Montreal – The Voyages of Nine Lives

July 5 to 18, 2018: Montreal to Jones Falls

Montreal to Jones Falls

Montreal was suffering a heat wave. There were 33 deaths from the heat in the city during the few days we were visiting. Dick managed to do some exploring, and even rode his bike as far as the Lachine Canal on the hottest day. Me, I pretty much stayed on the boat, only venturing out in the evenings for dinner, and once to visit Bonsecours Market. There were several other Looper boats in the marina, but nobody had energy for introductions or docktails.

Montreal’s history began with a fur trading station set up by Samuel de Champlain in 1605. The local Iroquois were not best pleased and were successful in driving the French away. In 1642 the town of Ville Marie was established and a fort was built the following year as a mission to convert the Iroquois to Christianity. Settlers arrived, but the mission went into bankruptcy and the town came under direct control of the French King. After 1763 New France became a British colony. Over time Montreal became the premier city in Canada, a centre for finance, manufacturing, and commerce. Today it is the largest city in the province of Quebec, and the second largest city in Canada. Port operations moved away from the Old City, and today historic Old Montreal is a major tourist destination.

Unfortunately, it is also very much a work in progress. Many of the beautiful old buildings are empty and under reconstruction, and streets that had been paved are now being restored to cobblestones. The main pedestrianized street is not particularly salubrious, too many t-shirt and souvenir shops interspersed with fast food chains. Perhaps as the restoration works continue there will be more space for European style cafes and small shops. I had high hopes for Bonsecours Market, described in fulsome terms in the tourist brochures as a historic indoor market full of boutiques and restaurants. Sadly, the reality is only one of the 3 floors occupied, yet more souvenir shops, and only one café slash ice cream stop.

We did find two nice restaurants in the Old Town, although the first one had an extremely limited and overly avant garde menu. We had an outstanding meal at the second, the enjoyment slightly reduced by a somewhat snooty waiter, who clearly felt we were not quite the right sort of people to frequent his establishment.

It is more than 50 years since I last visited Montreal. That was during the 1967 Worlds Fair, much of the city was under construction, and there was a heat wave. I guess it just is not my city.

We enjoyed an unexpected visit from Dick’s Uncle Hans and his wife Cathy. They volunteer at Ministry to Seafarers, a mission that provides a home away from home and assistance for seamen from all over the world when their ships are in port. They happened to be there when we were, so it was great to welcome them onto the boat for coffee and chat. We may get a chance to see them again later, as they have a boat on the Trent Severn.

We left Montreal before 9am, hoping for a swift passage through the two locks on the St Lawrence Seaway before our route took us north on the Ottawa River. This was not to be. On arrival at the first lock, we were told it would be 11am, as a large freighter was coming through and commercial traffic has priority. As the freighter was being locked through, another Looper boat arrived, we had last met them at Half Moon Bay on the Hudson River. They were told “after lunch”, as we would all have to wait for a “special” boat to come through. After a certain amount of grumbling, Dick got out his laptop and was just settling in for some internet surfing when we were suddenly called to get ready and go into the lock with the just arrived Canada Coast Guard Vessel. The Seaway locks are huge, and it is quite difficult to hold the boat in place with the thin nylon ropes that are dropped down the sides of the locks for pleasure boats. The second lock was easier when we hit on the idea of Dick staying out holding one of the ropes, the second was tied off, and I took the helm and kept the engine running to maneuver the boat back and forth against the inrushing water (much as I do on narrowboats in locks in UK).

The next excitement was created by weather. We were out in 20 knot winds and had to cross shallow Lac St Louis with the high wind and strong current. The course zigzags, and is surprisingly narrow, so at some points the swells were inevitably on our beam and we were rocking and rolling a lot more than is comfortable. It was not a particularly long journey, fortunately, and we found space below the lock at the village of Sainte Anne de Bellevue. This is a historic town, now a suburb of Montreal. We did not see much of the village, only the street along the canal, lined with restaurants. Consulting TripAdvisor, we selected one of the more highly rated establishments, which happened to be an Irish Pub. Go figure. Little of the menu resembled Irish pub fare, but Dick managed to find a lamb shank that he enjoyed very much. I decided to be adventurous and try one of the signature Quebec dishes, poutine. This is French fries, smothered in beef gravy, and topped with cheese curds. I didn’t say it was good for you! Anyway, clearly, I need to try it again, because while the dish was tasty enough, the French fries were seriously soggy, so it was not a success.

