Gaspe, Quebec: 30
June 2018
Marc- Arrived on the
Orleans Express at the Adams Hotel at 21:30.
Cool and wet. Luckily we had a
very short distance to go with our bags from the bus to the hotel. Nice newer room but they lacked some
soundproofing. An excellent breakfast
was included.
Gaspe, Quebec: 1 July 2018, Canada Day
Marc- I finished up
some last minute work on the boat including a new water pump impeller and a new
fuel filter. Richard checked his
impeller and found two vanes missing. He
had to fish them out of his cooling system.
Next we loaded up all of our travel gear and some last minute
groceries. Sue and I walked a total of 8
miles today. All of us went to the Gaspe
Museum that included local celebrities from explorer and founder of Canada, Jacques
Cartier, to Quebec singer, musician and songwriter La Bolduc ( Mary Rose-Anna
Travers).
Fireworks were displayed over the harbor. The ½ hour show was very good for such a small town. We enjoyed dinner earlier with friends Richard and Sylvie, our buddy boaters, at the Café-des-Artistes.
Fireworks were displayed over the harbor. The ½ hour show was very good for such a small town. We enjoyed dinner earlier with friends Richard and Sylvie, our buddy boaters, at the Café-des-Artistes.
Gaspe, Quebec: 2 July
2018 Departure Day
Marc- We left with
all tanks full at 08:30 for Riviere au Renard (Fox River). Motoring all the way out of Gaspe Bay to the
tip of Forillion National Park. Two
whales were seen at the tip of the peninsula along with a whale watch
boat. We raised sail after the Cape and
headed up the St. Lawrence River. One
more whale was seen approaching the lighthouse at Cape des Rosiers. Arrival At Riviere au Renard at 14:00. This large commercial fishing port also has a
very nice and welcoming marina. Five
other sailboats arrived soon after us.
We also encountered the young priest who was sitting near Stephanie on
the bus on our way to Gaspe. He was
staying in Riviere au Renard for one month to allow the pastor to have a
vacation. We invited him over to the
boat for dinner and he invited us over for a private tour of the Church and
rectory. The Church was beautiful:
constructed of pink Quebec granite.
Father Romuald was very entertaining
and explained that he comes on a working vacation here every summer.
Steph- My favorite part was when Père Romuald was at dinner with us and, picking up a blueberry, asked, "What's this?" He was from Benin, a small country in West Africa, where apparently they don't have blueberries!!!!
Steph- My favorite part was when Père Romuald was at dinner with us and, picking up a blueberry, asked, "What's this?" He was from Benin, a small country in West Africa, where apparently they don't have blueberries!!!!
Riviere au Renard, Quebec:
3 July 2018
Marc- Departure at
07:15 this morning from our quiet berth to find a rather rough St. Lawrence
river with Westerly winds and waves growing during the day. We made it to the fishing port of Cloridorme
by 12:30 but decided to try to move on to the next major port of Riviere
Madeleine. Unfortunately the wind and
waves really hindered our progress so we backtracked to Cloridorme. Nice fishing village with a Cantine and Ice
Cream Shop. We also visited the local
market for fresh strawberries and fresh cheddar cheese curds. The wind has been gusting about 30 plus knots
all afternoon.
Cloridorme, Quebec: 4
July 2018
Steph- Happy 4th from Canada! We were by far the only Americans in sight. I turned to Instagram for some cheer :)
Steph- Happy 4th from Canada! We were by far the only Americans in sight. I turned to Instagram for some cheer :)
Marc- This proved to
be a very safe and secure harbor. No
excitement overnight. 08:00 Departure
with West winds of 8- 10 knots and seas under 1 foot. By the time we reached the port of Grand Vallee the wind was up to
20 knots with gusts to 30. Our boat
speed dropped to 2.9 knots when periodically large waves came by of about 6
feet. The tidal current here was 1.5 to
2 knots against us away from shore. We
deviated from the plan and headed for Grande-Vallée.
As we approached shore I noticed that the tidal current was negligible. We altered course for Madeleine reaching the port at the scheduled arrival of 12:30. Our buddy boat would arrive 1.5 hours later having decided to tack offshore. He found diminished waves and wind but increased tidal current. He returned to shore to follow our path.
Steph- Up and down we went, along the now familiar pattern of the hella strong wind and tides of the gulf of the St. Lawrence river. Lucky for us, it was a shorter day than the rest since we hadn't made it all the way to Madeleine from from Rivière-aux-Renards (Fox River) the day before. As the winds picked up around noon, dad almost called it quits and we turned in towards the small fishing village Grande-Vallée, but luckily the wind calmed down a bit as we got closer to shore.
As we approached shore I noticed that the tidal current was negligible. We altered course for Madeleine reaching the port at the scheduled arrival of 12:30. Our buddy boat would arrive 1.5 hours later having decided to tack offshore. He found diminished waves and wind but increased tidal current. He returned to shore to follow our path.
