After making a loop through the Thousand Islands, on the Saint Lawrence River, we returned to the canal system in Ontario. The first stop was Kingston, the southern starting point of the historic Rideau Canal

The French established Kingston, Ontario in 1673 as a trading post, Fort Cataraqui. In the 1780s the British took possession of the Fort and officially named the city, Kingston. For a short three-year period, in 1841, Kingston was the capital of Canada. In 1844 they moved it to Ottawa, at the northern end of the Rideau River.

As we walked around town, we noticed a more European feel to the architecture, reflecting its days as the nation’s capital and early military presence. Kingston’s nickname is “Limestone City,” because of the local limestone used on the buildings. We enjoyed two days and nights in Kingston, walking a lot and provisioning for the next leg of the trip. Lisa and I had a great Italian dinner and got to stretch our legs out. As luck would have it, we ran into some boating friends from our Looping days who were also staying in the marina.

We may have stayed in Kingston longer, but the Rideau was calling us.

What a surprise it was to bump into our Looper friends, Craig and Barb, on Blue Heron (above and below). They had just finished cruising the Rideau. They shared some helpful information with us about where to go etc. while on our cruise.

We had a fantastic meal at Casa, we were tired and hungry from walking around Kingston all day.

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The Rideau Heritage Route, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Ontario and Quebec, Canada – Kingston Mills –

We began our ascent of the Rideau Canal at the Cataraqui River system, cruising through the Cataraqui Marsh before we arrived at Kingston Mills, 4.35 miles from Kingston, our first of 24 lock stations on the canal.

For about two weeks, we followed the canal and navigated through historic, charming villages, were witness to a few local events, and met friendly Canadians. They operate the old locks, of the Rideau Canal, today as they did when the locks first opened in 1832. A 19th-century engineering feat. The first section of the canal runs from Kingston to Ottawa, Ontario. This section includes not only the historic canal and locks but a few beautiful lakes and rivers. Before becoming a major artery for commerce, the Rideau served as a secure supply route between Kingston and Montreal. Today, as other modes of transportation became available over the years, the canal serves the recreational boating community. The locks are filled with small pleasure boats, kayaks, canoes, and some small ferry boats.

As we entered the first lock, Kingston Mills, we could see the wear and tear the wall has endured over the years. We noticed the bright green moss and grass shoots, embedded in the old blocks, peeking out to find warmth from the sun. We will transit through three locks today, Kingston Mills, Lower Brewers, and Upper Brewers, before we reach our destination of Morton Bay for one night at anchor.

Lower Brewers Lock – 45 (above-below)

Upper Brewers Lock – 43-44 (above-below)

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Jones Falls is a Good Example of a Flight of Locks –

After leaving the anchorage at Morton Bay, we headed for the locks at Jones Fall. Boats were already locking through, east to west. So we tied up to the blue line on the long dock below to wait for them to finish locking down. Since Jones Falls is a series of locks near each other, called a “flight of locks,” we were there awhile watching the process.

Jones Falls is a Good Example of a “Staircase” Lock

The first three chambers, Locks 42-41 and 40 of Jones Falls, formed a “staircase” and the fourth, lock 39, was a short distance away, on the other side of the basin. This grouping of locks includes a staircase (of three locks) with the fourth lock separated from the others. Whenever you have locks near each other, they become a “flight.” We will reach the summit of the Rideau Canal, just like we did at the Kirkfield Lift Lock on the Trent Severn Waterway when we reach Ottawa. We will then lock down instead of up, all the way to Montreal.

The surrounding area is a beautiful shady parklike spot; we enjoyed a pleasant morning watching those boats go through the locking process in each chamber of the staircase. We think this was the first time we ever got off the boat to watch other boats go through a flight lock.

We did not stop here for the night, but it would have been a great spot to stay. Since it was still early in the day we continued on to Newboro Lock 36 to spend the night tied to the wall.

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Newboro Lock Was a Fun Stop!

