Heading up the Ottawa River

The National Arts Centre was amazing. As luck would have it we had our own box and the show was simply perfection. Our pre theater dinner at the Irish pub D’Arcy McGee’s was worth the stop. It has a great Irish feel and great food and service. 

An exhausting day. 

At 9am NH docked on the blue line with four other boats to prepare for the descent down the Flight of Stairs. Now you are at the mercy of the Lockmaster who decides which boats go in and whether it starts top to bottom or bottom to top. This morning the Lockmaster decided that the boats at the bottom would go first. This means NH waits with the other boats for at least two hours! No worries for Nana , she decided to take a lovely brisk walk along the canal with the bikers, walkers, joggers and rollerbladers. After a wonderful Yoga session on the boat F/B early lunch , we were ready to go. What a ride we had. This is the picture of the boats coming out of the eight lock flight which took two and a half hours.

This is Nandad doing what he does best - chatting up the other boaters and lockmasters. Also, take note , he continues the GPI campaign. We were under the bridge so at least we were shaded from the extreme sun.

Here are the flight of stairs from the Ottawa River side with boats entering to go back up. The building in the French Gothic Chateauesque style is the Fairport Chateau Laurier hotel.  The lockmasters get no rest and continue this routine until 5 pm.

NH on the Ottawa River leaving the city of Ottawa in the background. 

The Ottawa River is a busy waterway through two provinces: Quebec on the north and Ontario on the South. The river is quite wide and ends at mile 97 at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Lock. We cruise by the Rideau Falls, several small marinas, pass two ferry crossings at Cumberland and Clarence Islands and finally set anchor at a beautiful spot called Ile Dube. Initially we had a few day boats anchored close to us with very loud rock music however they quickly scattered and left  us to ourselves for a quite evening. Although sunset is not until 8.45 Nana was able to get a lovely picture 30 minutes before sunset. 

Tomorrow we will see if we can get a slip at Le Château Montebello Marina. 

Ottawa - what can we say!

Here is the Ottawa Staircase - a total of eight locks provides a spectacular 79-foot vertical drop taking your boat into the Ottawa River. It takes 90 minutes - if all goes smoothly- and sometimes you may have to wait 2 to 3 hours. There is no stopping until you get to either the top or the bottom! Nana and Nandad will not attempt this adventure for another few days. We will stay at least two nights downtown where there is a very distinct French atmosphere. 

 This is the view as you cruise into the capital of Canada. A truly spectacular sight. Lots of government buildings, historical memorials, the Royal Canadian Mint, the National Arts Center ( Nana was lucky to get tickets for tonights performance of Hamilton ), the National Art Gallery, space museum, war museum and the infamous Byward Market.so much to so. 

Nandad is in awe of Colonel By who was the brains behind the Rideau Canal. It is a bike paradise here with a beautiful trail all along the canal. We have been told that in the winter this section of the canal becomes one giant skating rink. I bet that’s quite the sight.

Nandad looking very relaxed while Nana was securing tickets at the box office for tonight. A very busy day started with breakfast at the delicious Zaks diner on Byward Market - a very unique section of town, a visit to the magnificent Norte Dame Cathedral Basilica, followed by watching the Changing of the Guard parade and ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier and finally the 90 minute bus tour. Nana and Nandad decided to stop at the National Gallery of Canada. Another amazing building with wonderful art, exhibitions and galleries.

Just a small glimpse of the interior of the Basilica where Nana light a candle for all the family.

The tomb of the unknown soldier before they have set up the little huts for the guards.

The huge spider outside the magnificent National Gallery.

Lockage and navigation

Nana has decided that a little blurb is necessary to explain how all these lock systems operate. The Rideau Canal National Historic Site is open as a 202 km-long navigational waterway for boaters and paddlers. During Parks Canada ‘s operating season from Mid May to Mid October, trained lockmasters and staff open the locks daily to visitors for lockage and navigation. We are very grateful for their tireless energy and their consistent politeness. They are all wearing the Parks Canada attire of green shirt with khaki pants and are a welcome sight as you pull up to the blue line dock. This lets them know that you are ready to pass. They then communicate with the next lock and things generally run very smoothly. Each boat, kayak etc that passes through must have a seasons pass or day pass. 

Now this morning Nana and Nandad did not review the days agenda so imagine our surprise as we approached the Burritts Rapids Swing Bridge with a 10 foot clearance! Thank goodness Nandad was going slowly and had blown the horn so the bridge opened just in time. This part of the canal is very narrow, shallow and dirty.

At lock 17 which is about 0.5 miles from the bridge the Tip-to-Tip trail runs the length of the rapids. This is a two mile trail that was created by the construction of the canal and seems like it would be an interesting trail.

Much of our journey today was cruising past beautiful rich farms. Nana couldn’t resist taking a picture of the horse farm. There was also a very large cattle farm however Nana was on the helm for that one! 

As NH gets closer to Ottawa it seems like the houses, gardens , and structures are more elaborate. A few more sea planes were spotted, a very fun boathouse with all the fun lake toys and some beautiful gardens.

And of course the traditional runabout. Tomorrow NH should make it to Ottawa where Nana and Nandad will experience the By Flight of Locks. Well you may wonder what that might be so Nana will leave you in suspense. She will give you a hint - it is called the Ottawa Staircase or Giants Staircase.

