Tues, July 11, 3 Rivers Anchorage to Contrecoeur Anchorage

Tues, July 11,  3 Rivers Anchorage to Contrecoeur Anchorage    Slept late - til 0815.  Wind is already blowing.  Out to Seaway, traveling 5mph into current.  Once we hit Lac St Pierre, we went up to 6.8 mph because the lake is so wide.  The lake conditions are similar to what we've experienced on Lake Michigan - 1-2 ft. chop, windy, sun and clouds.  We decide to pass Sorel and all the freight activity and head to an anchorage to make the final day a shorter trip.  Dinner on the back deck, waved to the local boaters who are very courteous.  Hoping for less wind tomorrow.  

Current on the St. Lawrence as we headed south

Dragon boats practicing in our anchorage

 

 

Mon, July 10. Quebec City to 3 Rivers Anchorage

Mon, July 10. Quebec City to 3 Rivers Anchorage    We pulled outside the lock last night so we could leave early.  It is early and we pulled out at 0445.  The sky lights quickly and we head south in calm waters.  As planned, the information was accurate and we travel with the current until 1100.  But all good things must come to an end and the tide switched so we are now traveling against the current.  Our speed dropped to 5.1-4.3 mph.  It made for a long but productive day of travel - 70 miles  done and 70 to go to Montreal - half way there.  Anchored in Three Rivers area in a strong wind, anchor set solid.  Watched dragon-boats practice.  It rained but the dragons boats keep moving.  We are tired.  Collapsed in bed

Waiting for dawn on the dock outside the marina for our o-dark-
thirty departure. The marina is next to a large commercial dock
with these grain elevators that they illuminate at night

Hanging on the back of Short Vacation outside the marina

Thurs, July 6-9 Quebec City Marina CA

Thurs, July 6-9  Quebec City Marina CA    

Out of the anchorage we continue to head northeast toward Quebec.  The waters are still calm and the ride nice, even through the Richelieu rapids, where the boat  speed increased to 13 mph.  As we neared Quebec, the boating activity increased with local sailboats, freighters passing us and parked along shore, and cruise ship pulling in, as well as other pleasure boats.  The marina in Quebec is protected from the 12 foot tide by a lock - which means that in order to get into the city marina, we have to go thru another lock.  The challenge this time was once again a 25 mph wind.  Captain Tom did a good job getting us out of the lock safely and then into our mooring, with a little help from the dockhands.  We were tied safely for the next few days so we enjoyed a beer.  Now, off the boat and into the city to explore and hopefully find dinner.  The old port area in Quebec reminded us of France in that the streets were narrow, small shops and terraced dinning were readily available.  We walked up and down the hilled streets and decided to have dinner at Cafe de Monde which was directly on the water.  We enjoyed seeing the city lit up at night.  

Today we once again waited for the rain to cease before we took the hop on, hop off bus to see the city.  We fought the raindrops for a while, but enjoyed the clouds mixed with sun in the afternoon.  The city is very hilly and it is the oldest port in Canada.  We walked around enjoying the shops, street artists, local food and even Mary's caramel corn - almost as good as Chicago's Garrett's Popcorn.  Tom enjoyed a dip in the pool before the rain returned and made for a calm evening. 

Tom and John are off early today to go whale watching on the Saguenay River. This area is one of the few American fjords - very steep, very deep and very scenic.   The bus ride was 3 hours northeast to Bay St. Catherine and the Zodiac boats. After donning insulated rain gear, much needed in the cold, they ventured out into the dense, white fog in search or white beluga whales.  They saw a few belugas at a great distance but also saw a minke whale up close and personal  Very cool.  Colletta went with the Short Vacation gang going on a road trip.  They saw the beautiful Montmorency waterfall, climbed the stairs to the lookout tower, and got wet with the water mist.  Then on to Ilse de Orleans to visit vineyards, taste wine and pick our own fresh strawberries.  Nice day for all.

The next morning consisted of boat maintenance and laundry.  Tom and Colletta walked into the Old Port area one last time and sampled pastries, tasted lunch, enjoyed the  views, toured the Old Port Museum and munched on Mary's caramel corn - again.  Once back at the boat we met with French Canadians Guy and Lise who tutored us on our return trip  up the St. Lawrence Seaway and into Montreal.  They provided us valuable local information on when to leave and how to maneuver to utilize slack tide and currents to our advantage - Priceless.  After a weather front and a rainstorm went thru, we moved the boats outside the lock to the spare dock so we can leave early.  The lock is closed between 0030 and 0730.  We enjoyed our visit to Quebec, new sights, new experiences, new food and new friends.  The music festival was an added plus.  11 days of music - you didn't have to attend to enjoy, we heard the music every night while at the port.

