Captain’s Log — Saturday, September 26, 2026
Conditions on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Trenton → Georgian Bay, km 0–386.
Sturgeon Lake is the low spot on the system today at -15 cm (-5.8 in) against its usual level for this month. Otonabee / Peterborough is also running low. 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.
2 new navigational warnings 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 |
Clear, 9.7°C | NNW 4 kt (gust 15) | Sunny. |
| Peterborough Locks 19–21 — Otonabee |
Clear, 5.8°C | — | Clearing. |
| Fenelon Falls Locks 34–35 — Kawartha Lakes |
Clear, 5.8°C | — | Sunny. |
| Orillia Locks 41–42 — Simcoe/Couchiching |
7.3°C | N 5 kt (gust 16) | Clearing. |
| Midland Lock 45 — Georgian Bay |
7.3°C | N 5 kt (gust 16) | Clearing. |
Sunrise 07:05, sunset 19:04 at Peterborough (Eastern).
Seasonal normal for the date: Low 6. High 17.
Open water — Simcoe and Georgian Bay
The two stretches on the waterway where the forecast actually decides your day.
Lake Simcoe
- Wind: Wind north 15 knots diminishing to northeast 10 near noon. Wind northeast 10 tonight and Sunday.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Sunday.
Observed at the buoy, Sep 26, 2026 4:00 am ET: NNE 13.6 kt, seas 0.3 m (1 ft) at a 2-second period, water 17.8 °C.
Georgian Bay
- Wind: Wind northeast 15 knots diminishing to northeast 10 early this morning then backing to north 10 near noon. Wind increasing to northeast 15 early this evening then diminishing to north 10 near noon Sunday. Wind veering to northeast 10 Sunday evening.
- Waves: Waves 0.5 to 1 metre subsiding to 0.5 or less this morning then building to 0.5 to 1 this evening. Waves subsiding to 0.5 or less Sunday afternoon.
- Covers: Today Tonight and Sunday.
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.
- Police seize more than $1M in opioids destined for Kawartha Lakes — OrilliaMatters, Sep 25
- Teen Charged After School Lockdown In Quinte West — Kawartha 411, Sep 24
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 | +1 cm (+0.4 in) | 🔵 |
| Lower Glen Ross | Lock 6 to Lock 8 Pool | -3 cm (-1.1 in) | 🔵 |
| Upper Glen Ross | Lock 8 to Lock 11 Pool | +1 cm (+0.5 in) | 🔵 |
| Crowe River | Crowe River Tributary | +7 cm (+2.7 in) | 🟢 |
| Indian River | Indian River to Rice Lake | -1 cm (-0.6 in) | 🔵 |
| Otonabee / Peterborough | Rice Lake to Lock 20 Pool | -13 cm (-5.1 in) | 🔴 |
| Sturgeon Lake | Sturgeon Lake / Fenelon Falls Pool | -15 cm (-5.8 in) | 🔴 |
| Burnt River | Burnt River to Balsam Lake | -10 cm (-3.8 in) | 🟠 |
| Gull River | Gull River to Balsam Lake | +2 cm (+1.0 in) | 🔵 |
| Head River | Head River to Lake Simcoe | +4 cm (+1.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Severn / Couchiching | Lake Couchiching Outflow | +2 cm (+0.7 in) | 🔵 |
| Wasdell Falls | Sparrow Lake to Big Chute Pool | +11 cm (+4.2 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 2026-09-26 05:00:03 ET.
Sécurité — navigational warnings
3 warning(s) published in the last seven days:
- NW-C-4118-26 — Midland — Channel Obstruction, 2026-09-25
Vicinity: Midland Category: Obstruction (Other) Deadhead reported in the vicinity of 44 46.06N 079 49.26W at 251633 UTC Sep 2026. Deadhead is visible 0.25 metres above the surface. Charts: 2202(NAD83), 2241(NAD83) - NW-C-4117-26 — Midland — Other, 2026-09-25
Vicinity: Midland Category: Deadhead Adrift Deadhead reported adrift in the vicinity of 44 46.06N 079 49.26W at 251633 UTC Sep 2026. Deadhead is visible 0.25 metres above the surface. Charts: 2202(NAD83), 2241(NAD83) - NW-C-4101-26 — Rose Island — Other, 2026-09-24
Vicinity: Rose Island Category: Scientific Moorings Scientific mooring temporarily established at 45 19.763N 080 07.393W, unlit. Charts: 2202(NAD83), 2203(NAD83), 2224(NAD83), 2225(NAD27); Horizontal positions are based on 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 2026-09-26 06:00 ET from live feeds.