www.iFourWinns.com

Last year, we did the Trent-Severn system in Ontario - and we enjoyed it so much , that this year the admiral and I are planning to do the "mini loop" - towing the boat to Kingston, Ontario and dropping in at the mouth of the Rideau Canal Waterway, making our way to Ottawa, then down the Ottawa River to Montreal, then back "up" the St. Lawrence through the Thousand Islands and back to Kingston! I've read that it takes about 4-5 days to properly do the Rideau, but was wondering if there is anyone out there who has boated the lower Ottawa and the section of the St.Lawrence from Montreal to Kingston who can give me a rough idea of how may days I should plan for this portion of the trip?

By my count, there's almost 50 locks in total for the loop, but fantastic scenery and dozens of great places to tie up and explore - can't wait!

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2005 Sundowner
2008 Highlander V6

Hello Swansea !!

You can do the Rideau in four days easily without too much haste. If you catch the first lock up on your departure day you should shoot for The top of Davis or the bottom of Chaffey's but Jones Falls is a nice place to stay also; just be sure to stay on the top side so you can right under way the next day. Smiths Falls the next day Burritt's Rapids the third and Ottawa on the Fourth. Be sure to stay on the top of the eight locks in Ottawa for a few days so you can explore the Nation's Capital.

That's as far as I have been.... Most people leave Kingston and head down the St. Lawrence to Montreal then up the Ottawa River for some reason (currents?)

I have heard you can be in Montreal in about 4 hours from Ottawa and two days to get from Montreal to Thousands Islands. You'll want to spend a couple of day in the Islands...But make sure you have good charts and passports (easy to wander over the border).

I am hoping to do the Rideau this August in our newly acquired cruiser but that will only happen if I sell my bowrider so I can fund the motor replacement.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

Swansea, those are two places that are on my "must go boating there" list. Sorry I haven't got any info for you, but I do have a question. On your trent-severn trip, are there sections of the canal where you could access hotels, resorts or b&bs by boat? As you can see, our boat isn't very "live aboard" friendly. Not sure if you looked into that or not, as it looks like you would have no problem staying aboard on the canal.

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

In case you haven't seen it here's an article in Power Boating on the Rideau : http://www.powerboating.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75:24-1-featurerideau&catid=69:features&Itemid=61

Chrisvs, the article in question answers your question about doing the Rideau in a runabout.

Only did the Montreal-Kingston and Montreal-Ottawa stretches but my natural inclination would be to do it in the Kingston-Montreal-Ottawa-Kingston direction to avoid fighting against the St-Lawrence current which can be quite strong on some stretches. The lower Ottawa River current is much gentler so not as much of a factor going upstream.

Kingston-Montreal can be done in a day if in a hurry, but be aware that you can get stuck at the Eisenhower lock for a few hours if a bunch of cargo ships are going through, so make sure to pack plenty of food and water as you will required to stay in your boat. If you have the time however, I would definitely recommend spending a few days in the Thousand Islands.

Make sure to go through the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue locks to transfer from the St-Lawrence to the Ottawa River system; on some maps you will see a marked channel bypassing the locks by going around the south-west side of Ile-Perrot under the Dorion bridge - DO NOT TAKE IT – it is extremely treacherous in anything bigger than a bass boat and the bridge has very low clearance. Stick with the main channel, take the long way around and come in through the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue locks which is a nice place to tie up for the night and enjoy the local watering holes. If you can spend a few days in Montreal and your boat has a bridge clearance of 2.4 meter or less you can keep going across Lake St-Louis and take the recently reopened Lachine Canal which will bring you straight down Old Montreal where you can dock at the Old Port Marina, It is quite nice, but will add 5 more locks each way to your total though.

If you go to the trent severn website there might be more info for you. There are lots of places to eat on the way. I find the bottom end of the trent to be boring. But everything north of Bobcaygeon is nice.

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Fantastic! - thats exactly what I was looking for!! Now I can plan how many days, and map out where to aim for and stay overnight. (This site is great!). On the direction, my thinking was to do the Rideau first (if most people do it the other way, maybe the traffic will be lighter going north and east?) then the Ottawa , then back up the St. Lawrence so that we can spend some quality time poking around the Thousand Islands to cap off the trip - I've heard from many friends that the Islands are spectacular...

Thanks again guys!!



We loved the Trent Severn - the bottom end is a little flatter, and there are a lot of locks in a relatively short span - but the scenery is still pretty nice (I think looking at ANY scenery from a boat is great!). People were friendy everywhere, and lots to do and see. In terms of places to eat and stay, there's lots - many small towns and villages along the way, most with B&B's and motels. And of course there's quite a few resorts dotting the whole route. The trick would be to book places in advance if you're planning to go in July or August.

When we went last year it took six days, and we overnighted in 1) Trenton (start), 2) Campbellford, 3) Hastings, 4) Youngs Point, 5) Bobcaygeon, 6) Orillia, then home to our cottage on Georgian Bay. Great stays each night - frankly, I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!

Cheers

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2005 Sundowner
2008 Highlander V6

Thanks Wintermute & Swansea for the info. that article pretty much lays out a trip for me!

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Here's my recommendation ...
Put in at Gananoque Municipal Marina. They have a nice ramp day and overnight slips and ample parking (fee) for your truck and trailer. Get a taste and feel of the islands as you head out toward Cornwall for your first night. This way you will have some anticipation of what you will be returning to 7-10 days later!

BTW, the locks on the ST. Lawrence are made for lake freighters so be prepared to feel like pea in a bath tub!

_________________
Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive