Sorel: We left Montreal bright and early today to get to St. Catherine's lock by the specified 10:00 a.m. for pleasure boats. With a required 6 knots over ground speed, we thought we'd never get there and started to worry that we would get there by the designated time. Missing the 10:00 slot might mean hours of waiting for an opportunity to lock through as commercial traffic takes priority. We managed to get to the lock at 10:05 and had the green light to proceed into the lock. One other boat was locking through at the same time and it was Morning Star who we have criss-crossed paths with all through the Rideau.
To butcher a quote from Forrest Gump, let me say "locks are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". At St Catherine's lock, the lock attendants threw us very long lines when we entered the lock for us to use as the boat lowered. In the following lock, St. Lambert, the lock attendants required us to "raft up" / tie to Morning Star. We had a friendly chat with the Morning Star crew as the water dropped since there was nothing else required of the captain and myself.
We arrived at Sorel just around 3:00 and by the time we got settled and checked in, etc. it was going on for 4:15. The captain decided that we should jump on our bikes and go into town before the marine store closed at 5:00, so we grabbed our bikes and our helmets and set off to see what Sorel had to offer. We found a "Metro" super market which was a "real" food store - not a convenience store, and planned to stop after exploring town to buy some goodies.
We visited the marine store which did not have what the captain needed and then cruised around town stopping at the various restaurants to see what the menus had to offer. Along our explorations we stumbled across a vendor selling fresh, home-grown fruits and vegetables. We filled up our backpack and decided that eating the fresh veggies for dinner sounded like the best option, so we headed back to the boat for a home-cooked meal eaten on the very pleasant upper deck of our boat.
At an intersection along the way we stopped to study our map to determine the best way back to the marina, and a passing motorist stopped his car and came over to ask if we needed help finding our way. We had a short, friendly chat with this local who was excited that we were from NJ and had come by boat. He shook our hands and welcomed us to Quebec! I have to say that on this vacation in Canada I have been repeatedly
surprised by the friendliness of the people we have met along the way.
I had asked one other local if there was a Bank of Montreal in Sorel. The bottom line answer was no, but we had a pleasant conversation and at the end of it she thanked me for providing her with an opportunity to practice her English skills. Many people we have encountered speak only French. When this is the situation, I have no hope of a conversation. My French is too rusty and was never good enough for full-speed conversation even when I was at my best.
We are expecting to meet up with one of the Captain's "internet" friends - they have never met in person before. Tonight in preparation, the captain cleaned the boat inside and out and I tidied up some of the clutter. We must look our very best for our visitor!
Our next chapter of the trip will be the Richelieu Canal aka Chambly Canal as we turn the boat due South and homewards via Lake Champlain in the good ole USofA. We are counting the days we have left for vacation travel and find we are rapidly running out of time. Sigh!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Montreal
Montreal: On the trip from Ottawa to Montreal, my son became the "first mate" acting as navigator and sometimes piloting the boat, and his mate and I just relaxed and enjoyed the boat ride for a change. Due to a mix up in slip reservations, we had to move to a different slip the night before we left Ottawa / Gatineau. As we pulled away from the dock in the Marina, the captain heard a squeal coming from the engine compartment, so on Sunday before leaving for the trip to Montreal, he decided he better investigate the noise. He could see nothing obvious from inside the boat, so he decided he would need to dive under the boat to see if anything was wrapped around the propeller stopping it from turning properly.
The end result of his investigation was inconclusive as he found nothing inside or out of the boat that would appear to be the cause of the problem. He had two hypotheses: 1) some of the grasses from the lakes we have been crossing got caught and was causing things to squeal or 2) the packing was too tight. He loosened the packing before leaving. As we motored along we heard the squealing and then it stopped somewhere along the way after pushing the engine up to a high speed to try to flush the problem, the noise went away and we never heard it again, so we figure it "fixed itself" or else loosening the packing did the trick.
We went through 2 locks to get to Montreal on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Each of these required that the boat be secured to a floating dock that went up and down in the lock instead of tending the boat with lines and boat hooks, so the first mate and his mate got to experience a couple of locks but without the hands-on approach to locking through that the captain and I had along the Rideau Canal. Having left the dock in Ottawa / Gatineau around 9:00 in the morning, we made it to St. Anne's near Montreal around 7:00 at night. The day went by quickly and it was very surprising to find that it was so late by the time we got settled in for the night.
In St. Anne's we tied up to the canal wall and went off to find out what the facilities were like and find dinner. Along the water in St. Anne's there is a boardwalk and along the boardwalk there is a large selection of restaurants and ice cream shops. Dinner at Peter's Cape Cod restaurant was the best part of our overnight stay. Unfortunately we had nothing good to say about the rest of our stay at this sight. The charge for overnight stay on the wall was $.90 per foot which for us translated into $31.50. Basically for our $$ we got the privilege to sleep practically beneath railroad tracks heavily utilized by commuter and freight trains. There was no electric, no water, and no showers. There was one toilet that was locked around 10:00 p.m. so basically no toilets for overnight mooring.