Steph- Up and down we went, along the now familiar pattern of the hella strong wind and tides of the gulf of the St. Lawrence river. Lucky for us, it was a shorter day than the rest since we hadn't made it all the way to Madeleine from from Rivière-aux-Renards (Fox River) the day before. As the winds picked up around noon, dad almost called it quits and we turned in towards the small fishing village Grande-Vallée, but luckily the wind calmed down a bit as we got closer to shore.
On arrival we went to the Capitainerie to check in and to have a light lunch. It was good to settle us down. We also discovered that Steph’s forward bunk was drenched as her overhead hatch had been partially open. My fault as I thought the overturned dinghy would protect it. I was wrong.
Steph- Small towns, man. The owner of the Capitainerie (marina office) told dad that she remembered him from two years ago!
Marc- Later in the afternoon we took a 6 mile hike to the Cape
Madeleine Lighthouse. We had ice cream in
the tourist shop nearby and we also climbed the lighthouse. This is still a working lighthouse of the
Canadian Coast Guard (automated). We
climbed up into the light structure and examined the Fresnel lens. It created rainbows on the inside of the
lighthouse structure. Its purpose was of
course to magnify the intensity of the light.
On our trip out we crossed a bridge over the Madeleine River. We saw hundreds of fish below and they
appeared to be salmon. One of the locals
informed me that they could have been striped bass given the timeof year.
Madeleine, Quebec: 5 July 2018.
Marc- Fishing Harbor
docks departure after a quiet night at 07:15.
Indian Summer left first and we soon followed. Calm seas this morning and winds from the
hills gave us a reach with 10-15 knot winds at the start. Unfortunately the winds did not last. We motored most of the 48 miles to St. Anne-des-Monts arriving at 17:00. Our boat
speed fluctuated between 4 and 7 knots
due to the river tidal current. We were
welcomed into the marina without difficulty.
Richard and Sylvie arrived 30 minutes later today since we cruised along
at a relaxed pace. We ate at the local
seafood restaurant : La Poisonerie-du-Quai. Nothing vegetarian for Steph who
decided to prepare her own dinner on board while we were out. The winds turned rather cool in the evening
with increasing winds (20 knots out of the northwest).
Steph- Calmest day yet! No waves! It's so nice I could finally sleep in, which I did... till noon :) I made some corn muffins since it's probably the only day we won't have waves pounding the boat up and down and- OH! Mom thinks she sees something! YUP, we just saw A WHALE! Mom's really pumped since she didn't see the three whales dad somehow saw the other day. She's now looking through binoculars while dad explains to us that dolphins are really small whales. Mom and I stare out into the distance over the icy smoothness of the St. Lawrence while we contemplate the veracity of his (alternative?) facts.
Steph- Calmest day yet! No waves! It's so nice I could finally sleep in, which I did... till noon :) I made some corn muffins since it's probably the only day we won't have waves pounding the boat up and down and- OH! Mom thinks she sees something! YUP, we just saw A WHALE! Mom's really pumped since she didn't see the three whales dad somehow saw the other day. She's now looking through binoculars while dad explains to us that dolphins are really small whales. Mom and I stare out into the distance over the icy smoothness of the St. Lawrence while we contemplate the veracity of his (alternative?) facts.
St. Anne-des-Monts, Quebec: 6 July 2018.
Marc- Awoke to a warm
(70 degrees) windy harbor at 07:00. I
took a nice shower over in the Aquarium (the marina uses the Aquarium bath
facilities). By the time that I had left
the wind had picked up even more and the temperature had dropped to 55 degrees
F. Some summer we are having on the
Gaspe Peninsula. There would be no leaving today with these
winds. I made my special Crepes which
were enjoyed by all (the special ingredient is a touch of Vanilla). Sue and I went on a 6 km. hike along the
river here on wooded trails. The trail
was nice until we reached a washed out bridge area about 3 km. into the
woods. We had passed several hikers and
runners using the trail. Steph met us on
our return trip. We also picked up a few
stores at the supermarket. Looks like we will be stuck here for a few days until the wind lets up.
St. Anne –des-Monts, Quebec:
7 July 2018
Marc- No leaving
today due to heavy winds from the Northwest 20-25 knots.
We continued our exploration of the town and had lunch at
the Microbrasserie on First Avenue. We brought Sue to the bus for her Orleans Express trip to Rimouski. It is a two hour trip bus but two days by
boat. She spent the night at the Hotel
des Gouverneurs in Rimouski and picked up the car.
Steph- Mom escaped and promised she'd come back for me someday.
Steph- Mom escaped and promised she'd come back for me someday.
St. Anne –des-Monts, Quebec:
8 July 2018
Sue reports leaving early from the hotel bound for
home. We departed at 08:30 with much
reduced winds but still 15 knots on the nose (West). We made it to Cap Chat by noon without much
problem but the winds and seas increased a great deal after the cape. Progress being reduced we opted to stopover
at the harbor at Cap Chat. Two local
fisherman came and met us at the dock and helped us tie up. All went well and “Indian Summer” arrived
about 30 minutes after us. Nice protected harbor. After taking a break Steph and I went
“whitewater kayaking” on the cap chat river.
