Leaving Clayton, NY we were 18 nautical miles from the next suggested destination on America’s Great Loop, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. However, we chose to do a 350 NM ‘side trip’ which involved many, many, locks but absolutely, beyond beautiful cruising grounds. Our route was basically a triangle taking us northeast into Montreal then west to Ottawa and finally southwest arriving in Kingston. We traveled the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal. Each waterway had different characteristics and interesting surrounding towns. The side was well worth the extra time and locks!
So far, our favorite spots of this trip has been the Bahamas and the Rideau Canal. Even though, we have no schedule and have been going slow, once we hit the Rideau we set a goal to go slower! We read so much about ‘don’t rush the Rideau’, so we really tried to take it all in. The Rideau Canal starts at the capital city of Ottawa and the ‘flight of 8 locks’ and then continues from small town to small town. Cruising the Rideau Canal waters and exploring the locks and towns surrounding them was about as pleasant and peaceful as one could imagine. Transiting lock after lock added spikes of adrenaline and excitement to this adventure.
We continue to marvel at Parks Canada and the experience they provide their customers overseeing the lock system. The lockmasters do not just lock you through safely and quickly, they do it with a smile and sincere thanks for cruising their waters. Along with chatting and helping with your lines, they provide updates on the area and help you with logistics for your overnight stay. They use no radios but only verbal face to face communication. Docking on the ‘blue wall’ (or many times just cruising into the open lock) provides a clue that you want to lock through. They attend to you quickly by giving instructions. Since many times, we were cruising with the same boats, we had a strategy and sequence to fit in the lock and the lock masters thanked us! We have no idea who is the grounds keeper(s) of Parks Canada but they do an amazing job too. Each and every lock was meticulous maintained and well decorated with flowers. The lock walls were beautiful park like settings where you could spend the night and each had BBQ’s, picnic table, bathrooms, showers along with very nice docks and cleats.
- 20 days: June 25 to July 13, 2024
- Route: St. Lawrence River (4 days/129 NM) to Ottawa River (3 days/80 NM) to Rideau Canal (7 days/116 NM)
- 14 Total Travel Days
- 13 Stops
- 347 Nautical Miles Traveled
- 86 Locks
