning, maintenance, and individual chores. We are lucky! Our grandkids always like to take part in activities, especially ones that involve water. On the flip side, we try to get their needs met with lots of special treats like ice cream and cupcakes.

The boat is all clean, and we are ready to roll!

Meal planning was a lot different from what we would plan for ourselves. I cooked a couple of meals in advance. Goulash, a one-pot dish for the first night, with leftovers for lunch the next day. I also made two batches of meatballs that I froze ahead of the trip. It would be easy to add to some pre-made sauce during the trip and cook a batch of noodles (their favorite). Other than that, we had some frozen hamburger patties, chicken, and hot dogs on hand. We brought two big boxes of Cheerios and some milk. We told the kids that they could each have one soda a day (a flavored club soda they like).

While I organized the boat so we could take off the next day with everything in order, Jim took the kids to the Canadian Canoe Museum. It is in Peterborough, within easy walking distance from the boat.

During our first night in the water, we presented the kids with a special gift, one that they could work on during the trip. They each received a journal, pencils, and stick glue. We wanted them to have a self-made memento of their trip.

Every day we moved, we went over the charts with the kids and tried to include them in the process

We were all very excited to leave Peterborough after a two-night stay.

Heading over to the Peterborough Lock almost immediately after leaving the dock.

The last time we took the bucket ride at the Peterborough Lift Lock was in 2018 when we cruised from Orillia, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec, in Canada.

More information about the Peterborough Lift Lock.

One of our safety measures was that the kids had to wear their lifejackets when outside of the cabin of the boat while we were cruising.

Grandkid’s Cruise to Peterborough