Ecluses de Merrickville

Our journey today from Smith Falls took us through seven locks of which Lock 23-21 ( in flight ) have what’s called a turning basin between the locks. The Park staff are extremely helpful and assist you all the way through. NH was permitted to dock at the blue line overnight. The perfect spot to walk uptown “The Jewel of the Rideau”.

The beginning of the flight of locks opening into the turning basin.

Again this section of the river and canal is very shallow in parts but well marked. Lots of farming noticed along the way. The approach is through one of the Rideau’s dammed , lake-like regions which consists of drowned land with hidden stumps , swamps and reedy shores. It is really very pretty watching the reed move with the wind. Lots of floating lilies and Nana saw her first loon in the water with its magnificent black head and black and grey body- I bet we will hear the wail of the loon tonight.

Nana and Nandad had a late lunch at The Baldachin Inn garden patio which was delicious. Nana got some new ideas for her Zen garden! 

A really pretty downtown with some lovely impressive stone, brick and log architecture. Naturally we had to buy some handmade caramels from Pickle & Myrrh. Melt in you candy.

A little history on this small town. Unfortunately the Blockhouse was not open today.

Nana couldn’t resist taking a picture of the bee balm growing wild right where NH is docked. Once again we have the train passing by to remind us of the transportation system. 

We have booked into the Yacht Club Montreal for July 21 to 24 as we expect the busy vacation time for the locals is about to begin. Tomorrow we continue the beautiful cruise along the Rideau River and will likely stop at Long Island. 

Smith Falls ON

Today Nandad had to concentrate on navigating as the Upper Rideau Lake, The Narrows, Big Rideau Lake, and Lower Rideau Lake all have areas of very shallow waters, deep waters, twisting markers, lots of water lilies and sea rush. At Narrows Lock 35 the route starts the 271-foot downhill journey through 31 locks to Ottawa and the Ottawa River. There is also a swing bridge that open in conjunction with the lock.

While Nana was the lookout she was able to take some interesting pictures. Again lots of Muskoka chairs waiting to be sat upon and one house had its very own sea plane waiting to be pushed into the lake by the tractor! Talk about fun at the lake.

Smith Falls is located at the halfway point of the Rideau Canal between Kingston and Ottawa. There is a basin between the locks where the city run Victoria Park Marina has dockage on both sides. It is a very popular spot where the locals come to  swim , picnic and has a lovely trail all along the canal to the next lock. There are lots of Le Boat cruisers docked here, which I assume is the starting point if you are renting one. 

 It is a small stroll downtown which we will explore tomorrow. We had dinner at the Irish pub O’Sheas with Doug and Dana from Tumbleweed. The weather might not be conducive to cruising tomorrow so we will see. Another Layday might be on the cards.
The almost full moon shining over Le Boat’s with Lazy Susan in the background - she is the trawler we cruised with today from Westport to Smith Falls.

Layday at Westport

Nana and Nandad had a delicious breakfast this morning at the Tangled Garden Cafe, provisioned for the next few days and then went to mass at the local St Edward’s Catholic Church.

Nandad also found the most beautiful Celtic crosses dedicated to the local priest.

After giving a good wash to get rid of the spiders and cobwebs- which will all come back tomorrow- Nana and Nandad walked the two miles to the local Vineyard,  Scheuermann Vineyard and Winery and had a wonderful wood grilled pizza with delicious wine. A beautiful setting for a Winery. Tomorrow we will leave Westport and head for Smith Falls.

Ecluse du Newboro : Newboro Lock 36

Unfortunately the picture is a little blurry as Nana was busy at the helm so unable to take the shot until Nandad took over! Today Nana and Nandad decided to have a short day and cruise to Westport which is technically off channel. We cruised 16 miles at a slow speed and went through three locks. Today was definitely the day to observe all the different colored Adirondack chairs - which I believe are called Muskoka chairs in Canada - the wonderful boat houses and the incredibly scenery. It really is impossible to capture the canal’s twists and turns and at times trying to pass another boat is really difficult. 

Quite a few of the boat houses along the way have apartments on top while others have been neglected- this was an unusual sighting as most along the way were well taken care of. 

Nandad was so engrossed in his task today that he decided to keep his life preserver on. The rule on NH is - while going through the locks life jackets are on and our communication ear phones are switched on! So far we have managed well without any yelling!!

This is just one of the turns along the way. The water is also very shallow in certain areas and the markers sometimes appear to be in the wrong position! 

NH has transited 14 “up” locks and has been lifted nearly 162 vertical feet since leaving Kingston ON. On the Upper Rideau Lake , at its western end, Westport turned out to be a great stop. As usual we do not have reservations so it can be unpredictable however the staff made it happen and NH is docked for the night. A wonderful lunch at the Cove Inn, a stroll to the Artisan Market, a delicious ice-cream, and the perfect lazy afternoon to relax, read and simply enjoy the sounds of an active community enjoying the lake. The village sits in the shelter of Foley Mountain which has a spectacular view from Spy Rock. Tomorrow we might hike to the outlook. There is a small footbridge that you cross over to get to downtown.

The moon and sunset at NH’s stern.