Day 257 - July 9, 2013: Ottawa, Ontario, and the Rideau Canal

More time for luxury at Montebello would have been welcomed, but we needed to motor on up the Ottawa River towards Ottawa, Ontario. For the first time, I am seeing private float planes, and these wide sections of the river, surrounded by vast open stretches of farmland, are well suited for this mode of transportation.

Maize and Blue Michigan fan?

Commuters gone to work?

By noon, the Ottawa skyline appeared, and it was very apparent that this is not only the capital of Canada, but a major metropolitan city. Right in the heart of downtown, the Rideau River comes from the south, tumbling down over falls and into the Ottawa River. To gain access to the Rideau River by boat, we had to enter the Rideau Canal and, aided by an unusual flight of 8 stair-step locks, were raised up 79 feet to the height of the river (213 feet above sea level). 

The Rideau River Falls

The Rideau Canal flight of 8 locks from the Ottawa River

Since each of the locks in the flight is filled by emptying the one above it (which then needed to be refilled by the one above it and so forth), the entire sequence took over two hours, plus we waited 1 1/2 hours to begin. It was a bit tiring as the sun was out, the temperature was 85, and it was very humid. These locks, finished in 1831, are still entirely manually operated using original equipment. Canal personnel hand crank both the doors and the gates open and closed. 

Anne holding the line

View from the 8th lock at the top

Once on top of the flight, we motored under a bridge, passed the Fairmont Hotel, and tied up across from Le Cafe which has free internet which we could use. Anne loves big cities, and she said the idea that you can cruise your boat into the middle of Ottawa, get out and start touring is just fantastic! Plus, our docking fee is probably 20% of the cost of a room at the Fairmont. 

Rideau Canal flight of 8 from the top

Great Laker docked in the Rideau Canal

After a quick walk around the area to get our bearings, we did our obligatory stop at the visitor center gathering a dozen or so pamphlets covering the city and canal, and then walked to the ByWard Market area and found a place for a sushi dinner. 

Day 256 - July 8, 2013: Le Chateau Montebello, Montebello, Quebec

Every since we entered Canada, we have noticed many church steeples scattered along the rivers. These steeples have remarkably similar designs, as if the same architect had been responsible for them all. Additionally, they appear to have a silver cladding on each steeple's structure which makes them stand out when the sun strikes the surface. We have not seen this before, and it remains a puzzle for now.

Today, for a major change on this leg of our trip, we treated ourselves and docked at the luxury Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. This is a year-round resort complex on a 65,000 acre private domain, which includes the yacht club, hotel, conference center, indoor and outdoor pools, squash, tennis, water and winter sports, stables, golf, ski trails, and an array of fine restaurants and lounges.

Le Chateau Montebello

The massive log chateau was built by 3,500 workers in just four months in 1930 and includes 211 guest rooms in four wings that span out in a hexagonal shape from the rotunda. The 10,000 logs and 500,000 hand-split cedar roof shakes came in on a special rail spur constructed just for this purpose. Over its history, the chateau has welcomed many guests, including governors, prime ministers, crown princes, U.S. President Harry S. Truman, many singers and movie stars, and was the location of the 1981 G7 Summit attended by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Entrance

Hotel lobby surrounding massive 3-story fireplace

Indoor pool and spa

Indoor/outdoor formal dining room

We relaxed at the pool and then dressed for formal dining and enjoyed great service and many great selections. Tonight we toasted to our special evening and almost forgot we were still on a boating adventure and would need to get back into shorts and man the vessel for tomorrow's travel.

Day 255 – July 7, 2013: Two locks and on to Hawkesbury, Ontario

We really enjoyed Sainte Anne de Bellevue, with the many boats tightly docked (rafted and parading in the lock channel), the string of restaurants, the scores of couples and families that walked by all day long and well into the evening, and the way the women wore dresses for the occasion. It was a great atmosphere.

