Water Rescue in Arnprior

A police officer thought we might need help but we didn't.

For a couple of weeks, DW and I knew that we had to get some practice in for water rescues, in the event that one of us overturns in our kayaks while we're paddling in the fjord of the Saguenay River. We're hoping to not fall in but we need to be prepared anyway.

The last few weeks, however, have either been too hot, too smoky, or too hot and smoky. We went three weekends without kayaking—the longest gap this season and one of the longest gaps of any kayaking season.

I was hoping to put out a kayaking video every one or two weeks but it's been a while. And as I write this, I realize it'll be several weekends before I release any video, as DW and I will be away. I'm sure I'm messing up the YouTube algorithm with my inconsistency in video releases but it can't be helped.

So, as I said in yesterday's video, DW and I took our kayaks to Arnprior and put them in at a boat launch at the mouth of the Madawaska River, where it opens into the Ottawa River. We planned to paddle downstream on the Ottawa River to the Mississippi River, go up as far as we could towards Galetta, and then paddle back.

But first, we were going to practice water rescues.

Within a minute or so of heading out from the boat launch area, DW and I realized that we hadn't stripped down to the bare necessities in our kayaks. We were still wearing our hats and sunglasses, and we had other gear strapped to our decks. We needed to put them somewhere safe, so we paddled to a tiny beach so that we could place this equipment in our kayak's storage containers.

DW flipped her kayak over first and I rescued her. That's when the cops showed up.

You can see the action plus the rescues in my latest video. Have a look:

Because it took us more than 45 minutes to prepare for our rescues, practice our rescues, and set back up for a paddle, we didn't get to the Mississippi and decided to turn back, especially since time was getting on, the wind was picking up, and the skies threatened some rain.

All in all, it was a good paddle. Even though being upside-down, under water, played havoc with my sinuses for two days after.

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The Shortest Route

Through the morning haze, we could just make out the twin bridges, more than five-and-a-half kilometres away. We weren't even sure that what we were seeing was right, though it was in the right position.

We started paddling.

Often, when we take our kayaks out for a trek, we follow the meandering rivers or we cross back and fourth, following no set direction, making almost a scribble of a pattern with our GPS trackers.

But this time we were heading across the vastness of Calabogie Lake, starting at a cottage that our friends had rented, straight for the town of Calabogie, where we planned to have lunch. Measuring the lake, online, the night before, we learned that a straight line would be more than 5.5K. In good conditions, that would take almost an hour and a half.

Normally, we would putter around, taking in the sights, following shorelines to spy birds in the trees. But this time, we just wanted to get across the lake.

I trusted that what we were seeing were the two bridges that crossed where the lake turns into the Madawaska River, on Lanark Road, and basically kept my eyes fixed on those points. There was a light breeze at our backs and the water was a bit choppy, but manageable.

All four of us were determined to get to our destination as quickly as we could, so we paddled with purpose. We would only make short stops, to take a quick rest or drink some water from the bottles that were strapped to our decks.

As we got closer, we were able to confirm that, indeed, we were on the right course. For most of the trek, I kept my bow pointed at our destination.

The trip took just shy of an hour and 15 minutes. As we neared a boat launch that we had used in late 2022, we noticed a couple of docks to the opposite side of the dams and drop-off of the river and saw that these docks were closer to where we wanted to ultimately go, and that was the only time that our course changed.

Total distance: 5.791 kms.

We locked up our kayaks and walked for two minutes, and had lunch at the Redneck Bistro, a pleasant and more charming restaurant than the name suggests. Once we were seated and had put in our lunchtime orders, I checked the route map that my Garmin watch had plotted out.

It's the straightest line we've ever paddled.

I love my kayak. Any time the wind picked up at our backs, I'd only have to edge a little. Waves were no match for us, even when speedboats would race by and send us a sizeable wave. With our eyes locked on to our destination, we stayed true to our course.

Happy Monday!