Jenny & Danny's Great Loop Adventure on "The Other Woman"

Rideau Canal... The Rideau Canal was planned soon after the end of the War of 1812.  Following the end of the American Revolution, many British loyalists moved north into Canada.  The US Congress encouraged citizens to move westward to develop communities.  The British Navy would take Americans off ships and force them to fight in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe for Great Britain.  These continued tensions brought about the War of 1812.  Canada and Britain wanted protection from the United States following the end of the war.  It took a number of years to get started.  Colonel John By, a Royal Navy Engineer, oversaw the project from 1826 to its completion in 1832.  This would allow military supplies as well as products to move up and down Canada if war was to break out with the US.  The canal is 125 miles in length with 12 miles of man made canal cuts(think 6 foot ditch) and locks.  The locks and canals were placed to overcome the disrupted movement of water due to rocks and currents.  T

 The Saint Lawrence Seaway from Montreal                             and the Ottawa River to Ottawa... We left Montreal bright and early so we could be the first on the “blue line” at the St Lawrence Seaway Sainte Lambert Lock.  As we got to the blue line which tells the lock operators you want to go through, we saw a large commercial ship come out.       We had the 80 million dollar boat Viva La Vie from Switzerland in front of us and no commercial vehicle which is not uncommon.  Besides us, there were 10 other boats.  We tied to the wall which requires me to hold the bow line and Danny to hold the stern line.  Beach House rafted to us and had no problems.                       We were all smiles at the first lock!   While holding our ropes, we saw these interesting squares near us.  These follow the lock up or down and actually attach to large ships like suction cups as holding a rope of a ship the size of the one exiting at the front and back would obviously not cut it! The second s