This operation is run out of a
nice restaurant and cabin location not far from the marina. We took the 1.5 hour easy kayak route. They drive you up and you put into the river
about 30 minutes from town. You then
proceed downstream through multiple rapids (none very hazardous) until you
reach the base at the Valmont Restaurant.
We did get wet but it was warm so no bother. At one point we chose the wrong channel in
the river and had to get out and walk over to the deeper side. There were several other groups coming
downstream. Lots of fun.
Cap-Chat, Quebec 9
July 2018
We are getting behind in our planned schedule. We departed this morning in 10-15 knot winds
from the West with some seas at 04:30 in hopes of getting out of here before
the heavier winds arrived. No such
luck. We were in the thick of it. The winds picked up and were worse than
yesterday by the time we arrived at the actual cape. I decided to return to the harbor when the
boat speed over ground was repeatedly at 2.5 knots. Richard and Sylvie kept going and last
reported heavy seas and lighter winds near “Les Mechins” about 12 miles from here. That should have taken 2 hours to reach but
took them 4.5 hours. This is about half
way to Matane that is the next harbor and hoped for destination for today.
Cap-Chat, Quebec 10
July 2018
The actual Cap-Chat.
The actual Cap-Chat.
Marc- Departed with
lighter winds and smaller seas out of the Northwest this morning but still
10-15 knots out there with 3 foot seas.
We made good progress up to and past Les Mechins actually seeing
sustained speed of 6 knots. After we
rounded the next cape the winds and seas picked up substantially to 25 knots
and 6 foot seas. Every 10th wave
was even larger. Our boat speed would
drop to 1.9 knots on these waves. We crossed
over a reef at one point (36 foot of depth) and we saw two of the largest waves
that I have seen on this trip breaking right over the boat and the Wendy Room
(cockpit enclosure). The winds and seas
gradually decreased the last hour before arriving at Matane. Matane was a nice stopover with many shops
and a super restaurant. We even listened
briefly to an outdoor concert. Steph and
I had a nice walk around town and even had an ice cream.
Steph- Too sick to write.
Steph- Too sick to write.
Matane, Quebec: 11
July 2018
Marc- Departure 08:00 for Rimouski. Good weather day with 10 knot winds from the
west but no seas to deal with. Arrived
at Rimouski at 4:00 and refilled fuel tank number two. We experienced an engine slowdown about half
way today and switched to the second tank.
No idea what took place except perhaps for bad gas. I will use tank number two for now until I
can check this out.
Steph and I got the bikes out and went over to Pointe-au-Père to see the Empress of Ireland
Museum along with the Submarine and Lighthouse.
Great bike path (9.5 km) to get there and then the Point itself is
beautiful. Unfortunately we arrived too
late to see everything but it was well
worth a visit. The Empress of Ireland (
a large passenger vessel about the size
of the Titanic) sank just offshore after being hit broadside by a coal carrying
freighter in heavy fog . The Empress
sank in 14 minutes causing great loss of life.
The submarine is 90 meters long of diesel power and of British design
and construction. It belonged to the
Canadian Navy until retirement. We
enjoyed dinner at the Marina restaurant with excellent food and service for
both a carnivore and a vegetarian.
Steph's Unabridged Account of Life at Sea- Where to start today? Right now, dad's pumping poop out of the boat into the St. Lawrence since apparently none of the marinas up here have a pumpout station. Welcome to the gross realities of sailing, I'm just as disgusted as you are. 2018, am I right? I'm pretty sure this is the same barbaric method sailors used in B.C. times. But as dad puts it, we don't have any other option. All I'm saying is, you won't see me swimming in the St. Lawrence. Apparently all the fishing ships around here do this, but at least treat the waste (as we did) so that it won't harm marine life.
Uh oh, now the engine's slowing down, doesn't sound too good--
It's always something on the boat, you'll never get bored (oh wait, that's not true). I think to own a boat, especially an older one from the '70s like ours, you have to really enjoy fixing things, because something WILL inevitably go wrong at some point. It used to be that our engine would break down every single time we went out on a trip, until the thirty-year-old motor had to be rebuilt by the Amish (I know, seems paradoxical, right? Apparently that's what all the Amish people in Pennsylvania are doing). Anyway, my dad's one of those people who loves fixing things and always has a boat project going on, even when it's the middle of winter and we're back home, 600 miles from the boat. On this trip alone, he's fixed the running lights that we use to sail at night, the AIS system that allows us to see and be seen by other boats on electronic charts, and the Autopilot (sailing for us right now).
--Engine back to normal now, dad thinks the the marina at Matane gave us bad gas. Those bastards. (Just kidding, they were super nice). Oh! And there goes the autopilot...
