Starting the St. Lawrence Seaway

Day 16, Friday

Today starts our third week of travel on our boat. We got up early and John and I were both sitting at a damp picnic table just after 6am where we could tap into the internet connection at the marina office. Our boat just wasn’t close enough to stay on line and we had work to do.  John had to check his customers’ emails and I had to get pictures up on the blog!

Lily starts the day with some ballet warm-ups,
complete with bun in her hair

The tiny dot is Endurance going under the bridge

We got underway in good time, just before 8 am, and Endurance took the lead. We passed under the Ogdensburg Bridge and the 2 knot current on the St. Lawrence helped push us along. Our timing was very good as we approached the Iroquois Lock. A big tanker had just come up in it going west and we waited in idle as she slowly came out through the gates.

Tanker just emerging from the lock as we wait to the side of the channel

The tanker seemed to move at a snail's pace

As soon as she cleared, we got the green light and motored in, with two other pleasure boats behind us. This was a quick one with just a 4 inch drop! As soon as they had closed the gates behind us, the dock master sped up to the other end in a 4 wheeler, sirens and bells went off as a bridge went up and the gates started to open.

It was now still only 10:30 so we pushed on the approximately 10 miles to the next two locks: Eisenhower and Snell. These were locks with a big drop of 45 feet in each. We had to wrap a line around a large cylinder called a bullard that floated down as the water level dropped. It was a little eerie to hear the scraping sounds they made echoing in the deep chamber as the water went down.

John holds on to the line wrapped around the bullard

The three boats in front of us - Endurance is rafted up with the first one

At the Snell lock we had to wait even longer because a large boat was just entering from below. As it rose up, we could see that it was not the typical pleasure craft. It had 4 decks and as it came by we could see that it had crew members in snappy white and black handling it. The name was Antares and was about 130 feet long and several million dollars to say the least. It may have been a chartered vessel.

Motor yacht Antares

At the bottom of the Snell lock - the gates are about to open

Today was all about the locks. The skies were partially overcast and the scenery was non descript. By the end of the very long day it was nearly 90 degrees, and we were all glad to plug into a slip for the night at Cornwall, Ontario. John and Lily went for a swim at the nearby municipal pool and later we all walked to an air-conditioned mall for a bite to eat and pick up some ice cream and fudge sauce. This cruising certainly does trigger our craving for sugar!

Captain’s Log, July 6, 2012

Depart Brockville, Ontario 7:45 am
Arrive Cornwall, Ontarou 6:10 pm
56 nautical miles - 10 hours 25 min
9.1 engine hours
WX overcast/clear wind: 10-15 kts in pm, humidity increased as the day wore on

Day 17, Saturday

We woke up to the sound of rain on the roof and the outside temp was 72 degrees. We looked at the weather radio and hoped that John’s father, who always said, “Rain before seven, sun by eleven” would prove to be accurate. Sure enough, the sun broke through almost on schedule, but the light overcast kept things cool as we cruised along. This would be an easy day, just about 30 miles and no locks. The water was water was very calm and smooth, with very little boat traffic.

Lily does some stretches on the back deck using a book on her nook to guide her

The bird common in these waters is the cormorant

Doing a little laundry as we cruise along

Lily enjoys reading in her cabin



.Just as we were coming in on the channel to the Valleyfield Marina in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, the air suddenly felt dryer and the wind came up. Wouldn’t you know it! This was a very busy marina, a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and it seemed like every boat there was either going in or coming out. The wind and the traffic made getting into our slip a little hairy, but we made it, finally!   

Taking an evening walk

Two yacht tenders come into the marina for fuel

 You can't see these boats very well, but they are yellow on top and silver on the bottom. The black line is a huge rub rail. We looked them up on the net and they are 40 foot nautical limos for a huge private yacht called Luna. The "mother ship" is 350 feet long and cost 750 million dollars. John looked up on his AIS and the big yacht is going through the locks and headed for the Thousand Islands. Musing what it would be like on such a yacht was good entertainment!

Captain’s Log, July 7, 2012

Depart Cornwall, Ont. 9:30am
Arrive Valleyfield, Que. 2:00pm
29.8 nautical miles, 4.5 hrs. total time, 4.6 hrs. engine time.
WX Calm, overcast AM, gradual clearing, winds picked up from west