Day 95: Smiths Falls to Chaffeys Locks, Ontario
Day 95: Tuesday, July 19th: We got up early this morning so we could make the first lock-through at 8:30. We passed through four locks today for a trip total of 60 so far.
Just before getting underway friend Rob Roy from "Bullet" donned his diving gear and checked out Integrity's hull below the waterline. Here is Rob Roy suiting up and wife Sherrie:
Rob Roy reported that Integrity had a great bottom! Should we say hull? All looked fine, thank goodness!
First lock was called the Smith Falls Detached lock because it was separate from the original group of three at the other side of Smith Falls:
Just past the lock is this railroad bridge that no longer operates; it just sits open:
Next was Poonamalie Lock. Don't you love the names?
Last night a couple was dock-walking, looking at boats, and stopped to chat. It turns out they have a house on the same lake that Ruth's family has a summer cottage (Lake Joseph in the Muskoka Region of Ontario); the two properties are only a few miles apart! The couple also has a house just past a little village called Rideau Ferry on Big Rideau Lake. This is their house. Very pretty and the only brick boathouse we have seen:
Below Smiths Falls the Rideau Canal comprises a series of lakes connected by small rivers and canal cuts. It is really quite beautiful. The biggest lake in the system is Big Rideau. At its widest, Big Rideau Lake is about four miles across, but it is much longer. Looking down the length of it in one place looked like this:
Newboro on the Upper Rideau Lake is at the highest point on the waterway. Here, the channel buoy system changes to match the upstream/downstream convention. This sign reminds boaters to shift to red on the left and green on the right. At this lock they have upgraded to hydraulic gates. Note no chains on the reels here:
Again, the lockmasters keep nice flower gardens:
We are now in the area of the Canadian Shield, the huge plate of the earth's surface that is all granite. The rocks are all around here and navigation gets tedious. The signs here fortell danger ahead. The "10" means slow to 10 kilometers per hour (about 6.2 mph) and, if you look closely, there is an arrow curving to the right to tell the navigator to turn right just past this narrow place. The "Danger" sign is self-explanatory!
We arrived at the next lock and had to wait while this gorgeous 1937 beauty locked up. These lakes are so cool and clean with low humidity that boats of this ilk can last a long time if properly cared for. We don't know who made this one:
In the lock, we were actually in the middle of the road crossing the lock. Here is the turntable of the swing bridge:
And here are the cars waiting for us to move. When this picture was taken, we were tied in the lock and starting down. Most of the bridges are at the end of the lock so cars don't have to wait so long:
Our last lock for the day was Chaffeys Lock. We planned to stop here for the night, but sadly all the dock space was taken up by other boats. Ruth sweet-talked the lockmaster into letting us tie up on the blue line (reserved for boats waiting to lock through). Nice lockmaster!
We wandered around the area after mooring. This sign on a boathouse tickled us:
In this area there are many summer and full time "cottagers". These are folks who live on islands and remote shorelines where the fastest route to civilization is by small boat. Near a little marina near the lock is this set of mailboxes the cottagers use. It is an important link to the world:
Back at the boat we had cocktail hour aboard a houseboat owned by some new acquaintances who would love to do the Great Loop. It was fun.
Then a quick shower and a change of clothes and we claimed our dinner reservation at the Opinicon Resort Hotel, built in the 1890's as a fishing camp. The dining room is elegant and they serve dinner at two seatings. The experience was different from the usual spots we have been. Here we are waiting for our table. Notice the chairs - shades of "On Golden Pond"!
This moorage was quiet and there was a breeze all night; we slept like logs.
Position tonight: N44 34.700 W076 19.226
To return to our Main Page simply 
close this window.
