The vessel is the whimsically named Chuckles, captained by Lance Jervis-Read. A British shipwright by trade, he bought the 1940 Maine lobster boat for $1,500 and spent eight years overhauling and refitting it for passenger service.
Captain Lance does a variety of day trips on a small part of the Rideau Canal, that historic and scenic engineering marvel that runs between Ottawa and Kingston.
The Rideau is well known to recreational boaters and paddlers but overlooked by much of the travelling public. That may change now that it's been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The term "canal" is a bit misleading. It's actually a 202-kilometre-long chain of lakes, rivers and canal cuts.
The project was undertaken because the British feared that the Americans, who they'd rebuffed during the War of 1812, would return.
Lieutenant Colonel John By -- Ottawa's Byward Market is named for him -- and an army of surveyors, engineers, diggers and blasters completed the massive job in less than six years.
From mid-June to early September, Chuckles cruises from Chaffey's Locks to Jones Falls and back. It's 90 minutes each way, and passengers have an hour ashore to explore Jones Falls Lockstation.
There are 47 locks at 23 stations. Three locks are electrically operated. The outcry over that change was such that the other 44 are still hand-cranked by Parks Canada staff.
Captain Lance explained how everything works. But passengers got a first-hand experience when Chuckles goes through the locks at Chaffey's and later at Davis Locks. In one we were joined by two live-aboard cruisers, a rental houseboat and two canoes.
In between we passed rocky, heavily forested shorelines and islands, million-dollar cottages belonging to captains of industry and high-powered politicians, sleek power boats and solitary anglers.
And families of loons, which weren't disturbed when we came alongside, thanks to Chuckles' electric motor.
At a place called The Quarters, the waterway is so narrow that we waited for oncoming vessels to come through, each skipper calling out how many more are still to come.
Chuckles docked above Jones Falls. Captain Lance handed out walking tour brochures and suggestions on what to see, including a blacksmith shop and a fortified house where one lockmaster lived for 42 years.
There's a turning basin and three sets of locks with the highest lift on the system, 27 to 30 feet above the normal.
A tourism contact who knows the Rideau well told me that if visitors have time for only one lockstation on the entire Rideau, this is it.
On the way back, Captain Lance offered biscuits and beverages and took a route closer to shore. He pointed out a huge osprey nest and said he'd seen the chicks just before they're inaugural flight. We spotted one of the parents perched on a dead tree.
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IF YOU GO
Rideau Boat Tours: www.rideauboattours.com, phone 613-272-0222.
Getting there: Chaffey's Locks is 65 km north of Kingston, off Highway 15.
Accommodations: We overnighted at The Lakehouse, a four-bedroom stone house on Clear Lake, just minutes from Chaffey's. It has a fully equipped kitchen, big living room and a sitting area running the width of the house. It rents for $1,500 per week or $230 per night and can accommodate up to eight persons. Children can also use the facilities at Green Valley Cottages and Trailer Park campground next door. Email Jan or Dave Burt at burtie@rideau.net or phone 613-359-5799 for more details.
Food/drink: The Cove, in Westport, and Stirling Lodge, in Newboro, were recommended. Both are on the water.
Tourism information: Visit www.rideauheritageroute.ca.
Doug English can be reached at denglishtravel@gmail.com or by mail c/o London Free Press, P.O.E. Box 2280, London, Ont. N6A 4G1.
