Day #62: Clawing Our Way into Montreal, Quebec

Coming into Montreal the banks are lined with ships plying their trade. (Blackwood photo)

Looking down on Nellie's deck, water is coming aboard through the freeing ports. It definitely wasn't a dry deck day. (Blackwood photo)

Looking south-southwest at the Montreal Yacht Club and the Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower).

We'd been warned that the St. Lawrence's current in Vieux-Port de Montréal (Montreal's old port) was quite strong. So strong in fact that it would take us about an hour to cover the last 2 miles into Vieux-Port.

Well, it was as advertised. In the picture above notice the 2.1 mph in the upper right of the chart plotter's screen? Nellie's turning RPMs for 8.5 mph but only going 2.1 mph. That means the river's current is 6.4 mph. At one point we saw our ground speed fall to 1.5 mph! A cruising hueristic is to stay out of currents exceeding 50% of the boat's top speed. I wouldn't want to make a regular practice of it but today's joy ride approached 80% of Nellie's top speed.

30 miles from Contrecoeur, Quebec to Montreal, Quebec.

Step one, Quebec. Check. Step two, Montreal. Check. These are great cities and a bit of a challenge to get to by boat. But oh, once you make it, what a sense of satisfaction. And then to be rewarded by all they have to offer makes it that much sweeter. Happy as clams at the Montreal Yacht Club. DBH

Day #61: Slogging Upstream to Contrecoeur, Quebec

A forlorn looking lake freighter, sister ship to the Edmund Fitzgerald, passes us on Lac-Saint-Pierre while being towed by two tugs. 

The Edmund Fitzgerald before she went down on Lake Superior November 10, 1975 along with her crew of 29. "Does any one know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" -- Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

The Detroit Express is 750' long and displaces 82,000,000 pounds. Nellie was going to claim the right-of-way but then sanity set in...

Between Trois-Rivières and Quebec City Nellie stayed between the channel markers as the river shallows quickly outside of them. The same hasn't been true south of Lac-Saint-Pierre where there's plenty of depth outside the markers. This has several advantages. First, we can put more space between us and the big ships. Second, it allows us to treasure hunt for counter currents which are normally found near the river's banks. I can't say we found a lot of treasure though. All day we turned RPMs for 8.5 mph but only averaged 6 mph. What the heck, the scenery is pretty and we're not in a hurry.

At anchor off of Contrecoeur, Quebec.

48 miles from Trois-Rivières, Quebec to Contrecoeur, Quebec.

Thirty miles northeast of Montreal, behind a long island on the southern shoreline of the St. Lawrence, is the quaint little village of Contrecoeur, Quebec. Nellie is anchored just off the village in 17' of water. A gentle current keeps us pointed upstream. DBH

Day #60: Up the River Down to Trois-Rivières, Quebec

A screen shot of our GPS as we leave Quebec's very busy old port. 

The sailing instructions said to leave Quebec City a half hour before high tide (7am this morning) so as to minimize the adverse current in the Richielieu Rapids. As promised, the rapids were not a problem. The same, however, can't be said for other parts of the river. At one point, while turning RPMs for 8.5 mph, Nellie was advancing under 4 mph!

The with of the St Lawrence is truly amazing. 

It's current not wind causing whitewater on the channel marker's upriver side.

Nellie's own privé (private) mooring up the Saint-Maurice River in Trois-Rivières.

At Trois-Rivières we decide to anchor up the Saint-Maurice River. At the river's confluence with the St. Lawrence, judging by the large number of anchored boats, is a very popular beach. We worm our way through the fleet and find a spot for Nellie. But, it was tight, and like a puppy that can't get comfortable, we keep moving. What makes picking a spot challenging is getting enough separation from surrounding boats. While in shallow water and surrounded on three sides by anchored boats, a big, underway powerboat puts his nose close to Nellie's stern. I give its skipper a quizzical and irritated look. He yells over, "Would you like to use my mooring?" Instantly the anchor drill is over and we have a premo spot for the night.

Looking southeast down the Saint-Maurice towards the Saint Lawrence.

78 uphill miles between Quebec City and Trois-Rivières.

In today's 11 hours underway we averaged 7 mph--and that's going upriver. The trip would have been a lot slower but for the three hours of flood tide push where we averaged over 10 mph. Safely attached to our own privé mooring up the Saint-Maurice. DBH

Day #58 & #59: R&R in Quebec City, Quebec

Lots of wonderful walking streets.

Filling the boat with diesel is a different experience than filling the car with gas. For one thing Nellie holds a total of 220 gallons in her four fuel tanks. Also, your options of fueling locations are much more limited on a boat. Not all harbors offer fuel and when they do it's often from a single supplier. Prices can vary wildly from harbor to harbor so, finding a good price becomes a game. We usually start looking for fuel when Nellie's tanks are half full. That was in Burlington, VT where diesel was $3.34/gallon. We passed that up and headed north where it went to $3.72/gallon. Again we said no and headed into Canada. It was worse at the first place we checked: $4.62/gallon. The next was marginally better at $4.15/gallon. We finally filled here in Quebec City at a price of $3.53/gallon.