Entering Quebec Marina Lock

Coming up the St. Lawrence entering Quebec City

The Hotel Frontenac on top of the hill

 

Entering the lock to get into the marina. They provide no help to
tie up so boaters help each other out

In our slip at the Quebec City Marina. A beautiful marina,
with great location and amenities

 

These murals reminded us of building we saw in France

Conversing with Mr. Champlain

Street musicians in the old historic part of the city

 

Just like in France without leaving North America

 

The 150 th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation

 

 

Wed July 5 Auberge Handfield to Isle of Norbert

Wed July 5 Auberge Handfield to Isle of Norbert   Up at 0730 for an 0800 departure.  Traveling the Richelieu River is comfortable and easy and scenic with many lovely homes and well kept cottages.  The only  lock for today was the St. Our Lock - the easiest lock thru ever.  There is a floating dock inside the lock and 2 canal dock hands tie the boat to the dock, chat about Canada, and then untie the boat when the "lift" is complete.  Smooth, comfortable and effortless.  Coming out onto the St. Lawrence Seaway, the winds were calm, seas were flay and the sun was shining - a perfect boating day. Traversing Lake St. Pierre was a pleasurable ride.  We found a small river with a small marina - de la Batiscan and tucked in there for the night.  There was a lot of freighter traffic on the seaway at dusk, but the channel is well marked with lighted buoys.   The wind was calm as was the water.  Although narrow, it made for a comfortable anchorage for the night.

Every small town along the waterway seems to be in competition with
its neighbors as to who has the biggest church

The Captain and Crew in the St. Ours Lock

Big boats on the St. Lawerence

.

EZ P Z lock. The Canadian staff is incredibly helpful
and Efficient



 

Tues, July 4 St. Jean to Marina Auberge Handfield

Tues, July 4  St. Jean to Marina Auberge Handfield   Happy July 4th to the US.  Tom and John went exploring in the morning, taking pictures of the area.  Upon return, we hoisted the anchor - the chain was muddy and a lot of sea-grass was pulled up - ah salad greens for dinner.  We have a short ride today to a marina where Pam's brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Bonnie, will

meet us.  They will be traveling with Short Vacation for the next 10 days.  The marina was a small resort and hotel so we enjoyed a dip in the pool and Tom made new friends at the bar.  He now wants to learn French and work here!  The 6 of us enjoyed dinner together on the back deck and fell into

bed.

 

The last lock on the Chambly Canal

Fort Chambly

Beautiful calm anchorage in Chambly Basin

What you have to do when your float plane breaks down?

A refined and elegant establishment

New friends, Pierre (next to me) is one of the owners with his brother
Bobby

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mon, July 3 -St. Jean sur Richelieu to Chambly Basin

Mon, July 3 -St. Jean sur Richelieu to Chambly Basin    The day started out with a plan - complete the Chambly Canal and enjoy the scenic trip.  We went thru our first bridge at 10 am and directly into our first lock.  These locks are small - 100 ft long and 22 feet wide.  For two boats of 44 and 43 ft long and each about 15 ft wide it is a balancing act to get into the lock together, tie and secure the boats, ride the lock down and carefully exit back into the narrow channel.  The canal is 19 km long - which is about 12 miles, 12 bridges, many of which needed to be opened, 9 locks, all while traveling in a single file line at a speed of about 6 mph.  There is a bike path the full length of the canal and all of the bikers were riding faster than us - even the children.  8 out of the 9 locks are also closed and opened by hand, by cranking a lever and the values are also opened manually.  The whole idea of the Chambly canal sounds very romantic - and overall it is a wonderful experience.  Our experience had additional challenges.  About half way thru the canal, Greeks Folly had slowed, waiting to go thru a bridge.  When Captain Tom put the boat in gear, it did not move.  He tried reverse on the port engine, it went backwards and remained in reverse gear.  Tom ran down into the engine room trying to find the problem as Short Vacation is yelling "go forward, go forward".  We backed into the shore  which is lined with rocks, and Tom immediately turned off the engines as we drifted onto the rocks.  We threw Short vacation a line and they towed us to a public dock right before bridge 7.  Tom and John immediately analyzed the problem that our gear shift cable was broken, stuck in reverse.  John had a spare cable on board so he and Tom put in the new cable in record time.  John is our hero!!! Spare parts - yea!!!  We carefully left the dock and continued on our journey.   Altho the sunny was shining brightly, the wind also had increased.   We continued thru 7 more bridges and 8 more locks.  Each time Short Vacation went into the lock first on the starboard side and Greeks Folly entered slowly on the port side, fighting the wind and the small space.  Many times the stern of the boat was within 2 feet of the lock wall or Colletta had to push off the other boat to protect it and themselves.  The locks are interesting - 2 sets of 3 right upon each other.  It was a tedious and tiring trip for only going 12 miles.  The positive thing about the trip was the lock-hands.  They are Canadian students, very friendly, all speaking English and French and very helpful and knowledgeable.  They helped us arrive safely.  We were happy to finally finish the canal and arrive in Chambly Basin.  We immediately found a place to anchor for the night, settled in, and let the tension be released from our bodies.

