July 14 – Dows Lake to Hurst’s Marina (19 miles and 7 locks)

July 15 – Hurst’s Marina to Merrickville (23 miles and 7 locks)

July 17 – Merrickville to Smith Falls (15 miles and 5 locks)

July 18 – Smith Falls to Newboro Lock (17 miles and 6+2 locks)

July 20  — Newboro to Morton Bay ( 19+6 miles and 7 locks)

July 21 — Morton Bay to Upper Brewers Lock (11 miles and 0 locks)

July 22 — Upper Brewers lock to Kingston (17 miles and 7 locks)

Miles Traveled this Blog:  121

Total Miles Traveled: 6355

As indicated by the title above, we loved traveling the Rideau (pronounce Redo)!  The entire trip from Waterford to Kingston through Champlain, Montreal, Ottawa, and the Rideau is considered a side-trip of the regular Loop route which goes from Waterford through the Erie Canal and to Kingston. This Northern Triangle Loop was a section of the route that we had anticipated as our 2015 boat buddies, Ron and Vicki on Sea to See talked about it often and fondly.  It lived up to every expectation – difficult but beautiful, remote but friendly, cold when they were there in June, 2015 but hot, hot for us in July, 2019!

One of the many picturesque scenes along the Rideau and yes, we had to go through that narrow passage!

 We left Dows Lake on a quiet, beautiful Monday morning with clean laundry, full water tanks, empty holding tank and cupboards & fridge full — ready to traverse the Rideau Canal.  This is yet another Canadian historic canal site operated by the Canadian Parks System the route of which (Ottawa to Kingston) has been in use since the beginning of recorded history.  During the war of 1812 Kingston (at the SE end of the canal on Lake Ontario) was an important British Naval Base and because of the hostilities between England the Americans, the British became concerned about the supply route between Kingston and Quebec and thus, the Rideau Canal was constructed.  Along the way, fortifications were built to defend the waterway against America and remnants can still be seen.  The canal was never used militarily but did support successful commerce until railroad transport became available.  Small towns and villages sprang up along the banks and particularly at the locks.  Today the Rideau is a pleasure craft highway but has maintained the rural nature and historic manual operation of 170 years ago.  It is a national treasure!  The route is 126 miles with 49 locks depending on how you count them but that is another story.

Remember these?  Christ Craft of the 1950’s.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull allowing our safe passage!

Rements of a Shoal Tower – One of the types of fortification along the Rideau

After miles of gorgeous scenery, beautiful homes and quaint cottages, our first stop was Hurst Marina because it had a pool and the heat was blistering 90+ after 9 pm.  We swam for several hours getting our body temperatures down while the plugged-in Namaste was generating cool air for sleeping.  The only time we can run air conditioning is when we are plugged in at a dock through a big yellow cord.  This is becoming important!

Captain Jim swimming in the pool.  I cannot explain how refreshing it felt that day.

Next stop was Merrickville and perhaps the most interesting of our stops along the Rideau.  It is a darling little town with a blockhouse museum and park right at the lock.  Shopping was high-end with lots of cute, unusual and yet unnecessary stuff.  I so wanted to bring home a 10’ metal giraffe sculpture but Jim said I would have to sleep with him.  Shopping and a pedicure melted away the recent stressful and hot 7 lock days.  After solving some non-urgent medical issues in the group we shared a lovely dinner and ice cream with Dan and Jenny Lynn!  We even made an early run to Nana B’s bakery for her famous butter tarts the morning we left.

Heading to dinner in Merrickville across the lock from the Namaste.

Nanna B makes great butter tarts and beautiful flowers!

Smith Falls lock and a larger but less quaint town welcomed us.  Most importantly we encountered our first close-up Loon and Swan in route.  The Falls were lovely but even better was the Smith Falls “beach” on a 90+ degree evening.  The beach was really a laddered cement wall in a clean water basin offering us the first real lake swimming of the season.  We stayed afloat on our noodles as the raft accommodated the towns young teens:  running, jumping, screaming and splashing until almost dark — just like the old days on any lake in Michigan.

Our nightly goal was to stay up long enough to hear the Loons

Sammy says “hi” but when no food appeared the Swan hissed at her and moved on.

A few more bridges and locks and we arrived at the Newboro Lock.  As you can see by our mileage above, our daily progress was slow with between 5 and 7 locks to manage with intense heat and a growing collection of boats with whom we traveled.  The more boats in a lock the longer it takes.  The more boats in the waterway the longer the waits.  We spent two nights here because we had power, thus air for  better cooking and sleeping.  We swam off this dock in the lake at the end of the lock.