Steph's Unabridged Account of Life at Sea- Where to start today? Right now, dad's pumping poop out of the boat into the St. Lawrence since apparently none of the marinas up here have a pumpout station. Welcome to the gross realities of sailing, I'm just as disgusted as you are. 2018, am I right? I'm pretty sure this is the same barbaric method sailors used in B.C. times. But as dad puts it, we don't have any other option. All I'm saying is, you won't see me swimming in the St. Lawrence. Apparently all the fishing ships around here do this, but at least treat the waste (as we did) so that it won't harm marine life.
Uh oh, now the engine's slowing down, doesn't sound too good--
It's always something on the boat, you'll never get bored (oh wait, that's not true). I think to own a boat, especially an older one from the '70s like ours, you have to really enjoy fixing things, because something WILL inevitably go wrong at some point. It used to be that our engine would break down every single time we went out on a trip, until the thirty-year-old motor had to be rebuilt by the Amish (I know, seems paradoxical, right? Apparently that's what all the Amish people in Pennsylvania are doing). Anyway, my dad's one of those people who loves fixing things and always has a boat project going on, even when it's the middle of winter and we're back home, 600 miles from the boat. On this trip alone, he's fixed the running lights that we use to sail at night, the AIS system that allows us to see and be seen by other boats on electronic charts, and the Autopilot (sailing for us right now).
--Engine back to normal now, dad thinks the the marina at Matane gave us bad gas. Those bastards. (Just kidding, they were super nice). Oh! And there goes the autopilot...
Rimouski, Quebec: 12 July 2018
Pointe-au-Père
Marc- Departure at
08:30 for Les Bergeronnes on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence. This was a perfect day for motoring with calm
seas and favorable tides to progress upstream.
I added treatment to fuel tank number 1 but have yet to give it a try. We passed several ships at Anchor along the
South Shore and then crossed over experiencing cooler temperatures on the North
side. We were also greeted by one or two
fin back whales on our approach to the Les Bergeronnes Harbor. Richard and Sylvie saw both fin back whales
and Beluga whales on their crossing by a slightly different route. The Harbor here is home to a new marina and
whale watch center. The staff is
friendly. There is also an archaeological
museum here that we visited that researched human habitation here going back
5500 years. A local gentlemen here known
as Ti- Louis was a self-taught archaeologist who made extensive finds in the
area. Steph and I also adventured on the
Sentiers (hiking trails) and were impressed on the colors, smells of the
forest, and the views from various points.
We ate aboard tonight and enjoyed the visit of our buddy boaters.
Steph- Finished Harry Potter. WHAT TO DO NOW??? I guess write in the blog... and look up the stories of shipwrecks that happened on the river around us. On such a calm day like today, it's hard to imagine that such terrible tragedies occurred here. The Empress of Ireland was a luxury passenger ship that was hit by the collier ship Storstad (two years after Titanic) and sank in only 14 minutes five miles off the coast of Rimouski. Even though it was late May, we're so far North that the water was close to freezing and most of the passengers did not survive. What's sad is that after learning from Titanic's disaster, they did have enough lifeboats aboard, but not enough time to launch them all, coupled with the fact that the boat was leaning so far over after being hit, that when they tried to launch them on the port side, they crashed into the side of the ship. The fact that they managed to launch even five lifeboats in the 11 minutes they had before the ship capsized is pretty impressive.
Steph- Finished Harry Potter. WHAT TO DO NOW??? I guess write in the blog... and look up the stories of shipwrecks that happened on the river around us. On such a calm day like today, it's hard to imagine that such terrible tragedies occurred here. The Empress of Ireland was a luxury passenger ship that was hit by the collier ship Storstad (two years after Titanic) and sank in only 14 minutes five miles off the coast of Rimouski. Even though it was late May, we're so far North that the water was close to freezing and most of the passengers did not survive. What's sad is that after learning from Titanic's disaster, they did have enough lifeboats aboard, but not enough time to launch them all, coupled with the fact that the boat was leaning so far over after being hit, that when they tried to launch them on the port side, they crashed into the side of the ship. The fact that they managed to launch even five lifeboats in the 11 minutes they had before the ship capsized is pretty impressive.
Les Bergeronnes, Quebec:
13 July 2018
Whale watching boat.
Les Bergeronnes Marina.
A friendly fin-back whale to help us on our way this morning.
Marc- Departure today at 10:30 due to tides (low water in
main channel leading into this place and getting a favorable current for
upstream navigation). We arose early for
breakfast and a visit to the local boulangerie (bakery and coffee shop). The place was very busy but we did get some excellent bread and
specialty pizzas for later. We saw yet
another fin back whale upon our exit into the St. Lawrence and this one we were
able to photograph. A short time later
we saw a large group of seals that swarm near the boat as we passed by the
Prince Shoal lighthouse. Winds were
light but favorable today and we did raise our genoa to assist. This helped us arrive in our next Port one
hour before Indian Summer. Arrived at
Cap-a-L’Aigle (Eagle’s Cape) at 16:40 and were greeted by a harbor seal. We refueled and were assigned an easy entry
slip in the protected cove. Steph and I
next hiked up the rather step hill to the town (Part of La Malbaie) to get a
few groceries. The 4 km. hike was good
for us. The views from the upper road
were beautiful giving another perspective to this fantastic river and the very
well-kept homes here. Each neighbor
seemed to be in competition over having the best flower gardens. At 19:00 we joined Richard and Sylvie for
Dinner at the Marina restaurant. Steph
and I split a 3 course special. I had
the fresh broiled Cod entrée and Steph had the crepe appetizer, vegetable soup,
and we shared the dessert. Fantastic.
