Non-motorized watercraft

Non-motorized watercraft, such as canoes and kayaks, are ideal for exploring the Richelieu River. The Saint-Ours Canal lock allows you to pass safely by the Saint-Ours dam.

However, before getting out on the water, it is essential to know the safety rules for non-motorized craft and to be able to handle any emergency situation.

Before launching your non-motorized boat

Historic canals are waterways; ensure that your boat meets Transport Canada’s requirements.

Always have the following equipment:

• a personal flotation device (PFD) or a life jacket for each person on board*;
• a buoyant heaving line at least 15 m long;
• a bailer or a manual pump;
• a pealess whistle or a manual compressed gas horn.

Please consult the Safe boating guide from Transport Canada to learn more.

*If everyone on board a sealed-hull and sit-on-top kayak is wearing a lifejacket or a PFD of appropriate size, the boat needs to have only a sound-signalling device on board.

Your non-motorized watercraft on the water

• To lock your non-motorized watercraft, you must pay lockage fees to the lock operator or obtain a seasonal lockage permit.
• Use the public docks along the canal, including the docks upstream and downstream from the locks, to launch your boat.
• It is preferable for canoes and kayaks to follow the shore. You can then take your time without the risk of blocking motorized boats or fearing a collision.
• Swimming is prohibited in the canal. You could injure yourself on submerged structures, be surprised by the force of the current close to the weirs, or be hit by a boat.
• If you fall into the water and are unable to get back on board your boat or reach the shore, grab onto a lifeline and call for help.
• Upstream, follow the east shore to prevent the current from carrying you away into the dam. The downstream undertows are the effect of water continually agitated at the base of the dam; do not get close, as you risk capsizing and being carried away to the bottom of the water.