Departing Ottawa for Kingston

Dow’s Lake in Ottawa

This morning we left the dock in downtown Ottawa at 10:30 am and started our journey down the Rideau Canal towards Kingston. The stay in Ottawa was fantastic and Swabbie had a chance to see our nation's capital first hand. We also had the chance to visit friends and meet new ones as well. The only disappointment was they canceled the fireworks show and that had been something we were looking forward to viewing. But in the end we had a great visit. Our cruise was a slow meandering route that had us passing the Carlton University, Dow's Lake and many spectacular homes along the canal.

As we passed through a set of locks we were attacked by a large pirate ship and they attempted to take us hostage but the Captain and Swabbie protected our ship and crew.

Along the way we came upon an abandoned ship stuck in the weeds and we were tempted to rescue it, do some reconstruction and paint it red so we could have our own Red Freighter but common sense prevailed and we opted to pass up that opportunity.

We passed by many kayakers, seadoo'ers, paddleboarders, small fishing boats water skiers on our route which made it difficult to gain any speed however, the Captain was careful as he boated through them.

AT 1 pm we pulled into Hurst Marina as we were running low on our potable water and it was time again to pump out our waste holding tanks. The staff at the marina took care of our request and we waited patiently on the dock as they worked away but then it hit us. The smell was putrid and overwhelming. It was so bad that we had to cover our nose and mouth to prevent gagging. They must of had a defective vent filter on their waste tank because it smelled so bad, and we were glad when they finished.

We arrived at Burrett’s Rapids (Lock 17) around 6 pm and were lifted to the upper part of the locks And tied up on the dock, along with 11 other boats for the evening. Most boaters are heading in the same direction as we are so tomorrow might be a busy day as we lock through on our way to Smith Falls. Burrett’s Rapids was once an exciting stop with a laundromat, grocery store and restaurant all within walking distance of the locks but after COVID-19 they are all closed and gone. This lock remains a very quaint and quiet spot but it is a shame that life has changed in so many places following the pandemic.

Tomorrow morning we head to Smith Falls where we will stop, find adventure and maybe do some laundry. For now we are resting for the night.

The Hallman Experience: That smell was Nasty

Solution: Stand down wind when your holding tanks are being pumped out!

Good night all…..