One surprise was watching the many people who stopped along the rail to point and stare at Great Laker. I would hear someone say, “Look at this beautiful boat,” or “This is the boat I want,” and, if I stuck my head out, they would ask me question after question about the boat. This morning a man stood at the rail and beckoned me out. He told me how much he liked the boat and asked who made it. It turned out he was in the marine business and had worked on boats all his life. As I explained Great Laker’s virtues, he exclaimed, “Now this is a real boat, not some toy boat like the others here!” And then, “I just knew this had a working boat’s hull.” It was fun hearing about what he thought makes a real boat and satisfying to know that Great Laker had made the cut!

We went through the lock just before noon, packed in expertly by the lock personnel along with 11 others boats. In this area, we are finding ourselves in one of the larger boats for a change, which earned us the privilege of tying up to the floating dock in the lock with other boats rafted to us. Once inside, the lock personnel came with handheld remote terminals to collect our fee, and one woman, from a boat rafted to us, had to walk across our bow to pay. The rafting is quite fun, and everyone is friendly and seems to be in a festive mood.

Rafting in the Sainte Anne Lock

Woman paying her locking fee

On the Ottawa River, each lock, when closed, backs up the river flow, creating a substantial lake. We entered and crossed Lac Des Deux Montagnes up to the Carillon Lock. This lock, upgraded in 1963, is unique in that it not only raises boats up 65 feet, but has a one-piece, guillotine-style gate that is lifted up over the boats as they enter/exit the south end.

As we tied up to await an opening, another boater informed us that the lock door was not working, several boats were trapped inside, and a maintenance crew had been called in from Montreal to try and fix it! Our fear of another Erie Canal experience hit us hard, and we couldn’t believe this could happen again. Fortunately after an anxious 90 minutes, we got the “all clear” to prepare to enter. What a relief, as we might not have survived another delay.

Carillon guillotine-style lock door

Door closing after we went in

View of the 65 foot lift in this lock

After the Carillon Lock, we crossed Lac Dollard des Ormeaux and found a free dock at the town of Hawkesbury, and this is our first stop in Ontario Province. Here, Anne cooked a delicious meal of lemon shrimp with spinach and couscous. It is remarkable what she can prepare here in Great Laker’s galley, and we continue to eat very well on this trip.

Great Laker at sunset on the Hawkesbury town dock

Day 254 – July 6, 2013: Lake St. Louis, the Ottawa River, and Sainte Anne de Bellevue

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.

Anne returning from paying a locking fee

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.

Boats rafting off in the lock

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.

Great Laker on the lock wall

Boats trying to find space on the walls

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.  

Day 253 - July 5, 2013: Montreal, QC

The heightened stress, caused by difficulties with Erie Canal travel and subsequent decision making, called for some exercise. Montreal is famous for its many bike trails both along the waterfront and throughout the city, and this morning we studied the map and decided to ride out along the old Lachine Canal. The canal got its name from the French word for China (La Chine) as early explorers were always looking for a shortcut across America to get there. The first version of the canal was completed in 1825, attracted many heavy industries, and helped turn Montreal into a major port. By the 1950s, the Seaway was completed, and this canal became obsolete. We rode five miles out and five back plus two more miles up to see the Jazz Festival venue before returning to the boat for lunch and some chores.

A Lachine Canal Lock

Captain Larry on his Dahon bike

Admiral Anne with her Citizen bike

One of the most visually interesting and historic buildings on the waterfront is the Bonsecours Market. Completed in 1860, it was the central marketplace here for a hundred years and is designated as a National Historic Site in Canada. Today it is a multipurpose building with shops, cafes, and offices. 

                                                               The Bonsecours Market

We walked to La Grange Gourmande on Place Jacques-Cartier for dinner, and an evening rain developed during the meal, giving us a good excuse to eat dessert while waiting for the rain to stop. At 10 p.m., Montreal put on a fireworks display over the river, and we watched it from the riverwalk along with thousands of others. 