A picture-perfect day on the water for the crew of Kismet. Before we arrived at Newboro, we went through Davis and Chaffey Locks. We locked through to the upper side of the lock and tied up under the cover of some shade trees. The Newboro Lock features a Blockhouse–one of four, constructed by Colonel John By, on the Rideau Canal. They built blockhouses to defend the channels and locks on the Rideau; they housed a garrison of about ten men. Newboro is one of the few communities that arose because of the construction of the canal.

We’d heard there was a small town and a good restaurant within walking distance of the lock, so we planned to walk there for dinner. That also meant I would not have to cook onboard that night. Everyone we talked with was friendly and welcomed us to their town.

When we arrive at a lock wall to tie up for the night, we like to explore the surroundings. If there is a town nearby, we’ll trek up to it to look, shop, and stop in a pub to have a beer. Usually, we have the wall all to ourselves with, at most, only one or two other boats or campers nearby. On that night we were the only boat tied up, having the whole place to ourselves.

One of the locks we went through today had a row of old lawn chairs lined up. It must have been a slow morning because we imagine, on a busy day, these would be filled with tourists or locals who walked down to the lock to watch the boats lock through. Pretty entertaining stuff apparently.

A picture perfect setting for Kismet to spend the night.

We had a fantastic dinner at this charming restaurant, just a few blocks from the lock.

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Poonamalie Lock Was a Fun Stop – 

It was another picture-perfect day on the Rideau Canal, it made for an easy day cruising to our destination. I remember how hot it was on the day we arrived at Poonamalie Lock. It felt like the humid air sucked the life out of us by the time we got settled on the lock wall before the lock itself. We were thankful that the Poonamalie Lock is one of the few with power available to boaters on the wall. So we hooked up right away so we could cool down, clean up, and think about what to cook for dinner. This lock also has potable water at the lock station, too far away to fill our tanks easily.

British soldiers named the lock during the construction of the canal. The cedars surrounding the lock reminded them of their time spent at a post in Poonamallee, India. The Poonamalie Lock, with a name that has anglicized and morphed from the location in India over the years, is part of an artificial channel that avoids a winding part of the main river. Poonamalie lock is also the first set of rapids on the Rideau River.

To keep the boat cooled down, we opted to grill something for dinner. Jim also saw this as an opportunity to clean the grill. It was one of the prettiest, most relaxing lock stops on our Rideau trip. Only one canoe camper shared the location with us for the night.

First things first, Jim (above) pulled out the last box of Vernors Ginger Ale (a soda brand that originated in Michigan).

Looking at the lock you can see the concrete walls that replaced the old timber weir in 1904, after a major ice storm.

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Smiths Falls is the Mid-Way Mark, Between Kingston and Ottawa, On the Rideau Canal –

Smiths Falls is the halfway mark between Kingston and Ottawa, Ontario. This industrial town, otherwise known as the Heart of the Rideau Canal, held interest to both Lisa and me. Up to this point in our Rideau Canal cruise, we have been tied up to lock walls that are more rural in nature, the peace and quiet that afforded us was welcome. However, considering Smiths Falls is the largest community we’ve visited in the Rideau Corridor up to this point, we were eager to get off the boat and do some exploring.

Smiths Falls hosts three lock stations called “Combined Locks.” They make up the biggest single lock lift on the Rideau Canal system – 26 feet. The locks here are automated locks, meaning that instead of park staff manually turning the doors, they only have to push a button to electronically operate the hydraulic valves to open and close the gates and sluices.

There was lots of room for us at the dock wall at Victoria Park, a short distance from the center of town.

Ranger Tugs everywhere! (Above)

Look who we found in front of us on the wall, Dug the Tug, a Ranger Tug R21.

Goulash for dinner tonight.

