2017 Rideau Adventures

[Lou_tribal]

Like mentioned in another thread, after many adventures before being ready, we are finally on our way for our cruise. Initially the plan was to spend a bit more than 4 weeks on the water but after some health issue of my wife's father and some technical difficulties we are on a 2 weeks and half cruise.
For the first leg today, 6h from Hawkesbury, ON to Clarence Bay on Ottawa river. The current was a bit stronger than usually, around .5 to 1 knot stronger so we took a bit more time to reach our anchorage.
Weather i wonderful, sunny, not too hot, slightly windy but just enough to chill you. Seen almost nobody on the water, except 4 fishing boat we have seen 1 cruiser. This allow me to expect to be alone in the 8 Ottawa locks tomorrow (hopefully as I hate when they pack the locks with boat at the shoulder, I am not comfortable enough yet to do this).
Tomorrow should be a 4h cruise from the anchorage to Ottawa, followed by 1.5 to 2h needed to lock through, then it will be time to visit By Market and have some fun.
Here is a picture of our view while having a well deserved glass of fresh rose wine



L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Second leg of our trip, from anchorage in Clarence bay to Ottawa.
Last night wind picked up and was not strong but noticeable from mid night to the morning. The anchorage was very good. In the middle of the bay there is a "mount" where water level is usually from 1.5 to 2.5m but with high water level it was 1 to 2m higher and gives a good clay bottom that hold very well. Just need to be careful not to anchor on the old ferry cable that lays down under but it is marked on the map.
We departed from our anchorage at 9:30AM to Ottawa and it was an interesting ride. The wind was blowing against the river current that is also 1 knot stronger than usually. As a result we had a bumpy ride with 2 feet to 3 feet waves all along the way, after a cruise of 4h I was happy to reach the Ottawa locks. We were very happy to see that we were alone to lock through and it just took 1.5h to go through the 8 locks.
As usually lock masters were super kind and it was a nice moment.

Here are two pics of our view for tonight:




Next, a good glass of wine, a good restaurant, and a good night!

Tomorrow our leg will bring us to Long Island lock to have some peaceful rest.

L.

 

[Moonstruck]

Really nice photos. Thanks.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Really nice photos. Thanks.

My pleasure, more to come, the trip is just starting

L.

 

[tachyon]

Docks at Long Island lock

"Tomorrow our leg will bring us to Long Island lock to have some peaceful rest."

L.[/QUOTE]

Hope you enjoy the Rideau When you get to the bottom of Long Island, enquire about the finger docks at the top before you lock up.......as of last Sunday they were not installed yet and the work scow was still upstream at Burritts Rapids lock station.
It's much more peaceful at the bottom anyway!
We're at Pirate Cove marina, to port just past the hwy416 overpass. Feel free to stop by if you have time.....slip 80.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[Oceania]

Lou.very nice [emoji106] we plan to do the same trip this month in the opposite direction. We look forward to your info on conditions.

 

[LaBomba]

Lou, have a great trip. We were hoping to do the same this year but other things have come up.

 

[DHeckrotte]

We're coming. Now in Atlantic City NJ.

 

[MichaelH]

Sounds like a great trip. Looking forward to more pictures.

 

[alormaria]

Watch that bridge tender at Victoria bridge. Make him raise the bridge ALL THE WAY UP. Scariest words heard on my trip, "Oh, I didn't see the mast".

Say hello to the folks at Indian Lake for me!

 

[BandB]

You make the most of the time you have. Sounds like a great trip.

 

[Lou_tribal]

First thank you all for the kind words.

@Tachyon: We pass by Pirate Cove today but we didn't stop as we wanted to do the long reach quick enough to have a restful afternoon at Burritts Rapids. Maybe on the way up!

@Oceania, if you do the trip this month we will cross each other for sure. We aim to go to Chaffeys lock and turn back to be in Ottawa on June 28th. We try to avoid being there during July 1st celebration as it will be crowded. If you see us please raise a hand or call on the vhf!

@LaBomba, no worry the Rideau will still be here next year. When you pass by look for us.

@DHeckrotte, wish you a peaceful trip. Hope to see you when you are around.

@Alormaria, be sure am waiting for the bridge to be at the top, but I love this bridge, it is a peace of art, and so funny to see the whole bridge on an elevator

@BandB, yes plans have changed but anyway we are enjoying our time a lot.

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Third leg of the trip, from Ottawa to Long Island. This is a part I really like as along the way you are leaving urban landscape to enter natural landscape. The transition is smooth and beautiful.







You cross Victoria Bridge, a bridge on an elevator (sorry no picture, was busy trying to avoid taking a wood log in the screw will take one on the way back). On the way one lock I really like is Black Rapids, very peaceful, Ottawa airport is not far so during peak hours you have the planes taking off but as it is not a major hub it is not so busy and the scene is beautiful. We stopped there for the lunch.



Than you have Long Island, very quiet and very nice. We docked at the top of the lock for the night as we did not want to have to go through locking just after waking up, but it is nicer at the bottom I think.



