Four Winds Sesquicentennial Ottawa Brigades: Up Jones Falls Locks PART 2

We met the intrepid paddlers, of the South Wind Brigade, on Saturday, June 24th, full post and background here.

The lockmaster!

Four Winds Sesquicentennial Ottawa Brigades PART 1 –arriving @Jones Falls
South Wind Brigades videos
South Wind Brigades PART 2 – going up @Jones Falls locks 42 => 39.
South Wind Brigade PART 3 –departing Jones Falls
Tour of Jones Falls Museums
South Wind Brigade PART 4 – @Chaffeys Lock
Rideau Ferry: more paddlers Kingston -Ottawa
South Wind Brigade PART 5 – @Rideau Ferry

June 25th

Finally, they docked, and the locks took an hour to get them from locks 42 - 39, a rise of 18m (60').
They begin numbering the locks in Ottawa, with the Kingston locks (from whence they came) being number 49.
Jones Falls locks were completed in 1832. It has several of the old buildings, as well as a couple of museums, showing the lock masters house, his diary, from back in the day (photos here!).

We visited Jones Falls in the spring. Hubby called it Jones Pipes, since the water is all disappearing into the pipes leading to the hydro plant.
It looks quite different in summer, with leaves.

Anyway, the locks. This is their journey.

 We walked up to the upper locks three times on Saturday, and twice on Sunday (Sunday, June 24th photos to follow)! I can tell you it was a good workout NOT hauling gear, these people have energy. Most of them are above age 50, if not 60. A cheerful bunch. We the silver tsunami that will drain healthcare? NOT.

Here they are, freshly arrived, waiting to go up the locks.

They started through around 5:00 p.m, and made it to the top about an hour later. This is after travelling 36 km that day.


There were some late arrivals, only 10 of the 13 canoes went through the locks. They decided to portage up to the top, rather than waiting for the morning.


Some booked rooms in Hotel Kenney. Others had to put up their tents for the night. The previous night it poured rain, and many had to dry out their tents!