Peaceful and some of the best swimming so far.  Water temps were 80 degrees F.

A homemade vessel on a three week holiday.  The captain wants to do the Loop but wife says, not on this boat!!!

Morton Bay was by far the highlight of the Rideau as far as serenity and beauty.  We arrived Saturday afternoon to lots of boats in the anchorage and everyone playing in the water.  After two attempts we got the anchor to hold, put on our suits and joined the fun.  By 8 pm all local boats were gone except Melody and Namaste as severe thunderstorm warnings had been posted.  We were concerned but felt save in our totally protected anchorage with high stone cliffs around us.  The storms never materialized and we heard Loons and saw a far off lightening show late into the evening.  The following morning was likely one of the longest and most peaceful cups of coffee we have shared in our 53 years together.  Even a little skinny dipping (no pictures)!

One of the highlights of anchoring:  Sammy to shore at least 3X a day.

Does it get any more lovely than this!

Another issue are the weeds that sometimes come up with the anchor.  It was as big and heavy as a Christmas tree but a few whacks with the machete knife and they fell away.

The following day was a short 11 miles and no locks to Upper Brewers Bay where we secured above another lock on a powered dock.  Funny story here!  The lock master asked us to move the Namaste up the dock so that a 44’ houseboat could pull into the space behind us.  Fair enough until we learned that he was having engine trouble and could only move forward at high rpms – too fast for docking. About ten men including the staff helped him out of the lock, turned 180 degrees around and cozied up to the dock behind us without hitting anything, including us.  Hear applause!  Carburetor class then ensued on a picnic table with master engineer Dan Girvan teaching the specifics of unclogging the idle and low speed carburetor jets.  Success – again, hear applause and a very grateful houseboat owner!

Ahhhhh, fresh water lake swimming!

The next morning we were first into the lock with three larger-than-us boats destined to travel together for the day.  After squeezing into 7 locks with only inches to spare on each end and between boats, a nerve weary group pulled out of the Rideau and into the St. Lawrence Seaway, waited 40 minutes for a 2’ above the water swing bridge to open and scurried for the Confederation Basin in Kingston, Ontario.  We will stay here three nights to regroup, provision, do the laundry, change the oil and manage some sight-seeing of this lovely city which hosts Queens University and three colleges.  It has finally cooled down and we love having the boat windows open and sight-seeing in the cool fresh air.

Yet another unusual bridge as we head into Kingston.  Note the three small sailing school vessels ahead.

Guess where we are?

Nobody has a prettier waterfront park than Kingston, Ontario.

Good Boat Name:  Soul Purpose

Bad Boat Name:  Sooper Pooper (now really – did I say we weren’t seeing bad names?)

Quote of the Day: 

Happy Birthday to:  Dawn, Lynn

Happy Baby Felix at 4 months:Caption:  Of course I want to go boating with Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Super Starter Lookout Campers: Nate & Leonie (lost a front tooth the first official day of camp).

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 9-14, 2019

July 9 – Rockcliffe Boathouse Marina

July 10 – Stair-Step Locks into downtown Ottawa (2 miles)

July 11 – Ottawa

July 12 – Ottawa to Dow’s Lake (3.5 miles)

July 13 Dow’s Lake

Miles traveled this blog: 5.5

Total miles traveled:  6184.5

As excited grandparents, it was a long day waiting to go to the airport to meet our 13 year old grandson, Lee’s, flight into Ottawa-YOW from DTW at 3:45 p.m.  Unfamiliar with this airport and since he was an unaccompanied minor we were determined to leave enough time for any glitches on our end.  We caught an Uber at 12:45 and arrived at the airport at 1:15 learning in route that his flight was delayed by 2 hours.  Back in our dating days we used to go to the Willow Run Airport just to watch the travelers so figured we could easily entertain ourselves.  As it turns out, YOW is a lovely and easy airport but also read that as small.  Jim wondered out-loud how many Tim Horton’s donuts he could eat in the next four hours.  Anyway, Lee arrived at 6 p.m. all smiles and ready for our adventure.

