Bits and Bights

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It's a two long day hike (sail) from Montreal to Quebec City, 137 nm in total and now we have to start considering the tides.   Trois-Rivieres is our half way mark and we have calculated an 11 o'clock departure from Montreal based on current and tide and a speed of 6 knots.  This suits us fine as we finalized the provisioning for the next leg.   This is were it gets interesting - we did not anticipate the amount of seaweed in the water and the amount of fouling going on as we motorsail to maintain the required speed.   Our ETA was suppose to be around 7:30 pm but on the first day we had to stop twice and dive under the boat in the freighter lanes to release our vessel from the tangled mess.  Now with the delays our new ETA is 9:30 pm and the sun sets at 8:30 pm. No problem right... as we navigate through Lac Saint-Pierre all the while staying in the channel because the lake is an average 8 feet deep with rocks everywhere - the sun light is dwindling.  It is now a race to the bridge as a freighter is bearing down on us doing 14.3 knots (we know this because of the on-board AIS system) and we are doing 5.6.  It's getting darker as the moonlight is shaded by cloud cover. This is causing some stress for Ms. Joann, to say the least!   We know though that every mile done today will benefit tomorrow and we have picked out the perfect anchorage in Trois Rivieres - the mouth of a river in downtown that was used as a log pond in days gone by. All has turned out well once again as we beat the freighter to the bridge and the anchoring was perfect as we listened to the concert playing at the outdoor amphitheater "Cogeco".

The next day, seaweed dives and bigger tides are included in the plan. We have 3 feet of tide now and by end of Quebec it will be18 feet.   The day was early with a 5:30 alarm followed by a seaweed dive (a very refreshing start to the day) and we are off at 6:00 am - we need to be in Quebec by low tide which is 2:00 pm.  On this day we have to navigate the Richeleau Rapids, weather the periodic squall followed by sudden heavy wind gusts. That's ok what's a little "round up" between friends after all.  The day finished with another picturesque sail by of the Chateau Frontenac and then into the Port of Quebec where we have to pass a draw bridge and lock that protects the inner harbour from the pending tides.  This harbour has 415 slips of which 100 are dedicated to visitors.  Once we find our slip, it's not long before we are off to old Quebec just steps away.  We were once again totally impressed by the hospitality of all we meet,the historic sites and the shops woven into the hillside. 

Coteau Landing to Montreal

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What we thought would be a quick trip to Montreal took us 14 hours - not due to any weather delays but because of bridge and lock schedules. We left Coteau Landing before 6:30 a.m., anticipating an early afternoon arrival in Montreal.  After crossing a small lake, we started into a canal guarded by two lift bridges.  By 7:30 we were at the first bridge and radioed the bridge operator of our approach only to be told the first lift of the day was 9:00 a.m.  So off to anchor and have breakfast while we wait patiently.  Once through, we proceeded down the short canal to the second lift bridge only to find out it's first lift wasn't until 10:00 am.... The lift bridges done,  it's off to the first set of 4 locks for the day.  We arrive at the first lock and, interestingly enough, caught up to the power boats that had passed under the bridges earlier with us, we are told it's an hour wait.  At another lock it's a 1.5 hr wait etc. etc.... At this point, although seeing freighter traffic at the locks was interesting, waiting on them sucked!  But it gave time for Joann to reclaim the cribbage throne.  I think you should be getting a picture of how the day went but it gets better as we have one more hurdle to overcome.   After travelling 37 miles and with just 1 more to go, we turned  the corner towards harbour and were confronted by a sea of current flowing at 4-6 knots against us. Our boat only goes 5.5 kn (6 if we push it).   So at .5 to 1 knot we spend another hour fighting the current before making our final destination of Montreal Yacht Club in Old Port.  It was funny, at one point we were almost going backwards beside an ocean freighter from Panama that was docked. The crew came out to watch the struggle and we imagine they were cheering us on or else taking bets to see if we'd make it!  According to Andrew, their encouragement sounded like " You can do it leetle juan!" ( use your best Spanish accent for added spice).

Once tied up and safe in port, it was not long before our thirsty souls were walking the 5 minutes to Old Montreal and found a delightful patio offering flights of beer and mouth watering cuisine.   

Wednesday, we spent the day being tourists, walking around enjoying the sites and people watching. This is a very popular tourist destination.  We started by visiting the Notre Dame Basilica, built between  1824 and 1829, and later complimented with additions and upgrades.  We also climbed the clock tower which overlooks the harbour and saw the inner clock workings as we climbed the 200 steps to the top.  It provided a wonderful view of a manmade beach down below which was built on the island across from the yacht club. The beach was filled with umbrellas, water misters (popular here) and of course, bars and sunbathers enjoying the 33 C weather! In the evening we once again had ringside seats on Summer Wine II to watch an International Fireworks display, this one hosted by France.   Apparently, this is a competition that happens every Wednesday and Saturday throughout July with a different country hosting each night. The final is this Saturday. I don't know how they are judged but it sure was spectacular! 

