Lower Allumette Lake, Ottawa River

I should have been working on our deck project on Friday, but the weather forecast looked too good to pass up for a sail. Lower Allumette Lake is an excellent Sea Pearl sailing area with its many sandy beaches. The sandy beaches make going ashore a lot easier and stress-free. A nice stretch of the Ottawa River with sandy beaches is Lower Allumette Lake. The public access/ramp to Lower Allumette is in the little town of Westmeath, ON. It's a bit far for a day sail (100km) but usually worth the drive if the weather holds. I made an overnight trip to Lower Allumette Lake a few years ago, and that's probably a better way to enjoy the lake/area.

Friday was pretty calm, but enough wind came up to travel under sail power. I sailed upriver, keeping to the Quebec side to avoid the shoals in the middle as you leave Westmeath. I probably did not have to worry too much about the shoals since they were all still underwater at this time of year. After passing the shoal rocks (to port), I turn SE towards the Ontario side and the beautiful sandy shore of the Westmeath Provincial Park (un-managed). The sandy shore is relatively isolated without any development and stretches for 2 to 3 km. Inland from the beach is Bellows Bay, which is shallow and somewhat boggy in the summer -- probably a good breeding ground for mosquitoes!

The beach at Westmeath Provincial Park, ON

Sea Pearl on the beach (Westmeath, ON)

After having a snack and a long walk on the beach, I headed up-river again. The winds were very light and relaxing at this point, so I tried my luck at trolling for pike. No luck! The winds soon pick-up a bit, and I made it to "lunch" island. Lunch island is a sandy island on the QC side of the river. When the water level is much lower in the summer, lunch island becomes a long sandy spit from the QC mainland.

On a hot day when the water is warm, this is also an excellent spot for a cooling-off swim -- make sure to keep something on your feet. There are lots of freshwater clams (or mussels) in this area.

From here, I sailed back to the Westmeath ramp (5 km) under increasing southerly winds, especially after passing Kelly's Point. It's always a great sailing day when the winds are enough to keep the Honda on the cabin floor, but (the winds) not wild enough to call for any reefing. It would have been nice to have more winds earlier in the day to go further up-river, but when under sail/wind power, you have to go with what Mother Nature gives you!

Sea Pearl 21 on the beach in Lower Allumette Lake

Killoran Bay, Lac du Rocher Fendu

Father's Day came early this year and brought me a new fishing reel (a nice Pflueger spin-cast reel). Both reels that I have are damaged and always seem to jam up when the fish is just about to bite! 

So on Sunday, I headed out to try the reel on the Ottawa River. My favourite boat for fishing on the Ottawa River is my 15ft Mississippi Yawl Skiff (MYS), but since the MYS ended up in PEI last year, I had to go with my canoe. I had decided to launch at the Bonnechere ramp and paddle across the Ottawa River to try my luck around some rocky islands on the Quebec side. But by the time I got there, the river was already a bit choppy, and stronger winds were forecast for the day. So I continued to the Acres Road access/ramp on Lac du Roche Fendu. It's a longer drive, but pike fishing is usually pretty good in Killoran Bay.

Lac du Roche Fendu

Killoran Bay

Killoran Bay is easy and safe to access from the boat ramp at the end of Acres Road. You can paddle downstream from the ramp following the shoreline (ON) and get to Killoran Bay (only about 1.5km). Killoran Bay is not that deep (10-15ft), and lots of small islands and rocks. It's a lovely bay, but there's some agricultural land right up to the shoreline at the bottom of the bay.

On Sunday, I did catch one pike on my way to Killoran Bay, and then two more in the bay. The pikes were not that big, probably in the 15-18 in. range. I decided to bring a couple of pikes home to try in foil on the bbq. I like pike, but way too many bones to spit out. I need to learn to fillet pike, including removing those small bones (the so called Y-bones).

I had a nice lunch onshore and then paddled back to the ramp. There was a bit of wind going up-river, so I used my spare/emergency paddle (a long kayak paddle). When conditions get tough (wind or/and currents), I find a kayak paddle to be a great help in solo paddling a canoe -- both for power and control.

I did not have my camera on this trip, so Killoran Bay's photos are from other trips.

PHC in Killoran Bay (2017)

Black Bay in spring (Ottawa River)

Great sandy beach, but only during low water levels

I discovered Black Bay about 20 years ago, and it's still my favourite paddling destination between Ottawa and Arnprior. Black Bay is on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River above Chats Falls dam. The area is relatively isolated from boat traffic due to the dam and the treacherous waters under the Morris Island railroad bridge. There is some road access into Black Bay and one inlet in the NW corner with a few houses/cottages from the Quebec side. Even with the road access and the one development, I rarely see a powerboat on the water. That's probably due to the many uncharted rocks and shoals, especially when the water level is low. The water's height seems to vary a fair amount (3-4 ft) at any time of the year, I assume from the dam's activities.