Our happy and healthy 13 year old grandson, Lee

Back at the Namaste we grilled burgers and ate homemade potato salad.  It was an absolutely gorgeous evening so the fast boats were running up and down the river creating some chop bouncing us around.  Lee looked a little askance but as the evening wore on the boat traffic reduced and the Namaste settled down at her mooring and Lee settled into the v-berth. It was early to bed as it would be a 6 am revelry.

We prepared to move the two miles to the bottom of the Ottawa 8 stair-step locks where we met Melody waiting at the blue line of the pre-lock wall.  They had been anchored for several days waiting for us. At 9:00 the Canada Parks team showed up to help us lock through.

A port (left) turn immediately after this bridge and we were at the famous stair-step locks of Ottawa.

The Namaste and crew awaiting entrance into Lock #1

As the morning wore on tourists gathered all along both sides of the canal and at the bridge on top!  We found them to be interested and energizing.

Checking out the locks from the top!  Let’s get this show on the road!

Entering Lock #1 – repeat X7.  The bow deckhand (me) grabs the black cable with a boat hook and wraps a line securely around it while the aft deckhand hopes the boat stays close enough to the wall to grab a following cable and get the line around.  Then as the water gushes into the chamber we must hold the lines keeping the boat secure in it’s place.  Melody was secured on the opposite wall with about 5′ between the two boats.  The captain’s job is to get the boat into the lock and against the wall without gouging all that beautiful wood along the cement walls.  We have certainly had our moments.

Learning the ropes – literally!

“Hey Lee, how is it going back there?  I got this Grandma!”

Lee was our starboard aft deckhand and like the star that he is,  he learned the line and fender routines quickly.  Unfortunately no action shots as I was busy at the starboard bow and Captain Jim was at the helm with the two extra hands a huge bonus.  In fact, we decided that Lee just needed to stay the rest of the summer to help with the Rideau and Trent/Severn locks.   From beginning to end it took 2 hours of intense and careful maneuvering for a perfect, if hot, locking day.  Exhausted, we tied to the city wall just above the locks for days 2 and 3.

On the Ottawa wall – free with our Parks Canada Pass plus $10 for power.  Namaste is about halfway back.  Right in the heart of Ottawa.  Walking distance to everything and yet a quiet and serene setting!

When the work of getting the Namaste into downtown was over and we had a good rest, our time in Ottawa was then a mix of sightseeing; stops to eat and drink along the way as it was hot; multiple games of Gin and Scrabble; giving Sammy a needed bath; and finally trying to save a baby squirrel were all packed into two and a half days.

Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill complete with bagpipe and marching bands!   Parliament building is to the right.

Keeping everyone safe.  We watched as this medic eyed a guard’s knife accidentally drop to the ground, alerted security who then retrieved it without a break in cadence.  In an unrelated instance we witnessed a man standing on the rail of the bridge at the top of the locks.  Authorities stopped all traffic, cleared the area and had him safely down in short order.

Northern Light and Sound Show on Parliament Hill highlighting Canadian History every single night at 10 p.m. from July 9 thru September 8 since 1984!!!  We were a little eager and our 8:30 arrival resulted in some lengthy lawn sitting but we learned much about the French and English influence on Canada.

The National Art Gallery of Canada!  A spectacular building and great exhibits. The building itself was most welcoming and an exhibit in itself.  See far left of the picture.

Ceiling of the National Gallery taken from the lobby.

Enjoying one of the interior gardens with Lee explaining something or another to us.  His exposure to and interest in art through Veta and Baba was delightful to experience.

Our pretty walk back to the boat along the Rideau Canal park and Locks.

Women are People Monument.  The sculpture depicting the Women’s Movement and 5 important female activists of the time.  All more than life size.

 

Eternal Flame War Memorial

Healthy stuff

 

Good stuff at the Byward Outdoor Market

An early morning coffee stop.

Fun dinner at The Grand – local pizza establishment!

Scrabble with a little red licorice mixed in.

   Oh Sammy, We know you hate this but you will smell so much better!

Baby squirrel found by Canal police.  Jim came up with a syringe to feed him a little milk.  Officer Sommers said she would care for him in her pocket until it was time to go home.

On day 4 it was time to think about moving to the Marina at Dows Lake which was close to the airport and allowed Lee a little more Namaste travel time on the Loop.  This brief but beautiful trip felt like we were in the canals of France.

There was a constant stream of bikers and walkers the five miles from Ottawa to Dows Lake.