This clever mural has the onlooker wondering what's real and what's not.

Nellie has enjoyed the time off and even though the rainbow pictured above ends in Quebec City, tomorrow she moves on.

No miles in the last two days but 1,300 miles this year and 7,600 since leaving Naples in 2016.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we'll start back up river towards Montreal. DBH

Day #57: Enchanted by Quebec City, Quebec

Nellie successfully dodges another freighter.

The sailing directions said that for a seven knot boat to safely traverse the Richelieu Rapids she should leave Trois-Rivières eight hours before low tide in Quebec City. Thursday's low was predicted at 1330 so departure was at 0530 hours. Simple math right? Why then did we find it necessary to do the calculation 15 times? Because sea monsters lie in wait for the math challenged. Instead of a calm passage we would have seen boiling water, toil and trouble. Our imaginations work overtime in terra incognita. When we finally reached the Richielieu Rapids at 1130 hours the water was calm and welcoming--as predicted.

From the water Quebec looks magical.

In the waiting room with a gaggle of Nellie's working sisters.

Celebrating Nellie's arrival in Quebec City with a champagne-priced beer at the Frontenac Hotel.

77 miles from Trois-Rivières, Quebec to Quebec City, Quebec.

I'm not a fan of putting the cart before the horse, or in this case reaping the reward before paying the price. Getting to enjoy Quebec City is the reward. Having to go back upriver is paying the price; which we won't do until Sunday. Until then we'll just enjoy being profligate. In the heart of the action in Old Quebec City Nellie is tied to a thoroughly modern dock. DBH

Day #56: Down the St Lawrence to Trois-Rivières, Quebec

Crossing paths with a big boy.

We haven't been in waters as large as the St. Lawrence since we left Lake Ontario five weeks ago. Big waters introduce a whole new set of problems--including the opportunity to get ourselves run over by 50,000,000 pound freighters. To put that into perspective, Nellie would have as much chance as a pint of milk being hit by a car. Yeah, not a pretty picture. Note to self, stay away from freighters.

The 55 bridge across the St. Lawrence greets us after crossing Lac Saint-Pierre. Even in a big lake (20 miles long by 8 miles wide) the current was 2 mph.

47 miles from Parc Bellerive, Quebec to Trois-Rivières, Quebec.

Tonight we're moored in a very nice marina in Trois-Rivières. It feels like a different world if only because French is the predominate language. Bonne nuit. DBH

Day #55: Blown to South of Sorel, Quebec

37 miles from Chambly, Quebec to Marina du Camping Parc Bellerive, Quebec

The howling South winds blew us down the current laden Richelieu River. The river is wide and shallow but well marked. Small car ferries, which scurry back and forth, make up for the lack of bridges. The houses along the banks are very neat and trim. There are many architectural styles but Modern--boxy, flat roof, with lots of big windows--seems to be in vogue.

Safely tired to the dock at Marina du Camping Parc Bellerive, Quebec. DBH

Day #54: A Milestone in Chambly, Quebec

The Chambly Canal locks are operated manually.

The 74 mile long Richelieu River, which lies mostly in Canada, connects the north end of Lake Champlain to the Saint Lawrence.  So, in rapid succession this morning we enter the Richelieu, cross the border, and check into Canada.  The standard questions are asked: where are you from; where are you going; how long will you be in Canada; and, the ever popular, how much booze do you have aboard?  Expecting this last question Bicki hands the inspector a piece of paper containing Nellie's extensive grog inventory.  He studies it briefly, nods, hands it back and says, "Welcome to Canada."  On multiple levels this makes Nellie's crew very happy.

Nellie goes over 7000 hours on the Hobbs meter.  Let's see, if the oil is changed every 200 hours, that's a lot of oil changes...

Quebec's construction worker's holiday started yesterday.  We've been warned that during the next two weeks it will feel like everyone in Quebec is a construction worker, owns a boat, and plans to spend every moment in the water. To say that the waterways are chock-a-block with revelers is an understatement. 

The Chambly's 10 locks are tiny.  There's barely enough room for two Nellie-sized boats.

36 slow miles between Rouses Point, NY and Chambly, Quebec

In many sections the canal parallels the river.  From the canal's safety we can see the river's rapids, rocks and whitewater.  We need no more proof that the $240 annual canal pass is a bargin.  On the slowest part of the Erie Canal the speed limit is 10 mph.  On the entire Chambly it's 5.5 mph.  Canal cruising fits Nellie and her laid back crew perfectly.  Safely tired to a very crowded Lock 3 wall in Chambly, Quebec.  DBH

Day #53: By Valcor Island to Rouses Point, NY

Rosie, Nellie D., Callisto, and Fram at the dock in Burlington, VT

The Lord Nelson Victory Tug Rendezvous in Burlington was a whirlwind of activities. It's always fun to talk to other owners and see what they've done to their tugs.