After passing through the lock and officially entering the Ottawa River the next morning, we enjoyed a pleasantly calm day crossing Lac des Deux-Montagnes and on to Carillon Lock. The Ottawa River is very wide at its lower end, in many cases more of a series of connected lakes than what one expects of a river. The scenery is pretty, although the shore is often quite a distance away.

Carillon lock is the highest in Canada, with a 66 foot lift. It is controlled by huge guillotine doors that lift and lower instead of the more usual swing gates. It is also the site of a large hydroelectric dam and tours are available, but Dick was disappointed to find that English tours must be booked a few days in advance. He didn’t feel his command of French was quite up to a tour of a hydroelectric facility!

We found a place on the wall below the lock, and enjoyed watching the boats entering and exiting. It is an enormous lock, used almost exclusively by pleasure boats, with as many as 12 locking through at one time. The largest boats go in first, and take the lines dropped down by the lock staff. Then smaller boats are added, including a row down the middle. Those middle boats tie to the boats they are beside. It makes it a bit tricky for the boaters on the wall, because they are not only holding their own boat, but also the one that has tied to them! There is also no restriction on who can use the lock, so lots of wave runners swarm in as well. We were lucky when it was our turn the next morning, just three other smaller boats, and all on the wall with their own lines to hold.

Normally it is quiet and peaceful overnight at this location, but our stop coincided with a huge 3-day festival of electronic music, including 32 hours of non-stop sound. As in all night, thumpa thumpa thumpa.

Our next stop was the beautiful Chateau Montebello. It is one of the Grand Old Ladies built by the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company. (others include the Empress in Victoria, Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City) Now part of the Fairmont Hotel group, it is billed as the largest log structure in the world. It was built in 1930 to be a Sportsmens Club for CPR, and over the years it has hosted a fascinating list of political figures, royalty, and events. We enjoyed looking at the old photographs on the wall! In the 1970’s it was turned into a hotel, and still operates as a destination resort in beautiful surroundings. We stayed one night in the marina and indulged ourselves with dinner in the hotel, as well as their breakfast buffet the next morning.

It was a relatively short run the next day to Ottawa, but on arrival we had the challenge of the staircase flight of 8 locks that connect the Ottawa River with the Rideau Canal. The guides suggested that “thousands” would watch us locking up, and I had been practising my royal wave, but we started with an audience of just one or two! As we moved up the flight, the audience grew, and included several tourists who took video of the entire process. By the last lock we were watched by at least 30 people. A fellow Looper who locked up with us said afterwards he was glad we were there and got all the attention, he felt he had enough stress trying to execute the enter and exit maneuvers without the additional pressure of amateur critics!

Ottawa is at the confluence of 3 major rivers, and was an important trading place for First Nations. It was visited by Europeans as early as 1610, but it was not until 1800 that the first settlement in the area was established across the Ottawa River in Hull. In 1826, land speculators arrived on the south side of the river when the construction of the Rideau Canal was announced. The town of Bytown was founded, and the canal was built to provide a secure route between Montreal and Kingston, bypassing the St Lawrence River and the threat of enemy fire on supply ships as happened during the War of 1812. Bytown was renamed Ottawa and incorporated as a city in 1855, after a turbulent early history that included labour unrest and political dissension that degenerated into rioting and violence on multiple occasions. In 1857 Ottawa was declared the capital of the Province of Canada by Queen Victoria, who was asked to make the choice after local politicians had failed to agree.

We docked on the canal wall in the centre of town. It was an easy walk to ByWard Market, where we were delighted to find a wonderful choice of fresh produce at the stalls, as well as excellent small shops selling international cheeses and pates, a butcher, and a nice Italian food store. Once again it was very hot, so we decided to have lunch in a restaurant and then relax on board for the evenings. We tried another Irish pub, and the next day had a great meal in an Italian Trattoria. On our second day we rode our bikes, stopping to watch the daily Changing of the Guard. Dick had scouted the previous day, so I knew exactly where to stand to get the best pictures and not be at the back of the big crowd. The ceremony was first performed in 1959, by a Ceremonial Guard that is made up of members from all branches of the Canadian military. After the ceremony we rode to the Garden of the Provinces and Territories. This was described in lyrical terms in the tourist brochure, and perhaps it was once beautiful, but it was a sad disappointment due to years of neglect and lack of renewal of the plantings.