Bridge # 12 on the Chambly Canal ( they are in descending
order)

Lock #9 with Imagine (Mike and Kathy) in tight

The beautiful scenic Chambly

The transmission cable snapped leaving Greek's Folly stuck in
reverse gear on the port engine. After shutting the engines down,
having the wind push us aground on the rocks along the canal,
we thru a long line to Short Vacation so John can expertly maneuver
us to the dock before the next bridge

Imagine and crew leading the way at this point. Short vacation
is behind us

 

One of the few spare parts I don't have is a spare cable.
Luckily John had a 30 ft cable which was longer then we
needed but we made her fit and were back on the water in less
then 2 hours. Great team work by all. I also made a note
to buy a spare cable at the next marine store we
found

the rapids on the Chambly River that necessitated the canal
and locks

This is how close our stern came to the lock door with both
Short Vacation and Greek's Folly in these small locks. At one point I had to push
our boat off the lock door because we were being pushed against
it by the incoming water

Hand operated lock controls. This one opens the gate
in the lock door to let water into the lock

Notice how close the next lock is? There was very little time
to relax between locks.

I told you we were close together

This lock hand is manually cranking open the lock doors
so we could proceed to the next lock

Finally, the last set of 3 locks at the end of the Chambly Canal.
They are called a flight of locks because as you exit one lock
you are pulling into the next lock. An exhausting day because of
the wind and the broken cable. 6.5 hours, 9 locks, 12 miles traveled

Opening our last lock. the Chambly Basin is in the background
where we plan to anchor for the night

Exiting our last lock. If you look at the left door, at the bottom
you can see the gate that the lockmasters open up to flood or
drain the lock.( John and I took this picture from the dinghy
the next morning when we explored around the harbor)

Short Vacation at anchor in Chambly Basin. I went for  swim this morning
to straighten the starboard prop that hit some rocks when
we were pushed into the shore when the transmission cable
snapped. all in all not much damage and no big vibration
when we took off this morning. The good Lord was watching over us
as he does every day of our travels.

Chambly Basin and Mount Hilaire in the background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fri, Sat, Sun June 30-July 2 Isle La Mott anchorage to St. Jean, Canada

Fri, Sat, Sun June 30-July 2  Isle La Mott anchorage to St. Jean, Canada     

Tom arose first only to find the fly-bridge, bimini top, windows and aft deck covered with small May flies - so he went back to bed.  Later he got out the shop vac and started eliminating the flies - but there were just too many that at times is appeared fruitless.  The next adventure involved hoisting the anchor.  It seemed it was holding very well - so much so that the anchor windlass strained to pull up a chunk of cement-like mixture.  We poked and chiseled the mixture off the anchor with much effort.  

The easiest obstacle of the day was passing thru Canadian Customs.  The agents were friendly and made the entry effortless.  We continues on to Le Nautique St Jean marina.  We were greeted by 2 cute French dockhands - in the rain - who helped us into a finger pier.  Our hosts told us of the weekend celebration for Canada Day.  With rain gear on, we explored town, stopping for dinner.  Our first dining experience was delicious burgers, beer and poutine.  We walked to the park to listen to the band - singing both French and English - some Beatles too.  Tom also enjoyed their late night performances from the back deck of the boat.

Saturday - rainy and gray  When the rain stopped, we immediately head out with our umbrellas in hand to walk to see the lock at the start of the Chambly Canal - it is small - very small.  It will be a tight fit.  The locking crew consists of 3 people and they are also responsible for lifting the bridges near the locks. They  speak some English and are very helpful with their expectations and reassure us the locking will go smoothly.  We stop back at Short Vacation and the 4 of us head to Captaines Pouf for fish and chips - delicious.  At the park, a popular French band, Les Cowboys Frigrant, was playing, a real crowd pleaser with many people singing along.  We enjoyed the music until the rain turned into a downpour.  By 9 pm the  rain had stopped again - just in time for the fireworks.  Colletta loves fireworks and everyone enjoyed the celebration in the sky.      

Sunday - gray morning, but it is not raining yet - and today it didn't rain.  We went for a bike ride along the canal route and then grocery shopping.  Shopping in French is interesting and Tom had to examine every meat product in the cases.  The milk is sold in a plastic bag - 3 separate bags to make up 4 liters - on sale for $6.99.  On the way back, we found a neighborhood ice cream spot which we could not pass up. By the time we got back the sun was shining brightly and all the Canadian boaters were out on the water, in boats, on jet skies, fishing, enjoying docktails and celebrating summer.  It was nice.

Having  cleared Canadian Customs we hoist our Canadian
courtesy flag. We will fly this as long as we are in Canada

Waterfront camping Canadian style

John and I checking out St. Jean

The marina in St. Jean

Biking along the Chambly Canal on the way to grocery shop

Great little neighborhood ice cream parlor

Dealing with Canadian milk that comes in a bag. We store it in
our cooler and were afraid a bag might rupture so we saved our
American milk jug and poured it into there. Works good.

A cutey waiting for a bus?