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| Coming into Montreal the banks are lined with ships plying their trade. (Blackwood photo) |
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| Looking down on Nellie's deck, water is coming aboard through the freeing ports. It definitely wasn't a dry deck day. (Blackwood photo) |
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| 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.
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| 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