The other takeaway from Ottawa was how much construction there was. Roads were torn up everywhere, and the air was full of grit and dust. A major boat cleaning was required both inside and out to get rid of it. We last visited Ottawa a few years ago, and the roads downtown were all torn up with construction then too. I guess nothing changes.

After Ottawa we went west and south on the Rideau Canal. It is in a beautiful part of Southern Ontario, made up of a series of lakes connected by canal cuts and lots of locks. This is “cottage country” and we are starting to get into the Canadian Shield. You can google it for more detail, but basically it is the igneous rock with a thin cover of soil that covers half of Canada, from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean. Much of the scenery is rocks and pine trees, with deep lakes and lots of rivers. At the same time, there are a few very shallow lakes that must be traversed in a zigzag pattern, paying careful attention to the red and green markers to avoid getting out of the channel. Canadian Shield is very unforgiving if you touch bottom. In Ontario we have always referred to electric power as “hydro,” because most of the electricity is provided by hydroelectric dams. I remember having to learn to say “power”, or “electricity” instead of hydro, when we first moved to the US or people did not know what you were talking about!

We stopped for two nights in Smiths Falls. The basin between the Smiths Falls locks was lined with boats of all sizes, and the marina/campground manager told us they had never had so many big boats in all at the same time. The French boat rental company Le Boat has just started operations this year, with a base at Smiths Falls, so a lot of previously available slips are now taken up by their fleet of houseboats. The boats do look very modern and attractive, comparing very favourably with the much older rentals available from long established companies. There seemed to be a fair number of rentals going out, considering it is their first year of operation. We were amused to see the large amount of rubber, in two rows, that completely surrounds each boat. I am sure they are typically going to be referred to as “bumper boats”, given their size and the very minimal instruction (and no previous experience) requirements for renters!

We were not the only Loopers present, and enjoyed a very convivial evening of docktails with new friends from five different boats. A highlight of the stop was a lunchtime visit from Mike and Sylvianne Foley. Mike worked at Ingersoll-Rand and was part of the hiring process when Dick joined the company more than 40 years ago. They live just outside Montreal, but were out of town when we were there, so they decided to make an excursion so we could have a reunion. We had a convivial lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a bottle of wine on the boat, accompanied by lots of reminiscing.

After a surprisingly long wait for the lock to open the next morning we were on our way across Rideau Lakes to the pretty village of Westport. The dockmaster is very efficient, calling boats on the radio when they see them on the lake so they can give good approach and docking instructions. Usually we have to make the call, and we have found that in Canada it is very hit and miss whether a marina even answers the hail! The village is clearly a destination for day-trippers arriving by boat and car, and is full of small boutiques selling everything from jewellery to clothing and souvenirs. We also found a wonderful sandwich shop, beautiful fresh bread and just the right amount of filling so you could eat it without it all falling apart.

We stopped for two nights at Westport, and then headed out towards our destination for the day, Hotel Kenny at Jones Falls. We expected a fairly short day with a 3 lock staircase to finish. Today was our day for a bit of excitement. Shortly after we set off, I noticed a cloud of white smoke coming from the starboard engine. Dick went below and decided the ticky ticky noise meant shutting down immediately. So, we now know that Nine Lives travels very nicely on just one engine! We were able to stop at the next lock so Dick could take a look and see whether he could sort out the problem. It turned out to be weed. Lots and lots of weed! The engines are cooled by water that comes from outside, and there are special baskets to catch any fish or plant life that gets sucked through the hose. Dick took off the strainer and emptied a salad bowl full of weed that had packed into it. Then he took off the hose that leads to the strainer, and pulled out a whole lot more weed! On the assumption that the problem was likely to be the same for the other engine, he took a look, and sure enough, yet more plant life! We were very fortunate that both of the engines did not overheat. I suspect that trying to paddle Nine Lives would have been a pointless exercise.

The lock was very pretty, and while Dick sorted out the engines I watched a group of summer campers prepare and launch their canoes for an overnight outing.

The last exercise of the day was a staircase of 3 locks, preceeded by a single lock, for a total of 4 in quick succession. We gathered quite an audience, some of them very chatty, asking where we had come from and where we were going. Tonight, a well deserved dinner out at the hotel dining room, and then on to Kingston tomorrow.

Hans and Cathy visit – Dick’s Uncle Hans and his wife Cathy were in Montreal

Montreal at night 2 — Montreal at night – video and images of the history of Old Montreal are projected on the side of some of the buildings at night.

