Loop Life with Greg and Reenie: OTTAWA to BURRITTS RAPIDS

Tuesday morning we departed OTTAWA at 9:30 am. The weather was sunny and a warm 78 degrees. We spent the day traveling up the Rideau Canal, clearing seven locks and two bridges. The speed limit is 10 kilometers or 6 miles per hour....with many added No Wake Zones, so we were in no hurry. The Canal is dotted with homes and farms, with all types of people and boats enjoying the beautiful day.

The Rideau Canal connects the city of OTTAWA, Ontario on the Ottawa River with the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. It is 202 kilometers (125 miles) in length and has 47 locks. The name Rideau is French for "curtain" it is derived from the curtain-like appearance of the Rideau Rivers twin falls where they join the Ottawa River. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States. Today the canal is primarily used for pleasure boating. The locks typically open in mid May and close in mid October....but we have learned that can change because it's all - WeatherDependent

We arrived to BURRITTS RAPIDS at 5 pm. We are staying on the mooring wall below the lock tonight and will clear lock 17 Wednesday morning. This location is very rural (no town), so we are having a BBQ on the mooring wall tonight and enjoying the sunset. There is a small restaurant at the lock that caters to locals and boaters. They have a shower in the restaurant that costs two "loonies" ( Canadian one dollar coin) for a four minute hot shower....priceless after conserving water for five days in OTTAWA :)

Looper Tip: We like the mooring wall below the lock with picnic tables on the floating dock. The Lock 17 Restaurant has free wifi available.