Dot's Way Cruising Cat: Hawkesbury, Ontario to Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada

We walked to our best breakfast in Hawkesbury at Carole's Restaurant before heading back to the marina and leaving the dock to get fuel and a pump out before heading down Ottawa River to Carillon Lock. This was our first lock where the lock tender was on the VHF radio shouting directions in French to the boats on the blue line. He would switch to English but next time would again speak French first. We were brought in the lock as the second boat to tie up to the floating dock on the lock wall to drop 65 feet down. We gently dropped 65 feet down before escaping the lock but it was the smoothest ride. We continue down the Ottawa River under the Trans-Canada Highway bridge to Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue Lock. We were brought into the lock behind two pontoon boats which rafted together and were tied to the floating dock against the lock wall. The lock tenders handled the lines and then moved a huge motor yacht behind us and a small skiff rafted to the two pontoon boats. This time we only dropped three feet and came out of the lock to the town promenade low wall on the left and the high park side wall on the right where we tied up for the night. We enjoyed the cool breeze, the shade and the entertainment of watching the boas and ended up eating dinner on board high atop the flybridge.

Approaching Carrilion Lock

We dropped 65 feet in the lock tied to floating dock

Looking back as we came out

Historic lock buildings

Along the Ottawa River heading to next lock

Shoal marker

House with dock pool

Navigating through river traffic

Glorious church spires

Construction on Trans-Canada Highway bridge

Approaching Saine-Anne-de-Bellevue Lock

Boats rafted in front of us

On Tuesday morning we walked the promenade and ended up walking up the pedestrian bridge and over the old canals to the next town of L'LLe Parrot and the L'Oeufrier Restaurant for breakfast. It was the best avocado toast and fruit breakfast along with huge omelet for Glenn. We walked back by the boat and then continued on our hike picking up the bike path out to Morgan Arboretum. It was a spectacular ten mile walk round trip although we met some dog walkers who gave us bug spray and recommended staying on the road instead of the buggy, muddy path through the woods. We came back and enjoyed a chocolate ice cream cone on the promenade and watched as the dock walls filled up with boats including a River Cruise Boat coming by the St. Lawrence Seaway from Kingston. Tomorrow we have reservations for the two federal locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway past Montreal.