Montreal at night 3 — Montreal at night – historic buildings look attractive at night

Montreal at night 4 — Montreal at Night – Bonsecours Market dome is distinctive

waiting for the Seaway lock — Waiting for the Seaway lock – the huge freighter has priority

Ottawa River – a pretty village with a church and a marina

lamb shank — Lamb shank – an Irish Pub in Quebec, go figure

poutine — Poutine – signature Quebec dish of French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds

English narrowboat 2 — English narrowboat – quite an unexpected sight on the Ottawa River

Carillon lock — Carillon Lock – the highest lift in Canada. You can get an idea of how many boats they pack in, three across and four deep. The waverunners are waiting for their turn.

Carillon lock 3 — Carillon lock – we have entered and tied off our lines, looking back, the gate is still open as another boat gets ready to enter the lock. You can see the white lines down the side of the lock that we tie to while the boat is lifted.

Carillon lock 4 — Carillon lock – looking towards the front (upstream) end of the lock. We asked the lock attendant how often she has to climb those steps. She said not often if she can help it!

Carillon lock 5 — Carillon lock – looking back after the gate has come down.

Montebello Ottawa River – shady lawns and views of the wide river at Chateau Montebello.

Montebello 2 — Montebello – the central gathering area with its huge fireplace in the middle.

Montebello 3 — Montebello – one of the upper galleries that overlooks the dining room.

Montebello 4 — Montebello – the upper floors and roof of the central gathering area. The building has 3 floors of accommodation and other rooms, surrounding a large central area with an enormous fireplace.

Montebello 5 — Montebello – closer look at the structure of the log building. Unfortunately, it is not possible to get an overall outside view of the Chateau because of all the trees and surrounding buildings.

Montebello 6 — Montebello – a view of the marina in the grounds of the Chateau.

Rideau Falls 2 — Rideau Falls – the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa River over these falls.

In the lock – taken by a fellow Looper who traversed the 8 Ottawa locks with us. If you look behind Dick you can see the summer students, who work very hard in the heat, manually operating the historic lock mechanisms. Dick is wearing a headset. We have those so we can swear at each other privately instead of yelling… I’m not kidding (much), boaters call them “marriage savers” because they allow clear and calm communication without shouting or gestures.

Ottawa audience – sometimes you’re the audience, and sometimes, you’re the show!

Ottawa 2 — Ottawa – bike and pedestrian trails.

Ottawa 3 — Ottawa – pretty gardens and paths near Chateau Laurier.

Ottawa 4 — Ottawa – part of the lock flight with one small boat coming up. Note the government buildings across the river in Hull.

Ottawa 5 — Ottawa – the view of the entire staircase of locks from the top.

shepherds pie — Shepherds pie – a nice presentation in an Irish pub in Ottawa.

Market produce – wonderful displays of vegetables at ByWard market in Ottawa.

Ottawa courtyard – one of a series of European style courtyards in downtown.

fixing the AC — Fixing the AC – peering into Nine Lives innards in hopes of fixing the air conditioning. As it happened, the flashlight was not needed (nor was the screwdriver), and the fix required a study of the manual and a small adjustment to the fan settings.

Changing of the Guard – a daily event in summer in front of the Parliament Buildings.

Changing of the Guard 2 — Changing of the Guard

Ottawa gardens – the Garden of the Provinces and Territories is supposed to feature native plantings representing the various areas of Canada.

Filling the water tank – depending on whether or not we do laundry, we fill the water tanks roughly every 3-4 days.

Rideau canal — Rideau Canal – a winding section of the canal, passing neat farms and pretty homes.

Loons – it’s not much of a picture, too far away for the camera phone, but these are loons on the Rideau Lakes. I remember listening to their haunting cries on Hay Lake when I was a teenager.

slalom course — Slalom course – we must stay between the greens and the reds, you can see we go to the left and then after that we pass behind the boat on the right hand side of the picture. Straying from the course risks running aground and severe prop damage!

Rideau locks – note the canoeists in the lock, and the hard working lock attendant winding the mechanism.

Westport – a pretty village on Upper Rideau Lake.

signature sauce — Signature sauce – Dick’s turn to cook. He is making his signature spaghetti sauce on the new induction burner. We thought it would be helpful at keeping heat and steam out of the cabin, and can report that it works wonderfully. Naturally the cook requires an adult beverage while undertaking this delicate and demanding task.

