The rain returns.

July 17, 2009: Another day in Ottawa with 80 plus degree temperatures and sunshine. Today we stayed at Hull Marina and went to visit Parliament Hill.

This included watching the “Changing of the Guard”, a musical presentation with soldiers in rather brightly colored red uniforms and back furry hats. Next was some visiting of the local shops and a tour of the Parliament itself. One of the guards suggested a excellent lunch stop at Palermo's restaurant on Sparks streets. The street itself is pedestrian only with many shops, banks, restaurants and government office buildings. We toured the University of Ottawa next. This is a rather large (35 thousand students) modern university campus in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Courses can be taken in French or English here. This is of course a bilingual city.
Marie Bedard, a friend who lives in Gatineau, met us at the boat and then took us on a wonderful auto tour of the area including visiting the Champlain Lookout at sunset in Gatineau Park. Fist was a visit to a Marine supply store and to Canadian Tire for a new electric fuel pump for the boat. We found just what was needed at Canadian Tire including low cost bottled water. Dinner was at a fun jungle style restaurant called “Monkey Joe”s”. We then drove to the Canadian Experimental farm with beautiful flower gardens. We then headed for the hills.

The view of the sun setting over the expanse of farmland and the beautiful Ottawa river was magnificent at Champlain Lookout. Marie also knew just where to stop for ice cream in a small village called Chelsea.

July 18, 2009: The rain returned in spades this morning. This slowed our plans considerably with the girls sleeping in. We arrived in Ottawa on our bikes at about noon. We explored the Byword Market area of town most of the afternoon. Marie joined us for both lunch and dinner. The Byward Market is an area of open outdoor vendors, small shops and many restaurants. President Obama visited here this summer and ate a maple leaf sugar cookie. The bakery has renamed it the Obama cookie and they are selling like crazy (they even taste good). The market goes on for blocks. We were also able to go to the Ottawa Cathedral. They offer Mass in English, French and Bilingual. The Masses on Saturdays are sandwiched between weddings on Saturdays. This is one of the most beautiful churches with very ornate carvings and paintings. Mare then drove us around first to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stables and the Canadian Air & Space Museum. We did see all of the beautiful black horses in the pasture. Unfortunately we only saw a few airplanes as the museum was closed. We went to a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant in Gatineau for dinner. We all enjoyed the fried bananas and ice cream for dessert.

Summer at last in Ottawa.

July 16, 2009: (Continued). We were off from Montebello at 9 a.m. with incredibly beautiful blue skies and warming temperatures and without finding out the true cause of Lucy III's fuel problem. About one hour into the day, the engine just stopped. Sue anchored the boat. I switched over to outboard fuel and this worked well for another hour and then nothing. It dawned on me that the problem was with the electric fuel pump. I inserted the manual primer bulb into the line and the problem was solved. Unfortunately, this meant that someone had to stay by the engine and pump. Great hand exercise for Marc and sometimes Sara when docking the boat. We will look for a new pump in Ottawa.

We were welcomed to the Hull Marina and backed into our slip. This city is magnificent from the water. You first pass the Rideau Falls and then the many government buildings and National Museums come into view., Parliament is breathtaking when the sun sets. I am getting ahead of things here. Shortly after we arrived, another Vermont boat, the Nancy Ann from Point Bay Marina docked near us. This was the Allen family who used to own the Marina and who my parents bought Peugeot cars from years ago. They were doing a reverse loop from ours having come by way of the Erie Canal and the Rideau Waterway. Our family then walked over to the Canadian Civilization Museum where we enjoyed a free four hour tour. This is similar to the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. We came back to the boat for dinner and then we walked over the Alexandria Bridge to Ottawa to see the new Harry Potter movie at the Rideau Center Mall. This is definitely a university town, even in summer, from the the people that attended this film. I did forget to mention that summer arrived for us in Ottawa with 80 plus degree temperatures and sunshine.

Engine woes!

