Crysler Park marina

Left Prescott this morning, after a great breakfast at Bobby's Fish and Chips. Wind has died down from yesterday, so Wayne got the boat out of our little corner with little difficulty. Slight wind coming down the river behind us, it got quite warm in the flybridge of the boat. No delay at Iroquois lock, the doors were open and waiting for us, we went down 10" today. Arrived back at Crysler Park marina just after noon. Usual friendly people on the docks came out to help us dock - always much appreciated. Had lunch on the boat, then began gathering up our stuff to take home. Lots of clothing to wash. Nancy and Eddie will leave tomorrow to go on to Niagara Falls for a couple of days, then back to Florida. We have enjoyed their company and will hate to see them go. Highlights of the trip, for me many of the tours that we might not have done if we had not had guests. Really enjoyed touring Ottawa, the interpretation centre at Smiths Falls, and Fort Henry. Also nice to know that Wayne is able to get the boat in almost anywhere with a minimum of difficulty. We are already planning the next trip for next year with Nancy and Eddie.

Prescott, Ont

Eddie is visiting with a seagull on the post

Fort Wellington

New Tall Ship Landings condo building in Brockville kind of towers over everything else.

May not be as large as Boldt Castle, but Singer castle still looks pretty good

Breezy this morning, but nice. Left Ganonoque and threaded our way down through the Thousand Islands. So many beautiful spots, cottages and homes on the islands. Lots and lots of boat traffic, only one freighter. Came down to Singer Castle on Dark Island, it is US territory and we decided not to re-enter the US, then clear Canadian customs again. Singer Castle was built in the same era as Boldt castle, but  it was completed and has been continuously inhabited since it was built. They have docks and allow people to come ashore for tours. We circled the island and had a good look, seems smaller than Boldt castle, but still a castle. Went into Brockville to see how the new condos are coming along, they are going up right along the water with boat slips in front, the building is really tall. Should be nice when completed. Came on down to Prescott and into the municipal marina here. Wind was behind us all day so we didn't really realize how gusty it was getting. By the time we turned into the marina, it was quite windy. We did get around to our slip and docked without any difficulty. Walked up to the Rotary lighthouse on shore and got ice cream cones, then sat on a bench in the shade to eat. There was a steady parade of boats coming in, and many were having great difficulty getting docked. One boat hit the rocks forming the breakwall around the marina, we figure some major damage was done. Went for a walk around town and over to Fort Wellington. Unfortunately Fort Wellington interpretation centre closes at 5 and it was just 5 when we got there, so we didn't get to see it.
Dinner on the boat, then Eddie, Nancy and I went up to the concert in the park just up from the boat. It was The Monarchs,  a band made up of people our age or older, playing tunes from the 60's and 70's, they were really good. Good crowd. Prescott puts on these concerts every Sunday evening in the summer. Small gnats started bothering Nancy just toward the end of the concert; we have noticed that the bugs like Eddie and Nancy much better than Wayne and I.They will be bitten while we have no issues. Nancy kept trying to lean in to me to share the gnats, but I just leaned the other way, figured she could keep them. I think having guests with tender Floridian skin is a good thing if the bugs prefer them.
Tomorrow will be our last day on the water, we will be heading home.

Lots of small islands with one house almost covering the island

Ganonoque,On

Guess they could call this one bird island, good mixture of cormorants and seagulls

Nancy and Eddie on one of the balonies with turrets behind them

 A few of the windmills on Wolfe island

There are harts carved here and there on the castle

Left Kingston this morning, headed down the American side past Clayton and Alexandria Bay to Heart Island and Boldt Castle. Nice drive down, water was smooth, sun shining, beautiful morning. However, along the way, we were meeting hordes of boats, don't know when we've been in a busier waterway. Wakes all over the place. Did get to Heart Island, docks all full, so we circled for a while until we found a spot at the Customs dock so we could check in. There was a spot at the dock where we could leave the boat while we toured, Eddie stood there and kindly asked a couple of pontoon boats trying to come in to dock elsewhere so we could come in (there were several places where they could fit but we couldn't). Wayne and I had been to Boldt  castle about 40 years ago, it has changed considerably.  They have restored so much more of it, wow! It was started in 1900, cost was $2.5 million. The Island was purchased as Hart Island, George Boldt changed the shape of the island so that it was somewhat heart shaped, so the name became Heart Island.  It would have been a beautiful place if George Boldt had finished it. He was building it as a tribute to show his love for his wife, but after 4 years, she died, and all work stopped. Nothing more was ever done to the castle. The restoration is based on what had been done that was salvaged, and on architect drawings and notes that George Boldt had left. Took the shuttle over to the boathouse to see the antique boats, well worth the visit. Busy day at the castle, we saw several weddings taking place here and there on the grounds just while we were there. Left about 4 and came around Wellesley Island and up to Ganonoque. Had planned to go to Alexandria Bay, but found everything was booked. In any case, the trip through the Islands was beautiful, both American and Canadian sides. Some of the homes along the way are amazing.