Newboro lock – fortunately there was room for us to tie up and check the engine.

checking the engine — Checking the engine.

all that weed 2 — All that weed – pulled out of the hose, plus what was already packed into the strainer!

the engine — The engine – for those of you who are interested in such things, I don’t think I have shown you a picture before! We have two of these. They are Yanmar 6 cylinder 315 HP engines.

canoes — Canoes – a group of campers setting off to paddle the Rideau Lakes and camp overnight.

June 17 to July 4, 2018: Hudson River to Montreal

Continuing our stay at Half Moon Bay on the Hudson River, after a day of sightseeing, we left the boat and went off in different directions. Dick drove to Toronto to participate in the annual reunion lunch of former Ingersoll Rand colleagues from his first years with the company. I rented another car and set off the next afternoon for Long Island and dinner with Harriet and Carol. I worked with Harriet many years ago at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and together with Carol and other friends we have travelled in Europe and enjoyed canal boating in UK.

However. First it was apparently necessary for me to have a very stressful adventure. Dick had not been gone for two hours when I discovered tell-tale signs that our holding tank was ready to overflow. (for the landlubbers, the holding tank is where we keep the poop and such, it has to be pumped out once a week). Having had an experience with the situation last summer I knew this was not to be ignored. Unfortunately, the pump-out machine was located on a dock at the other end of the marina, outside the breakwater. After my urgent requests for help from fellow Loopers, they jumped into action. Two ladies got on board with me to catch and throw lines, and two gentlemen stood on the dock to cast off, and then hurried over to the pump-out dock and did the necessary business. The whole thing was immensely stressful on several levels. First, although I do take Nine Lives into locks, mostly I don’t do any docking maneuvers (I lost my nerve in bad weather at St Mary’s last January). I had to take her out of the tricky slip, around the marina, then turn and back her up to the pump-out dock. Then of course it all had to be done again in reverse. I can say definitively that I now have my nerve back! The second level of stressful was because the tank was overfull, and I will leave my gentle readers to sleep sound and not draw graphic images for you all. Anyway, it all got done, and what a great group these Loopers are. One of the ladies had just arrived to spend time with her gentleman, and there she was participating in the most disagreeable job on the water to help a complete stranger! Credit to Dick, after a brief text exchange that evening to tell him what had happened, he phoned me and made soothing, congratulatory, and even slightly apologetic noises for not being present.

My drive to Long Island was uneventful, but I am truly glad I no longer do that regularly. It was only 48 miles, but it took 2.5 hours each way, and that was outside of rush hour traffic! Port Jefferson, where I stayed and had dinner, is a pretty village on Long Island Sound. There is a very nice marina there in the supposedly sheltered bay, but that afternoon I watched a large trawler make 5 unsuccessful attempts to dock in the high winds and currents. I am very glad we are not including the Sound on our Loop itinerary. It was great to see my friends and catch up and reminisce. Dick had an equally uneventful trip to Toronto and enjoyed getting together with many old friends from his early days with Ingersoll Rand. They included Gordon Rogers, who first hired him, and who I have known since childhood, when my Dad was an I-R customer. Also Martin Campbell, who was at Queens a year behind us, and who was one of Dick’s first Application Engineers when he was moved up into Sales. Laurie Trewartha was Dick’s second boss, and Dave Mathewson succeeded Laurie as Dick’s boss. Garth Warren headed up the Calgary operation when we lived there the first time in the 80’s.

After both safely returned to Half Moon Bay, a great evening of docktails with about 20 Loopers, and a chance to provision at the excellent local supermarket, we were ready to continue our journey. Dick was pleased to provision with a car, and not have to load 50 pounds of beer, water, fruit, canned goods, vegetables and various meat and cheese onto his bicycle as he usually does! Reminding you all that he has a single speed bike, unassisted by electricity!

Our first stop on the Hudson was our favourite Maritime Museum at Kingston. We docked with two other Looper boats who we had met at docktails the evening before. On our return from dinner we were fascinated by the local fire brigade practising their high pressure hose skills across the river, fortunately pointing up the Creek instead of across! The next morning we launched the dinghy and went for a ride all the way to the end of Rondout Creek. Rondout was a major shipbuilding port in the 19^th century, when it was the northern terminus of the Delaware and Hudson Canal. Before that, it was a Dutch trading post in the early 17^th century. The Canal was the heyday of the city, bringing coal from northeastern Pennsylvania to the markets of New York City. As happened all over the world, the railroads spelled the end for the lucrative canal barge business, and it closed in the early 20^th century. Today Rondout Creek supplies a large part of New York City’s daily water draw via reservoirs and aqueducts in the Catskills. The Creek still has some small boatbuilding and repair facilities, as well as several large marinas. It was an interesting dinghy run on a pretty morning.