July 15, 2009: A peaceful night in Hawkesbury. We departed at 8:30 for Montebello and arrived at 12:30. There was one glitch; the engine stopped about half way. There appears to be a problem with the fuel delivery system. The engine runs great then seems to be starved for gasoline. Another fuel filter change cured the problem until we reached Montebello and then it hi t again. We managed to get to the Chateau Montebello Marina using the manual choke. This is one beautiful resort hotel complex. The largest log cabin complex imaginable. They even have an olympic size swimming pool in a log cabin. Sara and I went horseback riding on the 2000 acre grounds. We traversed both forest and streams on our trusty steeds. Sue and Stephanie explored the hotel and its shops. We next did a bike tour of the many trails on the property and went to the Papineau Manor house and to the charming village of Montebello for our traditional ice cream stop. The locals are friendly here.
Engine woes? I once again changed the fuel filter and tried to think of other fuel system problems. I then cleaned the carburetor. Perhaps the vent is blocked of the filter on the pick up line it blocked. These may be easy to fix with perhaps some air pressure.
We all went tot he pool for a some wet fun and exercise. A delicious Italian dinner was served by Chef Sue on board the Lucy III. I did some laundry while Sue and the girls went to the giant Hotel lobby to play some games. The lobby is the center of a five spoke hotel complex. At the core is a massive fireplace in the round. The lobby is four stories high with large balconies on each level set up for different activities. The second floor has game tables. The first floor has shops, a bar and a restaurant. It started to rain when we returned to the boat.

July 16, 2009: We awoke to a calm but cloudy Ottawa River. Rain is forecast for this afternoon so we hope to make an early start. Sara wanted to have baked bread for breakfast and it appears to be ready. We will miss this place.

Up the Ottawa River.

July 13, 2009: A quick trip with friends Eric and Gemma Rioux from Dorval to Sainte Anne de Bellevue. Heavy winds and a thunderstorm changed our plans and we decided to stay for the night. This gave us a chance for some shopping and Ice cream. Both were excellent here in this small village. The impressive store was D'Oust & Cie, a sort of department store with a country store feel and on the national register of historic places. It has three floors of marvelous stuff. Everything from kitchen utensils to model Italian runabouts. We had lunch on board the Lucy III with ice cream in one of the local shops. The shop owner had details on bike trails in the area. Eric, Who had attended the West Island Campus of McGill University nearby, told us about some dirt trails on the undeveloped part of the campus. We crossed over the campus by bike until we entered “the arboretum” that appeared to us as a dark forest. The trials were bug free and intricate. It was quite an experience even if I thought we were lost several times. We returned to Lucy III to read more of Harry Potter in preparation for the new movie.

July 14, 2009: More rain this morning and West winds in excess of 15 to 20 knots. The Parks Canada staff brought us through the first lock without any problem and advised us on the Carillon Lock, the highest in Canada with a 65 foot lift, that we would reach in a few hours. All went well until we passed through the Carillon dam via this lock. The engine decided to stop just as we turned into the open lake with 30 knot gusts and some waves to boot. A quick turnaround brought us back to the dock unscathed. I changed the fuel filter and we were off again. Perhaps we picked up some bad gas. I called the Hawkesbury, Ontario marina for the night. The walk through town brought us to the local ice cream shop, the Dollarama (the girls like this place), the supermarket, and finally Tim Hortons (a Canadian version of Dunkin Donuts). The weather finally improved at about 7 p.m. The sun came out and the winds dropped to 10 knots.

Marc

Hawksbury is practically the sketchiest town I have ever visited during the course of my relatively brief life. There's just something intrinsically odd about the whole place-- the people, mostly emo-looking teenagers. The scenery, eerily desolate; though there were people around, they all seemed to congregate in certain areas; very few walked the streets, and those that did did so in pairs, as if frightened of prowling the area alone. We concluded, towards the end of our walk, that it was a misfit town, not a dumpy, desolate place, but certainly a weird one.

Sara

The St. Lawrence Seaway Saga!

