Non-motorized watercraft

Non-motorized watercraft such as canoes and kayaks are allowed at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue-Canal National Historic Site. To ensure your safety, you should be well prepared to handle any emergency situation before getting out on the water.

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 15m 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

• 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.