Our next stop was Donovan’s Shady Harbour, followed by a transit through Albany and Troy to Waterford. At Troy we passed the Corning Glass Barge moored on the river wall. This is a barge that travels around the Erie Canal and waterways of Upstate New York this year in celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the move of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company to Corning, New York. Some of the innovations credited to Corning Glass include the first electric light bulbs for Thomas Edison, the invention of optical fiber for telecommunications, and the glass used in modern flat screen displays, including cell phones. The barge offers glassblowing demonstrations each day plus museum exhibits sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning. It is touring in celebration of the bicentennial of the New York Waterways and the Erie Canal.

Waterford was busy, due to the anticipated arrival of the Glass Barge and the upcoming weekend, but we had timed our arrival carefully and were able to get a spot under the bridge on the free town wall. Being under the bridge had the advantage of keeping the boat cool on a hot sunny day, but the ga-thump ga-thump of vehicles crossing the bridge carried on all night and in the morning the boat was covered in fallen dirt and dust. Not to worry, our next stop was on the Champlain Canal, with a transit of five locks on a wet and miserable day!

I have decided that I am not so very fond of transiting locks in Nine Lives, especially big locks and lifting as opposed to lowering. The lines we have to grab and hold are greasy and filthy, and all the muck from the lock-side transfers itself to the fenders and thus to the boat. We are sailboat shaped, so we have a tendency to swing from bow and stern, so while other boats simply push off from the lock wall occasionally, we need constant vigilance and much pushing, followed by inevitable pulling hard on wet lines to keep the boat in place at the lock wall. Our usual method is for Dick to bring the boat near the lock, but then he goes outside where I have prepared lines and fenders, and he catches the critical first line while I bring the boat into the lock wall. Then, once the boat is stopped, I rush outside and catch the second line at the stern and hang on for all I am worth.

The Champlain Canal is not the prettiest we have seen, although I am sure it would have looked better in sunshine. We stopped for the night on a town wall in the village of Fort Edward. Once upon a time it was an important portage place used by Native Americans for thousands of years to get around Hudson Falls. The first fort was built here in 1755 during the French and Indian Wars. The town was established in 1818. As is so often the case, there are signs of former prosperity, but Fort Edward has fallen on hard times. Several attempts have been made to improve the town, including an excellent park and walkways on the river, plus a good town dock for boaters. However, nothing is done about upkeep, and it is all looking rather sad.

Our next stop was Whitehall and another town dock and local park. Originally it was called Skenesborough in 1759 when it was first settled. The village was captured by the Americans during the Revolution, and a fleet of ships was built to face British forces on Lake Champlain. Whitehall is considered to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. More ships were built here during the War of 1812. In the first part of the 19^th century the Champlain Canal was built and the railroad also came to the town, and it became an important centre for the silk industry. Today all this is a memory. Efforts to improve the waterfront and attract visitors are ongoing.

From Whitehall we transited the last lock on the Champlain Canal and entered Lake Champlain. We passed Fort Ticonderoga, high above the western shore. Originally called Fort Carillon, it is a large 18^th century star fort built by the French at the narrows near the southern end of Lake Champlain. The fort played an important role in the region until after the Revolution. The United States allowed it to fall into ruins and it was eventually bought by a private family in 1820. It became a tourist attraction, and was restored in the early 20^th century. It is now run by a foundation. The most southerly of three Champlain ferries operates just north of the fort, crossing back and forth to Vermont using a cable.

Arriving south of the bridge at Crown Point, we anchored for the night in what we expected to be a bay sheltered from strong winds out of the north east. Unfortunately, we chose a spot a little too near to the bridge and the narrows it crosses, and Dick was delighted to experience the phenomenon of vortex shedding first hand. He can give you the scientific explanation, I only know we bounced around a lot, swung on the anchor more that we prefer, and we could see waves crisscrossing near the boat when there had been no other craft passing to create a wake!

