Back to Montreal, then onto the Richelieu

Day 24, Sunday

Off to a bright early start this morning as we left Valleyfield Marina under much calmer circumstances at 7am. We hoped to get to the locks early so we wouldn’t have to wait very long depending on the shipping schedule. Unfortunately we forgot to anticipate two bridges that had to be raised for us to pass through. We got to the first bridge at about 7:35, finally contacted someone on the radio, and they said that it would be about a 20 or 30 minute delay. So we held our position as best we could in the 2 knot current pushing us toward the bridge. The wait was more like an hour and by that time we were joined by another boat, Phoenix IV. Finally, the bridge started lifting.

Endurance following us through the bridge

The bridge attendant had been waiting for a barge coming our way and only wanted to open once. We went through and the barge was making its way toward the bridge. Now I felt sorry for the cars waiting on the road while the snail paced barge, being pushed by a tug went through. Phoenix IV went on ahead because it was a faster boat and when we got to the next bridge it was already coming up as we approached.

Barge being pushed by a tug that fits into a V shaped notch in the back

Lily's expression says it all while we are rafted up in the lock

Ok, that was the end of no waiting and the only time we breezed though all day. At the Bauhaus lock, we waited, tied up at a dock for an hour and a half, after being told it was a 30 minute wait. They had us raft up 4 boats abreast in the lock. Phoenix IV was against the wall, we were tied up to them, then a late arrival named Lucky Luc, and then finally Endurance. You can just see Steve checking his lines in the photo above.
We made it onto the south end of Lake St. Louis, and the Sunday traffic combined with winds made it fairly rough water. An hour later we were back in familiar territory. As the loopers say, “We crossed our wake" when we turned into the channel to Montreal. We had completed our loop through the Rideau and we were now on our way home.
The next lock we came to, we sat in a holding pattern for two, make that TWO hours after being told it was just a 30 minute wait. So waiting was the word of the day followed closely by wind. It was actually a beautiful day, but we didn’t intend to spend 12 hours trying to get from point A to point B.
 When we finally reached point B the winds were whipping from the west and we agreed that if we were at our home port at Champlain Marina, we would never have left the dock in these conditions. We were at the gas dock for about an hour and it was a relief when we finally got into our spot for the night, giving full credit to the captain's adept boat handling skills!

Lily always finds beauty at the end of the day

Captain’s Log, July 8, 2012
Depart Valleyfield 7:00am
Arrive Longueil (Montreal) 7:00pm
12 hrs travel time, 10.2 engine hrs., 48.78 nautical miles
Long Day – 4 Locks, 3 Delays. Crew was super!!
WX Clear, winds calm, then NW increasing all day to 20-25 kts north at Montreal


Monday, Day 25

Somehow I got behind on my number of days on the trip, but it is officially day 25. We woke up to a cool breeze and almost cloudless skies as we started our last leg down the St. Lawrence River at a reasonable hour, 9pm. The average 2 knot current pushed us along the familiar path toward Sorel. We had lunch while underway, as usual, with cold bean burritos, starting to be the usual as our cupboards are looking a little bare, and at 1:00pm we made the turn onto the Richelieu River. The current was no longer with us but the water was calm and after passing through the industrial section we settled back into watching the views along the pleasant pastoral river. The shores were dotted with occasional homes, some simple and some elaborate with lovely gardens reaching down to the river.

Tied up at the St. Ours dock - note red fenders, extra big for locking

Note blue fenders - home made from a mesh bag with an exercise ball inside.
We got some strange looks, but they are half the cost and worked just as well!

There was very little boat traffic and before long we were tied up at the dock just before the first lock at St. Ours. The grounds are lovely here with the old superintendent’s house now used as a museum and information center. We took the bikes and rode three miles into the village of St. Ours, picked up a couple of items at the small grocery and rode back to enjoy a quiet evening.

Lily couldn't resist taking a photo of our colorful dinner

Lily has been helping me make some very delicious meals. This night we had pita pizzas with spinach and sweet onion, tortalinis with cheese and a green salad with shredded carrots, pears and maple roasted walnuts.

Captain’s Log, July 9, 2012

Depart Longueil 9:00am
Arrive St. Ours Lock 2:50pm
5 hrs 40min over all, 5.9 engine hours, 47.11 nautical miles
WX Clear, cool, NW winds, 5-10 kts.