Cap-a-L’Aigle, La Malbaie, Quebec: 14 July 2018
Cement Ship overtaking Indian Summer (Tartan 34C)
Marc- Another
beautiful day of light winds but changing to West was forecast. We had a rather misty start after breakfast
but all was fine. The autopilot still
only works for brief periods before losing contact with the drive unit (Quite a mystery). Steph and I just steer manually. Today was slated to be a 70 mile leg to
Quebec City! We therefore had to leave
early and hug the shore to avoid an unfavorable tide. This had the advantage of seeing the shore in
detail including the beautiful Charlevoix resort complex where the G-7
Conference World Economic Conference
recently took place. All went well for us
until we passed Ile-aux-Coudres where the tidal current was now in full force in
our favor but the wind had increased to 15 -20 knots from the southwest. You guessed it we are heading southwest. This combination created large braking waves
for about one hour as we passed along a mountainous shore to starboard
including Le Massif ( a well -known ski area). The wind dropped to 5 knots as we approached
L’Ile D’Orleans. We could see many
strawberry fields and large sprinkler systems as we passed. This island has the sweetest
strawberries. After encountering a half
dozen ships passing in both directions we came into the inner port of Quebec
City at 21:30. The City was extremely
beautiful all lit up at night. We
entered the basin Louise just ahead of the Vandamn, A Holland-America Cruise
Ship, and passed through the open lock into the marina (the lock remains open
for an hour before and an hour after high tide). The night watchman assigned us a slip and we
tied up. "Indian Summer" soon joined us. We all decided to venture into the City for a
walk as there were several music
festivals taking place in town.
Some shops were still open and the lower city was far from
deserted. We found a nice Ice Cream
shop that had the best gelato that I have ever had (raspberry and mango).
Port of Quebec, 15
July 2018
Ile D'Orleans Marina and ferry terminal.
Basse-ville Quebec
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Marina Bassin Louise
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Chateau Frontenac
Marc- Early start to
do a load of laundry and take advantage of the bath facilities here. This marina also has a swimming pool. After breakfast Steph and I went off to
Church at Notre-Dame-Des-Victoires (said to be one of the oldest churches in
North America). The Church was very ornate
with the Virgin Mary featured as well as a large square rigged sailing ship
model hanging in the center. Our priest
did make us all laugh when he said we would be singing Ave Maria for the next
three hours. Passing many galleries in
the old cobblestoned streets we proceeded to the Public Market near the
marina. This is a fantastic place open
seven days a week where the local farmers come and sell the freshest
produce. We stocked up on veggies and
fruits as well as fresh baked bread.
At 17:30 We moved Lucy III over to the fuel dock to fill our
tanks and to do the pump out. This is
the only location between here and Gaspe with a working pump out. At 18:00 we joined Indian Summer in the exit
Lock and dropped down into the river.
Were happy to find a favorable
current as we turned the corner into the main part of the river. The current increased until we passed beneath
the Quebec bridges (5 knots) making our speed over ground briefly 10 knots. As the river narrows here the current speed
increases. We would end up averaging 7
knots for the five hour trip to Portneuf.
Many cargo ships were prevalent in the river and we were very happy to
have the AIS system showing them on the chart plotter screen coming from aft
and ahead. We only saw one cruise ship from the Holland America Line.
This fact was especially true
as night fell and a few of the ships passed up within 100 feet. We hugged the Red bouys proceeding
upstream. All of the bouys were lit
except for one that gave us a scare. We
entered the Marina at 20:30 and pulled into the first available slip. This marina was easy to find as the marina
sits out at the end of a long well lit causeway near the main shipping channel
at a bend in the River.
Steph- Thinking of writing a book called- Life on a Boat: The good, the bad, the UGLY.
Steph- Thinking of writing a book called- Life on a Boat: The good, the bad, the UGLY.
Portneuf, Quebec: 16 July 2018
St. Lawrence River sunset approaching Portneuf.
Trois Rivieres Marina, Quebec: 17 July 2018.
Departing Trois-Rivieres
Departing Trois-Rivieres
Marc- Thunderstorms
this morning with heavy downpours. Wind
is out of the southwest. I vote to wait
until they pass before departing. They
should be done by 9 a.m. We left at 9:30
and headed back out into the River following Indian Summer by 30 minutes. Weather conditions were good except for the
15 knot wind out of the West. Wave
heights were one foot once we got out on the expansive Lake St. Peter. Our Auto pilot worked like a charm again.