One thing we learned early on, during our Great Loop travels, was to always take advantage of any small-town factory tours. Having a goal, of something to see, while in an unknown environment can make all the difference in our cruising lifestyle. Sometimes these tours can be hard to find since 9/11 many factories discontinued their tours with fears of terrorist activities. Jim researched the town ahead of time and found a Hershey’s Canada Inc. chocolate factory not too far from the downtown area where we planned to dock. Even more, a reason to get started early. The plan was to only spend one night in Smiths Falls, so we had to get the boat tied up and secure before we set out.

We were in for a surprise!

We took off walking to One Hersey Drive; it was a little longer of a jaunt than we had expected. Upon our arrival, we found out that Hersey’s was no longer manufacturing chocolate at this location. Apparently, Jim had consulted an old guide when he did his research. We approached the building and much to our surprise; we found a new company now headquartered in Smiths Falls, called Tweed.

Tweed is a Canadian Agricultural business that grows and cultivates marijuana for medical and recreational users. Our walking adventure just got a little more interesting. As we entered the lobby, we found the converted factory space to resemble a high-tech Apple Store; we were happy to learn that yes; they gave plant tours.

Although they are still working on the factory building and product environment, the tour began with an educational video of the history and medicinal benefits of the plant. This was followed by a tour of the temperature and light-controlled cultivation rooms from a glass-partitioned second-floor hallway. We could view all the different stages of the plant-growing process. I have to say it was not what we expected when we left the boat, however it was a very pleasant surprise tour of something we had never experienced in our normal everyday life. Not to mention we became a little more educated on the medicinal benefits of marijuana. We left the building thinking lots of changes are coming to Smiths Falls stimulated by the introduction of this single business.

Pretty slick educational tour provided by Tweed.

Smelling station (above). Interesting set-up, but we didn’t quite get the drift of all the aromas.

The next morning all three boats docked on the wall at the park had left to go through the lock.

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Merrickville is One of the Oldest Settlements Along the Rideau Canal – 

The French-Canadian influence of the area was becoming more and more clear as we reached Merrickville, Ontario. We tied up to a lock wall; only one block from the downtown area. The village is dripping with heritage architecture, cute little boutique stores, and pubs. Townspeople were friendly, showing us hospitality at every encounter, and welcoming us as guests to their beautiful country. There is a thriving community of artists in the area and it was reflected in the shops downtown.

Don’t speak French? No problem! We found that every local we came in contact with went out of their way to first determine what language we spoke by greeting us in either French or English. Depending on how we responded, they switched to accommodate our language skills or lack of them.

We transited three locks on this day, Old Says, Edmonds, and Kilmarnock still with the group of boats we left Smiths Falls with, Dug’s Tug and Lavalo. We find it fun traveling through the locks as a group, even if we hardly knew each other. By the time we headed out on our separate routes, we missed the presence of the other boats.

Built to defend the Rideau Canal from American aggression, the Merrickville blockhouse (above) is the largest of its kind on the Rideau Canal. Restored by Parks Canada, the blockhouse is now a museum.

A beautiful morning followed a spectacular sunset the night before. We had to backtrack around a little island to queue up to lock through and be on our way. One more stop before Ottawa!

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Dinner and Games Tonight at the Lost Village of Long Island – 

Uneventful cruise today on the Rideau Canal. We are getting closer to Ottawa, but have two more stops before we get there. We are getting accustomed to the daily drill of locking through multiple locks. Lock, cruise, lock, cruise, lock, cruise, and lock again, then tie up to a lock wall or dock, explore if possible, make dinner and relax while enjoying our new surroundings. At the end of this day, after transiting four locks, we arrived just before the Long Island Lock-14-15-16 and the lost village of Long Island.

Once surrounded by a thriving village in the mid-19th century, Long Island Lock, just southwest of Ottawa, now sits in the middle of grassy fields. Villagers abandoned the once-growing town when a stone flour mill opened in a nearby town. Today, we found a dock, rather than a wall to tie up to. It was more of a lake setting than the canal.

