WESTPORT, ON

Friday, July 28, 2023

We’ve now completed our second day on the Rideau Canal, and it has been a blast…unlike anything we’ve done before.  Of course, we’ve traversed the Erie Canal and the Oswego Canal to get here, but the Rideau – the oldest canal system in North America – is unique.  

It’s really a system of rivers and lakes connected by twisting, narrow channels, and the water level is controlled by 49 locks.  The locks are much smaller than those we’ve encountered previously – we were traveling with an East Bay 48’, and we could barely squeeze in behind one another.  Contrast that with the others (235’).  And they are narrower, as well…just 30’ as opposed to 60’. 

And these locks are BUSY!  We watched as southbound boats exited one of the lock:  6 PWC’s (jet-skis); two small outboard runabouts, and 4 mid-sized powerboats.  Lynn said it looked like a clown car.  The lock crews – all friendly young people – really know how to cram them in.  The picture below is one we took of a not-so-crowded lock…just imagine it with PWC’s and other small boats squeezed down the center!

And those twisty channels?  You are cruising past huge granite outcropping just 6 feet away.  In other parts, you can almost touch the leaves on the overhanging trees. And the channels open out onto scenic lakes dotted with homes and boathouses.

Most of the trip is at a controlled speed – just 6 mph.  And since it takes about 20 minutes per lock, you cannot travel very far in one day.  Today we covered just 20 miles in 6-1/2 hours.  But HEY! It’s about the journey not the destination, and this is quite a journey.

We’ve now transited 7 locks each day – a total of 14 locks – and we still have 27 to go to reach Ottawa!  

We’re laying over one extra day in Westport to visit a local winery for lunch and a tour.  Sunday is sort of up in the air…we’ll continue north, but it isn’t really clear where we’ll tie up for the night.  No worries, that seems to be what half the travelers here do!