Dow’s Lake Marina where we spent our final overnight together.  Upon arrival, we all celebrated with a long shower Chicken Parmesan cooked on the boat and a quiet evening before Lee’s 9 am departure.  As any grandparent will attest, sharing time with a precious 13 year old grandson is the best ever.  Such an adventure can also be slightly anxiety provoking that all goes well.  We were gifted with both – time and perfection!

All too soon it is time to say good-by.  Lee wasn’t having any part of spending the rest of the summer as a deck-hand and although we are sad to see him go it was such an important time for the three of us!

Good Boat Name:  I had one but cannot now remember it.  Still lots of boat names in French.

There are simply no bad boat names.  Boring maybe, but nothing too bad.

Quote of the Day:  “Any day with a grandchild in our arms, on our lap, in our home, on our mind or, even better, on our boat is a very good day!”

Happy Belated Birthday to Harlene, Jo,

Happy Anniversary on Sunday to Pat and Heather

 

 

 

 

 

July 3-8, 20019

July 3 – Montreal to St. Anne de Bellevue (34 miles & 2 locks)

July 4 – St. Anne de Bellvue to Hawksbury, Ontario (36 miles and 2 locks)

July 6 – Hawksbury to Montebello QE (18 miles)

July 8 – Montebello to Ottawa, Rockcliffe Boathouse Marina (42 miles)

Miles traveled this blog:  130

Total miles traveled:  6179

Add Ontario as second Provence

We left Montreal on a beautiful morning but with some trepidation about getting through a few more miles of quick current and two commercial locks, the first ones for which we had to pay a $30 fee each because they weren’t included in our Parks Canada Pass.  As we pulled up to the Lambert lock it was clear that a large freighter was coming through toward us and we would have to wait for him to pass. We tied up to a lock-side dock, Jim climbed the flight of stairs to inform the lockmaster that there were 5 boats ready to lock through and give our credit card #.  Apparently, you can now pay online but we hadn’t gotten the memo.  Ultimately all five boats were tied up or rafted and it was an uneventful lift.

Departure view of Montreal.

Approaching the Lambert Lock.  See the massive freighter, the white square pilothouse in the middle of the lift, and the rest of us milling around/standing off.

Breakaway rafting to Melody in a lock.  Our AGLCA flag in the foreground.

The next lock about a mile and a half upstream, St. Catherine’s, was expecting us so all five boats lined up and entered in order.  We were rafted onto Break Away, a nice Looping couple from Tampa who plan to complete in 8 months compared to our 4+ years!  Suffice it to say that this was perhaps our most exciting lock so far but thanks to Jim’s athleticism, we were none the worse for wear.  A story to share over dinner sometime.  Don’t even have a picture, wish I had a video!

The rest of that day we crossed Lac St. Louis which is a large, shallow lake and reminded us of Lake Okeechobee (I can still spell it) in FL.  There was barely a ripple the entire day, truly Vicki water.  We arrived at the St. Anne de Bellevue lock and city wall in time for both Melody and Namaste to get the last 2 available spots.  We dinghied across what is now the end of the St. Lawrence and beginning of the Ottawa River to a restaurant for some refreshment on a blistering hot afternoon and also so that we could tie up the dinghy while we provisioned.  The town is quaint with restaurants and shops as well as a small but high-end grocery.  Most delightfully, as we were standing in line to pay, an employee suggested that they deliver the bags to our boats.  I commenced running around adding as much to the cart as time would allow – mostly drinks for these hot days.

The quaint town of St. Anne de Bellevue.  Restaurants and shops across the river.

At precisely 9 am the next morning the doors opened and we left the dock to enter the St. Ann de Bellevue Lock (the busiest in Canada) and further on the Carillon Lock (a guillotine style and the highest lift in Canada of 65 feet).  The pictures tell her story!

Waiting in line for the Carillon Lock – biggest drop/lift in Canada.

From the bottom of the Carillon Lock.  The brown dock on the right lifts with us and is the best/safest/easiest securing system of any lock we have seen.

We arrived at the Hawksbury city wall in some surprise current and were disappointed to see it was basically located along a dusty parking lot.  However, first impressions are often misleading and this turned out to be the case as it was a quiet and lovely spot complete with a stone house accommodating a museum, tourist center, café, and lovely restrooms and with an interesting art-laden park next door.  We stayed an extra day because the local people were so nice, Jenny Lynn liked their mocha latte’s but mostly because of stormy weather that really never materialized.  The rain created mud and two dirty dogs but still very worth the stop!