After an enjoyable, if a little windier than expected, trip north on Lake Champlain we arrived in Burlington. Here we were greeted by Dick’s friend and former colleague Julian Smith and Nikki, his partner. We were treated to dinner at their summer home a few miles south of Burlington, and the next day they joined us for a Segway tour of the city. This proved to be a fascinating morning out. The tour operator is a former lawyer, who was one of the two influential citizens of the city who were able to prevent the waterfront and the closed railway right of way from being taken over by developers. Instead, after years of campaigning, a waterfront park was created, with a bike path that follows the shoreline for many miles, and two public marinas. His efforts did not end there. After a paragliding accident left him disabled, the activist applied several times for a permit to operate Segway tours on Burlington sidewalks and bike trails. Turned down, he then demonstrated lateral thinking, and came at the problem from the perspective of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The tours are the number one attraction in Burlington, according to TripAdvisor, and many thousands have enjoyed one or two hour tours without accident or incident. Burlington is a very nice small city, that seems to have done a great job of staying lively and successful while still being a centre for both the University of Vermont and Champlain College. Somehow the large number of students add positively to the city rather than creating student ghettos.

We stayed 3 nights in Burlington, enjoying Julian and Nikki’s company and hosting them for dinner on board one evening. Nikki and I had a very pleasant morning poking around the shops of the village of Shelburne and having a nice lunch. Dick took his bike along the waterfront trails in both directions. On our last evening we walked up the hill and had an interesting and authentic meal in a French restaurant.

We left Burlington on a cool and misty morning and headed north past Valcour Island. This was the site of the naval battle with the ships that had been built in Whitehall during the American Revolution. The armada hid behind the island and surprised the British as they sailed south. The battle was lost, but it is credited as a turning point in the War of Independence because the losing American navy harried the British enough that they had to turn back north and wait for the next year, by which time the tide had turned.

North of Plattsburgh the Port Kent ferries ply the narrows across to Grand Isle, Vermont. I remember making that crossing many times with my parents on our way to Canada’s East Coast. Three ferries were operating when we arrived, but we managed to find the right moment and keep out of their way.

Rouses Point marks the top end of Lake Champlain, and the border is just north of the bridge. We tied up at the marina overnight, and watched many small cruisers come in for fuel after clearing U.S. Customs. It was the beginning of a long weekend with Canada Day on Monday, and U.S Independence Day later in the week, so a busy time for the Lake and the Richelieu River and canals. Just north of the bridge, still in American territory, is Fort Montgomery. This is a Third System fort, built between 1844 and 1870. It is one of only a few forts in the USA that has a full moat, and at the time of building it was considered state of the art with no expense spared in design and construction. However, it was not the first structure to be built in that location. In 1816 an octagonal structure with 30 foot high walls began construction to protect the United States from an attack from British Canada. Unfortunately, it was discovered that a surveying error had resulted in this fort being built ¾ of a mile into British territory. Sometimes named Fort Blunder, it was hastily abandoned and all the building materials were carried off by local settlers to use in their homes and barns. After a treaty in 1842 ceded the location to the USA, the second Fort began construction. It was garrisoned occasionally, and some of the many planned guns were installed, but eventually Fort Montgomery was made obsolete by new advances in warfare and it was abandoned. It fell into private hands, and attempts were made to offer it to the State of New York as a historic landmark, but the State is not interested. If any of you happen to have just short of $1 million kicking around, you can buy it. It is zoned for commercial use, so you could build a marina or a resort hotel.

The next morning it was our turn to take Nine Lives through Canadian Customs. A very friendly officer asked the necessary questions (are you carrying any weapons? do you have any means of self-defense on board? Are you sure? You live in South Carolina!) and scanned our passports. He then decided he wanted to come on board Nine Lives, I think to see the boat rather than as an inspection tour! He asked lots of the same questions that other boaters ask, such as what are the engines and how many bathrooms, and then bid us a cheery farewell without looking into any cupboards or storage lockers.

We continued north on the Richelieu River to St Jean sur Richelieu. On the way we were waked numerous times by the many pocket cruisers that seem to be popular with Quebecois from Montreal. I had to take the picture off the wall as Nine Lives bounced up and down and side to side from every passing boat. The river is lined with many beautiful properties, some with huge houses, others more modest. It is only a few miles overland from Montreal, so many weekend cottages and even commuters enjoy the beautiful riverfront. St Jean sur Richelieu is a fairly prosperous town, supporting 177 restaurants, according to TripAdvisor. However, there are very few shops and boutiques, so I am guessing the wealthy shop in Montreal, while those of more modest means patronize big box stores outside of town. I had my best meal of the trip so far at one of the French restaurants, along with a bottle of my favourite Pouilly Fume, not often found on the menu. (No, I did not drink it all, Dick had his fair share!)