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Boldt castle

There was a big poker run out of Ganonoque this weekend, don't know if that was some of the heavy boat traffic we were seeing.

Beautiful flower gardens with many heart shapes evident.

Went out for a very nice dinner.  Plan to go to Brockville tomorrow, hopefully stopping at Singer castle along the way.

Kingston, On

The fort mascot

Nancy aiming the cannon to shoot an American warship coming to attack. She hit it 5/5

Married quarters, each couple had one curtained off area with 2 beds for themselves and any children. The beds folded out at night, folded up during the day to give a little more space. Girls at 16 and boys at 14 had to leave and support themselves, the military would no longer support them

Leisurely breakfast this morning, then Eddie, Nancy and I toured Fort Henry. Wayne stayed on the boat to do engine checks and clean.
Fort Henry was built first in 1814, then rebuilt in the 1830's. It's purpose was to protect Kingston and the Rideau Canal from American invasion. Students working at the fort as historical interpreters do a good job of bringing the fort as it was in 1867 to life. It has not been used for the protection of the area from Americans since shortly after 1867; it has been used to train the military in gunnery use, and for a few years, Ukraines were interned there during the 2nd world war. We watched the opening ceremonies with the raising of the flag, took the guided tour (well done), watched the shooting of the cannon at noon, then the gunnery practice at 3 pm. They have a new discovery centre at the fort with short videos on various aspects of life in the fort. Came back to a clean boat, sat out on the back to watch several boats come in and dock. Looks like several boats are here for a wedding, many people walking along the docks all dressed up and carrying gifts, and one boat down the dock has a "Just Married" sign on the back.

Firing the cannon

Enlisted men's quarters. As in other forts we have toured, not a lot of privacy. On top of the close quarters, they were locked in at night to prevent desertion, with one chamber pot that got passed around.

We have been playing with our new Garmin GPS/chartplotter, tried the automatic route tonight, looks like it has worked like a charm. Plan to go to tour Boldt Castle tomorrow, then on to Ganonoque for the night.

Raising the flag

Kingston, On

We did have to wait a few minutes for the bascule bridge on the Lasalle Causeway to open.

Looked like a dredger along the channel in the River Styx, when we got there they seemed to be piling rocks into the bucket. looked like they were going to put them into the water.

We have just completed the Rideau. At breakfast on the back deck this morning, watched the Canadian Geese swimming around us on the water; we did have to be very careful walking up to the bathrooms, we had to watch every step because the geese had obviously spent a lot of time on the grass. Worked our way down the Rideau, this section is so pretty, much of it is no wake zone, so we had to go slowly. The locks were all pretty well ready and waiting for us, so no delays. We have met a couple of boats off and on as we have travelled, they went through the locks on the St. Lawrence with us, then stayed at St. Anne de Bellevue, went through Carillon locks with us, met them at many of the locks on the Rideau; In many cases they pull out and pass us, then pull into the next lock and stay there, we are not sure why they bothered to pass. Expected that we might see them pop out behind us again today (and passing us), but so far have not seen them. Lots of tourists at Kingston Mills locks, one couple from Bermuda, many interested in visiting with us and hearing about our travels.
Had to wait about 20 minutes for the bascule bridge here in Kingston to open, then we came around into Confederation Basin. As usual, breezy here in Kingston.
We went for a walk up the street, picked up a few things we needed, then went to the Lonestar for dinner. Nancy and Eddie were lonesome for Texas. Very good dinner, then back to a concert in the park by the marina. The lady in the tourist booth told us that Sugarland were playing, so we were all excited. It actually was a local singer called Sugar Plum. She was good, but she was not Sugarland.