Coffee shop and barista Trevor at Hawksbury.  He couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful – the promise of youth!

Museum in the Hawksbury.  Also tourist center/cafe and music studio.  We were treated to a piano concert on the grand piano in residence.  Really a music lesson in progress.

Next up was Chateau Montebello and perhaps one of the most anticipated stops of the trip!  A Fairmont Resort in Quebec (north side of the river) and one of the 19 Canadian Pacific Railroad Hotels of the 1920’s and 30’s which are as lovely today as they were almost 100 years ago.  This one is reported to be the largest log building in the world.  Everything on the property is log including the small, quaint marina with showers and laundry less than 100 paces from the Namaste.  We stayed an extra day instead of moving along to anchor as planned.  It was simply two wonderful to leave.  Hours in the pool, dinner with Jenny Lynn and Dan at the Steakhouse, and long walks in the woods were highlights.

A main entrance to Montebello.  The place is massive but couldn’t get far enough away to get a picture to do it justice.  The landscaping and trees were beautiful and the building goes on forever.  Highly recommended as a summer get-away!

Lobby and restaurant of Montebello.  All set up for Sunday brunch.

Love a nice pool every now and then.

But on Monday morning it was time to move on to get to Ottawa and meet Lee.  We cast off by 7 am since we wanted to arrive in time to clean the boat and get ready for our favorite oldest grandson’s visit.  It was a perfect day on the most beautiful Ottawa River.  We are approaching the Boathouse Marina now with perhaps not my favorite dockmaster but we shall see.

Namaste from the Embassy Hill neighborhood where Jim and I walked 4.3 miles this morning.

USA Embassy – picture taken from the deck of the Namaste.

Lovely dinner at the Rockcliffe Boat House.  Another great memory!

Sunset over the beautiful Ottawa River!  Sometimes busy with recreational boat traffic but now quiet and serene.   Bedtime!

Good Boat Name:  UGOGAL on a classic 50’ Hatteras in the Montebello Marina

Quote of the Day:  A French speaking Canadian man on our dock as we were all swatting mosquitos at dusk last night, “I call them little Trumps!”  Sadly, we all laughed heartily!

Thinking about you:  Alan and Lila onboard Blue Haven who are doing a 33 hour crossing from Maine to Nova Scotia today!  They made it!!

Sammy Sayz:  Hi you guys!  All is good here onboard the Namaste.  I love the life, having smelled smells and met dogs beyond my wildest imagination.  I do hate being leashed on the flying bridge during locking and docking procedures as that wastes precious time for meeting people and perhaps getting an occasional treat.  They do not respond to my whimpering turned screaming and in fact seem rather annoyed with me.  Can you imagine?  Anyway I miss you all and look forward to returning home but life is good for now.

 

 

 

 

 

June 23-July 2, 2019

June 24 – Rouse’s Point, NY on Lake Champlain to Saint-Jean, QE  (24 miles)

June 25 – lovely windy, rainy lay day on Saint-Jean’s free wall

June 26 – Through the Chambly Canal to the Chambly QE, free dock in a lovely park .25 miles from a market (30 miles)

June 27 – Through Lake Chambly to Ours Lock free dock in an even more wonderful park (37 miles)

June 28-July 2 – Up the Richelieu River to Sorel and then down the St. Lawrence Seaway on into Montreal (54 miles)

Miles traveled this blog:  145

Total miles traveled: 6005

Add Quebec as our first Canadian Provence

The weather couldn’t be more perfect.  We have had a ratio of at least 5 good days to 1 rainy or windy one for the past two months and the temperatures have been delightful – highs in the low 80s with lows in the low 60s.  Temperature predictions are in the 90s for the next ten days.  Hot summer has arrived!

We pulled out of Rouse’s Point on a beautiful Monday morning heading about two miles north to Canadian customs in Quebec. Somewhat anxious, we saw  customs ahead knowing that we must dock without assistance.  Meanwhile, a sailboat scooted past on our port side (cutting us off) and making it to the dock without using the channel.  Of note, it was a woman at the helm, makes me wonder if she ever went to kindergarten?  Anyway, due to lack of space we stood off for twenty minutes before proceeding into the beautifully maintained facility.  It was a gorgeous day, absolutely still and easy-peasy docking.

The Namaste waiting patiently to clear Canadian customs.

