The adventures of MR5 as she cruises America's Great Loop
Peterborough to Young’s Point
Monday, July 20, 2026
After our brief trip home to recharge, we were back on board, ready for the next chapter of the journey.
By this point in our Trent-Severn adventure, we had checked off 19 of the waterway’s 45 locks—but the best was still ahead. The next stretch included some of the most spectacular and memorable locks on the entire route.
First up was the Peterborough Lift Lock, the highest hydraulic lift lock in the world. Instead of the usual lock experience, this engineering marvel simply picks up your boat and lifts it about 65 feet into the air. It’s one of the first two hydraulic lift locks ever built in North America—and, in a fun bit of trivia, both are on the Trent-Severn Waterway.
If you’re curious about the engineering behind it, you can read all about it online. But the short version is this: it’s an amazingly smooth and fast ride—faster than some elevators I’ve ridden in— and watching an entire boat quietly rise 65 feet is equal parts impressive, surreal, and just plain fun.
Here are a few of the highlights of the first day back.
The waterway is becoming narrower as we move along.There’s the Peterborough Lock! We’re finally here.The left chamber is up so we’re going into the chamber on the right.Each chamber is approximately 140 feet long by 32 feet wide and holds 7 feet of water. It’s a majestic sight……from every angle.Essentially, it’s like a giant swimming pool that is being lifted 65 feet into the air……and we’re in our boat in the pool.This is Chris’ view from the stern of the boat looking back,and this is his view looking down at the other chamber which was lowered as we were being raised.We are fully raised and moving on.This is one happy crew member that all went smoothly. (The lock was closed for repairs one week earlier.)Trent University was on our way. No, Diane is not interested in a position.The waterway is lined with fields upon fields of blooming lily pads.These lanes are pretty tight. There isn’t much room for oncoming traffic. We had the great fortune of encountering this beautiful blue heron at Young’s Point just pondering life’s journey. Have we mentioned how much everyone likes to fish along these waterways? This is one way to do it.The grill master is in his glory at the end of a long day’s work. (It’s a good thing because the crew is hungry.)
