Grand Tour of the Rideau
Peter Bursztyn
Barrie Rowing Club
Taken from Aviron Canada Rowing, October/November 1997
On the evening of September 2, we learned that two touring quads only just squeezed onto the Don Rowing Club's truck rack - if one boat faces forward and the other is reversed. Handy to know for the next time to save an hour or two of juggling.
The following evening the Ottawa Rowing Club treated us to a fine BBQ. There we met the 15 Germans from the Crefeld Rowing Club who were joining the 5 Canadians on this trip. From the ORC balcony overlooking the Ottawa River, a quirk of geography lets you watch the sun set over Quebec. That night we Canucks settled down to a very short night bedded down on sundry sofas at the ORC - short because rowers have on odd habit of rising before dawn.
Thursday September 4 was bright, sunny, but a bracing 6°C morning. We deposited four boats on a grassy bank of the Rideau Canal just above the first flight of 8 locks. Three boats were traditionally long (11m) and narrow (0.75m) German touring gigs rigged for sculling. These were imported into Canada several years ago. The fourth was a broad-beamed, sweep-oared four built 3 years ago by Scott Withers of the Durham R.C. By the time we rigged, launched, loaded and adjusted the boats, it was noon.
Our first lock was just past Dow's Lake. for some of us, it was very much a "first lock". Several of us had never been in one before, and found it quite claustrophobic with dark, steep-sided walls towering above us. Then someone flushed the toilet, water seethed under the upstream lock gate and we gently rose into the sun again.
On that first day from Ottawa to Manotick we negotiated 8 locks. As these take 15-20 minutes each it was clear that we would spend over 10 hours in locks, or 20-25% of our total rowing time. Still, locks are far less effort than portaging.
The boats ashore at Manotick, our German companions announced they had tickets to "Showboat" and must hurry back to Ottawa. We elected to eat, relax and rehydrate in Kell's Welcome. Inside were several Crefelders who had sent the women on to primp for the show. We later learned that some of these chaps put beer high on their list of priorities. As we shared plates of "suicide wings", and hot nachos washed down with fine ale, the bar TV suddenly showed us launching our boats in Ottawa.
Friday morning was another late start. Someone must have spiked our beer... Not long after, the two lead boats vanished. We would never have found them but a friendly onlooker guided us into a marina - where a small sign advertised "The Swan of the Rideau Pub". Sure enough, the garden was full of Crefelders wiping foam from their happy faces when we and the last boat arrived. "Wunderbar" one cried approvingly. I replied, "No, English Bar". Clearly, 52 years after VE Day, no hard feelings remain.
By now we began to understand the true nature of German touring. The object was not to eat miles, but to enjoy what the countryside has to offer. This is not to suggest that our German companions were lazy. Far from it. Despite an average age in the mid-50's and portly figures, these guys could row. Although far from a racing pace, after the 2nd or 3rd hour you began to appreciate their strength and endurance. And they didn't only halt for beer. Scenery, wildlife and swimming beaches also merited a stop. The Crefelders often rowed with a pause-2 drill cadence. Recovery was briefly interrupted with arms outstretched and straight legs. Initially, we thought it was inefficient, but later we saw its usefulness. The pause helped the crew maintain rhythm whenever rough water threatened to disrupt it. The pause also saved energy by giving more time to run between strokes. Even if it accomplished nothing, this cadence looks crisply elegant to the onlooker. We often adopted it.
In a racing boat, the cox is in charge. A touring boat is much more relaxed. So relaxed that Peter Okens (temporary cox) complained, "In this boat, the cox is for entertainment only!" We then gave him an oar because he couldn't sing.
We arrived at Merrickville at 4:15 - too late to climb the 3 locks before the Civil Service's 4:30 quitting time. This was a useful lesson. A triple lock effectively closes at 3:30. Merrickville is a very pretty town whose 19th century style has been preserved in its stone buildings, painted wooden signs, and military blockhouses. That evening we celebrated Ernst Peters' 60th birthday in the bar of the Sam Jakes Inn.