Protocol is to raise a yellow quarantine flag, pass through customs and then raise the Canadian flag along with the American Flag flying on our stern for the remainder of the time we are in Canada.  Jim with his fat black notebook went ashore with hopefully the correct documentation we would need – passports, boat registration and insurance, and Sammy’s vaccination certificate.  After somberly reviewing our papers, the official asked me to come into the office for identification (this hadn’t happened on the previous two boats indicating the procedure is different for each reportee) and then simply asked us our destination (Detour, Michigan) and length of stay (we indicated September 7 padding a few days to our plan).  We have no firearms onboard accept our safety flare guns; were well under the alcohol limit and had only two fresh bananas we were prepared to eat if necessary which all turned out to be mute issues.

See the fat, black notebook under Jim’s arm – everything we need for this trip!

The changing of the flags.

The Canadian flag flies high on the Namaste.

Feeling relieved and happy to be in Canada we proceeded to our planned destination of the free wall in Saint-Jean, Quebec.  As we traveled north and still in Lake Champlain although it felt more like a river, we were amazed at the number of boats and people using the waterway on what should be a quiet Monday morning.  As we moved along the Lake, the crowds increased dramatically and everyone was in a holiday mood.  Turns out it was Baptiste Day (birthday of John the Baptist) a holiday in Quebec.  Not unlike the American July 4^th or Canada Day the French Canadian summer celebration was on, complete with hot dogs and beans for supper with Jenny Lynn, Dan and Mac and fireworks 150 yards off our bow.  I  held my hands over Sammy’s ears and she sat quietly watching the festivities – what a boat dog!  The next day it was windy and rained on and off until late afternoon so we let the bridge tender and lock master know we were staying for another day and wouldn’t need the bridge to go up nor would we be locking through.  Good thing, as the 9:00 post-holiday operation was quite a circus with high winds and lots of boats!

The wonderful little town of Saint-Jean – rafting because it is Baptiste Day in Quebec!

The interesting white structure above is a new lift bridge over Lake Champlain at the Saint-Jean lock entering the Chambly Canal.  We have now seen lots of lift bridges but never anything like this one.  Just below it is the current bridge in green and apparently a major traffic nightmare.  It doesn’t even open during rush hours including the lunch hour.  Another view of the pretty new bridge as we pass under heading into the lock.

And the town turns out for the Baptiste Day festivities including some of the best fireworks we have ever seen.

As soon as we cast off from Saint-Jean we were in the Chambly Canal, a National Historic Site of Canada and an absolute treasure running along the Richelieu River rapids!  There are ten bridges, eight of which are hand operated; and nine relatively small, 200 year-old, hand operated locks in this 7.5 mile stretch which took us about 6 hours to complete 6 of the 9 locks.  We were tired and the sky indicated a potential afternoon squall so we stopped in Chambly at lock #3 in a picturesque little town park with free wall and power.  While we manage well, life is always better with power (think air conditioning – did I mention it is hot; hair care appliances; microwave, etc!

An interesting swing bridge a a little crossroads somewhere on the Chambly.

The Chambly Canal – now a National Historic Site of Canada but originally created as a means of opening the northern USA and Canada to the New York Market.

There were many more bikers than boats enjoying the Chambly Canal.  It was a picture from the past.

Another manual bridge along the Chambly – definitely a one-at-a-time operation.

Not a doll house but rather a Parks Canada Station along the Chambly at one of the many locks or bridges.  They were all different but of the same theme.

The manual gates and locks were operated mostly by college students working for Parks Canada during the summer.  They were an absolute delight.  Above, draining the lock.  Below opening the wooden gate.

The entire 200 year old lock operation, refurbished in 1983.

The town of Chambly offered two grocery stores, two ice cream stores and a concert across the river attended by what appeared to be the entire town of happy people.  We listened for awhile and then watched the democratic debate on Melody’s smart TV.  It’s magic!

The town began to gather at 6 for an 8 o’clock concert.

This is an example of one of the many free walls along the Chambly.  Trivia:  Three of the important characteristics of a good overnight tie-up include nearby grass, trash and recycling.  Picture taken from the shadow of the Namaste.

The Chambly town bridge and lock first thing in the morning.  They all open at nine precluding an early start.  Oh darn!

It is also important to note that at this dock we are 32 miles east of Montreal.  However, it is impossible to get there from here (no water) so we must travel 40 miles north to Sorel, make a  u-turn and travel 50 miles south on the St. Lawrence Seaway to Montreal.   Couldn’t they just. . .?  But I am getting ahead of myself here. . .