Some excitement about 80 % into our trip today to Sorel. The engine space appeared to smell of smoke
of the kind when wood is burning. Steph
has a good nose for this. I was on the
phone with office work and Steph was on the phone with her doctor in Cambridge
at the time. My initial investigation
showed some steaming from the vent shaft where the engine exhaust comes
out. This very soon turned into
smoke. I grabbed the dry chemical fire
extinguisher and fired it into the vent with no effect on the smoke. I then dumped water into the vent and this
worked after about five gallons (unfortunately our galley sink pressure
water hose did not reach the vent). While this was happening we bumped into a red
navigation bouy (This one was a large steel ocean type). Damage is limited to a small ding at the bow
and some red paint along the side. The red
paint came off easily. The ding has yet
to be fixed. No other problems with
overheating in the exhaust vent. We
arrived at the Sorel Marina at 4:30 and prepared for unstopping the masts. They charge $55.00 to use the mast crane here
(electric) and all went smoothly with help from Richard, Sylvie, and Steph. After doing both boats' masts we enjoyed
dinner aboard (Steph makes excellent salads).
Mast Crane at Sorel.
Steph and I explored the area in the evening going to the
next pier over in town developed as a park.
There is a new geodesic dome set up for a movie and light show called
Statera. You can see the movie on the
inside as well as the outside of the dome (inside you get the 360 degree effect
and high quality sound). The program is
about the history and the particular environment in the 104 islands in this end
of Lake St. Peter. My paternal
Grandmother was from Berthierville, just north of here, where her father ran a grist mill. Sorel is
also a vibrant commercial port. We could
see a row of grain silos all lit up in shades of blue and a very large ship
being loaded at the end of them at the next pier.
Sorel, Quebec: 18
July 2018.
Waiting for the Crane.
Marc- 08:00 departure
for a quick mile run on the St. Lawrence River to the entrance of the Richelieu
River. We passed two ferries that cross
the River here and several anchored ships.
The entrance to the Richelieu is an active port and we passed by a large
freighter being loaded with steel and other ships. After the first few miles the river scenery
changes dramatically to residential homes with rather large boats tied to
private docks. This continues for the
next 12 miles to our first lock at St. Ours.
St. Ours has a floating dock inside the lock making it easy to
transit. Steph went ashore to check the
place out as we waited for two boats headed downstream to pass. Our next several hours were spent just
motoring along seeing quaint villages with large Churches, a few cable ferries,
and many beautiful homes. We arrived at
Chambly at 16:40. Several boats were
locking down and we waited a few minutes for them to come through. Chambly is a very nice village with a large
supermarket close to the canal docks (the 19 kilometer Chambly bypass canal
begins here and proceeds to St. Jean).
The town was also having an evening concert in the park just east of the canal. It is also home to the Restored French Fort
Chambly (Parks Canada). We proceeded up
the first 6 locks before tying up for the night. We all walked back into town for dinner. Afterward we enjoyed a visit to the Chocolaterie
(a great chocolate and ice cream shop).
We made a brief stop at the Maxi Supermarket for a few items.
Chambly, Quebec, Lock #6:
19 July 2018
Marc- I awoke at
07:00 and headed over to the local version of Home Depot (BMR) and picked up some
stove pipe and fiberglass to insulate the exhaust vent box. After disassembling the box I was able to
quickly add the stove pipe around the existing iron pipe and insulation covered
by aluminum. Richard came over to assist
with the reassembly. It all looks and
work fine now. The locks opened at 09:00
and we were greeted by the Parks Canada lock master here. He explained that he lives on his sailboat in
the Chambly Marina nearby and works here from May 15 until October 15. He takes the boat to Florida in the
winter. We proceeded through several
bridges and tree more locks before returning to the main river at St.
Jean. We arrived at The Marina 360 in
St. Paul, Ile-aux-Noix, by 14:40. We
proceeded directly to the mast slip which is also the travel lift slip but the
cane truck was missing. The truck
apparently had difficulties at its last job and will raise our masts tomorrow
at 08:00.
Steph (17-19th July)- I'm going freakin CRAAAZYYY!!! Too many days at sea. Don't know how sailors did this back in the day, taking a month to cross the Atlantic. This brings me to my 'it's the 21st century, transportation technology has progressed beyond slow boats' rant. I bet day / pleasure sailing is fun and all, but when you're using a sailboat to actually get somewhere and go a long distance like we do, especially on a tight schedule, I'd say it's pretty impractical. Because we're going against the wind and current (unlike on the way up to Gaspé 2 years ago), we're mostly using our engine and essentially using our sailboat as a powerboat. Lucy III only goes 6 nautical miles an hour (~ 7 mph) on a good day when the wind is in our favor, so basically what it would take a car to go 6 hours would take us about a week. Meaning we've pretty much gone back in time to the early 19th century, when steamboats were just being invented. If you've ever wondered what it's like to go back in time, it's not so fun! There's a reason why trains, cars, and planes were invented. What's truly disheartening is that, as I'm writing this, even the bikers along the sides of the Chambly Canal are going faster than us.