Day 252 - July 4, 2013: Sorel, The St. Lawrence River and Montreal, Quebec

This patriotic morning we cruised on to Sorel and entered the St. Lawrence River going upstream towards Montreal. We never imagined that we would be cruising this great river on our trip, and the chance to see it is a positive outcome of the Erie Canal flooding.

What a dramatic change from the meandering Richelieu River and the intimate Chambly Canal. We began to encounter shipping facilities, ocean-going freighters and massive amounts of water flowing downstream from the Great Lakes. The currents were 2 mph at the start and 6 mph in the narrow strait when we entered Montreal, and that resulted in our 9.6 mph speed dropping to just 3.6 mph! Our plan had been to anchor out; however, NOAA weather radio was forecasting squalls and high winds overnight, so we decided to go straight to the Port d'Escale Marina which is situated in the heart of old Montreal.

Shipping and loading facilities in Sorel

The great St. Lawrence River

Despite the heat and humidity, we headed out to walk the old city. There were vibrant crowds everywhere enjoying the waterfront, vendors, street side restaurants, art galleries, and an international jazz festival going on this week.

Impromptu jazz in the square

Rue Saint Paul winding through the historic district

Jazz combo in an outdoor restaurant

Many outdoor cosmopolitan dining opportunities

The many historic buildings and statues in the parks tell the story of Montreal, and without a doubt, the most imposing and impressive of all is the Basilica of Notre Dame. The design was the product of an Irish-American Protestant from New York who was a proponent of Gothic Architecture. He moved here to oversee the construction, the main building being completed in 1829 and the towers in 1841 and 1843. This church was the largest in North America for over 50 years and contains a pipe organ with over 7000 pipes.

This Basilica is unusual because it has light shows each night in the sanctuary for the public (paid tickets required) which tell the story of the founding and construction of the church. Inside you are surrounded by huge white pieces of canvas which serve as screens and are given headsets for the audio. At the end, the screens drop, revealing the beauty of the interior.

Basilica of Notre Dame, Montreal

Light show screens

Splendor and grand scale of the church

After the show, we came back to Great Laker, thankful for not one, but two air conditioners.

Day 251 - July 3, 2013: The Richelieu River and the Chambly Canal

We got up early, purchased the Parks Canada seasonal locking pass, and entered the Chambly Canal. This canal parallels the Richelieu River, and its many locks are dropping boats down to the elevation of the St. Lawrence River. Today we passed under 10 bridges, went through 10 locks, and traveled 40 miles before reaching our destination at Saint-Ours, just 11 miles from the St. Lawrence River.

The Chambly Canal in St. Jean

The Chambly Canal next to the Richelieu River

The Chambly has been in use since 1843, and the locks, which are still operated manually, are sprinkled between many swing, slide, and lift bridges. The canal was dug largely by hand and is very narrow, running from as little as 30 feet to 50 feet wide, and it is squeezed between the river and shoreline roads. Passing another boat is a challenge we were glad not to have encountered.

Hand cranking the sluice gates

One of the many interesting bridges

There is a bike path for most of the length of the canal, and we watched many people enjoying the path including runners, bikers, walkers, and women jogging with their baby carriages.

A group of mothers jogging with their baby carriages

About midway in the town of Chambly, there is a set of three-stair locks, which are good examples of 19^th century marine technology. As we locked down, the water was drained from our lock to the lock below, and again to the last lock, avoiding the need to fill each lock before a boat could enter.

Locks 2 and 3 of the three-stair locks

Arriving at Saint-Ours, we locked down and discovered a beautiful island park where we tied off at the lock wall for the night. Between 1929 and 1933 this lock was modernized to bring the dimensions in line with the New York State Canal System, thus allowing 1,500 ton barges and steamships. However, the Chambly Canal was never widened, and thus the Richelieu waterway never attained the scale of the other canals. We toured a small museum located in the original lock master’s home and walked the island. After a hot and long day, we enjoyed sitting up top with a breeze through the shading trees and remarked that this spot was a special one to be remembered.

The park at Saint-Ours lock

Anne enjoying the cool breeze