Today, it's prep time for the next leg of the trip - Joann and Andrew went off to get provisions at a neat downtown grocery located on the main floor of an office tower.   And Doug was able to hitch a ride across the river to Longueuil to the local Penta Volvo dealer to replenish oil & filter supplies. It's time Summer Wine got an oil change. A big thanks to our neighbour at the harbour for his help.  

 With fresh croissants, cream cheese and a light Montreal rain, it's off to Sorel and Trois Rivière  for the next stops.  

D,J & A

Upper Canada Delights!

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We had a great day sailing from CFB Trenton to Kingston and then again Kingston to Brockville.

Here, at Brockville, we anchored with our nose tied to shore as Andy tried out the wet rock water slide into the lake while preparing the finishing touches on the moorage. What started out as a beautiful night ended up in rain through to morning. It was not all lost though as the loud music from the party across the bay kept us singing along for hours with one great tune after another. We were thinking of swimming over and getting the play list.  

In the morning we reviewed the St. Lawrence Seaway lock procedures before heading off.   We had an hour wait at the first one, Iraquios Lock, only to be lowered a couple of inches as the dam was completely open. Then while enroute we spied the Crysler Park Marina and made a spontaneous decision to call in for a slip. Andy cooked a wonderful chicken dinner and kicked our asses in cribbage:)

Monday was an early start to the day. We hiked a mile to "Upper Canada Village" on the site of the Crysler Farm where on November 11, 1813 the joint forces of 800 men made of British soldiers, local men and natives pounded the 8000 Americians until they went back home with tails between their legs. This was one of two critical battles which brought the war of 1812 to a close. 

The whole "Upper Canada Village" had been relocated from its original location in the 50's to make way for the new St. Lawrence Seaway.  It was then reconstructed in its original form around a man-made lake used to power a sawmill, flour mill and wool factory. You could easily spend a whole day there.If you like history, you should check out their web site.  The tour concluded with a miniature train ride taking us back to the marina and we were on the water by noon.   

We continued on our journey towards Montreal. Enroute, we transited the Eisenhower and Snell locks which are the only 2 American locks we go through. The primary focus of the St. Lawrence Seaway is commercial traffic so pleasure boaters often have to wait. So far we haven't had long waits. We motored the remainder of the day necessitated by the channel width, tanker traffic, and lack of wind. The day was a scorcher and we finally tied up at 8 p.m. just as the lightening show & rain began. We are still 40 nm to Montreal but with the help of the current, it shouldn't take too long. Today we actually made speed over ground of 10 knots at one point!  The current so far has been approx. 2 knots so combined with our hull speed of 5.5 kn, we seem to be averaging 7kn/hr.

Stowaway update:  No sign of the little critter for several days. We are assuming he jumped ship or passed on....

Kingston, home of Sir John A. and a time to reflect...

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Now with mast up, fully rigged and ready to go, it's seems surreal that we have come this far.  The Great Lakes Adventure started June 17th with Doug and our friends Darrell and Keith as they crossed Lake Superior unscathed except for Keith's stitched head.  Then Joann and I met up with Doug in Sault Saint Marie and we ventured down a major shipping channel encountering lakers along the way, crossed over into the North Channel and were immediately impressed by the clearness of the water and how pristine the entire area was (the people here take care of their waters as there was no sign of garbage anywhere).  In the North channel we discovered the highly touted Whalebacks on the north side as we navigated through islands, swing bridges and narrow channels to Baie Fine and later Tobermory, home of the MS Chi-cheemaun (big canoe).  Now it was time to cross Georgian Bay, some 50 miles wide, but not before stopping off at Flower Pot Island for lunch and a quick overnight in Cabot Head with it's plethora of wildlife.  Georgian Bay was so far our best sailing day, no gusts, 10-15 knots of south westerlies and a spinnaker run to start the day finished with an amazing reach where we rescued Bouy George.  Now that we have crossed, we are off to the next part of the adventure, the famed Trent - Severn Waterway, 240 nautical miles filled with engineering marvels from 60' locks to train cars, hydraulic lefts and picturesque "Group of Seven" scenes.  

My family is from southern Ontario and this was the perfect time for me to take a break from the boat for a couple of days and visit my Oma (who still has a wonderful sense of humour and some dirty jokes), Mom, Dad and Sister Sue, brother-in-law Paul, nephews Issac and Nolan and my Uncle Bob and Aunt Ria. Thanks again for all your hospitality:). 

This nearly brings us to current time and might I say the halfway point of our trip but not before re-rigging Summer Wine II and sailing from Trenton to Kingston.

We've decided Kingston was the perfect place to recharge our batteries. Could not have been a better place - Winnipeg may have more restaurants per capita but Kingston has more pubs per capita and they were all busy even on a Thursday night, mind ya, we only made it to 5 or 6 before settling down to hear some fine local entertainment. Pub crawls aside, the days have been filled with walking, visiting historical sites including Fort Henry and Bellevue House, walking, reprovisioning and oh ya- walking!!  

