After getting mellow in Montebello we gassed up and set out for the final leg home. Having done this portion of the trip we knew that the only real goal was to make sure we were in Ottawa by early afternoon to catch the locks up onto the Rideau Canal. The trip from Montebello to the edge of Ottawa is by far the tamest portion of the triangle, with many straight stretches, moderate traffic and, aside from dodging a few crossing ferries, no obstacles or locks. On this day we putted along with the stereo up loud and soaked it all in.
While not as exciting to sightsee as the 1000 islands, there are many nice homes to gawk at as you drive by. After a few hours on slow cruising speed you edge up to the outskirts of Ottawa. You will likely note a definite increase in traffic here as the day trippers and recreational boaters and fishers are out and about. You should also pay attention to your charts as the river is deceiving with depth at certain points.
On your way into Ottawa you pass several marina and boating clubs....mind the no wake zones as they are sometimes patrolled (and of course it's shitty to throw your wake in a no wake zone anyway). One marina you pass by is the Rockcliffe marina, which is a decent enough stop having overnighted there in the past. It also has a little restaurant and gas pumps.
Those are gold and silver metallic panels on that house boat. Roan would say it's a transformer house boat
Rockcliffe marina
We take for granted the sights of Ottawa since this our home base, but if you are doing the triangle, it is pretty cool to see the amazing buildings and architecture from the water. To get onto the Rideau you head right into the heart of it all, with great views of the Museum of Civilization (or whatever the government has decided to rename it to) and Parliament Hill.
I don't even know
Ottawa cottage
The "real" Rideau river
The perpetually under construction Parliament
Wider view of downtown
We got to the Ottawa locks in the early afternoon as planned and waited for our turn to ascent the 6 locks (there are 8, but 2 of them are doubled). We have done these locks several times and it's a totally different experience from anywhere else because you always have a huge tourist audience watching your every step. I have termed these locks the fishbowl for that reason.
Preparing to enter the fishbowl
You don't really want to fuck up here...embarrassing!
After about an hour we were through the last lock and on our way to home port. If you are visiting, the top of the locks is a great place to dock as there is power and access to downtown Ottawa including Parliament Hill, the Rideau Centre and the market. Once through the locks it's about a 20 minute putt to Dow's Lake. There is one bridge that you need to go under and radio if you cannot fit. Unfortunately if you are a bigger boat, the wait may be a while as this is a rush hour artery (one that I happen to take home when I'm smiling in my car driving in rush hour...said no one ever).
We docked at Dow's Lake in the early evening safe and sound, tired, lusting for land and content with our accomplishment of navigating the Upper Lower Canada Triangle (is this catching on yet?)
Final Thoughts.
If you are planning to do the trip keep in mind you have to pay for every lock. We bought a seasons pass since we can't go much anywhere in our boat without locking. You can pay for locks while you are in them via credit card or cash. The Seaway locks are not covered by Canal locks passes so bring cash for them.
Boating like this with a 5 year old is stressful, but looking back now I wouldn't change it for the world.
If you can get your hands on a Ports guide book do so as they are a wealth of information.
Make sure your GPS is loaded and have charts for everywhere as well (this is common sense I know).
Many non-marina stops on the Rideau Canal and the 1000 Islands have no power so plan accordingly.
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