Our intent had been to leave the boat at St. Anne's for 3 nights and travel into Montreal from there by train / bus; however, after one night on that lock wall, my son's wife and I were so miserable, I begged the captain to take us elsewhere. So, before setting off for a visit to Montreal, we moved our boat to a marina - Royal Saint Lawrence Yacht Club. The rate per night was almost twice per foot what the lock wall cost but the return on investment was at least quadrupled! The difference was like going from sleeping on a park bench to staying in a 5-star hotel. The first thing we did was run for the showers which we discovered when we got there were beautifully setup in private ceramic-tiled stalls. We got electricity which translated into air conditioning to help fight the high humidity, and we got very clean "wash room" facilities i.e. toilets that weren't locked by 10:00 p.m.
After freshening up we decided to make the trek into Montreal. We decided that we would get lunch in the city so we set out to find transportation into "town". The reception desk at the marina recommended we take a taxi to the commuter train that would get us into town fast. They called the taxi for us and we were on our way. In Dorval where we were to get the train, there are two train stations back-to-back - the commuter train and the "via" train. The via train goes to Toronto, Ottawa, etc. but not Montreal, so that is not the one we wanted but that was the one the taxi driver took us to. He said he would have to drive "all the way around" if he were to take us to the commuter train, so we paid him and set off on foot to find our way to the other train station via under and overpasses.
Finally we got to the train ticket machine and had no clue what to do to get tickets out of the machine. There were tain tickets and tram ticket options and we had no idea what was what. The Captain called the 800 number posted on the wall to ask them for help getting tickets. Thankfully my son was busily reviewing the schedules and before the captain could start following the instructions and inserting his money in the machine, my son pointed out that commuter hours were now over and the next train didn't come through for another 1.5 to 2 hours. Fall back plan ... take the bus! So we next went in search of a bus to get us into town. Fortunately I had been hoarding Canadian loonies and toonies and was able to pay the bus fare because the bus required exact change so we needed $12 (4 x $3.00) to get all of us on the bus. The bus took us to the Metro which took us to Old Port Montreal.
By the time we got there it was already after 2:00 and that light breakfast we had hours ago was ancient history. We found a "Chop Crazy" in a "food court" type setting and loved the food, and honestly the loving part had nothing to do with our starved state. After fortifying ourselves with food, we visited Notre Dame and later toured City Hall and were able to admire the stained glass windows displayed at both locations. We walked the streets of Old (Vieux) Port after a visit to the Information Center and found the Modavie Restaurant they had recommended for dinner. The suggestion was a good one as we all enjoyed our meals. Our timing was excellent as well since the skies had appeared threatening but shortly after we entered the restaurant, the skies opened up and it just poured with thunder and lightening.
By the time we were done with our meal the bad weather had passed, so we decided to make our way back to our boat. We decided to go back by bus given our success using that mode of transportation getting to Montreal. I was so glad my son and daughter-in-law were with us to guide us through the maze of the Metro and the bus as we made it home in good time with no mishaps. Shortly after we were safe and snug back on the boat the skies opened up for a second thunder and lightening storm which lasted several hours. Good timing team!
Tuesday was a lazy day as our temporary first mate and his mate had to head home to Utah. We had an al fresco lunch on the fly bridge of the boat and just chatted until it was time to call a taxi to take them to the airport. After seeing them off the captain and I rushed back to the boat and drove it around to the fuel dock to fuel up before they closed at 3:00 p.m. We got there at 2:45 and by the time we were done with fueling and emptying holding tanks, it was going on for 3:30 so I guess we made them work a little overtime. The captain wanted to be ready to go first thing in the morning to make it to the St Catherine lock by 10:00. This lock and the one that follows are commercial locks and commercial traffic gets priority. 10:00 is a set time for locking through recreational boats; other than that locking through is "if time allows" basis, so it could be hours to wait for an opportunity.
We're all set so in the morning we just pull out of our slip and keep going. Next stop - Sorel.
The end result of his investigation was inconclusive as he found nothing inside or out of the boat that would appear to be the cause of the problem. He had two hypotheses: 1) some of the grasses from the lakes we have been crossing got caught and was causing things to squeal or 2) the packing was too tight. He loosened the packing before leaving. As we motored along we heard the squealing and then it stopped somewhere along the way after pushing the engine up to a high speed to try to flush the problem, the noise went away and we never heard it again, so we figure it "fixed itself" or else loosening the packing did the trick.
We went through 2 locks to get to Montreal on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Each of these required that the boat be secured to a floating dock that went up and down in the lock instead of tending the boat with lines and boat hooks, so the first mate and his mate got to experience a couple of locks but without the hands-on approach to locking through that the captain and I had along the Rideau Canal. Having left the dock in Ottawa / Gatineau around 9:00 in the morning, we made it to St. Anne's near Montreal around 7:00 at night. The day went by quickly and it was very surprising to find that it was so late by the time we got settled in for the night.
