SeaGlide... Enjoying Life at 8.5 mph...: July 18-23, 2013

Upon leaving Ottawa we were in the Rideau Canal which is 126 miles long and includes a total of 45 locks. The canal opened in 1832 and most of its origianl structures are still intact. In fact, most of the locks are still operated by hand, which was fascinating to experience.

We can't say enough about Parks Canada and its operation of the canal system. The staff at the locks are extremely welcoming, friendly, and helpful. Each lock has an awesome park, which brings local families and tourists out to watch the boats lock through. Boats are also allowed to tie up to lock walls for overnight stays, which we took advantage of many times.

Leaving Ottawa via the Rideau Canal

The old hand-crank system from 1800s still in use.

Our view from inside one of the Hartwells locks.

We snaked our way through lots of rural areas

in route to Merrickville.

One of the narrow passageways through a swing bridge.

It was extremely windy all day.

In fact, Barefoot'n recorded a 42 mph wind gust.

Once we docked at the marina, we found out that we were under a tornado watch.
All eyes were toward the sky as ominous clouds rolled over our heads.

Ayling's Marina Shower Building.

Ayling's is known for their restoration of wooden boats.

The next morning the skies cleared, and we were off to another picturesque lock.

Many of the swing bridges are still operated by hand too.

Parks Canada even allows Joe Public to walk across the locks

right next to the operational pulleys, which is quite thrilling in some locations.

Somehow I don't think we could do this in the U.S....

This day we were in route to Rideau Ferry Harbor Marina.

We felt extremely lucky as folks we had been traveling

with started having problems. In My Element started overheating,

Fandango broke down and had to be towed in, and Freya lost her stern thruster.

SeaGlide just keeps on chugging away without a care...

no doubt, due to her Captain's diligence when it comes to maintenance matters.

A lot of the problems came from the narrow, weed-filled channels.

Jeff was diligent about checking SeaGlide's strainers, prop, etc

to keep the weeds at bay. At one point we noticed a new vibration.

Jeff was able to cut a tangle of weeds off our prop and fixed the problem.

As luck would have it, we arrived at Rideau Ferry Harbour in the middle of a bass

fishing tournament. Everyone was turning in their catches to be totalled up - at stake

was several thousand dollars in prize money. The marina announced over the

loud speaker that we were coming in and a sea of fishing boats parted to let us through.

The folks were super nice as we went up to watch the festivities.

They were diligent in keeping the catches alive and as soon as a catch was weighed,

it was transferred to a pontoon boat and taken back to the lake to be released.

The next morning we were off again - more bridges and locks...

Ospreys seem to find the darndest places for a nest -

the sign reads "Helicopter Hazard Ahead."

The topography took on noticeable changes today

as the channels narrowed even further

and more rocks started cropping up.

A tight squeeze around a cable ferry blocking the channel.

These ferries are drawn by a cable that extends out the back of the boat.

You have to be careful about crossing behind one and getting the cable entangled in your prop.

Wow, now this is waterfront living...

The clear weed choked waterway...

We made it to the Davis Lock wall and ran into old friends

once again - Drake's Dream and Happy Ours.

The blockhouse at Davis Lock - one of the many blockhouses along the Rideau.

They were originally built to protect the locks against the U.S.

During the War of 1812 Canada believed that the U.S. would invade

and took measures to protect themselves and their waterways.

For three generations, a member of this family plays taps at sundown on a French horn.

If you happen to be there on a Sunday as we were lucky enough to be,

you get a mini concert. It's quite moving as the music echos over the water.

We had been warned that the Kwartha Voyager, a Rideau Canal sightseeing boat, would be making its way up the canal the next morning. We decided to stay on the lock wall until the big boat passed as we didn't want to negotiate the narrow channel and blind curves while she was out in front of us.

The boat was made specifically as a touring vessel for the Rideau. The bow of the boat folds up and the width and length were made to specifically fit inside the Rideau locks. It takes excellent skills to navigate the big boat as you can see how little room there is to spare once the Kwartha is inside the lock. She draws quite the crowd.

Once underway we went through The Quarters -

a very narrow section of the waterway only 80' wide with rock cliffs on each side.

Another blockhouse in route.

Waiting to lock through with our lock buddies In My Element, Freya, and Barefoot'n.

The flora starting to change along with the topography.

The Rideau offers up some of the most beautiful scenery thus far on the trip.

Reminded me of the fields on Potato Branch - minus the mountains.

Upper Brewers Lock - we spent the night here on the blue wall.

It's hard to resist these beautiful free parks.

This was to be our last day on the Rideau Canal as it ends at Kingston.

We have locked through with Barefoot'n, Freya, and In My Element as we had a system down where all four of us could fit into the locks together. Once on a canal waterway many of the locks are the same size, and it helps to travel in groups so that you can lock through together.

We happend to pass by our old friend Papillon from Waterford. They opted to stay in Waterford and go through the Erie Canal rather than go up the Champlain as we did. It was good to see that we

didn't lose any time by taking "the canal less travelled." We are actually so fortunate it worked out this way as we would have hated to miss the Hudson River Valley, the Champlain Canal, Lake Champlain, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Montreal, the Ottawa River and Ottawa.