As I write this we are approximately at the red arrow above Plattsburg and 32 miles from Montreal.  However we must go north (Sorel) to go south (on the St. Lawrence Seaway) to go west (montreal)!

After we cleared the final three locks at Chambly, changing our strategy somewhat for safer entry and exit of these small locks, we entered Chambly Lake.  Highlights this day included watching seaplanes play touch-and-go and navigating the Namaste through the tiny opening under a railroad bridge with a crazy-fast following current.  Captain Jim crabbed us through a nail-biting 2 minutes or so – seemed like forever.

Another Chambly lock.  These two were having so much fun working together that if they aren’t a couple now they soon will be!  (Yet another made-up story.)

Entering Lake Chambly from the last lock of this series.

Touch-and-go right off our starboard bow.

Scary railroad bridge!  Captain Jim navigated us through the opening on the far right of the picture.  Coming up the Richeleau River we had to make a quick turn to port (left) and under the bridge in what felt like something only slightly less than raging current.  Whew!

We didn’t think dockage  could get any better when we came upon the Ours Lock and an even more perfect park but this time a rural campsite.  We stopped because once again the sky was threatening but almost more because this park was too good to pass up! We were again able to grab enough data to watch much of the second night of the debate.  I will keep my hopeful yet guarded comments to myself for now.

Ours Lock and Park.  See the blue painted stripe on the dock just ahead of our two boats?  Tying up there indicates you are ready to go through the lock right now.  We had already traversed the lock and were spending the night in this quaint and beautiful spot.  We were nose to the lock for smoother sleeping due to the current in this narrow spot.  The next morning we turned and were on our way.

Picture taken in the late afternoon.  Looked like we were in for a squall but it never materialized.  A little light rain and that was it.

Again this park, bridge and lock (am I getting repetitive here?) is maintained by Parks Canada.  There were 6 or so of these cabins available to rent for $120 per night or about $85 in US dollars.  It was a week night and no one was in residence but they were preparing for a busy Canada Day weekend.

Our next and last segment into Montreal turns out to be a slow slog of about 54 miles because we were bucking a current of anywhere between 1 and 4 knots.  Now, that may not seem like much and probably isn’t to large and more powerful craft, but for us it slowed our progress from 7 to between 6 and 3 knots.  The closer we got to Montreal the faster the current and the slower the Namaste.  All along the St. Lawrence it was beautiful but we were on the continuous lookout for the “big boys” or ocean-going freighters going either direction.  Five of the six boats we encountered were coming toward us and because the river is wide and deep we easily stayed out of their way.  The sixth boat however passed us in a rather narrow section, giving us an uncomfortable however brief “waking”.  We knew he was coming but the 5 loud blasts indicating he was passing us on the starboard, was startling at such close range.

Making our U-turn onto the mighty Saint Lawrence Seaway.  Melody leading the way in smooth as glass waters.

Three of the six freighters we saw that day!

As we approached Montreal proper it was Friday afternoon of Canada Day weekend and the boat traffic (freighters, ferries, cruise ships, police boats, coast guard, large and small recreational boats and wave runners) along with the 4 knot current mentioned above made for an exciting entrance into the Port De Plaisance Real-Bouvier – our marina home for the long weekend and a 15 minute ferry ride across the river to the downtown or the Old Port de Montreal.

3-4 knot current but if we stayed to the side of the channel we could sometimes reduce the impact.

We spent much of three wonderful days exploring the city including a Greyline Hop On, Hop Off  double-decker red bus tour.  We felt like a couple of old people but did I mention our temps were in the high 80s and much of what we wanted to see was spread throughout the city.  It was a great way to get our bearings and over two long days see as much as we possibly could.  As of this minute, the pictures of our touring Montreal have not downloaded from my phone to my computer.  The cloud functioning seems pretty random so I will add them at a later time after a good overnight wifi connection.  Finally got a wifi connection at Montebello and the download took about 10 minutes!  Here are a few of the pictures of our visit to Montreal.

Welcome to Montreal!!

Montreal City Skyscape from Mont Royale

Chateau Mont Royale

Montreal from Mont Royale or the mountain originally owned by 7 families and sold to the city for about $1,000,000.  Mont Royale became Mont Real and eventually named the city Montreal.   The mountain is all park with easy to difficult hikes and bike rides, Chateaus and incredible vistas.  We spent most of a day here.

Flowers everywhere but this was my favorite.