In St. Anne's we tied up to the canal wall and went off to find out what the facilities were like and find dinner. Along the water in St. Anne's there is a boardwalk and along the boardwalk there is a large selection of restaurants and ice cream shops. Dinner at Peter's Cape Cod restaurant was the best part of our overnight stay. Unfortunately we had nothing good to say about the rest of our stay at this sight. The charge for overnight stay on the wall was $.90 per foot which for us translated into $31.50. Basically for our $$ we got the privilege to sleep practically beneath railroad tracks heavily utilized by commuter and freight trains. There was no electric, no water, and no showers. There was one toilet that was locked around 10:00 p.m. so basically no toilets for overnight mooring.
Our intent had been to leave the boat at St. Anne's for 3 nights and travel into Montreal from there by train / bus; however, after one night on that lock wall, my son's wife and I were so miserable, I begged the captain to take us elsewhere. So, before setting off for a visit to Montreal, we moved our boat to a marina - Royal Saint Lawrence Yacht Club. The rate per night was almost twice per foot what the lock wall cost but the return on investment was at least quadrupled! The difference was like going from sleeping on a park bench to staying in a 5-star hotel. The first thing we did was run for the showers which we discovered when we got there were beautifully setup in private ceramic-tiled stalls. We got electricity which translated into air conditioning to help fight the high humidity, and we got very clean "wash room" facilities i.e. toilets that weren't locked by 10:00 p.m.
After freshening up we decided to make the trek into Montreal. We decided that we would get lunch in the city so we set out to find transportation into "town". The reception desk at the marina recommended we take a taxi to the commuter train that would get us into town fast. They called the taxi for us and we were on our way. In Dorval where we were to get the train, there are two train stations back-to-back - the commuter train and the "via" train. The via train goes to Toronto, Ottawa, etc. but not Montreal, so that is not the one we wanted but that was the one the taxi driver took us to. He said he would have to drive "all the way around" if he were to take us to the commuter train, so we paid him and set off on foot to find our way to the other train station via under and overpasses.
Finally we got to the train ticket machine and had no clue what to do to get tickets out of the machine. There were tain tickets and tram ticket options and we had no idea what was what. The Captain called the 800 number posted on the wall to ask them for help getting tickets. Thankfully my son was busily reviewing the schedules and before the captain could start following the instructions and inserting his money in the machine, my son pointed out that commuter hours were now over and the next train didn't come through for another 1.5 to 2 hours. Fall back plan ... take the bus! So we next went in search of a bus to get us into town. Fortunately I had been hoarding Canadian loonies and toonies and was able to pay the bus fare because the bus required exact change so we needed $12 (4 x $3.00) to get all of us on the bus. The bus took us to the Metro which took us to Old Port Montreal.
By the time we got there it was already after 2:00 and that light breakfast we had hours ago was ancient history. We found a "Chop Crazy" in a "food court" type setting and loved the food, and honestly the loving part had nothing to do with our starved state. After fortifying ourselves with food, we visited Notre Dame and later toured City Hall and were able to admire the stained glass windows displayed at both locations. We walked the streets of Old (Vieux) Port after a visit to the Information Center and found the Modavie Restaurant they had recommended for dinner. The suggestion was a good one as we all enjoyed our meals. Our timing was excellent as well since the skies had appeared threatening but shortly after we entered the restaurant, the skies opened up and it just poured with thunder and lightening.
By the time we were done with our meal the bad weather had passed, so we decided to make our way back to our boat. We decided to go back by bus given our success using that mode of transportation getting to Montreal. I was so glad my son and daughter-in-law were with us to guide us through the maze of the Metro and the bus as we made it home in good time with no mishaps. Shortly after we were safe and snug back on the boat the skies opened up for a second thunder and lightening storm which lasted several hours. Good timing team!
Tuesday was a lazy day as our temporary first mate and his mate had to head home to Utah. We had an al fresco lunch on the fly bridge of the boat and just chatted until it was time to call a taxi to take them to the airport. After seeing them off the captain and I rushed back to the boat and drove it around to the fuel dock to fuel up before they closed at 3:00 p.m. We got there at 2:45 and by the time we were done with fueling and emptying holding tanks, it was going on for 3:30 so I guess we made them work a little overtime. The captain wanted to be ready to go first thing in the morning to make it to the St Catherine lock by 10:00. This lock and the one that follows are commercial locks and commercial traffic gets priority. 10:00 is a set time for locking through recreational boats; other than that locking through is "if time allows" basis, so it could be hours to wait for an opportunity.
We're all set so in the morning we just pull out of our slip and keep going. Next stop - Sorel.
Ottawa
Ottawa: Finding time and a consistently working internet connection
has been nearly impossible. We arrived
in Ottawa on Thursday and spent most of the day waiting for our turn to go
through locks. After multiple phone
calls to the Hull Marina in Gatineau, they finally told us they could
accommodate us for our visit. We ended
up staying there for 3 nights due to its convenient location below the “Ottawa 8”
staircase of locks and its proximity to the heart of Ottawa with a walk or bike ride over the Alexandria
Bridge.
