Rideau Canal

[jprohan]

After last year's Erie Canal cruise; we are considering a Rideau Canal trip this year. From the website, I am having a hard time figuring out if you must buy a cruising permit AND a mooring permit; or if the cruising permit allows you to moor overnight at the locks. Has anyone had experience in this area?

[jleonard]

We did that cruise 2 years ago.
The canal pass allows you to transit the system.
The mooring pass allows you to stay for "free (you really just pre pay).
However I think it works out if you stay 10 or 11 nights the mooring pass pays for itself. The rates are on the canal site you can do the math.
We took our time and stayed something like 25 nights.
A tip on Kingston...the big marina doesn't answer the phone they only take e mail reservations.
Anything welse you want to know shoot me an e mail
leonaj99 at yahoo dot com

[Chester B]

Slightly off topic: we are planning on doing the loop starting this spring and are looking for charts for north of the Chesapeake including the Rideau, great lakes, Mississippi and TennTom. Any suggestions where to start?

[jleonard]

If you are looking for used charts, ask around on the various forums.
Here's one.
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/

There is also a "great loop list" and a "trawlers and trawlering" list.
Also MTOA

I got used charts via a heads up thru a friend who was on the Defever group.

Depending on how you get there, you have some choices.

Also, I got Canadian and Great Lakes cards for my old Garmin plotter. I did some internet hunting and found both pretty reasonably priced, not thru a marine supply store I might add. The data was dead on accurate except for 2 strange small areas that were blacked out for some reason. The friend I was travelling with who had Navionics (I think) had one of the same areas blocked out and a one different one.

Bottom line you can get get away with just electronic charts if necessary. Back them up with something on your smartphone and you'd be covered IMO.

[jprohan]

I had a similar situation on the Erie Canal: 2 areas blocked out. Still showed my boat "moving" right along; but no waterway. I was later told the reason: they drain parts of the canal during the winter, for maintenance, and can't show a "waterway" that doesn't have water 100% of the time. Does that make sense?

[jleonard]

I had a similar situation on the Erie Canal: 2 areas blocked out. Still showed my boat "moving" right along; but no waterway. I was later told the reason: they drain parts of the canal during the winter, for maintenance, and can't show a "waterway" that doesn't have water 100% of the time. Does that make sense?

No not really but sounds typically "illogical".
The only place on the Erie I can remember being off is when I was in the dug section above Rome. It showed the boat 50 to 100 feet out of the canal (to the N). But it showed the canal. That didn't really bother me.

There were places in the Trent waterway system and the inside passage to the North Channel that were blocked. Not a huge deal just a little freaky up there because it's all ledge. I had paper charts and there was also the marked channel.

[johnmurray]

To transit the Rideau Canal you need a lockage permit, but you don't need a mooring permit unless you want to tie up overnight at a lock station.
Facilities at lock stations are limited. There are no reservations and available spaces can fill up quickly during busy periods. There are washrooms, but no showers. Most, but not all have power. Ice is the only thing that can be purchased other than permits.There is no security and the dock walls are open to the public. On the plus side all lock stations are well kept parkland. Some lock stations, like Merrickville and Smiths Falls, are in the middle of historic towns with restaurants, shopping, etc. within easy walking distance. Others are quite isolated.
As an alternative to lock stations there are many good anchorages throughout the system and quite a few commercial marinas with all the usual facilities. If you don't want to purchase a mooring permit to cover your whole trip you can purchase a single overnight permit at whatever lock station you want to stay at, provided there is space.
You might do the whole "loop", that is Kingston to Ottawa to Montreal and back to Kingston via the St. Lawrence River waterway. The Rideau Canal covers Kingston to Ottawa, then it is the Ottawa River to Montreal. There are only two locks and fewer boater's facilities on the Ottawa River section although there are many facilities as you get closer to Montreal.
I have done all parts of the loop many times and would be happy to answer any specific questions if you PM me.

[djblackwood]

If you decide to pay mooring fees by the night rather than buy a season's pass, save your permits and receipts. Apparently when you get 10, or whatever number is equivalent in price, you can then trade them in for a season's pass at that time. Until March 31, seasonal transit and mooring passes can be purchased online at a 10% discount from Parks Canada. These are good for all Parks Canada canals (Rideau, Trent-Severn, Chambly, etc.) as well as at The Thousand Island National Park island docks and moorings.