A group of kayakers going through locks today slowed us up a little. The lockmasters like to get each group from one lock to another, altogether, before they close the doors. Consequently, we had to wait at each lock for the kayakers to catch up. After a long stretch of water, they all turned to shore to rest, and we continued on at a little faster pace.

Dinner on that night was a soupy mirepoix of veggies, beans, and leftover chicken. A staple for meals on Kismet lately. Getting low on produce and protein, but we’ll stock up again in Ottawa.

Every night it’s a different setting, on that night we enjoyed a more open environment with glassy water surrounding us. Small fishing boats quietly moved around us. All is good for the crew of Kismet as we wait for the heat of the day to subside a little before we make dinner and get ready for a game of Sequence or Dominos.

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Ottawa Named After an Algonquin Odawa Meaning “To Trade” – 

Cruising through the historic Rideau Canal, and its winding waterway, took us through rural park-like settings for most of the seven-day trip. Never so true than our last day on the canal itself. The approach to Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, was like driving on the Natchez Trace Parkway, in the USA, only we did it here by boat.

The city sits on the south bank of the Ottawa River. When we leave here, our trip will continue on the Ottawa River until we reach the St. Lawrence River leading us to Montréal. Soon, we’ll be leaving Ontario for the Québec province. Arriving in this historic Canadian city means an end will come to our lazy canal cruise.

Neither Jim nor I have ever been to Ottawa, We were in for a treat!

At this point in our Canadian cruising adventure, we have cooked all our meals onboard. Not only do we need to restock our pantry, but a meal or two out would be a welcome treat for the chef. The weather so far has been blisteringly hot, but upon our arrival in Ottawa, the late September weather seemed to take a turn toward rain and cooler temps. Back to wearing our warmer gear, even jackets, and warm socks.

We snagged a spot on the wall close to the city’s center – Parliament Hill and its many historic buildings and museums. No amenities at the wall on the canal side of the locks. Fortunately, we had pumped out our holding tank, and filled it up with water, at a small marina on our way in. So, we were all set to concentrate on exploring Ottawa.

Time for a pump-out before we reach Ottawa, so we stopped at this little marina just short of Ottawa.

A beautiful approach to Ottawa, Ontario.

Take a look at this amazing lock from above.

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Ottawa to Baie Des Atocas for a One-Night Anchor – 

Leaving Ottawa and the Rideau Canal behind us, we continued on the last leg of our trip via the Ottawa River – a major tributary of the St. Lawrence River. Once we left the flight of eight locks in Ottawa, Kismet and crew emerged into the wide expanse of the Ottawa River. Our cruise started in the province of Ontario and proceeded on to the province of Québec. Jim broke the distance, of our last few days of cruising from Ottawa to Montreal, almost in thirds by first choosing a well-protected anchorage in Baie Des Atocas for a short, one-night stay.

As we pulled away from Ottawa, I was already missing the historic aspects of the Rideau Canal. The narrow canal with mossy lock walls and remote tie-ups at night was a humbling experience. However, we were both looking forward to the locks on the impressive St Lawrence River and arriving in the metropolis of Montreal to sightsee.

We were feeling the effects of entering Quebec territory, steeped in French influence. More people are speaking French around us. Knowing no French, Jim and I tried to communicate with locals, by incorporating a few French greetings. Nothing worse than assuming the burden to communicate is one-sided. Sure, this is a two-language province and most locals know English and French, however, we think when traveling to foreign ports, one should attempt to show a willingness to appreciate others’ abilities, make an effort and learn something new at the same time.

Baie Des Atocas provided a scenic anchorage for our one-night stay. Calm, glassy water reflected the clouds all afternoon and into the evening. The next day we headed to Saint Ann De Bellevue followed by the St Lawrence River and finally, Montreal.

Amazing sunset while anchored in Baie des Atocas, just off the Ottawa River.