After docking the boat we walked into Ottawa to find a place
for dinner and found a restaurant serving only fish which we thoroughly
enjoyed. I guess we had both had a bit
too much of the British fare and needed something different and lighter for a
change. On Friday, since the weather was
pleasantly cool, we decided we would try for an early day and bike to The Chandlery
boat supply store to look for charts of the St. Lawrence River and areas around
Montreal.
The bike ride was along the canal and was clear across “town”
to the far side of Ottawa. We saw
interesting sights along the way including an area along the side of the river
where, using equilibrium only, people had created various rock statues. We took several pictures of the creative
designs. Further on down the bike path
we came across a very active beach including a life guard. It was
as interesting to look at the modes of transportation people used on the bike
path as much as the scenery. We saw
roller bladders, skate boarders, baby strollers, tandem bikes, a bike that
operated like a rowing machine using both arms and legs to propel the bike
forward, motorized and non-motorized wheelchairs, walkers, joggers, and even a
dog with sidesaddles running alongside a young woman on rollerblades. I was hoping that the saddlebags contained water for the dog because he was looking pretty tired and thirsty when I saw him.
From a trip to the Chandlery point of view the trip was a
wasted effort and disappointment. They
did not have the charts that the Captain needed for his trip, and they did not
have any galley goodies that I thought I might see. The one item I did see was the same
quick-release fender holders I had purchased at a marina on sale at the
Chandlery for $2.00 more per hook. I
didn’t buy anything. We decided we
better grab lunch before heading back across town so I went into the “Farm Boy”
super market and bought meat and rolls for a make-it-yourself sandwich. Not the best I’ve ever eaten but it served
the purpose.
We had acquired tickets for the 4:30 tour of the Houses of
Parliament before we set off on our bike ride, and we pushed ourselves to get
back to Parliament Hill in time for our tour.
The bike trip round trip turned out to be 30 km or approximately 19
miles. Add to that the trip around town
we did to various sights after we got back to downtown Ottawa plus the trip
over the Alexandria Bridge to get back to our boat, and the net total biking
comes out to somewhere around 25 miles.
After having biked 20 miles the tour of Parliament held a little less enthusiasm
for me than it had earlier. I ached in a
number of places including most definitely the balls of my feet, so whether
biking or walking my feet were protesting any activity requiring their
use.
We made it back to Parliament Hill with about 10 to 15
minutes to spare and had a very nice one-hour tour of the central
building. There are various tours – some
with guides and some self-guided around the facilities. With the last tour of the day we did not have
time to do the Peace Tower self-guided tour, so we figured we’d save that for
Saturday when our son and his wife were with us. On Saturday as hoped we made our way back to
Parliament Hill where we left my son and his wife to take the same tour we had
done on Friday and set off once again in search of charts for the boat.
After walking several blocks towards the chart store called
World of Maps, we once again looked at the smartphone to determine distance to
the store and determined that the distance was too great for us to walk in the
time we had available to us. 45 minutes
walk each way was more than we were willing to attempt, so we called the Blue
Line Cab company who had us to our map / chart store in no time. We bought 3 charts that were missing for the
waters in Quebec we intend to traverse in addition to a cruising guide for the
St Lawrence River , called the cab company for another taxi, and got back to
Parliament Hill just in time to meet up with our son and do the Peace Tower
tour. Going up 7 people at a time were
allowed on the elevator plus one guide.
We managed to squeeze 8 of us on there plus the guide, got
up to the top and saw the sights, and then when we were ready to descend, the
security guard at the top of the tower told us we were in for a “rare treat” as
the elevator was not working and we would need to walk down the 23 flights to
exit the tour. So, I guess we were
fortunate that we were one of the last groups of the day to get to see the top
of the Peace Tower! All told there were
11 people including the tour guide and the security guard who had to walk down
to get out of the tower. I figure it
this way – it gave me material for my blog!!!
By the end of day all four of us were "walked out", i.e. worn out, but before
going back to the boat we hit the fruits and veggies stands set up for the
farmer’s market. We bought blueberries,
raspberries, carrots, cucumbers, and green beans – all very fresh and yummy
looking. We took our stash back to the
boat and decided to eat on board taking advantage of our yummy treats found at
the market.
The pictures of Ottawa are worth at least, if not more than,
a thousand words but unfortunately the internet service we’ve been experiencing
is described as “flakey” at best. I’ll post the pictures as soon as I get an
internet connection sufficient to support photo upload. Flakey internet in combination with
exhaustion due to so much air and exercise leaves me impatient with the
computer, so I am more inclined to tell it goodnight and go to bed than fight
with it.
Our next stop is Montreal.
This, the captain informs me, is a long-day’s trip by boat and includes
2 commercial locks. It should sound “interesting”
as these locks will be busier than the tourist locks of the Rideau Canal. The captain said that we will need to “raft
up” for the locking through on these larger locks as so many vessels will be
locking through together.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Hurst Marina
Hurst Marina: Well after the past week of "camping out" we have returned to civilization. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I am very happy to be at a marina instead of a lock wall, and on the other I'm already missing the peace and quiet of a lock wall. As we get closer to Ottawa I notice that there are more houses along the water (many appear new or very well kept), more boats and more activity in general. I'm not sure I like it.
