Before the border closed we used to go to Quebec City Carnaval Now that is a bit downstream of Montreal but we were amazed at the currents we saw during the canoe races in Feb… giant steel and fiberglass canoes with a crew of five to seven cramponed paddlers. They had to do a triangle course which was impeded with icebergs moving either downstream or upstream… hence the crampons. They pushed their craft across the sizeable bergy bits. One team wound up three miles downstream with no hope of getting back… The race had a rescue tugboat for that reason.
I am not an urban paddler. I have paddled the St Lawrence around Gananoque Ont and its a more peaceful envrionment as the barges dont come through that channel… Nevertheless I would not do it in a rec kayak as there is enough confused seas from recreational powerboats. However one fun day we paddled under the 10,000 islands bridge and found a gigantic hole formed by an underwater ledge and 200 foot drop off. The surface looked pretty calm till you got right to it… Sorta the same danger as a lowhead dam. Another day the winds came off Lake Ontario and we were just fooling around surfing . The waves were from what I heard 8 feet on Ontario and were still pushy down by Gananoque.
My outdoor club regularly fielded a team in the annual Peterborough early Spring Ice Floe Race on the Otonobee River (between Toronto and Kingston). Instead of boats they would cut 10’ x 15’ slabs out of the intact ice along the shore and the crews (all certified divers in wet suits) had to steer/propel them about a mile downriver. Our bunch apparently started the idea of doing it in costume as well, with a theme and even a scripted skit accompanying the race. Our group over the years did the Flintstones, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz and a circus theme (“Greatest Floe on Earth” and we built a faux cannon to “shoot” an acrobat out of from the floe).
At the time I was involved with it I hadn’t gotten my dive card yet so I was ground crew and costume builder. The actual race was only about half a day and the 3 day bash was mainly an excuse for debauchery and drinking (a lot: Molson was a regular sponsor) and handing out tons of booty and prizes for costume themes, fastest floe, slowest floe, best capsize, who drove the farthest to get there, etc. Lots of teams from US and Canadian fire and police companies as well as outdoor clubs like ours.
I recall that though the water was frigid, the floe crew members were always relieved to be able to cool off once they could get in the river, after standing around in 5 or 6 mm wetsuits along the shore for hours in early Spring temps.
Eddyline Sitka in whatever size fits you or a Delta, any size from 14-17. I have the Eddyline Sitka LT and the Delta 17 Performance Touring for Ocean Bays and the tidal rivers I paddle. You need a skeg or a rudder to control your ride through the wind/waves/current. Not to mention getting out of the way of traffic. And you are mostly alone? Plan for the worst do not hope for the best. Plus you are getting wet in the Caribbean and your water is cold all but a few months a year.
yup seen the light, I will get some class on sea kayak in the coming month,
for the moment the delta 15.5gt is on my short list because of being made in canada and it seems to be a great all around.
and it will also be easier to find than an eddyline, but stock are non existant soo might have to wait to buy it, in the meantime i will take my class and rent
If you find an outfitter that offers classes, rents and sells boats, and offers guided trips. they are usually more than willing to let you try a boat that you might be interested in buying if they have it in stock. That’s how I ended up with the boat I have today after 22 years.
Hi!
Iles des Bouchervilles is where I started to kayak. The water near the rental place where you launch and return can get crowded with private boats in the water, but the self guided tour around the islands is beautiful and calm. If you’ve never kayaked before, the water near point 10 and the stretch between points 3 and 4 can be a bit intimidating on this map But I found in both cases, staying close to land helps a lot. Also, between 9 and 10 can get marshy - but super interesting
A couple of years ago, I wanted to be on the water more without having to deal with transporting and storing a kayak so I tried out a summer membership with the boat rental company on the canal near atwater market. It gave me the confidence to go out on my own and try out different types of kayaks. https://en.aventuresh2o.ca/