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Saint-Ann-de-Bellevue Sits at the Confluence of Two Impressive Rivers, Saint Lawrence and Ottawa –

The last stop, before our arrival in Montreal, is the second oldest community on the Island of Montreal, Saint-Ann-de-Bellevue. Founded in the early 1700s, this small town has all the charm you would expect and hope to encounter just short of Montreal. No gimmicky tourist traps here, only quaint shops, pubs, and restaurants. The town has a very European feel with a French flair. A good place to relax before we hit the big metropolis of Montreal.

We stopped here twice. It was our last stop before we hit the Saint Lawrence River and Montreal. We stopped again the day we left Montreal, to start our return trip home. On our trip east, toward Montreal, we stayed on the wall across from Saint Ann De Bellevue. On the way back, we tied up on the town-side wall. Saint-Ann-de-Bellevue is one of those places you’d want to slow down, enjoy the ambiance, and, as we did, extend our stay by one day.

The locks were getting a little bigger. We had to tie up to another boat while positioning ourselves for the sixty-five-foot Carillon Lock, it had an interesting lift gate that reminded me of a guillotine.

Since we were here on the weekend, we got to visit the local farmer’s market where the local produce and homemade goodies caught my eye. No worries about negotiating in French, nearly everyone speaks English. At the end of our trips, we are usually out of fresh produce and trying not to stock anymore, so my goal was to get only a green pepper for dinner. I only needed that one thing. but he talked me into these beautiful parsnips. He went on and on about the flavor; I had no choice, a real salesman he was! Those were some of the best radishes we’ve ever had.

On our return trip from Montreal, we locked through at Saint-Ann-de-Bellevue Canal for the last time.

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Hard to Believe, in All Our Boating Experiences, We Had Never Cruised On the Saint Lawrence River – 

That was about to change after we left the quaint Quebec town of Saint-Ann-de-Bellevue. On our last day cruising to Montreal, we would encounter two huge international shipping locks on the Saint Lawrence River, Cote Sainte Catherine, and Saint-Lambert. These are the first of two locks on the eastern end of the impressive Saint Lawrence Seaway. Over 50 nations, use the Seaway ports in the United States and Canada.

Although this last leg of our cruise to Montreal was short in miles, we had to be prepared to experience delays and work with a whole new set of procedures, while locking through these mammoth locks. On the Saint Lawrence Seaway, cargo ships, freighters, and cruise ships have priority over recreational boaters. We were lucky that shipping and recreational traffic were both light that day. We followed a smaller cruise ship most of the way through both locks. The captain of the cruise ship had a say in if we would lock through with his ship or not. A courtesy call we suppose.

SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY LOCK FACTS

Each Seaway lock holds 21 million gallons of water,
equivalent to roughly 30 Olympic- sized swimming pools.

The locks use the law of gravity to fill and empty.
To raise a ship, they open the upstream lock valves and the water flows in.
To lower a vessel, they open the downstream valves and the water flows out.

Each lock in the system is 766 feet long, 80 ft. wide, and 30 ft. deep over the sill.

A lock fills with approximately 24 million gallons of water in just 7 to 10 minutes.

Transiting a lock takes about 45 minutes.

We tied alongside this boater through both locks. The captain helped us with translating instructions from the lock masters, as they operated mostly in French.

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Montreal – The End of Our Trent Severn Waterway, Rideau Canal Cruise –

Named after Mount Royal, the centrally located hill with three distinctive peaks, Montreal was originally called Ville-Marie, or “The City of Mary,” The city is in the southwest quadrant of Quebec on the Island of Montreal. Many of the buildings, in Old Montreal, dating back to the 17th century, and some, back to the late 16th century.

The final approach to the Montreal Yacht Club was a little dicey with a strong cross-current tossing us around like a little toy boat. I am thinking this resulted from the city being on an island at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River and Ottawa River. Jim and I were both happy the marina we chose is just a few blocks from Old Montreal. We spent great parts of almost every day walking up the hill to explore another section of the city. Our favorite is Old Montreal.