After leaving Burritts Rapids we stopped at Hurst Marina for one night. The captain got his replacement roller for his anchor and after making some modifications to make it fit our boat, he installed it so the anchor is back to full operational mode. Even as people rushing by in their boats could see the captain hanging over the front of the boat working on the anchor, they ignored the 'no wake' zone. I can only hope that some day they are in a similar situation as much-needed pay back for their "courtesy". I signaled to the 2 people in one such boat to please slow down and pointed to the captain hanging over the front of the boat, I got a wave and "the finger" back in response. Yes, we are definitely finding our way back into civilization!
On the remote sections of the canal the water was so calm that 95% of the time I could almost forget we were in a boat - no rocking. Today with the constant back-and-forth of boats mostly ignoring the no wake signs, I had to regain my "sea legs" as we were rocked repeatedly. I can't believe that after a week on the Rideau Canal, I find myself having to once again get used to the feel of the motion of being on a boat.
When we checked in to the marina for the night, the only thing I could think about was a shower - a real, free shower - no loonies or toonies required - just water with no time limit. The captain made use of the swimming pool. I curled up with a novel. We both took full advantage of the showers. Heaven! After the anchor repairs and showers, we decided that we would use our bikes and go into town for a grocery store which a guy by the pool told us was about 8 km in distance. After biking there and back with our goodies, we decided that he must have been referring to round trip. The heat and the humidity has dropped so it was a lovely bike ride; if not for the exercise, I might actually have had to say it was cold.
After returning our bikes and goodies to the boat, we went to eat at the Swan on the Rideau pub / restaurant and had traditional pub food. I had a Cornish Pasty and the captain selected Shepherd's Pie. I was too full for dessert but the captain decided he wanted to try Bumbleberry Pie a la mode. I had a spoonful - it was very berry and very good for sure! When we got back to the boat, we quickly closed all windows to retain whatever residual heat remained in preparation for the cooler-than-the-past-week night ahead. Blankets?? Guess so!
Our next stop is Ottawa. With each day we get closer to seeing our son and his wife who are flying in from Utah to spend some time on the boat with us. The trip from Hurst Marina to Ottawa (below the flight of 8) is a long day - give or take 8 hours depending on what it takes to get through the locks and bridges, etc as they close at certain times, sometimes long waits are required before locking through, ... The captain said we have 15 locks for this next stretch and one guard gate. Yes, indeed, it will be a very long day.
After leaving Burritts Rapids we stopped at Hurst Marina for one night. The captain got his replacement roller for his anchor and after making some modifications to make it fit our boat, he installed it so the anchor is back to full operational mode. Even as people rushing by in their boats could see the captain hanging over the front of the boat working on the anchor, they ignored the 'no wake' zone. I can only hope that some day they are in a similar situation as much-needed pay back for their "courtesy". I signaled to the 2 people in one such boat to please slow down and pointed to the captain hanging over the front of the boat, I got a wave and "the finger" back in response. Yes, we are definitely finding our way back into civilization!
On the remote sections of the canal the water was so calm that 95% of the time I could almost forget we were in a boat - no rocking. Today with the constant back-and-forth of boats mostly ignoring the no wake signs, I had to regain my "sea legs" as we were rocked repeatedly. I can't believe that after a week on the Rideau Canal, I find myself having to once again get used to the feel of the motion of being on a boat.
When we checked in to the marina for the night, the only thing I could think about was a shower - a real, free shower - no loonies or toonies required - just water with no time limit. The captain made use of the swimming pool. I curled up with a novel. We both took full advantage of the showers. Heaven! After the anchor repairs and showers, we decided that we would use our bikes and go into town for a grocery store which a guy by the pool told us was about 8 km in distance. After biking there and back with our goodies, we decided that he must have been referring to round trip. The heat and the humidity has dropped so it was a lovely bike ride; if not for the exercise, I might actually have had to say it was cold.
After returning our bikes and goodies to the boat, we went to eat at the Swan on the Rideau pub / restaurant and had traditional pub food. I had a Cornish Pasty and the captain selected Shepherd's Pie. I was too full for dessert but the captain decided he wanted to try Bumbleberry Pie a la mode. I had a spoonful - it was very berry and very good for sure! When we got back to the boat, we quickly closed all windows to retain whatever residual heat remained in preparation for the cooler-than-the-past-week night ahead. Blankets?? Guess so!
Our next stop is Ottawa. With each day we get closer to seeing our son and his wife who are flying in from Utah to spend some time on the boat with us. The trip from Hurst Marina to Ottawa (below the flight of 8) is a long day - give or take 8 hours depending on what it takes to get through the locks and bridges, etc as they close at certain times, sometimes long waits are required before locking through, ... The captain said we have 15 locks for this next stretch and one guard gate. Yes, indeed, it will be a very long day.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Burritts Rapids
Burritts Rapids: After Merrickville we had a very leisurely ride down the canal to Burritts Rapids where we arrived at 11:00 a.m. to tie up for the day and stay overnight. We were at the Merrickville lock ready to go at 8:30 when they opened up for the day's business. They told us that we would need to wait while they brought up the boats from down below (3 locks in this series), and then shortly after they told us the boats at the bottom were not ready so we would be first. This saved up about a 45 minute wait so it definitely pays to be ready to go!