During our trip we met almost no boat again. Only one stupid cruiser going full speed in the S between Black Rapids and Ottawa and this idiot was totally insane. I was taking a picture of the canal when he suddenly appear out of a curve, hidden by the trees, full speed (it is limited to 5knots there). What would have been the encounter if I was taking over some kayak or anything else... Sometime I really not understand how human mind is working.

Anyway we had a peaceful night at long island lock (no power there but we do not need much power). After a glass of rose wine (ok yes more than one) some burger "a la Admiral gourmet way" on the grill , it was time to have some sleep to be ready for the long stretch of the long reach.

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

4th leg of the trip: From Long Island lock to Burritts Rapid lock, the long reach, a 5h cruise without any lock woooo hooo.
We left at around 8:30AM and reached the next lock at around 1:30PM. Today the forecast was potential rain in the morning, and risk of storm in the afternoon so fort the first time in 2 years we decided to put on the vinyl windows on the flybridge so we can stay out in case of heavy rain. Finally it did not rain but at least now we know how to put them on... and also we find out that our bimini top was setup reversed, the front on the rear
The long reach stretch is really beautiful, you first go through a luxurious area of giant houses than comes the green nature with some narrows and some wider areas. It is really beautiful.




We saw some interesting boat today as seen on the following pictures:




The following one was locking through on the opposite way while we were docked, I have been told she will be docked in Manotick Marina:



Here are our lock for tonight and our docked Bleuvet. As you can see we will not be disturbed




Nearby the lock there is a little restaurant that we will go to try tonight, don't know if it is good or not but we will give it a try.

The plan for tomorrow is to go to Merrickville to dock at the top of the locks for the night and go roaming around in the nice little town.


L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

5th leg of our trip, from Burritts Rapids to Merrickville.
A short jump of 3h including locking time. Very nice ride, 3 locks on the way before Merrickville and 3 lock in Merrickville to go to dock for the night at the top of the locks. Conditions were not very nice, we departed with a light wind that was helpful to undock but quickly the wind took force and was blowing in right in our face.


We got our dose of stress for today, we had to go through the locks in Merrickville with 3 other boats and were forced to lock on port side as we were the last boat. No need to say that my docking skills on port are just everything but perfect and it is a nightmare for me each time I need to dock port side. But everything went fine, no drama, no touch and no other boat were hurt in the process.
At the top of the lock we crossed a nice Eastbay showing US Flag that was waiting to lock through in the opposite direction.


We were happy to arrive at the docks for the night as we heard a severe storm watch alert on the radio and wind are blowing quite strong (for me), 20km/h with gust at 40, enough to add a bit of spice when locking through. We were just in time for the docks as in 20 minutes they just filled up with 4 other boats including one Bayliner 4588 that takes a bit of space.


Here is the aft view from the dock, and the Bleuvet docked.



We will spend the rest of the day here and don't know yet the plan, either we stop at Smith Falls, or we go straight to Lower Beveridge where we want to spend 2 nights to have a kayak trip to go to visit Perth (our boat cannot go to Perth due to our air draft.

L.

 

[Oceania]

Nice reporting, Lou. Are you seeing any debris in the waterway resulting from the spring flooding? Also, is there much boat traffic?

 

[Lou_tribal]

we saw few debris but much less than what I was expected, maybe one or two log and few little pieces that were of no danger. We notices some landslide along the way that put trees in the water but they have been marked and are outside of the channel.
Regarding boat traffic it is almost desert. Even the last two days that were weekend days we have seen less than 10 boats in 2 days and some fishermen little boats.

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

6th leg of the trip. Today was a short one. We allowed us a late morning wake up, after all we are on vacation and we have no schedule
Finally we decided to go to have a night in Smith Falls, the main reason being the weather forecast. Today was a nice day, not too hot, very windy, but tomorrow they forecast a rainy day so we decided to visit Smith Falls while weather is fine.
The ride was fine but on the lakes we crossed we got white caps because f the wind but nothing to worry about.




We crossed 2 boats in the whole day, very very calm, hopefully it will stay the same for the whole trip.
We departed at 11AM or so and reached Smith Falls around 3PM. After a talk with the lock master (Sebastien is really cool and kind) we went to visit the town and get some ice and milk refill. I must admit I was a bit disapointed, I was expecting something different. We were at Merrickville yesterday and it is a small town but really nice with flower everywhere, a nice little town. What a difference with Smith Falls. For me looks more like a town with economic problems then everything else. Anyway not my goal to criticize but no my preferred place on the way.


By the way yesterday we eat at a restaurant named The goose & the Gridiron, and I was suprised. It is british pub style food, really nicely made. I had a steak and mushroom pie that was fantastic.

The plan for tomorrow is to have a very short trip to Lower Beveridge, the entrance lock for Tay Canal that leads to Perth. We will spend tomorrow night there ( I love this lock, very peaceful as out of the way to the Rideau "normal" trip and the lock master is really kind) and Wednesday we will have a Kayak trip to Perth (my air draft does not allow me to go there with the boat).