Upon arrival at the marina, we had a huge surprise

We were already quite impressed with the location of the marina, but when we checked into the marina office, they offered us a deal we could not refuse. Our original plan was to spend about three days in Montreal. However because we arrived after the height of the boating season (after September 2nd), we learned of a special deal. The harbormaster said, “Stay a whole week and you will get a great deal… $20.00 a night for a seven-day reservation.” No hesitation on our part! This amazing deal was a good omen. It gave us more time to explore the city in a more relaxed manner.

Old Montreal greeted us just two blocks up from the marina.

We took a double-decker bus to get a better idea of the scope of Montreal’s overall charm and architecture.

The tour ended on Mount Royal before returning us to the city.

No major city would be complete without a “Chinatown” (above). Here is the entrance to Montreal’s Chinatown.

The balls decorating Montreal’s Gay Section of town is an art installation by landscape architect Claude Cormier. We spent an evening walking there to have dinner.

Many of the old, cobblestoned streets were closed due to renovation. It was interesting to see the materials used in the ancient roads in Old Montreal, following decades-old cobblestone construction. They won’t have to replace these streets any time soon.

We spent one-morning researching bakeries and came up with Bar A Beurre.
Best almond croissants ever!

On one of our first walks in Old Montreal, we came upon Chateau Ramezay and its beautiful Governor’s Garden.

We heard about Schwartz’s from a friend who said he never goes to Montreal without making a lunch stop at this deli. We spent the late morning taking busses and walking to get to the restaurant, only to find the line to get in extended around the block. It went fairly quickly considering the number of people waiting. it was a yummy treat and we were hungry.

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From Orillia to Hawkesbury – Time to Go Home! –

As our trip through Canada’s historic waterways came to a close, the weather chilled up a bit from the hot, humid days we had most of the trip, a signal it was time to go home. We had a full week exploring Montreal, Québec, one of the most interesting cities we’ve cruised to date. Touring Montreal took us back in time, they don’t build over historic sites; they repair and preserve, honoring their ancestor’s vision.

As our last few days, at the Yacht Club Montreal, approached, our thoughts turned to the logistics of getting home. One of the most enjoyable aspects of our cruising lifestyle is first, planning a future trip, getting ready to leave home making sure we have everything needed for six weeks, or so, of traveling. The anticipation of seeing new territory and meeting people and all the unknown encounters during one of our trips is exhilarating.

I’m sure you get the excitement of taking off on a trip, but I have to tell you, as our heads and minds say goodbye to another excellent cruise, the longing for home builds until we can’t stand it any longer. This is the cruising lifestyle! We feel like we have one foot at home and one foot on the boat, wherever she is. We are always looking forward to a cruise –conversely, once we reach the end of a cruise, we look forward to getting home. It makes for a very rewarding way of life and would certainly be a cure for boredom.

The Logistics of Trailering Our Boat Home

Months before our trip to Montreal, Jim mapped out the logistics of trailering the boat out of the country to Canada. Permits are the biggest issue when trailering our boat, Kismet. We already had a year-long permit for Michigan and we would need one for Ontario, Canada. At first glance, we expected to have to get one for Québec, but after consulting the maps and charts, we came up with a great plan to avoid getting the Québec permit. If we backtracked with the boat to Hawkesbury, Ontario, about 70 miles (on land) from Montreal, we could avoid the extra permit. It worked like a dream. Upon arriving at Hawkesbury, we tied up the boat at a free dock while we rented a car to retrieve our truck and trailer from storage at  Lefroy Harbour, in Orillia, Ontario.

Stopping at Marina d’Oka to empty and fill tanks.

The little marina in Hawkesbury turned out to be one of the more challenging launches to date. Easy to see why! The weather was nasty and the launch was filled with debris. There was nowhere to stand to guide the boat onto the trailer. We had no other options on the horizon, so we made it work.

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