Thanks again for following us and happy sailing:)

A

Final phase of part three:)

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On Monday we had a new lock experience. We transited 2 sets of "flight locks" which are 2 locks joined together to handle large changes in water levels. They consist of 2 lock chambers and 3 sets of gates each. Their lift height was 54 ft and 48 ft respectively.   At the first set we were with one other boat in the same chamber.  We entered from the top and went down half way.  Then they opened the middle gate and we moved ahead 50 feet to the next chamber to ride down the rest of the way. At the 2nd set, we met a boat coming up in the middle section and we both switched chambers simultaneously in the middle. We carried on down and they went up - just like being at the Red River Ex!  We motored through an area of marshland and saw a flock of white swans!  We started at lock 17, logged 23 miles and finished at lock 6 at Frankford, ON. Dinner was BBQ Salmon, veggie skewers and fresh peacan butter tarts. Creating, preparing and eating these wonderful meals is a really splendid part of this adventure!

Tuesday with 6 locks to go and sunny skies, we passed a paper mill, went under a train line and the 401.  That completed the Trent-Severn waterway and in our case the Severn-Trent waterway.  What a great experience and engineering marvel of its time.  Hats off to the hundreds of Italian immigrants that left their families behind in Montreal while they lived in stick huts and built the waterway at the turn of the century.  The Parks Canada staff have been absolutely wonderful and have provided a wealth of information on the waterway.   

 We arrived at the CFB Trenton Yacht Club by early afternoon.  This allowed us ample time to step our mast and rig Summer Wine for the balance of the adventure.  While rigging  the boat, it was nice having three set of eyes and hands to ensure all lines were proper and equipment triple checked.   Winds were 10 to 15kn out of the west so we had some challenges, to say the least, in making her a sailboat again.  Once all was completed, we took a cab into town and enjoyed the local pizza.  We are now ready for the next part of the adventure.....

Stowaway update: Peanut butter eaten, trap intact!

Doug, Joann & Andrew 

Peterborough to Healey Falls

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Saturday,July 18th, was a layover day in the beautiful city of Peterborough. The day was sunny and hot - a welcome change after the grey skies and rainy weather of Friday. The marina is located in the heart of downtown and is surrounded by a lovely park. The main street was closed to traffic Saturday morning for a giant sidewalk sale, buskers, face painting etc. One of the unique attractions was a green space consisting of natural sod brought in by a local pub to enhance the "chill vibe". It attracted quite a crowd and was really pleasant to stroll along and take it all in.

Of course every layover day involves laundry, boat chores and reprovisioning. The boat received a thorough cleaning as we hunted for our stowaway. No luck finding the little critter but we did buy some mousetraps and poison!

In the evening, we took in a free concert in the park. An indie - pop musician,Hannah Georgas, was the performer. We enjoyed her so much we bought the CD!  Peterborough has an amazing "MusicFest" during the summer with free concerts every Wednesday and Saturday evening. The season kicked off with Randy Bachman. The Northern Pikes are on the bill this Wednesday and future concerts feature Sass Jordan and Doc Walker - those are a few I recognize. 

We would have liked to enjoy more of Peterborough but we have to keep moving on...

Today is Sunday, July 19th, and Andrew rejoined us this morning. Upon our departure, Andrew's parents John & Kini transited Lock 19 at Scott's Mills with us. It was a new experience for them and we were happy to have their company. Final goodbyes were said on the other side of the lock as they left for home and we continued onward. The day was sunny and hot with storm clouds building. We reached the next lock late in the afternoon just as a large hailstorm engulfed us. The unsettled weather wasn't finished with us yet as a short time later we anchored mid-channel while  another thunderstorm rolled over us. A very prudent decision!  Thankfully no waterspouts such as Lake Winnipeg experienced this past weekend!!

For birding enthusiasts, blue heron, osprey and bald eagle sightings are common along the waterways. Also, the Canada goose population is alive and thriving in southern Ontario!!

Today we covered 53 nm and transited 2 locks. We tied up alongside Lock 17 at Healey Falls at 7:30 pm, ready for a cocktail and rib dinner. We were treated to a beautiful sunset overlooking the falls. 

P.S. We awoke this morning to discover the peanut butter bait eaten but the trap not tripped. Smart little bugger!!!

Stowaway

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Last night we had an unexpected visitor. A mouse or a small rat ran by Joann and scared the day lights out of her. There was a mad scramble to catch the stowaway but it was too fast and there was too  many good hiding places.  We tried the old trick of leaving a half full pail of water with a bit of peanut butter on the edge, hoping that the pest might fall in and drown trying to taste the smooth Skippy- no luck!
The other day a boater was snorkelling trying to retrieve a pair of sunglasses from the bottom of a lock channel, he scraped his wrist against the wall which was covered in zebra muscles and instantly cut himself. Those little guys are sharp with a capital S.
Today, because the locks are close together we have been instructed to travel with a group of three other boats, ( a lock full). Passage has been a lot slower because of it. We went through seven locks including a 65' hydraulic lift lock ( the highest in the world).
Today's travels took 6hrs to go 8.6 miles and it has rained most of the day.
We are spending the next 2 nights in Peterborough's Little Lake Marina replenishing supplies and hunting down our stowaway to serve it an eviction notice.
Doug