The Rideau

After the war of 1812, the British felt they needed a secure way to move people and goods between Kingston and Montreal in case of an American blockade of the St. Lawrence River. Construction of the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832. The canal was never needed for its military purpose but it sure makes a great recreational route.

The canal is virtually unchanged from 1832.  Almost all of the locks are hand operated and the route is still mainly rural - the largest town between the end points is Smith's Falls with a population of approximately 9000.

When we hit the first Parks Canada lock in Quebec we bought seasonal locking and mooring passes.  The mooring pass allows us to spend up to 48 hours (although many allow more) at almost any lock in the Rideau or Trent and also at docks in the Thousand Islands.  I estimate that by the time we reach Kingston the pass will have worked out to 42 cents per foot per night.  That is an amazing deal. Some lock walls also have power for an extra $10 per night but we only used that for one night in Ottawa as it was cloudy and our solar wasn't keep the batteries up after 4 days with no motoring.

Anyone who wants to visit without a boat (or with a boat too small to sleep on) can find places to camp at many of the locks.

Even some of the bridges are hand operated,.  This one moves out of the way with a simple push.  

We are now two travel days from Kingston. Once we get there the mast goes back up for the final push home.  Hard to believe it.