Brass Point Bridge opened to let us through

Concert in the park

We will stay here in Kingston tomorrow, tour Old Fort Henry.

Best to stay well outside this marker; that is indeed a rock

ShangriLa docks, below Jones Falls Locks

Young woman in the blacksmith shop showing off a courting candle; when the candle burned down, the date was over. If the father really liked the young man, he could raise the candle so that it would burn more slowly. If the young man was not approved of, the candle could be pushed down to burn more quickly.

Lockmaster's home doubled as defense for the lock. In the case of attack by Americans, soldiers would be called up to defend the lock

Dinner on the dock

Got up this morning to clouds and gusty winds, wondered if we would be travelling today. However, sun came out and winds died down so we left, still thinking that if the winds got up we could stop at a lock. It turned out to be  a beautiful travel day, light breeze, sun, perfect summer day. Came through Upper Rideau lake, Newboro Lock, Newboro Lake, Indian and Clear Lakes, Chaffey's Lock, Opinicon Lake,  and Davis Lock. The last three locks, Davis, Chaffeys and Newboro all have power, and all were full of  boats tied up and looking like they were not moving on any time soon. Lucky we didn't plan to stop at any of them, although it was Plan B. We went on to Jones Falls, which is  a flight of 4 locks. The lockmaster at Davis Lock said that they were just bringing  a boat up the Jones Falls locks and they would be ready for us when we arrived. By the time we go there the gates were open and waiting.  There were only 3 of us in Davis Lock, but by the time we got to Jones Falls several other boats had joined the parade. We all fit in the locks, but it took some juggling. Two boats rafted off other boats, and in each lock the lockmaster rearranged us to try to make it work better.
We turned off and tied up at the ShangriLa docks just below Jones Falls locks. We were here three years ago and enjoyed the restaurant here but as we tied up thought it funny that we didn't see the restaurant that we remembered; turns out that it burned down last year. Too bad. We went for a walk, and looked at the restaurant at Hotel Kenny right next door. They do have a restaurant, but with a set menu and a set price of $29.95 per person. We decided we could cook on the boat.
Toured the area here around Jones Falls locks, they have a restored blacksmith shop and the lockmaster house, also restored to the time when the first lockmaster lived here with his family. Two students showed us the blacksmith shop and the lockmaster house, both did a good job. They have a diary kept by the first lockmaster, so have a lot of information about the house and about life in those days here at the lock. His wife apparently lived quite a lonely life, she was of a social class above the  people living around here, so had no one to socialize with. She turned to drink and he has frequent entries in his diary about her drinking and a quarrel. Mind you, he apparently drank quite heavily as well. Got ice cream cones while we were out touring, then returned to the boat and made dinner. Beautiful evening to sit on the dock, cook on the grill and eat.  Lots of Canada geese here, the men cleaned off our section of the dock so we could have a clean place to sit. Walking across the grass to the bathrooms is somewhat challenging. Nancy and Wayne have just returned from the bathrooms; there is no hot water in the showers. I think I will use the one in the boat.
On to Kingston tomorrow.

A small one car ferry that the individual hand pulls to the other side

One of the narrow channels we went through today

Public Docks, Westport, Ont.

Rained early this morning, things have been so dry that we would have welcomed an all day rain, but it only rained for a few minutes. Sun was out and it was breezy by the time we left the lock and set out down Big Rideau Lake. There were white caps in the water, but we were headed into the wind so the boat handled the waves beautifully. One lock to go through at "The Narrows"; lock staff were very helpful and even with the wind it went well. Three more miles on Lower Rideau Lake and we were in Westport. It is in a protected harbour so docking was easy. We were here 3 years ago and some of the docks were in rough shape, but they have been replaced with new docks, things look well cared for. The harbourmaster and his wife told us that all of the money brought in through docking fees is put back into the marina facilities.
We walked up into town, had a quick lunch, then spent the afternoon touring some of the many shops here. The first person we ran into used to keep a boat at Crysler Park, now has a shop on the main street here in town, Rene Reynen. Nice to see him again.
Came back to the boat mid-afternoon when the clouds rolled in and we could hear thunder. Sat in the back of the boat and watched storms go around us, We had wind and some rain, but it sounds like it was much worse in other places. Not enough rain here to make much difference in grass etc. Quiet dinner on the boat. On down the Rideau tomorrow, not sure where we will stop.