The following day (Sunday) we battled a stiff headwind over a broad stretch of the Rideau. We arrived at Smith Falls Combined Lock (an intimidating lift of 8 meters) late and had to stop at Poonamalie instead of Rideau Ferry. The headwind plus ten locks made for a long hard day. On the other hand, we had been treated to the sight of several osprey cruising the thermals. The Germans called them "sea eagles".
Monday was a lock-free day on the Rideau Lakes. We had worried that rough weather could make this part of the journey difficult, but the skies were clear and we enjoyed a brisk tailwind which helped us to cover 30 km without fatigue. Just past Rideau Ferry on Big Rideau Lake a kayak paddled out to meet us. He introduced himself as Peter Patasi, a former Olympic paddler (K-4, 1976) who now makes carbon fiber paddles for competition. He accompanied us for several kilometers. chatting while cruising effortlessly with elegant balance, power and control.
Upper Rideau lake was created 150 years ago by a building causway at The Narrows. This raised the western portion of Big Rideau Lake by 0.9 meters, saving a great deal of hard rock excavation on the short canal at Newboro. Throughout the trip we saw loons, but on Upper Rideau Lake we saw rafts of these birds congregating together, perhaps making plans for their annual migration to kinder climes.
Upon entering a series of lovely stony lakes, we encountered the only three boaters who did not respect our low freeboard. One young man sped by very fast in a narrow channel, apparently to impress his girlfriend. A fisherman hurried down that same channel to find that elusive bass. A huge "Gin Palace" neither slowed nor attempted to avoid us, despite having an entire lake to play in. His wake dumped at leat 20 litres of water in our boat. Drying my 40 year-old Leica, I cursed them all.
Jones Falls is a particularly pretty site. A single lock leads to a basin followed by a flight of three locks. Hotel Kenny welcomes you at the foot of the final lock. Jones Falls themselves are dry because of the fine old stone Arch Dam. Three penstocks lead to a small hydroelectric power plant. The penstocks are wooden, made like barrels with metal straps to hold them together. The power station hums quietly. To a camper waking up on a black, quiet night this sounds like an alien spacecraft. On our last day we sighted a group of some 30 cormorants. Several were perched on low rocks drying out their wings. These birds were listed as endangered in the St. Lawrence Valley a few years ago. Clearly they have come back. On the final leg of our trip just below Kingston Mills we saw a large barn owl high in a pine tree.
Near the Kingston Rowing Club in the Cataraqui River estuary, the wind increased and veered towards our bows. At the same time the dark sky threatened rain. We had enjoyed decent weather on this trip, but nature did not want us to take her for granted. A few minutes after docking, a cold rain enthusiastically soaked us as we loaded the boats on the truck.
An hour later we enjoyed steaming showers in preparation for the Kingston Brewing Company. Conveniently across the road from our hotel, this fine establishment brews its own beer. By prior arrangment with the Brewmaster Roger Ecclestone, we treated our visitors to a beer made specially for them called "das Boot". The food was also excellent, and a fine time was had by all. Speeches were given, praise was lavished, gifts were bestowed and future hospitality was promised.
Discussing the boats, we agreed that the German gigs were faster through the water when the crew was feeling frisky. However, Scott Withers' boat had no trouble keeping up, and offered incredible stability. Crew could change from starboard to port, or swap with a cox, or tie up to a buoy and have lunch in the middle of the lake. You could even dance on board! For touring, that is a most valuable characteristic and our visitors were very impressed.
In the end, a small group of Canadians were shown what touring was all about. Our guests were able to experience sparkling clean waters devoid of heavy industry which lines many of their rivers. It was a wonderful trip. We are now contemplating where else we can do such a tour. We also wonder how to persuade more Canadians to try touring. In fact, if you are a serious racer, it is a great way to holiday and stay in shape.
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