August 2 – Thursday
I had not shared it with Polly, but I had read in the log book of our friends, the O’Bryan’s, John’s note that their passage through this leg of the Chambly canal and its locks, was the worst they had experienced on their trip. So it was to be for us. The heat and physical requirements of handling and holding the boat while locking up, made it real work. We had cleared the first 3 of the 9 Chambly locks the day before so at 08:30 we left the wall and headed for #4 where 3 sailboats (masts down and braced on deck) were waiting on the wall also to enter the lock. As we approached, the green light appeared and the lock master directed us to enter first and then he loaded the smaller sail boats around and behind us. There was not enough space remaining to get our dinghy in if it had been necessary – we were tightly packed. When the water flowed into the chamber we had to pull hard at various angles to keep our boat from flushing back or front or away from the wall depending on how the water was behaving at various times. We managed this through locks 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (all in close proximity to one another) along with our new sail boat friends. We could chat easily standing at a distance of 4 to 8 feet. These boats were all friends from Montreal and were heading to Lake Champlain for 2 weeks of cruising. Leaving lock 8 one of the Montreal boats had a problem so they all stayed behind to help out. We proceeded to the final lock, #9 which was about 10 miles at Saint-Jean. The lock was waiting and we entered alone and had the full attention of the friendly staff. We took pictures of them and they took pictures of us in the lock. When we had been raised the 5’ needed to exit they explained we would be held for 5 minutes, and then the swing bridge would be ready to open at 12:30PM, the end of it’s scheduled non-opening time (11:45 to 12:30). We left this final lock at 12:30 and proceeded to the open bridge navigating carefully around a tiny rented electric powered craft that was weaving through the channel at about one MPH. The couple seemed a bit surprised as we quietly slid by them 5’ way.
The only thing standing between us and the United States of America now, was about 20 miles of the Richelieu River flowing against us at 1 knot and what seemed like several thousand small, fast boats towing skiers, jet skis and a few pontoon boats all going in various directions . No worries mate – we were going home. At 2:30 we hauled down the Canadian flag and ran up the yellow “Q” and by 3:00 we were docked at the Marina at Light House Point and heading for U.S. Customs.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
August 1 - Wednesday
Sorel was sliding by us at 06:45 as we headed south on the Richelieu River – once again the sky was clear and the sun was rising fast. Sorel, as well as Tracy on the western river bank, appears to be a real manufacturing town. There is a large grain mill and storage facility as well as a huge steel mill, both with loading docks for ships, and just a bit further on is a large marine manufacturing site. We had no traffic at all for the first several hours and just enjoyed looking at the range of home sites located along the shores.
The river is easy and unremarkable to navigate – just stay in the middle and honor the occasional buoy. Traffic on the water remained quite light until we got closer to Chambly and the first locks that lift you into the canal. Chambly is a mini waterfront resort town. Once again, we had no noticeable wait before entering the first lock and continued through the flight of 3 to a basin that allowed us to tie up for the night. The weather had gotten quite hot and we were ready for a relief so we started the gen-set and switched on the A/C. We wanted the boat to be cool when we returned from a grocery shopping walk and then a bike ride to explore for a dinner spot. We also needed to find a hardware store for a tube of silicon sealant to correct a water dripping problem at our shower stall. A simple but annoying problem. On the ride along the canal path to BMR (like a Lowes) we encountered, a lemonade stand being operated by a family of 3 children with mom on the sideline close by. Two sisters and an older brother (8 to 13 years) had conceived the enterprise and the middle (age) girl had a natural gift for sales and could switch from French to English with every other word, if need be. Yellow or pink in small or large was the product line – with ice of course. Of course Polly and I said yes when we were approached and I handed the girl a fist full of Canadian coins. When she began to INSTRUCT me that I had given her too much, I just had to smile and mom stepped in and told the little business woman that it was a tip and we were being generous. The little girl then announced what the day’s total was up to at that point – I think $12 or $13, and all profit, of course.
When we returned to the boat another trawler with a couple from Hamilton, ON was also at the wall and we chatted a bit. They had been at the same marina in Sorel the night before but we didn’t have the opportunity to visit then. Dinner was at a nearby Italian spot, good but not great and the service quite slow and lacking. Tomorrow we may be taking down the Canadian courtesy flag.
Sorel was sliding by us at 06:45 as we headed south on the Richelieu River – once again the sky was clear and the sun was rising fast. Sorel, as well as Tracy on the western river bank, appears to be a real manufacturing town. There is a large grain mill and storage facility as well as a huge steel mill, both with loading docks for ships, and just a bit further on is a large marine manufacturing site. We had no traffic at all for the first several hours and just enjoyed looking at the range of home sites located along the shores.
The river is easy and unremarkable to navigate – just stay in the middle and honor the occasional buoy. Traffic on the water remained quite light until we got closer to Chambly and the first locks that lift you into the canal. Chambly is a mini waterfront resort town. Once again, we had no noticeable wait before entering the first lock and continued through the flight of 3 to a basin that allowed us to tie up for the night. The weather had gotten quite hot and we were ready for a relief so we started the gen-set and switched on the A/C. We wanted the boat to be cool when we returned from a grocery shopping walk and then a bike ride to explore for a dinner spot. We also needed to find a hardware store for a tube of silicon sealant to correct a water dripping problem at our shower stall. A simple but annoying problem. On the ride along the canal path to BMR (like a Lowes) we encountered, a lemonade stand being operated by a family of 3 children with mom on the sideline close by. Two sisters and an older brother (8 to 13 years) had conceived the enterprise and the middle (age) girl had a natural gift for sales and could switch from French to English with every other word, if need be. Yellow or pink in small or large was the product line – with ice of course. Of course Polly and I said yes when we were approached and I handed the girl a fist full of Canadian coins. When she began to INSTRUCT me that I had given her too much, I just had to smile and mom stepped in and told the little business woman that it was a tip and we were being generous. The little girl then announced what the day’s total was up to at that point – I think $12 or $13, and all profit, of course.
When we returned to the boat another trawler with a couple from Hamilton, ON was also at the wall and we chatted a bit. They had been at the same marina in Sorel the night before but we didn’t have the opportunity to visit then. Dinner was at a nearby Italian spot, good but not great and the service quite slow and lacking. Tomorrow we may be taking down the Canadian courtesy flag.
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