Today is the big day for our trip to Ottawa. We were looking forward to the eight step locks into the city of Ottawa, Ontario.
The eight locks (in flight) with a total lift of 24.1 m (79.1 feet).
The Ottawa Locks are the northern entrance to the Rideau Canal. A number of rapids and falls along the Rideau River between Hogs Back and the mouth of the river forced Colonel By to construct a bypass for that section. In September of 1826 By chose the natural ravine where the present day Ottawa Locks are situated as the northern gateway to the canal. With this decision, the community that is present-day Ottawa was established. Hull by this date was a prosperous logging town but there was little settlement on the southern side of the Ottawa River. Once construction on the canal started, land was cleared and the development of Bytown began.
We left early so we could get in line for the locks, which were about 3 miles from our marina. We got to the wall and were third in line. We took a discovery walk of our next adventure walking up to the top giving us a view of what would become a 3 hour trip into the center of Ottawa. We returned to find out due to our size we would not make the first flight up the locks. We waited patiently and were given our port side tie for the second group. We entered the 1st lock as the number one boat with a large 50 foot Krogen Express “Homeport” to our right. Three other boats were added to our group making it a tight fit. The boat behind us kept hitting out dinghy with the anchor but all was ok. We gave the tenders a few bags of treats, as we have done in the erie canal. The staff will not accept tips but are happy to accept our meager offerings of sweets.
As we entered the 2nd lock “Homeport” started moving forward but the lock tender did not allow enough water into the lock and they ran aground in the lock. It took 20 minutes for the staff to adjust the levels and got the operation going again. It took us about 2 hours to get into the last lock but a sudden thunderstorm and tornado watch blew in forcing the staff to run for cover and we were left in the last lock where we half way up in the lock. After about 45 minutes the staff returned and finished locking us through.
After transiting the locks it was off the find a spot on the eastern wall of the canal in downtown Ottawa. The spots are limited and the the spots with electric hookup are even less. Peter on “TNT Kiss” got through before us and scouted a spot for us about a quarter mile down the canal. It was the last spot with electric. After settling in it was time to spend the next four days enjoying Ottawa.
Ottawa is Canada’s capital, in the east of southern Ontario, near the city of Montréal and the U.S. border. Sitting on the Ottawa River, it has at its centre Parliament Hill, with grand Victorian architecture and museums such as the National Gallery of Canada, with noted collections of indigenous and other Canadian art. The park-lined Rideau Canal is filled with boats in summer and ice-skaters in winter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa
The wall where the boats tie up is located on the eastern side of the Rideau Canal. There are several power outlets for boats supplying 30 amp power that costs $10.00 per night. At the end of the day the lock staff walk the wall and collect the fees and check your park pass that allows you access to the locks and the walls. The staff are super friendly and helpful mostly comprised of young college kids home for the summer trying to work their way into a full time job.
The area we tied up is in the center of the city with views of the Parliament buildings just a few blocks away and a beautiful park across the canal. The canal had several bridges which gave the homeless population a place out of the weather. We had heard many stories of the homeless people disturbing the boats by boarding and untying them so we made sure we double tied our lines back to our boat and I had security lights onboard. We did not have any issues. One gentleman did sleep on the bench in front of our boat so I supplied him with water as the temperatures were high. After trekking to the grocery store to resupply it was off to dinner with Peter and Rachel and a nice walk through the city.
After our first night in the city we were joined by “Beachside” as they had motored up the Rideau and we would be joining them for the trip back down. We were able to get our bikes out in the city. Ottawa has great bike paths that run along the canal and along the rail paths to the outer city areas. We joined “Beachside” on a tour of the city on a Hop-on hop-off bus tour. Ottawa has great european style architecture with numerous parks and museums. We ventured to the Byward Market area that had an open air market with shops and restaurants. We stopped at the Chateau Lafayette which is a legendary watering hole dating back to 1849. We had dinner at the Aulde Dubliner and Pour House that had amazing hanging flower displays on the facade.
On day three maria and I ventured off on a 8 mile hike along the river and through the city. We stopped for lunch at the Tavern on the Falls that overlooked the Rideau Falls. The food was OK but the views were great.
After a great stay in Ottawa it was time to settle in and plan our run down the Rideau Canal.
