Wednesday August 14, 2024 Merrickville to Smiths Falls 13 miles and 5 hours
Smiths Falls is a larger town with all the essential provisioning stops strategically located at about the mid-point of the Rideau. It is also the home of Le Boat which is a canal boat chartering company. That makes this lock station and the town very popular but also crowded. Hoping to get a spot, we cast off from Merrickville at 7:30 and travel the short distance to the Kilmarnock Lock and wait on the blue line for the 9 AM first lockage. We're soon joined by 2 more boats who lock all the way to Smiths Falls with us. Kilmarnock lock, Edmunds lock, the double locks at Old Slys and then the new lock at Smiths Falls.
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| Plenty of wildlife along the way - swans, geese, ducks, etc. |
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| Campers raise their oars and give an Indian war hoop as we pass them headed to Smiths Falls |
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| The new bridge and "modern" lock into Smiths Falls |
Smiths Falls originally had a flight of 3 locks (28,29 and 30) and a swing bridge. By the 70's the swing bridge was no longer viable as the area grew. Decision was made to replace the flight with one modern lock (29A) back in 1974 going up 26'. This allowed for a wider more modern fixed bridge, plus alleviated the congestion caused on the Rideau by the flight locks. The original 3 historic locks still remain and are visible as part of the Parks Canada lock site. We are lucky again and get the prime spot on the lock wall that allows us to get power from the nearby marina wall. No dockage fees - just $15/ night for 30 amp power. Our buddy boats line up on the wall behind us. We are set for 2 nights providing time to explore the town, try out a few restaurants and do several provisioning runs.
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The restored Hotel Rideau built in 1901 in the center of downtown.
Unfortunately, most shopping is now on the other side of the canal in the commercial area. |
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Colorful plantings line Main St. but the buildings need attention and tenants.
Hersheys had a factory here that closed and hurt the local economy. |
I hit up Walmart and lug back two 2-1/2 gallon jugs of oil. Oil changes are coming up soon! Then another trip to the grocery store - fresh fruits and veggies, breads, meats, soda, etc. And a final 3rd trip to the liquor store - we are unacceptably out of red wine. It's a productive stop but a bit too busy and commercial. Surprisingly, still no internet available. We're ready to get moving back into the more natural and quiet areas.
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| Journey for August 14, 2024 |
Friday August 16, 2024. Smiths Falls to Poonamalie 2.5 miles and 1.3 hours
We start the day with 2 options - lock wall or anchorage. We had read that the Poonamalie lock is very quiet and peaceful set all by itself in the woods just a short distance outside Smiths Falls. But it gets busy, and the lock walls get crowded early. We missed the first opening at Smiths Falls lock 31 just outside the basin but get lined up with several cruisers for the second passage. When we arrive at Poonamalie it did indeed look tranquil. Decide upon entering the lock that if there is room at the top we'll stay. Lockmaster tells us the grey line on the port side all the way forward is available. Perfect! They even have power. We are tied up before 11AM and spend the day watching a parade of Le Boats headed back to Smiths Falls after their week-long charter and new clients headed through the lock and out into the open waters of the lake region to the south. The lockmaster has all available space on both the grey and blue lines filled above and below the lock by the end of the day. Got to give credit to the locking staff here. They get a good workout with the non-stop boat traffic all day.
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| Looking back at the activity on Poonamalie lock from our spot on the grey line |
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The lockmasters house was originally a one-story defensible block house.
After the canal lost its military value a second story was added for housing the
lockmaster and his family. A retired lockmaster still lives there today. |
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| Journey for August 16, 2024 |
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