That being said, it's always most beautiful to travel places by boat, and I love that we're at a new port every night. You see the towns that you'd normally just drive by to get to your destination, and you see a different side of every city. Sailing really is about the adventure, not the departure and arrival.
Steph (17-19th July)- I'm going freakin CRAAAZYYY!!! Too many days at sea. Don't know how sailors did this back in the day, taking a month to cross the Atlantic. This brings me to my 'it's the 21st century, transportation technology has progressed beyond slow boats' rant. I bet day / pleasure sailing is fun and all, but when you're using a sailboat to actually get somewhere and go a long distance like we do, especially on a tight schedule, I'd say it's pretty impractical. Because we're going against the wind and current (unlike on the way up to Gaspé 2 years ago), we're mostly using our engine and essentially using our sailboat as a powerboat. Lucy III only goes 6 nautical miles an hour (~ 7 mph) on a good day when the wind is in our favor, so basically what it would take a car to go 6 hours would take us about a week. Meaning we've pretty much gone back in time to the early 19th century, when steamboats were just being invented. If you've ever wondered what it's like to go back in time, it's not so fun! There's a reason why trains, cars, and planes were invented. What's truly disheartening is that, as I'm writing this, even the bikers along the sides of the Chambly Canal are going faster than us.
That being said, it's always most beautiful to travel places by boat, and I love that we're at a new port every night. You see the towns that you'd normally just drive by to get to your destination, and you see a different side of every city. Sailing really is about the adventure, not the departure and arrival.
St. Paul, Ile-aux-Noix, Quebec, Marina 360: 20 July 2018
Marina 360 is on the third canal from the left.
Marina 360 is on the third canal from the left.
Marc- I awoke at
06:00 this morning to continue preparations for raising the masts. Weather is fine with light southwest winds
and sunshine. Coffee with Richard and
Sylvie at 7:45. Richard came over
exactly at 08:00 for the masts and we both wondered where the boom truck
was. The boom truck and its crew of two
appeared 10 minutes later. Lucy III was
ready to go as we had left her in the work bay the previous night. It took some gymnastics ability to get on and
off the boat from this location but we did have shore power and water
available. An hour later both masts were
in place. We then moved to an available
slip to complete some of the work. First
we assisted Indian Summer in getting its mast raised and they were all done by
10:00. Richard and Sylvie decided to
return to their slip from the previous night to complete the rigging and
install the sails. We decided that we
should leave now and complete the rigging on route. With Steph at the helm we had no issues
getting to the US Border. All rigging
was secured and the cabin cleaned up a bit for a probable inspection. I cleaned up all of our fruit aboard and
placed it in Tupperware containers. We
next docked a the Rouses Point Highway bridge border crossing station. This is a makeshift set up with a trailer
set up ashore and floating plastic docks off of the old highway bridge
pier. Steph and I both presented up at
the check in line ashore and found all of the forms were in French. Apparently virtually no Americans pass through
in the southbound direction here. After
five minutes a guard approached and took our papers and returned within another
five minutes indicating that we were all set to proceed. As we were getting ready to leave the dock a
Clinton County New York Sheriff
approached asking if he could do a boat safety inspection. We agreed and he proceeded to ask about all of
our safety equipment aboard (virtually the same inspection as done by the US
Coast Guard Auxiliary or the US Power Squadron). We passed and were issued a sticker. That was it.
We were back in the USA. Lake
Champlain sparkled as we proceeded toward our destination for the night of
Butterfly Bay, Valcour Island, New York. There was a strong pull on us to do a side trip
to Burton Island as we motored by the Gut passage but we proceeded. We arrived at Valcour at 17:00 and dropped
the anchor in 2i feet of water in the outer section of Butterfly Bay. The Bay was already filled with mostly
Canadian sailboats beginning their weekend trip or vacation trip. Steph and I jumped in for a delightful
swim. The water was cool but
refreshing. I was able to complete all
of the rigging and wiring reinstallation afterward. I did note that the AIS GPS antenna seemed
to have stopped working and noted that it appeared melted when I inspected
it. It appears that its plastic did not
work well with the caulking that I had applied.
After dinner we decided to explore the Island a bit and launched the dinghy. While this was happening boats continued to
enter the bay and dropped their anchors in the midst of the already anchored
boats. What a mess if the wind changed
during the night since most of them did not allow much scope and swing room
caused by a change of wind direction would create problems. We went to the beach an walked around on a few trails that brought us to an
adjoining bay at Bluff Point. This Bay
also appeared full of boats. I spotted one wooden Owens powerboat that
looked like my parents old boat. We
stopped by for a visit and spoke with them before returning back to Lucy III
(they were the only other American flagged cruising boat in the harbor). By the time we returned more boats had
anchored around Lucy III but none seemed
to be a threat. The last to anchor at
sunset was a large catamaran with 5 kids aboard who quickly jumped into the
Lake as soon as the anchor was down.
