Captain’s Log — Sunday, September 6, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Sturgeon Lake is the low spot on the system today at -11 cm (-4.5 in) against its usual level for this month. That doesn’t move the chart — it moves what’s under your keel.
All 40 locks and 12 bridges are showing operable on the Parks Canada feed.
1 new navigational warning since yesterday — details below.
Shoulder season. Traffic thins, lock hours start shrinking, and the nights get cold enough to matter.
On the water today
| Where | Now | Wind | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton Lock 1 — Bay of Quinte |
Mainly Clear, 14.3°C | NE 5 kt (gust 15) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Cloudy, 14.4°C | NE 5 kt (gust 15) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Cloudy, 14.4°C | NE 5 kt (gust 15) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
14.1°C | NNE 4 kt (gust 17) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
14.1°C | NNE 4 kt (gust 17) | A mix of sun and cloud. |
Sunrise 06:42, sunset 19:41 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 10. High 21.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind northeast 10 knots becoming light this morning. Wind light tonight and Monday.
- Weather: Fog patches dissipating this morning. Fog patches forming overnight and dissipating Monday morning.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 6, 2026 4:00 am ET: NNE 9.7 kt, seas 0.2 m (0.7 ft) at a 2-second period, water 21.1 °C.
Georgian Bay
- Wind: Wind northeast 10 knots becoming light this morning then becoming northwest 10 this afternoon. Wind becoming light near midnight then becoming west 10 near noon Monday.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 metres or less.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Monday.
Along the waterway
Reported in the corridor over the last few days. Headlines are the publishers’ own — follow the link for the current state of any story, since these move faster than a daily post can.
- CMHA Kawartha Lakes Offering Mental Health Training For Youth Sports Teams — Kawartha 411, Sep 3
Water levels
Each gauge is compared against its own historical average for this month. The deviation is the number that matters — gauge datum is not chart datum, so the reading itself won’t tell you a depth, but the change from normal tells you how today compares to a typical day this time of year.
| Gauge | Pool | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton | Bay of Quinte to Lock 1 | -7 cm (-2.7 in) | 🟠 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | +6 cm (+2.5 in) | 🟢 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +1 cm (+0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +13 cm (+5.1 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | +2 cm (+0.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | +3 cm (+1.2 in) | 🔵 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -11 cm (-4.5 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | +39 cm (+15.2 in) | 🟢 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +13 cm (+5.0 in) | 🟢 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +15 cm (+5.9 in) | 🟢 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +17 cm (+6.6 in) | 🟢 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +0 cm (+0.1 in) | 🔵 |
🔴 more than 10 cm low · 🟠 5–10 cm low · 🔵 within 5 cm of normal · 🟢 above normal. Live readings and 30-day charts →
Locks and bridges
All 40 locks and 12 bridges on the Parks Canada feed are reporting operable.
Parks Canada status last synced 2026-09-06 04:50:07 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
2 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-3880-26 — Meaford — Other, 2026-09-05
Vicinity: Meaford Category: Military Exercises (Other) Exercises using white parachute flares taking place daily until 010400 UTC Oct 2026 at the Land Force Central Area Training Centre in Meaford. Charts: 2201(NAD83) - NW-C-3816-26 — Gouette Island — Shallow Spot, 2026-08-31
Vicinity: Gouette Island Category: Shallow Depth Reported Shallow depth reported in the vicinity of 44 49.168N 079 41.621W at 311323 UTC Aug 2026. Charts: 2029(NAD83), 2029(NAD83)
Sources: Environment and Climate Change Canada (weather, marine and hydrometric data, Open Government Licence — Canada); Parks Canada Trent-Severn Waterway lockstation status; Canadian Coast Guard NAVWARNs; regional news headlines as published and linked to their sources. Water gauge readings are on assumed datum and are not chart datum.
This is not a substitute for official sources. Conditions change faster than any daily post. Check Parks Canada before you travel and carry current charts.
Compiled 2026-09-06 06:00 ET from live feeds.