Le Boat fleet cruises into Smiths Falls, ON
Mar 22, 2018
In early February, Le Boat, an operator of river and canal holidays, received 16 brand-new Horizon boats at their new North American base located in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Built in Olecko, Poland, these special vessels have already taken their first voyage – as cargo – traveling across the Atlantic to Canada.
This is an emotional moment for me,” says Cheryl Brown, Global Managing Director for Le Boat, “We have prepared our expansion into Canada for close to three years.”
These state- of-the-art boats, designed specifically for Ontario’s waterways, will offer visitors a new way to discover the scenic surroundings and history of the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The 202 kilometer Rideau Canal Ottawa to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario.
The boats were first loaded onto the Margaretha cargo ship in Gdynia, Poland on January 7th, when they embarked on a 6,000 km ocean voyage. Travelling at 11 knots in Gale Force 8 winds, the journey took just over three weeks before arriving on Friday, January 26 in Port of Becancour – north of Trois-Rivieres, Québec.
The Horizon boats were unloaded from the ship and secured onto a convoy of heavy trucks operated by Express Mondor. The trucks carried them an additional 400 km to Smiths Falls. Despite the -18 temperature and wintery conditions – the boats arrived safely on January 29, where they were unloaded by a 90 ton crane operated by Ottawa Crane.
Each premier class cruiser offers spacious cabins, USB Ports, a roomy “fundeck” with sunbathing area, barbeque hot plate, a light and airy saloon with fully equipped kitchen and oversized windows. No previous experience or license is required to drive the boats. To facilitate the ease of handling, the Le Boat Horizon model is equipped with bow and stern thrusters for easy manoeuvring into and out of locks. It is also completely bumpered for safety and has a capped speed at 10km an hour for the Rideau.
Other modifications made specifically for Canadian standards include a full-length steel keel grounding plate, 110 V Shore power, and Power Inverters.
The Smiths Falls base will be home to four of each:
Horizon: 2 Cabins, Sleeps up to 4, 1 bathroom; Horizon 2S: 2 Cabins, Sleeps up to 5 (4+1), 2 bathrooms; Horizon 3: 3 Cabins, Sleeps up to 8, 3 bathrooms; and Horizon 4: 4 Cabins, Sleeps up to 10, 4 bathrooms.
For more information, call toll-free at 1-800-734- 5491 or visit www.leboat.com.