Nellie in her slips at Rouses Point, NY.  Just beyond the bridge is Quebec, Canada

With high winds predicted in the afternoon we got an early start. The goal was to make Rouses Point before Eurus, god of the southeast winds, even knew we'd left Burlington. We did tempt fate a bit by taking the long way around historic Valcor Island.

The battle of Valcor Island, which took place In October of 1776, saw the British fleet destroy all but three of the American ships. For the Patriots it was a tactical loss but a strategic victory. By forcing the British to assemble a fighting fleet they delayed the invasion down the Hudson River until 1777. This helped make Saratoga--the first major American victory--possible.

42 miles from Burlington, VT to Rouses Point, NY

It's truly a joy to be able to cruise along such historical routes. Tonight we're safely tired to Gaines Marina in Rouses Point, NY and not a single warship in sight. DBH

Day #48: Thinking about Itineraries and Schedules in Burlington, VT

Working our way out of Otter Creek in the rain.

A day's delay in the predicted bad weather motivates us to move North to Burlington, VT.

A cruising axiom is: Never make a schedule. An itinerary, or ordered list of places to visit, is fine. Just don't put a hard arrival date on any of the places. Trying to push through adverse weather or tides is what gets mariners into trouble. Knowing this, we've been massaging Nellie's "itinerary" so she'd be within striking distance of the start of tomorrow's Lord Nelson Victory Tug Rendezvous in Burlington, Vermont. Agreed, sometimes it's a fine line between a schedule and an itinerary...

26 miles from Vergennes, VT to Burlington, VT

Nellie beat all her sisterships to Burlington but is very happy to be here early. Weather permitting we won't get underway again until Sunday, 22 July. DBH

Day #47: On Lake Champlain to Vergennes, VT

Whitehall's Lock 12 lowers Nellie onto Lake Champlain and opens the door to a whole new world.  As the water gets wider the mountains get taller.  New York's Adirondacks to port and Vermont's Green Mountains to starboard.

Weather becomes a factor now that we're back on "big" water.  Tuesday's forecast calls for 20kt winds so we look for somewhere both protected and interesting to go.  Vergennes, Vermont fits the bill perfectly.

Nellie and her 23' high mast can easily fit under the 75' tall Champlain Bridge.  This is a big deal because it's the first time in a month that we haven't had to put the mast down for a bridge.

Otter Creek to Vergennes is eight miles of twists, turns, and shallows--pretty much a normal day if this were the Erie Canal.

At the head of Otter Creek is Vergennes and its waterfalls.

Nellie secures a frontrow seat at the falls. 

61 miles from Whitehall, NY and Vergennes, NY.

While we've been paralleling Vermont for a few days now this is the first time we've actually crossed the state line and spent a night here.  DBH

Day #45: A Navy Town, Whitehall, NY

At Fort Edward the Champlain Canal takes leave of the Hudson River and beelines it north.

Our one whistle pass (port-to-port) of Edna and her gravel laden barge is a bit of a squeeze. 

Stately Skene Manor (circa 1874) looks west over Whitehall while Nellie enjoys another terminal wall (with free electricity, water, bathrooms and showers). 

Whitehall's place in history. 

What do peer review and Jeopardy have in common?  "The first is to science what the second is to history" claimed the local docent with a Cheshire cat grin.  So, if Jeopardy says the birthplace of the US Navy is Whitehall it must be true.  Bridgeport, Connecticut still claims the distinction but after Jeopardy's imprimatur that seems like sour grapes.

23 miles  from Fort Edward, NY to Whitehall, NY.

Nellie is safely tied to Whitehall's the terminal wall.  DBH

Day #44: Lost on the Way to Fort Edward

Tender 5 is a classic New York State Canal boat.

On Fort Edward's Wall.

I've been lax in my nomenclature when discussing town walls. Since we've enjoyed many of them in the last month I want to set the record straight.

In 1911 New York budgeted $20M to build 56 terminals along the canals. The terminals are a public space which connect the surrounding community to the canal. Terminals facilitated commerce by providing an area where barges could land and cargo could be loaded and unloaded. Today most terminals have been converted into parks and offer overnight moorage to pleasure craft.

The terminals (town walls) are high which makes getting on and off Nellie a challenge (not that we're complaining).

38 miles from Mechanicsville, NY to Fort Edward, NY.

Navigating in the canal is usually a no brainier: east or west; north or south. While traveling north today we came to a three way intersection. Hmm, don't see many of those. Anyway we chose to go right and into Lock 7. The doors closed and we waited for the chamber to flood. The lock master appeared above us and asked, "Where are you going?" "Fort Edward," Bicki said. "You should have picked the middle fork then," was his reply. He re-opened the lock door and chagrined Nellie backed out.


Now that we found it, Nellie is safely tied to the Fort Edward terminal. DBH