Up The Rideau Canal

My day began about 1a when a strange noise woke me... Walter was awake also and said it was rain! Oh! Dear!   I had hung all my newly washed clothes up on the bridge. Our bridge bimini leaks pretty  bad in a hard rain and this was a down pour. I was glad the marina was not well lit as I went up on the bridge in my Pjs to rescue what I thought I was wearing today..... do you think hanging the clothes there tacky?  Me, too until I saw a lady on a million dollar yacht in Norfolk doing this!   I did go back to sleep.

It was over cast but not yet raining when we moved out of our slip and began going up the canal. Then the rain started and it stayed with us almost all the way to the first lock. This was not a hard rain but annoying as we had to keep wiping the isinglass to see to pilot the boat. We had pulled into last night's marina with two other looper boats... one from New Zealand! They have a home on the coast in NC and one in New Zealand... they said they have only summers in their lives now... it is winter now down under. Also there were our newest friends from Q's Cabin (name of their boat). When we left we thought we saw them still on the dock and we figured they just didn't want to travel in the rain.

Here is the first lock... seemed small but there was FOUR other boats that would be put into this lock!  

 We were the biggest boat so they wanted us in first and tied tight before the other boats entered. At some locks we had to pull up to the blue line and wait for locking... this usually means another boat is locking down.... going other way.  But look at what I would have had to get a line on from the bow at two of the waiting areas we were at today!  It is NOT a cleat with two horns but a thin metal plate with a hole!??

I didn't have to worry about this situation because Walter is getting really good with the boat and has found he can line the boat up, idle the engines & have it nearly stopped, then throw off the stern line and jump off the boat onto the dock, tie up the stern and run and grab my bow line.  Amazing Captain!!...  is it no wonder the man has lost weight on this trip?!

At this first lock there was swing bridge just following it that is operated  by hand just like it was nearly 200 years ago.  The man opening it had a long lever and he walked around and around (dizzy?) in the middle of the bridge until it was fully opened for us.

Here is picture of 5 boats in a small lock today (one boat unseen behind us) and above the lock is another opened swing bridge... only this one is a push bridge... a lot of strong young people this summer working the locks!

Watching over one of the locks was either a young bald eagle or a hawk.

Look at what the sun is doing to my hair!

 

At the last three locks the wind picked up which is always a problem for us because it pushes on the isinglass which is just like wind blowing on sails. We were the largest boat at all locks and therefore they put us in first and made sure we were held tight before the other smaller boats entered the locks. At every lock but one they asked me to throw my line to them... in other words I didn't have to use my extended boat hook to grab a line. They just took my line and wrapped it for me around the cable.. how nice!  But then I had to hold tight and so did Walter as we were afraid the wind would push us on top of the smaller boats. Here are some of the great lock guys.

At a previous lock we were told that they always call them if the city dock at Mericksville is full and no call had come so we were really disappointed that there was not room and the only thing to do was to go across the canal to the marina there... the current is just too strong here to anchor out. Here is the photo Walter took of the current and even some rapids just outside our marina tonight.

 

We walked to town to find a place for dinner and to buy some milk. We certainly were very surprised to find out who was filling up the city dock space! It was our looper friends from last night's marina! Too funny......

We ate at Dicken's House.... the waitress gave each of us a copy of one of his books and inside was the menu. This is what our table looked like... an old treadle sewing machine and the treadle part still worked!

We think we will be pushing on tomorrow without stopping to see museums here... I had printed up a long list of a walking tour here... lots of old houses ….. we have seen so many already... seems there is more to see of interest in Smith Falls.. another stop along the Rideau Canal. We have concluded that we just can't see everything! Hope you will follow us another day to see what happens to the old folks....