WEEK 14 - St. Anne-de-Bellevue to Ottawa, Ontario

After a 2-day stop at St. Anne-de-Bellevue we headed upstream on the Ottawa River. Our stops this week were Hawkesbury (free dock), Le Grande Presquile (free dock), Lac Leamy (marina), and finally the Rideau Canal in Ottawa (free dock). Our next set of crew will join us here in Ottawa and cruise the Rideau Canal to Kingston, Ontario with us. Quebec was awesome and great fun, but it’s nice to be back in a predominantly English speaking area again where I can understand the signs and place names again.  

We were in Hawkesbury for Canada Day, and there was a concert, party, and fireworks right there where we docked the boats. I had sort of wanted to be in Ottawa for Canada Day, but it definitely would have been a big, loud, chaotic crush of people. The small-town celebration at Hawkesbury was just fine. On the way to Hawkesbury we passed through the Carillion Lock, which has a 68 foot lift and an unusual “Guillotine” style lock door that rises vertically instead of singing open horizontally like most lock doors. We were packed into a deep dark pit with a bunch of other boats in the pouring rain…quite an experience.

Locking up at Ste. Anne-de-Bellvue
as we begin the leg to Hawkesbury

Waiting for the boats to exit the Carillon lock so we can enter

Front of the line view

Team Gorham geared up for rain and safety

Close quarter maneuvering in the lock

Free dock in Hawkesbury

View from the flying bridge of Nomadic Spirit

The next day we traveled about 25 miles to a private dock at Le Grande Presquile owned by a couple of Gold loopers who are also Harbor Hosts, Francis and Helene, who are kind enough to make their home available to passing loopers. It was the end of the big holiday weekend and seemingly every boat in the province was out on the water, and they all seemed to want to pass us at very close range. We were happy to get tied up, and when we did, Francis took us to the local supermarket and we had a very lovely potluck dinner with them – a nice homey touch after many weeks on the move.

Enjoying docktails with our gracious (harbor) hosts Francis and Helene, and our Steve and Janice from our buddy boat, Nomadic Spirit

Nomadic Spirit and BellaGatto rafted up at Francis and Helene's dock

A little desert toast after dinner

The next couple of days were forecast to be unseasonably hot (like 90+ degrees and humid) so we were looking for someplace we could plug in and run the AC. The cruising guides told us of the Lac Leamy Casino, just up the Gatineau River near Ottawa where you could tie up with power and water for sort of free. How it works is they charge you 50 bucks for the slip (which is like $38 US) and then give you a $50 credit at the casino or the restaurants. They obviously hope you will get in over your head at the casino, but we are not gambling types and we used the credit for a nice dinner instead. The next morning we took advantage of the water hookup and did a through stem-to-stern cleaning, which was a bit overdue.

Dinner at the Bistro in Lac Leamy casino

Marina facilities at Lac Leamy

Finally, we were ready to visit Ottawa proper and enter the Rideau Canal system. Your introduction to the Rideau is the famous “flight of eight” locks that collectively lift you about 75 feet. There is no connecting canal between these locks, you drive directly from one lock chamber into the next, packed in like sardines with as many boats as they can cram in the lock chamber. It was a hot day and were running with sweat by the time we finished the two hour process. But you couldn’t complain when you were watching the Parks Canada lock staff run from lock to lock and turn big cranks that open the valves and doors by hand. And they do that all day long.

What looks like a stairway in the center is actually the Flight of Eight locks.
This is where you exit one lock right into the next raising the boat a total of 75 feet

Parliament in Ottawa

Just above the locks there is about a quarter mile of dockage right along the canal in the heart of downtown where cruisers can tie up for free, or a whopping 9 bucks a day if you want electricity. I can’t think of anyplace else you could be in the heart of the action in a big city for a price like that, so we are going to try to stay for 3 or 4 days. Our good friends Debbie and Steve drove all they way up from Florida to spend the next week cruising with us, which will make the Rideau extra special.

Our location in Ottawa, free in the sense that it is included in our Canada
parks and mooring pass with an extra charge of 9.80 for electric per day.

Scenes from Ottawa with our guests Steve & Debbie

Giant spider in front of the National Art Museum
juxtaposed with the beautiful Notre Dam Cathedral