Jones Falls to Kingston, ON. End of the Rideau Canal.

Yesterday we finished the Rideau Canal, after 124 miles and 43 locks, ending in Kingston, ON, where the Cataraqui River meets the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario. Map Link: Kingston, ON. Like many of the settlements in this part of Ontario, Kingston was founded by British loyalists fleeing north at the end of the American Revolution. It was Canada’s first capital, but was considered too vulnerable due to its close proximity to the U.S., and was moved to Ottawa in 1857. We’re docked at Confederation Basin Marina right in front of City Hall and had just enough time to shower, get dinner at Toucan Irish pub and explore a little before it started raining heavily. There are nine other Loopers here, including one we met last fall on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Most of the boats with us on the small-boat transient dock are from the “Quebec Navy”—the Construction Holiday ends this weekend and they should be heading east as we head west. We’re staying in Kingston for another night to sightsee and let some more rain pass through, then plan to take a short side trip down the Saint Lawrence into the Thousand Islands region.

Weekly salsa dancing lesson in the town square

Colonel By Island to Jones Falls, ON

The wind and waves finally settled down and our noisy dock was silent when we woke up to a still morning on Monday. Sunrises never get old—it’s amazing how few I really enjoy in our dirt life.

We set off around 8:00 AM and continued through the beautiful Rideau Lakes section of the canal. This is cottage country, and we’re starting to see and hear common loons everyday.

We went 21 miles and through eight locks, ending with a flight of four at Jones Falls, where we met a guy from Wisconsin who is doing the Great Loop on a $300 used jet ski. We docked for the night at the Parks Canada dock at the bottom of the flight with one other boat. There is a hotel nearby, where we got our ice cream fix, then explored the grounds and small visitors center at the lock station and ate dinner onboard before soaking in another peaceful evening. Map Link: Jones Falls, ON

Bonus Question: What was the leading cause of death for workers on the Rideau Canal? (Multiple choice, answer at end of post):

A. Malaria

B. Drowning

C. Food-borne illness

D. Construction accidents

Photo Journal:

Bonus Question Answer: A. At least 500 men died from malaria during construction of the Rideau Canal, and it is estimated that up to 60% of the workers contracted the disease. Comparatively few perished from the other three causes.

Smiths Falls to Colonel By Island, ON. First kayak paddle of 2024.

This morning was another beautiful day for boat travel, but we delayed our departure until 11:00 AM to complete a minor repair to our anchor mount and to get a load of laundry done. We went 18 miles and through two locks to Colonel By Island in the middle of Big Rideau Lake. Pop Quiz: Who was Colonel By? (from a previous post—no peeking—answer at end of post). We are on much larger bodies of water now, mainly lakes connected by rivers (see chartlet). Colonel By Island is part of the Parks Canada system, with campsites, docks and moorings available to visitors. We had hoped to tie up to a mooring buoy, but they were full when we arrived at 3:00 PM, but there was room at the dock, which was a little bouncy from wind and wakes, but eventually settled down. We finally broke out our inflatable kayak and had a wonderful paddle around the island’s bays and inlets. After that, we swam in the lake off the boat dock, which felt wonderful in the 86-degree heat. We grilled and ate aboard, then snuck in a hike on the island’s two-mile loop trail as the sunlight was decreasing and the mosquitos increasing. Map Link: Colonel By Island, ON

Quiz Answer: Lieutenant Colonel John By was the British military engineer who oversaw construction of the Rideau Canal, completed in 1832. The canal was an engineering triumph, but cost overruns led to accusations of mismanagement, and By was recalled to London to face charges. He was exonerated, but the damage to his reputation was done, and By was forced to retire, never receiving a formal commendation for his great achievement. 

Burritt’s Rapids to Smith Falls, ON. A new lockage record—11 in one day!

After a lovely sunrise and our morning routine, we got back on the canal on a perfect Saturday morning. We left the mooring wall shortly after a large Meridian cabin cruiser departed, but quickly passed her at a 10.5-foot swing bridge that we slipped right under, and they had to wait until the bridge opened for business at 9:00 AM. We never saw them the rest of the day. Sometimes smaller is better.

The canal follows the Rideau River now, except where locks bypass dams, falls and rapids, with some large marshy areas where it’s wild and scenic—otherwise the shores are lined with homes, cottages and farms. There is plenty of other boating traffic, but nothing like the Ottawa or Richelieu Rivers. The Rideau is less popular with the go-fast crowd, mainly because it is shallow, winding, speed-limited and very narrow in places, sometimes only two boat widths between the red and green channel markers. 

