Day 1 of Rideau Canal- Ottawa to Burritts Rapids, Ontario

When Ben woke up,  he pulled the anchor, then moved to the lock dock and we tied up to wait. I got a workout in and breakfast for everyone before the locks opened. We were accompanied by Nauti Dog who are at the tail end of their journey. They will cross their wake in Michigan to complete their loop. 

Locks 1-8 were back to back to back, like stairsteps, and took about 90 minutes start to finish. The lockmasters were very helpful and friendly and took us through all 8 locks. These locks are right outside of Château Laurier, which we continually referred to as Hogwarts. Each lock brought more people with their cameras to watch and video us as we locked through. By the time we got to lock 8, we looked at the bridge above us and saw a massive crowd watching us. They broke out in applause when the gates opened and we moved through. 

A little way down the river after lock 8, Nauti Dog went to a marina. Just after they turned, there were 2 more locks at Hartwells, so we started these as a solo boat. Being solo in a lock makes me way less anxious because with all of the water movement, I don't have to worry about hitting another boat- even though Ben is somehow a master at this and has all things under control. Other lock stations were in Hogs Back (2), Black Rapids (1), and Long Island (3). We made it through Rideau Canal Lock #17 in Burritts Rapids before stopping and tying up for the night on their wall. Today was the day we made it through the most locks in one day so far- 17! Trip total: 43 locks.