We locked through with a vessel from Florida named Morning Star until Burritts Rapids where we stopped and they continued on. We may cross paths again further on as they are taking the same route we are to get back home. The boaters we met from Connecticut in a Nordic Tug (the folks we crossed Lake Ontario with) have decided that they will also be making the same trip. There was some discussion of them turning around in Ottawa and going back the way they came, but the decision was made that they will make the full circle / triangle trip, so there are possibilities our paths will cross again as we make our way back to the US of A.
The only thing in Burritts Rapids is the lock wall for overnight and a combination Bistro, Laundry, and Shower. Service fees are high here. A 4-minute shower costs $3.00. A load of wash costs $2.50 and a dry costs $2.00. The main problem is that all of these take $1.00 coins (loonies) but not $2.00 coins (toonies). We ate lunch at the bistro, and I asked our waitress if we could get change for the washer / dryer and she said she had none. What poor planning on their part! I finally managed to scrounge up enough coins from the lock master to allow for one load of wash and one dry to go with it.
We had our first rainstorm while in Canada. I waited until after the thunder, lightening and wind passed before heading up to start my wash. Heaven forbid there was a power outage and I needed more coins to finish my laundry! Once all that was done - storm cleared and laundry removed from dryer, we took off on our bicycles to go find the "beach" and dive into some cool water. The humidity is still bad even after the storm passed. We were hoping for a break in the humidity if not the heat.
The bike ride down a trail through the woods next to the canal was cool and a very short ride to the beach. The beach is a public beach at the end of a street. The beach has no sand until you get into the water where there is a sandy bottom part way out into the creek where it eventually turns to a rocky bottom. It was cold getting into the water, felt good for a while in the water, and then felt cold enough to force me out of the water. On the bike ride back to the boat, we rode around the small number of streets looking at the houses. There are no shops of any kind in this isolated village. There is however a church. There used to be a convenience store associated with the bistro but that has closed.
The closer we get to Montreal the more we meet French-speaking boaters. One such couple has the exact same boat make and model as ours only 2 years older. The captain of course could not wait to compare notes on the necessary improvements required to make a Mainship 350 a workable vessel. All-in-all it was a very laid back and enjoyable day. Our next stop will be at a marina complete with pool and showers which should be included in the price per foot so no scurrying around trying to find coins to plug into a machine. Sounds like the life of luxury! We are having a very enjoyable time mixing it up from venue to venue - city living vs. camping, "anchored" or on a lock wall vs. staying in a marina.
A couple of notes of interest, we filled up our tanks in Kingston before entering the Rideau Canal. Due to the slow speed as which we move along, the fuel tanks still basically register as full. Also, I have decided that going down water levels as we are now is a lot easier than going up. We are not experiencing turbulence with the draining of the locks as we did with the filling, so holding the boat in place is more relaxed. I impressed one lock attendant today and was quite pleased with myself. He told me I would have to tie a line to the bridge by the lock until I got low enough to grab a cable. I didn't like the 2-step process, so I decided to drop my line down next to the cable (we were up too high to reach it by hand) and see if I could grab the line with my boat hook. He was watching me which made it imperative I get it right, and happily it was 1-2-3, I had the line connected to the boat hook and back up in my hands. I know he was impressed because I heard him telling the other lock attendant how I had done the connecting. The trick was that I had a loop in the end of my line so the hook had something to grab.
We locked through with a vessel from Florida named Morning Star until Burritts Rapids where we stopped and they continued on. We may cross paths again further on as they are taking the same route we are to get back home. The boaters we met from Connecticut in a Nordic Tug (the folks we crossed Lake Ontario with) have decided that they will also be making the same trip. There was some discussion of them turning around in Ottawa and going back the way they came, but the decision was made that they will make the full circle / triangle trip, so there are possibilities our paths will cross again as we make our way back to the US of A.
The only thing in Burritts Rapids is the lock wall for overnight and a combination Bistro, Laundry, and Shower. Service fees are high here. A 4-minute shower costs $3.00. A load of wash costs $2.50 and a dry costs $2.00. The main problem is that all of these take $1.00 coins (loonies) but not $2.00 coins (toonies). We ate lunch at the bistro, and I asked our waitress if we could get change for the washer / dryer and she said she had none. What poor planning on their part! I finally managed to scrounge up enough coins from the lock master to allow for one load of wash and one dry to go with it.
We had our first rainstorm while in Canada. I waited until after the thunder, lightening and wind passed before heading up to start my wash. Heaven forbid there was a power outage and I needed more coins to finish my laundry! Once all that was done - storm cleared and laundry removed from dryer, we took off on our bicycles to go find the "beach" and dive into some cool water. The humidity is still bad even after the storm passed. We were hoping for a break in the humidity if not the heat.
