Le Boat offers hands-on Ontario adventures
Le Boat is inviting people to explore Ontario’s Rideau Canal by boat rather than by blades. The England-based charter boat company – which has 34 yachts in Ontario that have either two, three, four or five bedrooms – sends people on self-operated cruises along two Ontario waterways, the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal.
But, says Lisa McLean, who oversees Le Boat’s Canadian operation, when people think of the Rideau Canal they tend to think of it after winter weather sets in.
“The Rideau Canal is known as a skating rink. Most people are surprised to learn that you can cruise the Rideau Canal during the summertime,” she told people during what Le Boat called Travel Agent Day during the recent Toronto Boat Show, which Le Boat participated in.
That part of the Canal that runs through central Ottawa is often billed as the world’s longest skating rink. The 202-km canal links Ottawa and Kingston, and is North America’s oldest continuously operated canal system. The historic canal has earned UNESCO recognition.
Le Boat’s Canadian headquarters is in the eastern Ontario community of Smiths Falls, from which sailings are available to Ottawa or Kingston, with McLean stating that Le Boat cruises are ideally suited for people who enjoy the outdoors. Ontario cruises can range from 3 night short breaks to 7-10 + nights.
Le Boat’s Ontario operation also includes the 386-kilometer Trent-Severn Waterway, which links Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay and is a National Historic Site administered by Parks Canada. Le Boat’s base is located in Peterborough and customers can cruise south to Trenton or north to Kirkfield Lock.
Le Boat also offers 17 locations in Europe, with canal cruises available in France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. European destinations that can be visited include London, Amsterdam, Bruges, Burgundy and Venice.
McLean said operating a Le Boat luxury houseboat is very easy, even for those who’ve never piloted a yacht before. Clients will be given a training course lasting 45 to 90 minutes. The vessels have a steering wheel and a lever for forward and reverse and bow & stern thrusters for ease of docking and traversing through the locks. Locks found in Ontario are operated by the team at Parks Canada and can easily be navigated by Le Boat’s custom-built Horizon Cruisers, she continued. A toll-free number can connect Le Boat clients with a tech team if any problems surface or if they have questions about lock times etc.
No boat licence or prior boating experience is needed by renters, who must be 21 or older to operate a Le Boat vessel in Canada and Ireland, and 18 in the other Le Boat destinations. Le Boat — which has been offering boat rental vacation in this country for eight years — clients generally cruises 1 to 4 hours a day at slow speeds (10 km an hour) , stopping frequently at the small towns and villages en route, with McLean noting those cruising European canals may stop to visit the likes of castles, and praised the flexible itineraries and relaxed nature of a Le Boat vacation.
“You can wake up at any time,” she noted, adding visitors can also stop and disembark from their houseboat whenever they choose, a contrast with large cruise ship sailings that have customers follow schedules.
Le Boat yachts have a fully equipped kitchen, enabling people to dine onboard if they choose and an on board refrigerator for restaurant left overs and groceries purchased at the local farmers market. Onboard top deck barbecues hot plates are also available.
“This is a very hands-on holiday,” McLean stated, adding that women can also easily operate a Le Boat yacht. “It really is an empowering experience (for women operating the boat.”
As all our boats are very easy to operate and have simple controls. Le Boat offers agent commissions starting at 10% and McLean said her company is eager to work with travel agents planning a staycation in Canada or as an add on to an existing Europe Vacation. Le Boat is also available to support local marketing activities, such as co-op marketing initiatives.
Le Boat is a TICO registered and More information is available at leboat.com or by emailing [email protected].
