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.