The bike ride down a trail through the woods next to the canal was cool and a very short ride to the beach. The beach is a public beach at the end of a street. The beach has no sand until you get into the water where there is a sandy bottom part way out into the creek where it eventually turns to a rocky bottom. It was cold getting into the water, felt good for a while in the water, and then felt cold enough to force me out of the water. On the bike ride back to the boat, we rode around the small number of streets looking at the houses. There are no shops of any kind in this isolated village. There is however a church. There used to be a convenience store associated with the bistro but that has closed.
The closer we get to Montreal the more we meet French-speaking boaters. One such couple has the exact same boat make and model as ours only 2 years older. The captain of course could not wait to compare notes on the necessary improvements required to make a Mainship 350 a workable vessel. All-in-all it was a very laid back and enjoyable day. Our next stop will be at a marina complete with pool and showers which should be included in the price per foot so no scurrying around trying to find coins to plug into a machine. Sounds like the life of luxury! We are having a very enjoyable time mixing it up from venue to venue - city living vs. camping, "anchored" or on a lock wall vs. staying in a marina.
A couple of notes of interest, we filled up our tanks in Kingston before entering the Rideau Canal. Due to the slow speed as which we move along, the fuel tanks still basically register as full. Also, I have decided that going down water levels as we are now is a lot easier than going up. We are not experiencing turbulence with the draining of the locks as we did with the filling, so holding the boat in place is more relaxed. I impressed one lock attendant today and was quite pleased with myself. He told me I would have to tie a line to the bridge by the lock until I got low enough to grab a cable. I didn't like the 2-step process, so I decided to drop my line down next to the cable (we were up too high to reach it by hand) and see if I could grab the line with my boat hook. He was watching me which made it imperative I get it right, and happily it was 1-2-3, I had the line connected to the boat hook and back up in my hands. I know he was impressed because I heard him telling the other lock attendant how I had done the connecting. The trick was that I had a loop in the end of my line so the hook had something to grab.
Merrickville
Merrickville: Adorable, historic village complete with town glass blowing and metal smith. Much of the original canal town has been preserved as possible although some buildings are no more than stone walls showing what used to be. We walked through the museum at the lock and then all over town including a trip to Aylings Marina to see if they had a replacement roller for our anchor pulpit. Seems the weight of the anchor covered in miscellaneous greenery from the bottom of the lakes did it in. The older rubber gave out under the weight. The captain found 1/2 a roller so it is no longer even semi-functional. No luck at the marina but we have now called ahead to a marina downstream who will have one in when we arrive to stay the night.
The operation to remove the metal rod and bolt that the roller sat on was an awkward exercise. Both the captain and I had to crawl up on the anchor pulpit, lie on our stomachs, and hang off the front of the boat to reach the bolt. I held the wrench on the bolt head while the captain took off the nut. Removing the metal rod after the bolt was taken out proved to be a tricky operation. It became wedged in place, so we had to knock it out of place without knocking it into the water. I ended up holding it with pliers while the captain pounded on it. Finally the captain moved the anchor and chain out to one side so it was not also applying pressure, and the rod finally became dislodged and could be removed. Hot work!
After walking all over town and then "playing" with the anchor roller, we were hot and sticky so we once again jumped into the water to swim and cool off in the canal. We ate dinner in a cute "Dicken's Eatery" which was decorated with curios associated with Charles Dickens' novels. We sat near the Great Expectations display. I had Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Roasted Potatoes and the captain had Cottage Pie. One thing we found in Merrickville that we have hunted for and not found elsewhere is sugar-free ice cream for me. The ice cream shop in town had soft serve in either raspberry or blueberry, so as the captain ate the "plain jane" vanilla cone (their name not mine), I got to have a cold treat too!
I would definitely recommend a stop at Merrickville.
We headed out after one night in Merrickville to Burrits Rapids for our next night's stay. This is a very small place. We tied up at the wall for the night. The local "Lock 17" Bistro provides laundry and shower facilities as well as WiFi. That plus the electric provided by the Canada Parks system gives us all we need for a comfortable night on the water. Even if we were not staying the night the area above the lock provides a very nice picnic area with some much appreciated shade trees!
For some odd reason I cannot get any pictures to upload. I cannot connect to Google Photos. Since I can connect to everything else, I wonder if the issue is on Google side. I'll up load the pix we took in Merrickville as soon as the computer allows.
The operation to remove the metal rod and bolt that the roller sat on was an awkward exercise. Both the captain and I had to crawl up on the anchor pulpit, lie on our stomachs, and hang off the front of the boat to reach the bolt. I held the wrench on the bolt head while the captain took off the nut. Removing the metal rod after the bolt was taken out proved to be a tricky operation. It became wedged in place, so we had to knock it out of place without knocking it into the water. I ended up holding it with pliers while the captain pounded on it. Finally the captain moved the anchor and chain out to one side so it was not also applying pressure, and the rod finally became dislodged and could be removed. Hot work!