Eddie tried out a chair in front of one of the stores.

Cute little houseboat came into Westport for fuel

Wayne is cooking our hamburgers. We thought we would eat on the picnic table, but another storm threatened so we moved back on to the boat.

A whole school of fish gathered behind our boat, obviously looking for something to eat. The men threw a few crackers, the fish went crazy.

Below the first Beveridge lock in the Tay Canal, Perth, On

Eddie thinks perhaps he needs this "Canada for Dummies" shirt

The "Crystal Palace" in Perth, actually some unused bus shelters purchased from Ottawa, used here for Farmer's Market. We have seen beautiful Christmas trees in there in the winter.

Wayne was the first one in to cool off

Eddie and Wayne cooking supper.

We have stayed tied to the lock wall. We considered trying to take the boat through the next 2 locks and going on to Last Duel Park, but in the end decided to get the dinghy down and take it into town. Really easy to take the dinghy through locks, much simpler than with the big boat. Then it is about 10 km into Perth, and the speed limit is 10 km/hr, so an hour later we were in downtown Perth. Visited many shops along the main street, had lunch in a nice place called Michaels and ice cream in another shop along the street. Eddie got the Tilley hat he has been looking for, looks very nice on him. The young woman at the locks had told us to keep some speed on as we travelled to keep the deer flies off. Perhaps we were unable to go quite fast enough, there were a lot of deer flies. Most of the canal is through marsh and wetlands, lots of water lilies, reeds, we only saw one house right along the canal. Very pretty trip though. The Tay canal is not actually part of the Rideau system. It connects the town of Perth with the canal, and was built the first time shortly after the Rideau canal went through. Some citizens of Perth wanted a way to transport goods out of the area and saw a canal as very useful, so they financed the building of the Tay canal themselves. They didn't have the resources to maintain it, so after a few years it fell into disrepair. Several years later, in the 1880's, the government of the day was convinced to build a new version of the Tay Canal. In a speech in parliament, one opposition member said that this canal which had cost half a  million  dollars to build had brought in the grand sum of $58.81. It became a national scandal. However in the early 1900's, the canal was very well used by pleasure craft.

Eddie with his new Tilley hat

 After we came back to the boat, grilled hot dogs for supper, then Eddie and I went for a walk up to the next lock. There is a walking trail that goes on from there, but the bugs were coming out, only for Eddie. They apparently don't like my tough Canadian skin nearly as well. All of us got bathing suits on and got in the water to cool off before bed. It felt so good.

At lock 33, Perth, On

just exiting a lock

At dinner with Gordie and Esther, Nancy and Eddie and Adam

Eddie and I on the front of the boat waiting for the next lock around the bend.

Left Smiths Falls about 8:30 this morning, through 2 locks into Lower Rideau Lake and on to the Tay Canal. We wanted to go up the Tay canal right into Perth, and dock at the Last Duel Park, but the people at the lock told us that water levels are so low right now that we probably couldn't do it. With the hot weather and the lack of rain, the system is losing one centimetre of water depth a day. Called son Adam who lives in Perth, he kindly came out and took us into town for a grocery run. We actually didn't need much, but seem to have been going through a lot of water and soft drinks with the heat the past few days. Nice to have a car to bring that back to the boat. Took us to a specialty grocery store called Foodsmiths, very nice place with foods that we don't see in regular stores, then on to Your Independent for all the regular stuff. We brought everything back to the boat, then went back into town to meet friends Gordie and Esther for dinner. Nice for us that Gordie and Esther and Nancy and Eddie have met each other; each couple seems to think that they have heard a lot about the other from us. Altogether  a nice day. We may stay here another day and take the dinghy into town to do a little bit of touring.

