Hurst Marina

Hurst Marina: Well after the past week of "camping out" we have returned to civilization.   I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand I am very happy to be at a marina instead of a lock wall, and on the other I'm already missing the peace and quiet of a lock wall.  As we get closer to Ottawa I notice that there are more houses along the water (many appear new or very well kept), more boats and more activity in general.  I'm not sure I like it.

After leaving Burritts Rapids we stopped at Hurst Marina for one night.  The captain got his replacement roller for his anchor and after making some modifications to make it fit our boat, he installed it so the anchor is back to full operational mode.  Even as people rushing by in their boats could see the captain hanging over the front of the boat working on the anchor, they ignored the 'no wake' zone.  I can only hope that some day they are in a similar situation as much-needed pay back for their "courtesy".  I signaled to the 2 people in one such boat to please slow down and pointed to the captain hanging over the front of the boat, I got a wave and "the finger" back in response.  Yes, we are definitely finding our way back into civilization!

On the remote sections of the canal the water was so calm that 95% of the time I could almost forget we were in a boat - no rocking.  Today with the constant back-and-forth of boats mostly ignoring the no wake signs, I had to regain my "sea legs" as we were rocked repeatedly.  I can't believe that after a week on the Rideau Canal, I find myself having to once again get used to the feel of the motion of being on a boat. 

When we checked in to the marina for the night, the only thing I could think about was a shower - a real, free shower - no loonies or toonies required - just water with no time limit.  The captain made use of the swimming pool.  I curled up with a novel.  We both took full advantage of the showers.  Heaven!  After the anchor repairs and showers, we decided that we would use our bikes and go into town for a grocery store which a guy by the pool told us was about 8 km in distance.  After biking there and back with our goodies, we decided that he must have been referring to round trip.  The heat and the humidity has dropped so it was a lovely bike ride; if not for the exercise, I might actually have had to say it was cold.

After returning our bikes and goodies to the boat, we went to eat at the Swan on the Rideau pub / restaurant and had traditional pub food.  I had a Cornish Pasty and the captain selected Shepherd's Pie.  I was too full for dessert but the captain decided he wanted to try Bumbleberry Pie a la mode.  I had a spoonful - it was very berry and very good for sure!  When we got back to the boat, we quickly closed all windows to retain whatever residual heat remained in preparation for the cooler-than-the-past-week night ahead.  Blankets??  Guess so!

Our next stop is Ottawa.  With each day we get closer to seeing our son and his wife who are flying in from Utah to spend some time on the boat with us.  The trip from Hurst Marina to Ottawa (below the flight of 8) is a long day - give or take 8 hours depending on what it takes to get through the locks and bridges, etc as they close at certain times, sometimes long waits are required before locking through, ...  The captain said we have 15 locks for this next stretch and one guard gate.  Yes, indeed, it will be a very long day.