Boaters stranded in the Rideau Canal are making the most of their unexpected delay

Dozens of boaters have been left stranded along the Rideau Canal because of this week’s heavy rain.

Parks Canada was forced to close all but a handful of the lock stations Tuesday due to high water levels.

“Monday’s event was unprecedented in terms of the amount of rain we saw and the intensity that we saw it, there were historic levels in some areas” according to John Festarini with Ontario Waterway.

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One of those stranded boaters is Berrlin Collins from Colorado.

He and his wife are content with their longer stay at Upper Brewers Lock.

“We partied yesterday afternoon for several hours and, believe it or not, we actually had 12 people inside the boat —- we had appetizers and drinks, we were having a good time.”

READ MORE: Heavy rain causes flooding of many Kingston properties

Parks Canada officials are optimistic that the canal will be fully open with in the next 24 to 48 hours.

This marks the second time this boating season that high water levels have impacted the historic waterway, as the opening of the season was delayed by about a week.