We covered 20 miles and 11 locks today—a new lockage record—with a flight of three at Merrickville and a flight of two at Old Slys. Merrickville was hosting an art fair, and we almost stopped, but remembered that we have no place to store art aboard. We are docked for the night at the town marina in Smiths Falls, ON, which is busy with boaters and other weekend visitors, and is also the charter base for Le Boat canal boat rentals. We walked to the grocery store and to Canadian Tire, Canada’s version of Walmart, for provisions and some maintenance and repair supplies. The sun was shining with temperatures in the mid-80s, and we couldn’t resist the Dairy Queen that drew us in as we passed. Curiously, DQs here have so far not offered Butterfinger nor Heath Bar Blizzards, our favorites. Dinner tonight was at the Taco To Me food truck in the park adjacent to the marina, and is so close to our boat that we’re plugged into the same power pedestal. Kathleen played music while I got caught up on blogging, then we relaxed until bedtime. Map link: Smiths Falls, ON

Photo Journal: 

Part of the Le Boat charter fleet

Merrickville, ON, art fair

Ottawa to Long Island to Burritt’s Rapids, ON. 1,000 miles logged!

We’re out in the boonies on the beautiful Rideau River—internet is spotty and blog updates may be irregular. Thursday we left Ottawa after a fabulous time and started up the Rideau Canal. Only about 10% of the 121 miles is dug canal, with the majority of the waterway using existing lakes and rivers. After 25 miles and seven locks, we stopped at Long Island Lock and spent a windy but pleasant night at one of the Parks Canada docks. The flight of three locks at Long Island is interesting because a road crosses directly over the highest lock, and a swing bridge operates in conjunction with the lock. Map Link: Long Island Lockstation, ON

Yesterday we traveled another 25 miles, with only one lock, to Burritt’s Rapids, and are staying at another Parks Canada lock, this one with shorepower. After lunch across the street at the Boathouse Cafe, we took a nearby trail into the small village and on to the dam and rapids that were bypassed by the canal. We grilled our dinner and ate aboard, enjoying an amazingly quiet evening in this lovely remote location. Map Link: Burritt’s Rapids Lockstation, ON

We crossed the 1,000-mile point for our current Loop segment, achieved in 42 travel days at an average of 24 miles per day. For reference, last year we traveled a total of 2,430 miles in 72 days, from St. Paul, MN, to Carabelle, FL, with a daily average of 34 miles.

Photo Journal:

Dragon boat camp

My flag (and shirt) means death

Idk what this was exactly

Rideau Canal through Ottawa

Never knew this was a danger

Resting after the Tip-to-Tip Trail

Original survey marker from the 1827-32
construction of the Rideau Canal

Ottawa, ON

Today was a combination sightseeing and weather day, with rain in the forecast and a much-needed day off from traveling. We started with breakfast at Zak’s Diner, then walked to Farm Boy grocery store in the Rideau Centre mall for provisions. The rain began soon after we stowed our food aboard, so we hunkered down until there was a break in the weather. 

After lunch, we took an Uber to the Canada Science and Technology Museum, an interesting stop with a still-working steam engine and a unique exhibit on human waste. I can honestly say that we’ve never seen a better display of historic commodes and chamber pots. 

Next we took a tour of the Canadian Senate building, which is currently housed in a beautiful old train station while the Parliament building undergoes a major, ten-year renovation and is closed to lawmakers and the public. Fun facts we learned about Canada: 

1. Canadian senators are appointed, not elected, and must retire at age 75.

2. The maple leaf on the Canadian flag is a stylized design and not a species actually found in nature. 

3. “O Canada,” the national anthem, was composed in Quebec City, in French. An English translation didn’t exist until 26 years later, and underwent several revisions. The original French version remains unchanged. 

After dinner at D’Arcy McGee’s, an Irish pub, we waited out the rain, then did some more exploring. When we returned to Dragonfly, we were pleasantly surprised to see Dan and Mary from Full Circle, their C-Dory 26, docked behind us. We hadn't seen them since Alabama and the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous in November of last year, and it was great getting caught up. 

Bonus Question: What is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world (i.e. not part of a mountain range)? (Answer at end of post).

Photo Journal:

Bonus Question Answer: Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. At 19,340 feet, it is the fourth-tallest peak in the world, after Mt. Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America) and Denali (North America), which are all part of mountain ranges.