Beautiful tribute to Leonard Cohen

Montreal’s underground city, one incredible mall!

The famous Notre-Dame Bascillica Montreal

On the third day we went in late for dinner to the highly recommended Jardin Nelson which did not disappoint – complete with great service and two different jazz groups.  We were all tired but got more than our 10,000 steps just wandering around the Canada Day celebrating city after dinner.

Anybody been to this place?

Some of the best food we have had on the Loop.

A word about the language and culture from my limited but observant perspective.  In the Provence of Quebec, French is spoken exclusively which can be intimidating until you learn that 105 languages are spoken in this multi-cultural city and almost everyone gives English a jolly good try.  Most young people speak fluently, almost natively.  At the same time, there remains a truly European/French feel to almost everything from the occasional abruptness of passers-by to the often less than perfect directions/explanations.  In other words, sometimes things feel just about 5 degrees askew and that is some of the delight.  An example:  after we were settled into the marina we began looking for the pool (did I mention it is hot?).  After several quests our answer was, “well yes, we are supposed to have a pool but we don’t and yup, supposed to have WIFI but it isn’t good meaning, we don’t.”  The restaurant, bathrooms, showers, and laundry were immaculate but a flight and a half of wooden outdoor stairs and a 300 yards away – no Americans for Disabilities Act here.  Somehow, I appreciate the casual style and my need to adjust.  Everyone has been friendly and inclusive at the marina, a brotherhood of boaters. Many were interested in our experience on the Loop.

Remnants of the Montreal 76 summer Olympic games.  The tall, tilty structure is holding up the dome below it – as seen at sunset from our marina across the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 An evening rainbow while in the Port de Plaisance Real Bovier Marina

A surreal part of this visit was meeting Jim’s cousin Suzanne Dugas, her husband Mike, their daughter Dawn and son-in-law Fred randomly on the streets.  On day #2 we were looking for a restaurant for late lunch or early dinner.  We peaked down and small ally to see what appeared to be a quiet and pretty restaurant.  As we approached, Suzy and her family were the only other people in the ally and thinking the exact same thing.  How did this meeting happen in a city of 1.78 million (smaller than Toronto but bigger than Quebec)?  The stars aligned and who will ever know the how or why but we shared family news/stories and generally enjoyed one another over a lingering dinner.  Mike and Suzy are on a motor home adventure to eastern Canada and the Maritime Provinces for the summer and Dawn and Fred are headed to Virginia Beach on vacation.

Fred, Suzy, Mike

. . .and Dawn sharing dinner, stories and  laughs!

It was a wonderfully long Canadian holiday weekend and now it is time to move on.  We planned to leave on Tuesday (July 2^nd) but Dan is having trouble with his starter and we do not yet have a permanent fix for our aft-cabin head so the captains rode bikes for parts, did I mention it is hot out and are feverishly trying to get everything working again!  As I write this, Melody’s starter is replaced and the Captains continue to explore the Namaste for the culprit wire or whatever to repair the electric toilet.

Captains commiserating.  No head solution yet –  stay tuned!

Good-by Montreal, hello to the Ottawa River!

Good Boat Name:  Pironor.  I don’t know what the word means and I was hoping for something more eloquent but according to Google it is the name of a French fabrication company.  However, “Pironor” adorns the transom of a stately, 1956, 45’ Crist-Craft.  What a gem!

Happy Birthday to:  Kaitlan, Judy

Happy Canada Day to all my favorite Canadians.

Happy Independence Day to my American family and friends.  We will especially miss Camp Lookout and the Frankfort Parade.

Note of Jim & Jo history:  Jim and I spent our delayed honeymoon in Montreal at Expo ’67 and were also here in ’87 on our way to Louisbourg, Nova Scotia and Mike’s adventure on the Pegoria.  All three visits are so memorable!

A loud shout-out of appreciation to the kind and helpful Parks Canada staff who operate the bridges, locks and care for their beautiful parks.

A small shout-out of disappointment to Verizon.  After many promises from them and at a pretty good chunk of cash from us, we have marginal reception and extremely limited data for our “beyond unlimited” plan.  After .5G of use we are “monitored” down to 3G service for the remainder of the day. This usually happens about 2 p.m.  The explanation is that data is expensive in Canada! The devices still show LTE on the screen but the response is so painfully slow that it almost doesn’t exist.    For some reason my laptop is currently on Wifi so I just may get this posted.  Again, magic!