After walking all over town and then "playing" with the anchor roller, we were hot and sticky so we once again jumped into the water to swim and cool off in the canal. We ate dinner in a cute "Dicken's Eatery" which was decorated with curios associated with Charles Dickens' novels. We sat near the Great Expectations display. I had Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Roasted Potatoes and the captain had Cottage Pie. One thing we found in Merrickville that we have hunted for and not found elsewhere is sugar-free ice cream for me. The ice cream shop in town had soft serve in either raspberry or blueberry, so as the captain ate the "plain jane" vanilla cone (their name not mine), I got to have a cold treat too!
I would definitely recommend a stop at Merrickville.
We headed out after one night in Merrickville to Burrits Rapids for our next night's stay. This is a very small place. We tied up at the wall for the night. The local "Lock 17" Bistro provides laundry and shower facilities as well as WiFi. That plus the electric provided by the Canada Parks system gives us all we need for a comfortable night on the water. Even if we were not staying the night the area above the lock provides a very nice picnic area with some much appreciated shade trees!
For some odd reason I cannot get any pictures to upload. I cannot connect to Google Photos. Since I can connect to everything else, I wonder if the issue is on Google side. I'll up load the pix we took in Merrickville as soon as the computer allows.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Smith Falls Ontario Canada
Smith Falls: We stayed 2 nights in Smith Falls. It was heavenly to stay put for 2 full days. Our first day we explored the bike routes provided in the tourist brochure. We aborted our tour before completing the 2nd route provided for 2 reasons. First, it was over 90 degrees and second, the routes took us through city streets that appeared to have little to offer in terms of things to look at. We did see some older architecture houses and a great located convenience store where we bought and rapidly consumed bottles of water.
We walked our bikes down the main street, Beckwith, while checking out the surroundings. I knew we were in the classy part of town when we passed in this order: a pawn shop, a thrift shop, and to top it off a tattoo parlor. Unfortunately, I am not certain there was a better part of town. Walking the opposite direction from downtown, we found an Independent Grocery Store, a Canadian Tire (like Kmart), a Walmart, McDonald's and DQ.
The second day we visited the Rideau Canal Welcome Center with numerous exhibits showing the origins and operations of locks. I received a slight scold and 10 minute explanation as to why it had been inappropriate for me to refer to their center as a "museum". We started the tour with a video on the basement floor level explaining the history of the canal and then were told to go to the fourth floor and work our way back down to the ground floor. We were told where to find the elevator, but the captain insisted that walking up the 5 flights to the top would be good exercise, so of course, we walked. At the very top of the mill used for the non-museum there was an observatory looking out over Smith Falls so we could get our bearings and check the maps on the walls for interesting sights.
The most amazing part of the non-museum was the hand-embroidered panels (27 of them) done by a proud Canadian woman over a 4-year period. I have done quite a bit of embroidery in my day, and I had 2 observations. First, I could not sew the words of the panels in a straight line as she had done and second I could not have finished one of them in 4 years. Truly amazing exhibit showing the culture of the Canadian Provinces and her love of the country.
Our last day in Smith Falls, other than the non-museum tour, was to laze around the boat and do some reading and some swimming off the back of the boat. All told it was a great two days of exploration and relaxation. We have a couple of stops coming up as we work our way to Ottawa where I have no idea if we will find WiFi or not. I'll post as WiFi availability allows.
Smith Falls Photos
We walked our bikes down the main street, Beckwith, while checking out the surroundings. I knew we were in the classy part of town when we passed in this order: a pawn shop, a thrift shop, and to top it off a tattoo parlor. Unfortunately, I am not certain there was a better part of town. Walking the opposite direction from downtown, we found an Independent Grocery Store, a Canadian Tire (like Kmart), a Walmart, McDonald's and DQ.
The second day we visited the Rideau Canal Welcome Center with numerous exhibits showing the origins and operations of locks. I received a slight scold and 10 minute explanation as to why it had been inappropriate for me to refer to their center as a "museum". We started the tour with a video on the basement floor level explaining the history of the canal and then were told to go to the fourth floor and work our way back down to the ground floor. We were told where to find the elevator, but the captain insisted that walking up the 5 flights to the top would be good exercise, so of course, we walked. At the very top of the mill used for the non-museum there was an observatory looking out over Smith Falls so we could get our bearings and check the maps on the walls for interesting sights.
The most amazing part of the non-museum was the hand-embroidered panels (27 of them) done by a proud Canadian woman over a 4-year period. I have done quite a bit of embroidery in my day, and I had 2 observations. First, I could not sew the words of the panels in a straight line as she had done and second I could not have finished one of them in 4 years. Truly amazing exhibit showing the culture of the Canadian Provinces and her love of the country.
Our last day in Smith Falls, other than the non-museum tour, was to laze around the boat and do some reading and some swimming off the back of the boat. All told it was a great two days of exploration and relaxation. We have a couple of stops coming up as we work our way to Ottawa where I have no idea if we will find WiFi or not. I'll post as WiFi availability allows.
Smith Falls Photos
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