From Saint Jean sur Richelieu we were immediately in the historic Chambly Canal. This is a beautiful, but very narrow, waterway with 6 lift bridges and 9 locks that drop the canal a total of 80 feet. The locks are all operated by hand by summer students employed by Parks Canada. The canal has the same feel as the British canals we have spent so much time on in past years. We made it a short day, stopping before the last three-lock staircase at the town wall in Chambly. This was the hottest day we had experienced so far, with temperatures well into the 90s, and high humidity. Even though I was careful to dress in sun protective clothing and a hat, I found that standing outside all morning in the heat and sun felt just like standing in a frying pan, and by the time we tied up I was starting to feel quite ill. I remember feeling this hot when we lived in Malaysia, but then I was not also wearing a life jacket and a headset for communications!

Chambly is a pretty town. The final 3 locks on the canal drop to a wide basin at the end of the canal. From there the Richelieu River continues its course north to Sorel and the St Lawrence River. Chambly is considered a suburb of Montreal, being only 16 miles from city centre. It was settled during the 17^th century. A series of wooden forts were succeeded by a massive stone fort, one of a series built to protect French settlers in the area and the city of Montreal from hostile Iroquois and the English. Today it is a fairly quiet village with lots of parks and well kept homes and shops. We celebrated Canada Day (July 1^st) with a bottle of champagne, cheese and crackers, and some very nice country pate Dick found at the local supermarket.

Back in the Richelieu River we were again joined by numbers of cruising boats, all of whom are apparently incapable of slowing down when passing, and throw huge wakes regardless of kayaks, fishermen, pontoon boats, or Nine Lives being bounced around. We reached the industrial town of Sorel by mid-afternoon, and tied up in a local marina just off the St Lawrence River. We had been warned by the marina office to expect “many waves”, but in fact it was no worse than most of our marina stays. So far Dick is managing to save his wad of $5 bills for dockhands. Either they are too late to help, or if they do show up they are more of a hindrance than a help, so he does not feel inclined to hand out tips! An early morning walk along the Sorel waterfront park was very pleasant before the heat of the day. Both the Chambly and Sorel parks have outdoor exhibitions of photographs taken by the local camera club members, most of them to a very high standard.

Our journey south on the St Lawrence to Montreal was uneventful until the last hour. The river is wide, and there is a choice of taking the shipping channel or following a more meandering course on the small craft channel. My marine traffic app showed only one or two freighters in the Seaway, so we chose the easier shipping channel. Being so far from the shore it was perhaps the more boring choice. As we approached Montreal, the passage got a little exciting. We were passing a large freighter being loaded when suddenly we noticed a huge shadow over our shoulders, and discovered that a freighter we had passed earlier at the dock had come out and was now coming up behind us very fast. Fortunately, there was plenty of room and time to get out of the way, but his speed created a wake that reflected back and forth from the shore and churned up the formerly smooth and easy waters.

Next we arrived at the section of the river that is divided by St Helens Island. Here we turned west to enter the old Port of Montreal, the two kilometre stretch of the river that was used as early as 1611 by the fur trade until the 1970’s when it was replaced as a commercial port by larger and more modern facilities. St Helens Island was enlarged and combined with other small islands to host the Worlds Fair in 1967. The creation of this division in the river has resulted in an extreme current of more than 5 knots against you as you attempt to enter the Old Port. We made our way under the Champlain Bridge at about 2 knots, all the time having to watch out for ferries and tour boats as well as unpredictable small pleasure boats. We expected it to get easier when we entered the marina, but unfortunately one of the tour boats was coming out at that moment, so there were a few hairy moments while we tried to hold place in the strong current, avoiding being swept into the freighters moored on one side or running into the tour boat on the other. The marina management apparently do not use their radios to talk to customers, only to each other, and the current, although not as bad as outside, is still surprisingly strong inside the marina. Add the wind, and it was an overly exciting arrival. Absent any instruction, we chose the first empty dock and tied up, at which point a slightly indignant dockhand appeared to give us our correct slip assignment and supposed assistance in tying up. Another $5 saved…

We will be here in Old Montreal for 3 nights. The heat wave is still with us, although we are hoping for more moderate temperatures on our last day for some sightseeing. Fortunately this marina has good power and the air conditioning is working well. A good time for laundry and finishing this installment of the blog!