Lake Champlain sunset. Valcour Island. Nighttime in the anchorage.
Lake Champlain sunset. Valcour Island. Nighttime in the anchorage.
Steph- SOOOO GREAT to finally be back on the lake!!! It's the only lake I've been on that shimmers like a sea of glitter in the sun. What a perfect way to be welcomed back to our home :) It's been such a beautiful day, but right when we entered the US, it seemed to increase tenfold.
This morning we put the masts back up since yesterday they said they couldn't help us even though we got to the marina at 2:30... but oh well, it went pretty smoothly other than the thirty-something year old guy operating the lift who tried to hit on me in French. Needless to say, that didn't go well. I was like dude, I don't even know how to flirt in English! Anywho, we got through the border when they decided we weren't sketchy and I immediately started singing "English, English, English!" to the tune of the conga line. So excited to be able to completely express myself again and not feel quiet because I don't know how to say something.
"YEEHAW MURICAAA!"-some dude (probably wearing American flag swim trunks) going by us on a pontoon boat-
This guy and his friends probably noticed our American flag that stuck out in a sea of Canadian ones and started blasting music and fist pumping when they saw us. Here's the reaction I wrote down in my journal: I LOVE IT. Dad and I start cracking up and I remember what it is I love about Americans and being American: our unashamedly LOUD AND PROUD, self-expressive attitude and complete lack of boundaries. Being in Canada for so long, I had forgotten how awesome it is to have strangers shout something completely random at you!
Butterfly Bay, Valcour Island, New York: 21 July 2018.
I awoke at 06:10 to find that the wind had veered to
Northwest and that we were close to an anchored boat. I first tried to shorted up on our anchor
line but we were still close to the anchored sailboat. I decided to pull up and head out. The anchor was well set but came up using a
bit of the boat’s forward momentum. Steph
did not get up fast enough this time.
With Northwest winds I set the mizzen and main and then genoa. Hurrah we were sailing with a 10 knot
breeze. Unfortunately the Northwest wind
became a 15 knot Southeast wind after coming south of Valcour Island. This is the broadest part of the Lake some 12 miles wide and with a 30 mile fetch
for winds out of the South. The result
of these facts are waves. Nothing to
trouble Lucy III that had endured much worse in the St. Lawrence River within
the past few weeks. The winds and waves
diminished and shifted to South as we approached Split Rock. We raised sail and proceeded under wind alone
for our home base at Point Bay Marina. We
watched the Royal savage Yacht club fleet racing to our south for Westport, New
York . Spotting Coquina we called John
and Mindy to see how they were doing.
They were about mid-fleet and we agreed to meet up with them after the
race. The fuel dock was extremely busy
so we pulled up on a RSYC mooring to have launch and a swim. An hour later the dock was free and we went
over for fuel and a pump out. As we were
about to leave Coquina pulled in. We
were assigned to the slip next to them for the night. Sue and Sara arrived from Watertown shortly
thereafter. Time to unload some stuff
off of the boat. John and Mindy invited us over to their house for dinner (we
brought the cake to celebrate Mindy’s birthday and dinner as well). We came back to a quiet night at the Marina.
Steph- Awww, I missed the smell of cow manure! That's when you know you're in Vermont!
So good to see John and Mindy and then Sara and Mom! As mom drove into the parking lot, I ran up to the car and screamed, "thanks for coming back for meeee!!!!!!"
Steph- Awww, I missed the smell of cow manure! That's when you know you're in Vermont!
So good to see John and Mindy and then Sara and Mom! As mom drove into the parking lot, I ran up to the car and screamed, "thanks for coming back for meeee!!!!!!"
Charlotte, Vermont, Point Bay Marina: 22 July 2018.
Marc- 07:00 was time
to leave the dock for our assigned mooring.
No issues getting over to the mooring.
We brought the dinghy back to the dock and went off to the Windmill Restaurant
in Shelburne for breakfast.
Charlotte, Vermont, Point Bay Marina: 28 July 2018
Royal Savage Yacht Club Chicken Barbecue. Our whole family attended and it was great to see our friends after being absent from Lake Champlain for two years. We left with several boats to spend the night at Kingsland Bay. This is a great location for swimming and several moorings were available. Coquina rafted up with us. IN the morning we enjoyed breakfast with John and Mindy and then did some visiting by dinghy of the fleet. We were most impressed with Roger and Susan's new Bristol 38 foot sailboat , as well as, Will and Kathleen's new tugboat.
Charlotte, Vermont, Point Bay Marina: 28 July 2018
Royal Savage Yacht Club Chicken Barbecue. Our whole family attended and it was great to see our friends after being absent from Lake Champlain for two years. We left with several boats to spend the night at Kingsland Bay. This is a great location for swimming and several moorings were available. Coquina rafted up with us. IN the morning we enjoyed breakfast with John and Mindy and then did some visiting by dinghy of the fleet. We were most impressed with Roger and Susan's new Bristol 38 foot sailboat , as well as, Will and Kathleen's new tugboat.
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