Morris Island and Black Bay (Google Earth)

From the Ontario side, getting into Black Bay can be a bit of a challenge! There is only one public access to launch a canoe or kayak in this section of the Ottawa River, and that's the parking lot at the Morris Island Conservation Area. Then, it's a one-kilometre paddle across open water to the Quebec side. The river currents can be quite strong (especially in the spring), so some caution is required.

On Sunday, when I went for a paddle in my 14ft Widgeon kayak, the Ottawa River was very low, and the current was moderate (<2 knots). I find it best to go straight across towards a small island (X3) on the Quebec side and then look for a path into Black Bay (X4, X5, or X6). The entry depends on the water height and where you are heading, but I always get into the bay as soon as possible to get out of the river's currents. Once in the bay, there are three choices of channels that you can follow heading west (ch1, ch2, or ch3).

Navigating into Black Bay from Morris Island, ON

Black Bay, QC

And then, it's time to explore and enjoy a beautiful relaxing paddle! 

On Sunday (May 17), I had Black Bay to myself -- not a soul in sight. Here are some pics of sandy beaches from my paddle.

Another beach during low water levels

Regular beach and lunch place (NW corner, Black Bay)

Sea Pearl shake-down cruise

When May comes around, it's time to get the Sea Pearl in the water for a test cruise. This year, I had the boat ready to go on Sunday, May 3rd. Early Sunday morning, I gathered all my sailing gear and some lunch and headed for the Braeside launch park (just west of Arnprior on the Ottawa River). It was a very calm morning, which is ideal for putting the sailboat in the water for the first time in the spring.

After launching and paddling out, it was time to test the little Honda outboard. It started easily (as usual) and ran smoothly, even after having hibernated in the boat shed for seven months. With no wind, I motored north-west towards the Lac Des Chats' no-name islands. After passing the first red buoy (K22) to starboard, you can turn north to the back/west side of the no-name islands in deep waters -- pretty close to shore. I killed the motor and paddled to shore on the third island's southern part (C on my chart). These islands and the rocks just to the east are good bass fishing areas during the fishing season -- better in a kayak or rowboat.

Sea Pearl 21 (waiting for a breeze in  Lac Des Chats)

Once ashore, I had lunch and explored the island (i.e. southern part of C). There's a campsite in the middle of the island that looks occupied fairly often. As I had finished walking the perimeter of the island, I noticed a breeze coming up. I quickly installed the masts and got on the water. After unfurling the sails, I was having my first sail of 2015! But, it was soon back to the doldrums. After the required wait, it was back to Honda-san for the return cruise to Braeside.

Campsite on south "C" island

Interesting rock formation

Good bass fishing waters (watch-out for the rocks!)

Note: There's now a fee to use the ramp at both Braeside and Bonnechere ($10). 

The Widgeon kayak launch - Fitzroy Harbour

On May 2nd (a calm Saturday afternoon), it was finally time to take my newly finished Widgeon kayak for a first test paddle. After carefully placing and strapping the kayak on the Forester's roof, I headed to Fitzroy Harbour. The waters around Fitzroy are relatively protected from the wind and strong currents, especially if you stay away from the dam. With only a slight breeze, it was ideal to try out a new boat. The Widgeon paddles well in calm waters, tracks OK on all points and seem reasonably stable. Both tracking and stability will have to be further tested when there's more wind, and the water is warmer. The first stop was at the Fitzroy Provincial Park's main beach for a few photos of the new boat on its maiden outing.

Widgeon 14 

The Widgeon is a 14ft kayak designed by Eric Shade of Maine.





The Widgeon was built over the winters of 2014 and 2015. The hull is marine plywood. The deck is western red cedar strips with some pine on the shear edges and down the middle. The rub rail is Douglas fir, and deck rigging has fittings made from cherry, maple, and rosewood. 

The test paddle continued as far as the old dock of Alexandra Island. The current was pretty strong around the island's point, so I pulled in to shore just east of the pier. The Alexandra Island dock is always a good stop for snack/lunch, shelter, or to stretch the legs. There are still lots of debris on the island, including abandoned machinery (e.g. tractor, backhoe) and a bunch of sealed barrels. The place looks pretty run-down and abandoned, but according to the Internet, the Black Jack tall ship still brings kids to the island for summer camps!

The paddle back to Fitzroy wharf was relaxing and included a good view of the dam's overflow areas. The water overflow is much smaller/weaker than a week ago when I was here for a paddle in my canoe.

Well, it looks like Widgeon will be a great little kayak for gunkholing!