For years I’ve been going to a friend’s cottage in Bobcaygeon. We often sit in town and watch the boats go through the lift lock – Lock 32 on the Trent-Severn waterway – but I’d never been through the lock myself. Renting a jetski seemed like a perfect way to go through a lock.

After toodling around Pigeon Lake for the morning, we approached the lock just as the doors were closing. I docked on the ‘blue line’ which is where you wait for the lockmaster to call you into the lock. My first attempt at docking didn’t quite work so to avoid crashing into the wall, I drove in a circle and then successfully pulled up along the wall on my second attempt. At that point, the lockmaster came on the loudspeaker and said, “Jetski on the blue line, you can come into the lock.” Sure enough, the heavy metal doors were swinging open again so that I could enter.

I guided the jetski up the long run-up to the lock with dozens of people watching. All the other boats were already in the lock, so it just me. I slowed to a crawl as we approached the wall and we managed to grab the line in the lock and stop. What a nightmare with all those people watching!

Filling (or emptying) the lock takes about four minutes. In that time, the lockmaster asked where we were going and charged me the $10.80 to go through the lock and back. All the Parks Canada staff at the lock are friendly and helpful.

Once the boats in front of us pulled out, we followed. Easy as pie. Another of my Top 40 checked off the list.