Smiths Falls

Leisurely morning today. Walked up the street looking for a place to get breakfast, two different people along the street recommended Freddie's, so we tried it. Quite good, and good prices as well. We had read that there was a farmer's market in Smiths Falls on Saturdays, and the lady here had told us where it was, so we went after breakfast. We were somewhat surprised to find that it consisted of 3 booths, one with baking, one with baking and jewellry, and a third with what looked like garage sale type items. No farmer's produce at all. Then we walked out the other end of town to Walmart, Canadian Tire and grocery store. Out there, several people have booths set up along the highway with fresh produce. We're not sure what is going on.
We are enjoying introducing Nancy and Eddie to Canadian things. Nancy tried a nanaimo bar yesterday, had never seen one before. They have now been to a Canadian Tire store, a Giant Tiger, a Your Independent Grocery store, and a Loblaws, and of course the LCBO and Beer store. Eddie has tried several types of beer that he hasn't seen in the US.
Wayne washed the boat and did a few repairs while Eddie, Nancy and I walked up to the Rideau Canal intrepretative and information centre. It is quite good, lots of info on the canal and how and why it was built. The decision was made to build the canal by the Privy council in England after the war of 1812 so that there would be a secure route to move people and goods if the Americans ever blocked the St. Lawrence. Colonel By, an engineer with the army, got the job of actually building the canal, and his work is still seen as a marvel of great engineering. When the canal was completed, he was recalled to England and reprimanded for going over budget; he never received any honours for this work while he was living.
Had a light dinner on the boat, it is very warm. The lady here at the park said that Smiths Falls is at drought level 2, they will re-evaluate on Monday and if they go to level 3, then the wading pool in the park will not be filled, the splash pad at another park won't operate, and several other restrictions will be put in place. The wading pool here is very well used, many children enjoying the water all day.
Met a couple from New Jersey on a boat here, Clark and Evelyn, they are thinking about doing the loop in a couple of years. We spend a pleasant evening talking about the loop.

Good sign

A quilt on display in the information centre, made by the quilter's guild to commemorate the 150th annviersary of the building of the canal.

A very talented woman embroidered 25 of these panels depicting various aspects of Canada and the history of Canada. The panels are seen as a great example of folk art, and are hanging in the information centre.

Plan to move on to Perth tomorrow, weather permitting.

The entire farmer's market

Smiths Falls, On

We found Eddie a hat, it says EH team with a maple leaf. He seems to think that he can become Canadian just by saying EH? He also seems to think that EH stands for Eddie Hamilton.

Birds seem to be the same everywhere, they like to sit on the markers and they are rude as they sit.

Left Merrickville just after 8 this morning. Tried to sit out on the back of the boat last night but there were a lot of mosquitoes. Tonight we are prepared with a couple of different products. Left fairly early because we heard that the docks at Victoria Park here in Smiths Falls were full the past couple of days, and we wanted at least a chance of a good dock. Got here by 11:30, one of the good docks still empty so we were very lucky. Walked over to the older part of town for lunch at a bakery cafe, very good. Too warm to do much touring today, went through a few stores, then came back to the boat, nice and cool on the back of the boat with a good breeze coming through. Nancy and I both got a load of wash done, then dinner on the boat.

The weather was great for travelling, warm sun, calm water.

Merrickville, On

Cooking dinner, easier on the dock, saves heating up the boat, also saves using all the power in our batteries when we are not plugged in.

Several downed trees along the water heading toward Merrickville, even one cottage which looked like a tree had come down on the roof. Wonder if this is the result of some of the winds we had earlier in the spring.

Passed this weed whacker along the water today, heading to the next lock to clean weeds in a section of the waterway.

At one lock as we were leaving Ottawa the lockmaster asked that we be especially careful around the canoes. He said they are just repairing relations with the people running the camps.

Early this morning tied to the dock at Burretts Rapids

 Left Burretts Rapids with the first lock up this morning. We had heard that the docks at Merrickville were full last night and so wanted to get here early to get a spot. When we arrived below the locks just after 11 there was a spot above the 3 locks, but they do not reserve spots. By the time we had come up through the locks the spots were taken. The lockmaster told us we could tie above the falls to the railing, and so that is where we are. No power, but we can live with that. Went out for lunch and a tour around the town, poked our noses into many of the small shops and galleries. Some art galleries closed today, a well-kown artist in town has died and many were attending his funeral. Cooked dinner at the boat tonight. Plan to move on to Smith's Falls in the morning. Hopefully we will get a spot there. The system seems to have gotten busy all of a sudden.

common sight at the locks, one guy turning the handle with one hand holding a phone to his ear. They are in constant communication with the other locks.