JOURNEY #12 - July 10, 2002

Rideau River (Mooney's Bay): "Warm Breezes"

We were here about 10 months ago, but not with our new kayaks, so it was a good chance to see if we could notice a difference. The conditions were somewhat similar, as there is almost always a strong wind coming from the north. We got into the water around 7:00pm using the old concrete dock at the abandoned marina. We are both getting better at getting into our yaks without a nice grassy or sandy launch.

As we set out, the bay was pretty busy, all with paddlecraft, mostly from the canoe club on the other side. Once we got past the bay, it was very quiet. We did not see any powerboats at all, and aside from the bay, we saw only two paddlers. Both had beautiful wooden crafts, one was a very slim kayak and the other a racing canoe.

We didn't see any blue herons this trip, just hundreds of ducks. This was more of a workout than a sightseeing tour, and we went at it pretty good. Last time we didn't go much past the railroad bridge, this time we went right up to the Hunt Club bridge. As with last time, when we turned around we found a pretty stiff wind in our faces, although not quite as bad.

We blasted our way back, passing a couple of newbie kayakers in the bay. During the entire second half of the trip there was a wonderful warm breeze. It was actually a pretty chilly night, but the warm water was mixing with the cold air to produce a very nice effect in the few feet just over the river. We got back to marina around 8:30, so we knew that we had really put our backs into it after turning around, given we were going right into the wind.

This is a great little workout for the end of a workday. To get to the marina launch, you just turn onto Hog's Back from Riverside or form Prince of Wales. The marina entrance is opposite the entrance to the Hog's Back Falls. Parking was free, and you can pull right up to the ramp. There is also a dock in good condition.