Great Loop #1 St Lawrence, Rideau

In the first episode of our journey we leave Gananoque and head towards Kingston, taking a side trip into the Rideau Canal. We used this opportunity to have a "shake-down" cruise along the Rideau, a well-known waterway to us. Our trawler, Stay Cool, performed beautifully and we are ready to proceed towards the Trent-Severn waterway a short way along Lake Ontario.
(Recorded June/2022)
Thank you for watching! 😎
#greatloop #boatlife #trawler #bucketlist #travelstaycool

[@tombowes9387]

Nice start. Love the swag. Important to look cool when you're on Stay Cool!

[@staycool123]

Thanks Tom! 😎

[@GaryHendrick-um9xm]

Greetings from Calgary. I am really enjoying following you on your trip. We cottage and boat on the Rideau Canal at Opinicon Lake.

[@staycool123]

Hi Gary from Calgary! We LOVE the Rideau Canal and know it very well having spent many years boating these waters. Glad you’re enjoying our journey and thanks for coming along for the ride!😎

[@keithtiedke1828]

Comngrats ! on your start of the Loop...we have a Mainship as well and start our Loop in May of 2023 on board "Journey".

[@staycool123]

Thank you Keith! And congrats to you for deciding to make the Great Loop journey!

[@dr.laurav8013]

That is the neatest boat with the hinged bow! As always, beautiful video with terrific editing in an absolutely gorgeous area! Thank you for sharing!

[@staycool123]

Thanks for coming along for the ride! The Kawartha Voyageur was built to fit in the locks and the folding bow is a great design!

[@iantoft9536]

Super video dudes! Very professional. Love the picturesque photos and videos, and especially the blue heron cameo lol! So happy for you to finally be able to make the trip. Thanks for allowing us to join you (virtually!) on the journey. Can’t wait for the next instalment. Love you!

[@staycool123]

Thanks Ian! We feel privileged to be able to take this journey.😊 Thanks for following along! ❤️

[@timothysipley4561]

Well done... very professional! I look forward to following you throughout your journey.

[@staycool123]

Thank you Timothy for your kind comments and for following along! 😎

[@lauren__rose]

Great first vid! 😎 can’t wait for the adventure to continue

[@staycool123]

Thanks Lauren! We can’t wait either! 😊

[@buckpowers4837]

Well done and good that you showed that it's not all smooth sailing and drinks on the deck.

[@staycool123]

Thanks for your comment Buck!

[@seigel]

The timelapse while travelling is awesome. So smooth. Love seeing some old haunts! Look forward to seeing some of the places from my childhood in your adventures!

[@staycool123]

Thanks for following along! We’re looking forward to exploring Lake Huron and the North Channel.

[@peterinsyracuse7056]

Glad to find your channel, looking forward to seeing your trip. We boat out of Clayton, have been to Clark's, Gan, Kingston many times - great boating area, just wish the season was longer!

[@staycool123]

Great to hear from you Peter and thanks for following along! Happy boating 😃

[@RuthBowes]

Admiral! I am impressed. Great start to the loop. And the GBH was perfect. Looking forward to following the journey. Hopefully that is it for tornado warnings!!

[@staycool123]

Thanks Ruth!

[@tmac709]

A nice video of your traveling. I wish you would have shown more of the storm.

[@staycool123]

The storm never amounted to much more… even after all the warnings! Good thing it was anti-climactic.😎

[@marcushamaker]

Wow! Congrats on starting your loop. My wife and I have been dreaming of this for 5-6 years and it feels like impossible to cast off. We are in Montreal and I am excited to see the loop from a fellow Canadian’s perspective.
Subscribed and can’t wait to watch.

[@staycool123]

Hi Marcus and thanks for watching and subscribing! We also dreamed of this trip for years. Keep it always in your mind and every little decision you make will lead to this adventure. 😎

[@marcushamaker]

@@staycool123 we eat sleep and dream of this everyday, as I am sure you can appreciate. We have 2 children, 18 and 15 and we think it’s good to have them finish their schooling to a certain level and then make the decision on their own to cast off with us or go their own way. I had 2025 in my mind for so long, but it may be a few years on top of that.
We are working towards getting a loop worthy boat and possible do some summer vacations around Montreal, the Rideau and 1000 islands. Fair winds!

[@staycool123]

That sounds like a great plan. After many years of boating the Rideau and surrounding area, we got our looper boat fall if 2019, with the intention of starting the loop 2020. The delay due to COVID allowed us to become more familiar with the vessel and make any upgrades. It takes time to figure it all out… it’s about the journey, not the finish. And the journey includes everything leading up to pushing off the dock. Stay in touch and let us know if you have any questions. 😎

[@asbcasbc]

Great video. Looking forward to following you on your journey. Would be helpful to see a chart or map to see where you are as you name the various places you visit.

[@staycool123]

Hi Brett, thanks for your comment. There is an overall map at the beginning of each trip. We are trying to convey impressions of each area and name the places as we stop. Thanks for following along!😎

[@panacea407]

Too much elevator music for me. More point-of-view real-time dialogue while underway or anchored would be very interesting, as opposed to scripted narration. Take a look at #WhatYachtToDo or #SchoAndJo, the gold standard when it comes to Great Loop vlogs. Just one man’s opinion!

[@staycool123]

Thanks for your comment. We’ve seen both those vlogs and they are both good in their own way. We have chosen a different approach… more a feeling of life on the water. 😎