In Sept. and Oct 2007 we finally went boating again.
This time on the Canadian canals and waterways system
in the province of Ontario. We had super weather for
cruising. We did three, 5 day segments back-to-back,
covering 425 miles.
Ive tried not to bore you with a day by day journal,
but have concentrated on the engineering facts. The
photos Ive posted show a few of the more interesting
locks and lock mechanisms. And I have included a few
tourist photos for those not so keen on the
mechanical side of things.
Our vessel was hardly your standard nb - the Kawartha
Voyageur carries 45 passengers and a crew of 12.
The Kawartha has a hinged bow which is raised when
necessary to allow it into the shorter locks. During
cruising it is in the lowered position and provides a
seating area for the guests.
Boat specs: length - 121 ft (bow down) and 109 ft
(bow up) see pics
width - 22 feet
draft - 4 feet (when fully loaded)
First Segment - The Rideau Canal - Ottawa to Kingston
- 49 locks - 125 Miles
The Rideau Canal is a chain of beautiful lakes, rivers
and canal cuts winding through varying landscapes.
2007 marked the 175th anniversary of the canal.
Construction started in 1826, and the waterway
officially opened in 1832
All locks on the Rideau measure 134 feet in length,
are 33 feet wide and have an official limiting draft
of 5 feet. Average lift varies for Locks 1-8 at Ottawa
of 80 feet, to as small as 2 feet at Kilmarnock.
Lock gates are made of Douglas fir from BC. Most locks
have a push bar/crab opening mechanism. But a few
have been converted to electric/hydraulic
The beginning point of our trip was at Ottawa, 134
feet above sea level. The waterway rises to 408 at the
highest point, then down to end of 1st trip 244 feet
at Kingston.
The Rideau is twinned with the Caledonian Canal. Both
were constructed in the early 19th century, both
commercial highways and both survived as recreational
waterways.
Tour Rideau Canal at
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/Rideau/natcul/natcul2_E.asp#tour
Second and third Segments - St. Lawrence/1000
Islands/Trent-Severn waterway
First a circle cruise through part of the St. Lawrence
Seaway to see the large freighters in action and the
Thousand Islands with over 1,800 islands (1,1864 if
you want to be exact). All very scenic and a popular
boating holiday and summer cottage area.
Then on to the Trent-Severn Waterway . - 45 locks -
240 miles
Like the Rideau, the waterway is a combination of
lakes, rivers and man-made canal. There are 125 dams
to manage water levels for navigation.
There are 36 conventional locks, 2 sets of flight
locks, 2 hydraulic lift locks and a marine railway,and
33 miles of man-made canal. Lock-lift ranges from 4-49
feet
Locks vary in length from 120-154 feet, with the
majority being 32 feet wide.
First lock was built in 1833, but the full waterway
was not finished until 1920
The waterway begins at Trenton, 243 feet above sea
level, rising to high point 840 feet , then down to
end of our trip at 623 feet at Big Chute.
Of Note :
Peterborough Lift Lock - built in 1904, 26,000 cubic
yards of unreinforced poured concrete. Each chamber
holds 228,093 gallons of water. Lift 65 feet.
Kirkfield Lift lock - opened in 1907, 228, 093
gallons, lift 49 feet.
Bolsover Lock - deepest all-manual lock on the
waterway - 22 feet
Swift Rapids Lock - deepest conventional lock on the
waterway at 47 feet
Big Chute Marine Railway - built in 1917. A new larger
one was built in 1977. (The original is still used for
the overflow of small craft during the busy season.)
Conventional locks would have been cheaper to build
but the railway was chosen to prevent possible
migration of lamprey eels from Georgian Bay into the
Trent-Severn system.
The marine railway and one lock lower boats further
into Georgian Bay & Lake Huron. Our vessel was too
wide, too heavy and too long to use the railway.
However, we were given a working demonstration so we
could see how it all works
Tour Trent-Severn Waterway
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/index_e.asp
See photos at
www.flickr.com/photos/pouffe
Sorry about the order of photos - couldn't quickly
find out how to reorder them . so start at the bottom
and work up.
Cheers, Marie
Connect with friends from any web browser - no download required. Try the
new Yahoo! Canada Messenger for the Web BETA at
http://ca.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php
