Cruising on Last Dance


This blog archives the adventures of Glen and Jill Moore and provides a means of communication for friends and family. Exploration and adventure have been synonymous with boats and water for centuries. The joy of adventures shared while exploring new places and meeting new people has built a strong bond for Glen and Jill. Last Dance is the platform for the exploration.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." St. Augustine, 354 - 430

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain, 1835 - 1910

"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats." The Wind in the Willows, 1908, Kenneth Grahame, 1859 - 1932

"I've never believed speed and ease are conductive to living fully, becoming aware, or deepening memory, a tripod of urges to stabilize and lend meaning to life." River Horse: a log book of a boat across America, 1999, William Least Heat-Moon,1939 -

The Great Loop -- The current adventure is a circumnavigation of the Eastern United States, cruising north up the east coast through New York into Canada, across the Great Lakes to Chicago, navigating multiple river systems south to Mobile, along the Gulf coast to the Florida Keys and back to St. Augustine. This trip by boat is commonly referred to as the Great Loop. Progress and current location are indicated by the red line on the map to the right. It was titled the Traceless Path in recognition of a German sailor we met in St. Augustine who published booklets of his travels with hand-drawn, detailed maps describing his travels across the water as the Traceless Path.



Thursday, September 8, 2011

Trent-Severn Canal -- Campbellford

The crew prefers to find a nice anchorage, or in the canals, a lock wall with a park-like setting for overnight stays.  On two occasions along the Trent-Severn, stopping in towns were the best option.  The first town stay was in Campbellford, Ontario.  It was the weekend of Canada Day, the celebration of Canada's independence.  A weekend of heavy boat traffic best avoided, according to all advice received.



Campbellford has a town wall along the canal bordered by a park, with electrical connections and other support for cruising boaters.   In recognition of Canada Day, the mast was extended on Last Dance and a Canadian Flag added.  Sonata, a 42 Grand Banks lies along the wall in front of Last Dance.  Sonata has completed the Loop once and is on her second journey around.






In the middle of the park is a huge Toonie.  The Canadians do not have one-dollar paper currency.  They have copper-colored (that should be "coloured" in Canadian) dollar coins with an image of a Loon. These dollar coins are called Loonies.  The two dollar coin has a copper-colored center surrounded by a nickel-colored ring and is referred to as a Toonie.  The artist who created the polar bear image selected for the coin lives in Campbellford, so the town claims itself as home to the Toonie, and thus the statue.












Canada Day began in the park next to the boat with a Rotary pancake breakfast.  It was a great chance to meet up with some Rotarians for good conversation, help the local club raise some money, and the pancakes were a nice bonus.  The club has a trailer full of equipment for supporting a pancake breakfast, from tables and chairs to one huge frying pan.







One of the projects that Rotary Clubs across Canada have adopted is the building of bicycle trails.  The Rotary Trail in Campbellford runs along the canal in the town and through a Provincial Park along the other side of the canal.  The canal passes Rainey Falls and crosses the Trent River below the falls via a suspension bridge, where the stone commemorating the 100 anniversary of Rotary is located.























The evening of the Canada Day celebration signified the importance of this day in that Elvis showed up to entertain the gathered crowd.





The Rotary Trail along the canal also provided a nice venue for a car show on the second day of the Canada Day celebration.  The car show had more cars and greater quality cars than anticipated.














Mustangs, original 1965 and new Shelby







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