July 30 – Ottawa Downtown
45.4231961,-75.6889863

Catherine (aka “The Admiral”) arrives today. She took the train from London to cut down on the driving.

I started the morning at Black Rapids locks so I had 3 sets of locks and a lift bridge to get through before I could reach downtown.

I had 30 minute delays at Black Rapids & at Hog’s Back locks and then about an hour’s delay at Hartwell locks so my cushion of time was evaporating. While I was waiting my turn at Hartwell a beautifully restored cruiser passed by me. Nice to see someone take so much care to preserve a classic.

After going through the locks I headed over to Dow’s Lake Pavilion to get my fresh water tanks filled & to pump out the waste holding tank. Catherine & I were trading text messages. Her train was arriving about 1 hour late so that delay actually worked in our favour.

After servicing the boat I headed towards downtown.

My goal was to secure a dock space on the canal close to the National Arts Center, Chateau Laurier Hotel & the Parliament Buildings.

I was in luck, there was one space left at the end of the row. I just got nicely tied up when Catherine called to tell me that she had arrived in Ottawa & just stepped off the train. Unfortunately I could barely hear her because of all the noise from the jackhammers & concrete cutting saws working on the government building directly across the street from where I was tied up. Now I understand why this space was not taken! Anyway, I was here & Catherine was arriving in a few minutes. Surely the construction workers would stop at 5:00pm. Not so! This racket continued until almost 10:00pm! Here’s a “taste” of the fun for you to enjoy! I took this “sound” video from Santosha’s deck.

https://youtu.be/USue2rvyWn0

What a romantic reunion Catherine & I had. We had to shout at each other to be heard – but at least they were words of love – I MISSED YOU TOO, HONEY 🙂

We decided to tough it out at this spot & move to a quieter place tomorrow. In the meantime we went for a walk through the downtown/Byward Market area in search of some peace & quiet & some earplugs!

Photo above: the 8 step locks leading from the Rideau Canal down to the Ottawa River – a total drop of 76 feet.

Cheers!

July 29 – Black Rapids
45°19′6″ N 75°42′20″ W

Today was a “chore” day for me. Catherine is arriving by train tomorrow afternoon (July 30) so I thought I would get some tasks done that are time consuming & a bit messy. It is also easier to do if I have shore power so I can vacuum, defrost the refrigerator, etc.

First on the list was to change the engine oil. This is a messy job that takes about 2 hours & involves lots of crawling in & out of the engine compartment. The engine also takes 4 jugs (almost 16 liters) of oil so at about $35.00 a jug, plus the oil filter, it’s costly too!

Next on the list was to defrost the refrigerator. After all the activity involved for the oil change, defrosting the refrigerator was a breeze.

With those jobs ticked off the list it was time for a big G&T & a nap. My friend David brought a bottle of “Top Shelf” gin with him last week. It is made nearby in Perth, Ontario & it’s pretty darn good! I think I will have to consume 2 or 3 more bottles of this stuff to confirm the distiller’s consistency.

By the time I finished my drink & had a good nap it was nearly supper hour so “tools down” & fix another G&T to enjoy while planning supper. The rest of the chores can wait for another day. (note to self, add limes & tonic water to the shopping list).

Cheers!

July 28 – Black Rapids
45°19′6″ N 75°42′20″ W

Ren & I had a quiet stay at Hartwell Locks. There were scattered showers overnight but it was cool enough outside to make the boat comfortable for sleeping.

This was my second night at Hartwell so it was time to move on. Ren travelled with me to Black Rapids locks & then took an Uber ride to fetch his car from the parking lot at Hartwell.

It was a short journey up river to Black Rapids – only 5 NM, but we had 2 sets of locks to pass through so that added to our travel time.

Ren handled the bow lines in the locks & I took care of the stern. He was dressed smartly for crewing on Santosha.

After we passed through the double locks at Hog’s Back Ren took a short turn at the helm.

After we arrived at Black Rapids I arranged for an Uber ride for him to retrieve his car. While Ren was gone an interesting boat came to the lock.

It was a former tender for one of Canada’s navy ships – HMCS Athabaskan & after “retirement”, the tender named “Howard” was given to a local branch of the Sea Cadets for use as a training vessel.

The adults in charge & all of the young cadets on board were having a great time. Wish I could spend an afternoon with them sometime.

Ren had a commitment back in Cornwall later in the afternoon so we had a quick lunch & then he was on his way home. Hopefully we can catch up with each other again before Santosha is hauled out for the winter.

Just as Ren was leaving Wayne came to pick me up to go to see the Ottawa Fury Football Club play the visiting team from Louisville. This was the first time that I had been to a professional soccer league game. Unfortunately, Ottawa lost 3-0 but it was still a lot of fun.

After the game was over I went back to Wayne’s house & had dinner with he & Cindy. They are spoiling me with good company, good food & comfy (air conditioned) surroundings!

Back to reality tomorrow.

Cheers!

July 27 – Best Man Reunion
Hartwell Locks – 45°22′60″ N 75°42′3″ W

I stayed overnight (July 26) at Hartwell locks after the MacKinnon meeting mini reunion. The next morning my good friend Ren Arbuthnot came for an overnight visit.

Ren & I have known each other since the mid 1970’s when we worked together at the wastewater treatment plant in Cornwall. Ren was a great friend and mentor to me while I worked there & we have stayed in touch over the years. Ren was my “Best Man” when I married Catherine in 1991.

I usually manage to see Ren a couple of times a year when I’m en route to visit my sister Jane in New Brunswick.

This time Ren had the opportunity to spend some time with me aboard Santosha. It was great to catch up on what’s going on with our lives & to reminisce about “the old days”.

We cooked chicken on the BBQ & fresh corn & strawberries that Ren had brought with him.

Shortly after supper the heavens opened up & it poured rain heavily for about 45 minutes. The sky cleared off just as the sun was setting.

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…

Tomorrow Ren will make a short trip with me to reposition Santosha to Black Rapids.

Cheers!

July 26 – MacKinnon Reunion
Hartwell Locks – 45°22′60″ N 75°42′3″ W

I left Long Island Locks around 8:00am & headed towards Hartwell Locks – with a short stop at Black Rapids.

My cousins Heather (& husband Evan) and Brian (& wife Patsy) from Maxville were coming to spend some time with me today – so we were having a mini family reunion!

The last time we were all together on my boat was in 2010 on Ananda on the St. Lawrence River near Upper Canada Village.

We met up at Black Rapids Lock, went for lunch at a nearby restaurant & then returned to Santosha for a little cruise on the Rideau River towards downtown Ottawa.

Photo below: the gang at the end of our mini cruise – tied up at Hartwell

It was nice to have some sun & blue sky after all the rain we had over the previous 3 days.

Our mini cruise took us through the locks at Black Rapids, Hog’s Back & Hartwell. Evan & Brian were quick studies & handled the lines in the locks like they had been doing it for years!

Photo below: Brian on the bow line while locking up at Hartwell

We went through Dow’s Lake & headed towards downtown.

Photo below: approaching a new pedestrian bridge under construction across the canal

Unfortunately we ran out of time & had to turn around at the Pretoria Bridge because it stops swinging between 3:30 & 5:30 each day to avoid delays for car commuters crossing the bridge during rush hour.

Photo below: Brian & Patsy exchange waves with a tourist barge on the canal

We had a great time catching up with each other but we really have to make a point of getting together more often than once every 8 years.

Photo below: Heather & Evan relaxing on the flybridge

Cheers!