To get to the Ottawa River, you must pass through the St. Lambert and St. Catherine Locks on the St. Lawrence
River and cross Lake
St. Louis. These locks
are large and raise boats a total of 47 feet. Priority is given to ocean-going
freighters. Pleasure boats are locked through separately in groups, and we
gathered at the St. Lambert
at 9:00 a.m. along with 10 other boats to go through both locks in succession. We
were required to pay a locking fee, using an ATM-like machine on the docks,
before each lock.
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| Anne returning from paying a locking fee |
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| Flight of boats entering the lock |
The lock workers directed the boats into position with the
largest going in first and those boaters holding onto ropes along the walls. Smaller boats
raft (tie up) alongside these boats, and sailboats enter last, also rafting
together. This is the first lock on the trip where we were required to raft, and
it can be a bit challenging and risky, as boats that raft are depending on
others to keep them in place.
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| Boats rafting off in the lock |
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| Sailboat racing on Lake St. Louis |
Just after lunch we exited the St. Catherine Lock into the
St. Lawrence River and Lake
St. Louis. Because it was Saturday, there were dozens of sailboats racing in the lake requiring some careful
navigation. We entered the Ottawa River and arrived at our destination in Sainte
Anne de Bellevue, Quebec. Although it was crowded, we were lucky to find a spot on the entry wall of the
Sainte Anne Lock. The atmosphere here reminded us of the Grand Haven waterfront
during the Coast Guard Festival, with families, young couples and lots of ice
cream.
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| Great Laker on the lock wall |
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| Boats trying to find space on the walls |
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| Hundreds of people strolling the lock walls |
As the evening cooled us down, we joined others walking the lock walls and also enjoyed some ice cream.
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