July 10, 2009: Longueuil Marina to Dorval via the St. Lawrence Seaway. We made buttermilk biscuits for breakfast. I bought an updated chart for Lac St. Louis and a missing chart of the Ottawa River. The staff was very nice here along with some fellow boaters. We befriended people who were buddy boating on two sailboats from Quebec on their way to Lake Ontario for their summer vacation. They invited us to join then on the trek through the giant Seaway Locks.

When we arrived at the St. Lambert Lock we joined with yet another sailboat and eight powerboats who were waiting for passage. The wait was two and one half hours. This was fine as it allowed for an early lunch before proceeding. Commercial vessels take precedence and there were several large ships coming through. We rafted to a 41 foot Gulfstar ketch and simply rode up in the lock away from the grimy wall. It took one and one half hours to arrive at the St. Catherine's Lock.
(Sara) Wonderful. That pretty much encompasses our experience beginning at seven 'o'clock yesterday evening. We'd been sitting, bored and annoyed, for five hours. I, slowly succumbing to insanity as I completed my millionth hemp bracelet, humming 'Silver Bells' and other such Christmas songs to myself. Steph, babbling about a bet we'd made with each other about the likelihood of yet another cargo ship cutting in front of us to enter the lock. Dad, attempting to formulate a sensible plan. At around six, we'd pretty much come to the conclusion that we were doomed to anchor in some nearby cove, to give up on our quest to arrive in Montreal. And yet we didn't, desperately clenching onto some mad hope that the lock would open. Any minute now... any hour now... any day now... Suddenly, a green light shone, blinking, beckoning. “Oh my God! Mom, it's a green light! A green, light!!” Steph cried into her cell phone. Dad and I, sighting our salvation with shock, were silently unbelieving for a few moments before joining her whoops of thrilled exultation. So we passed through, and found that the other side was beautiful. While Dad steered, Steph and I, drawing, sat on the deck. After our inspiration had been strewn across the white pages before us and a gorgeous sunset had been photographed, my sister and I analyzed our art enthusiastically, our celebratory mood lingering in our grins.
At 9, as we entered the Royal Saint Lawrence Yacht Club (dubbed 'royal' by Queen Victoria many years ago), the sunset sunk into hues of electric magenta. Our friend, Eric Rioux, greeted us at the clubhouse and we drove to a local Asian restaurant for a celebratory meal.

July 11, 2007: The Yacht Club is a haven for many local sailors and hosts many social activities. I am surprised by the number of large sailboats here. The forecast for today was for a windy morning and then thunderstorms in the afternoon. The local sailors were out in the morning to take advantage of the wind. Sue arrived about mid day from Boston. Eric has graciously offered to take us in to see McGill University and was also present. By the time we were ready it was time for an excellent lunch at the Clubhouse. We were then off to downtown Montreal and our self guided walking tour of the University. Unfortunately the Welcome Center was closed so we were on our own with the help of some written material. A few raindrops fell as we walked about the campus until we approached the upper campus sports and dormitory section. Then rain and lighting caught up with us. We stopped around the Molson Stadium for a brief respite from the wind. A football game had been underway when this storm hit and both the players and the fans were taking shelter beneath the stands. We left the soggy but still spirited group and walked back down campus to the car. The streets were like raging streams and there was no way to avoid getting your feet totally soaked. Getting back to the Yacht Club was difficult since the main highway had been closed for repairs and the detour for a superhighway was through some city streets. Eric and I then went off to pick up my Aunt Dorothy from the Laval side of Montreal while Sue, Sara and Stephanie dried out on the boat. We all went to dinner at Micki's Restaurant in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and enjoyed seeing Eric's Mom. A good Italian meal and a good time was enjoyed by all of us even though the thunderstorms returned.

July 12, 2007: Just another day at the RSLYC in Dorval. A mixed day with a sunny start then a cool and wet evening. We visited with Aunt Dorothy and the Rioux's and enjoyed swimming in a very nice pool. We have also been eating out far too much. The area was filled with bicyclists on the shore bike trails. A visit to the Lachine Museum brought us to the oldest house in Montreal. It was a fur trading outpost above the Lachine rapids. Examples of the birchbark canoes make you feel fortunate to have a modern boat to travel in.