Side note, I love the sky in Canada:


L.

 

[Art]

Lou - Have a blast! Nice photos... thanks!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. Sounds like you're having a good time. The Hershey chocolate factory shut down in Smith's Falls, with a big loss of local jobs, in 2007 so that accounts for some of the economic problems BUT the factory is now being used to grow marijuana.
The Hershey plant used to give public tours and free samples but I don't think that is the case now...

 

[Lou_tribal]

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. Sounds like you're having a good time. The Hershey chocolate factory shut down in Smith's Falls, with a big loss of local jobs, in 2007 so that accounts for some of the economic problems BUT the factory is now being used to grow marijuana.
The Hershey plant used to give public tours and free samples but I don't think that is the case now...

Mr RTF, Do you mean free sample of Marijuana? Should I stay more than 1 day here to get a bunch of free samples?

L.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. L_t. Ecoute et pense...Read my last sentence in post #20 again...
"The Hershey plant used to give public tours and free samples but I don't think that is the case now...

Quelle fromage...Je m'escuse...Quelle domage.

 

[Art]

When stoned, reading can become a task!

 

[Doug]

Thanks for taking us along

Lou
Really enjoying your pictures of the Rideau canal. Reminds us that there are beautiful cruising grounds all across our country.
Wish the weather was better for your vacation but any day on the water is a good day.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Lou
Really enjoying your pictures of the Rideau canal. Reminds us that there are beautiful cruising grounds all across our country.
Wish the weather was better for your vacation but any day on the water is a good day.

No worry about the weather, a bit windy a but cloudy but we really enjoy and at least it is not too hot.

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

7th leg of the trip. After a quiet night in Smith Falls, with some rain, we departed around 11AM to our next destination, Lower Beveridge lock.
The ride was a bit choppy on the Lower Rideau lake as the wind picked up around 11:30AM to reach something like 30 to 40km/h but the landscape are nice and offer some areas protected from the wind.






From Smith Falls it is a short trip, we reached the lock at around 12:30. We crossed the Poonamalie Cut which is one place I do not feel comfortable. It is a very narrow cut with rocks on both side and 1.7m depth (below the hull), I would not want to be face to face with a boat in the same size or bigger!



Lower Beveridge lock is a little paradise for us, very quiet as not directly on the Rideau and often ignored by people. This lock is a side lock that opens on the Tay Canal to go to the little town of Perth. As it is not directly on the usual Rideau itinary, people are just not going there. The lock is among the trees and the lock master is especially kind and helpful. He will do everything he can to help you with what you may need. On a side note this is one of the only lock where you will be able to hook up your hose to refill your tanks with drinkable water for free (shhhh it is a secret).

This afternoon is a relaxing moment and we are just enjoying our time here.
For this evening our partners will be some turtles and goose with their babies who enjoy the green grass all around the boat.




Tomorrow our Bleuvet will remain docked here as we will have a ride in Kayak from this lock up to Perth (10km each way) to visit the town.
We like so much that place that we are thinking to spend another 2 days here on our way back.

L.

 

[Bacchus]

Enjoy Perth - nice little town.
It looks like the Rideau Lakes are high this year based on your pic!

How far are you going?
Westport is a great stop - most everything you need for supplies, food, etc

I have some Rideau cruising notes on the linked Bacchus website if you are interested

 

[Oceania]

Good follow up, RT!

 

[Lou_tribal]

Enjoy Perth - nice little town.
It looks like the Rideau Lakes are high this year based on your pic!

How far are you going?
Westport is a great stop - most everything you need for supplies, food, etc

I have some Rideau cruising notes on the linked Bacchus website if you are interested

Indeed Perth is a very nice little town. Water levels are on the high side, the lower Rideau lake is higher than last year at the same period, we saw a noticeable difference on the way to Lower Beveridges.
We plan to go to Chaffeys tomorrow and get back. We could have been further south but we choose to take it easy and relax instead of trying to go as far as possible as our vacation timeline changed a bit. When we heard weather forecast for lake Ontario yesterday we were happy not to be there as it was our initial plan.

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

8th days, no move.
For our 8th day of the trip we gave a break to our Bleuvet and remained docked at the same spot. We went to Perth using our Kayak and it was quite a long ride (for us). Departed this morning with some wind and rain on the way it took us 3.5h to get to Perth.
I was positively surprised by Perth, it is a very nice little town and people are very friendly, we really liked it.
After some walk, a beer and lunch we were on our way back and it took us around 2h on that way.
Going on the Tay with kayak is really great, lot of birds, lot of wild life, we saw many nice things from lot of different birds to turtles, deer, snake etc.
(Photo to come tomorrow, to tired (lazy) to transfer them tonight).

Tomorrow our plan is to get to Chaffeys lock, one of our favorite place on the Rideau. We will spend the night there before going back.
We love Lower Beveridge lock so much that we will again spend two days here on our way back. It will be a great place to just have a good rest and enjoy birds song.

L