Day 30 – Thurs. July 9, 2009

What a great night we had anchored in Bluff Point South a bay of Valcour Island. Two deer came to visit at the waters edge. When we left the anchorage this morning there were 21 boats at anchor.

The weather was perfect today. The closer we got to the border the better it became. I know it won’t last but a little blue sky goes a long way.

We cleared customs and are now on the Richelieu River waiting for the Chambly Canal to open tomorrow at 8:30 am. We have enjoyed our waiting time by walking the waterfront of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu! We visited the lock that we will enter tomorrow and were very surprised at the overall size – it’s only 24 ft. wide. I’ve seen bigger swimming pools!

There was a small sidewalk cafe "Capitaine Pouf" filled to capacity with patrons close to the canal so we joined them for dinner. It had a French name and almost everyone spoke French with the exception of the music which was Mexican! We thought we were in Cabo San Lucas!

Day 32 – Sat. July 11, 2009

The weather was windy this morning but had a lot of blue in the sky. (Picture is leaving the wall outside the last three locks of the Chambly Canal.) We cruised up the Richelieu River and selected a marina near Saint Ours, 7 miles south of the Saint Lawrence River and Seaway to tie up. We had an enjoyable 37 mile cruise on a very wide and winding river before the blue sky turned gray and cloudy. The weather changed quickly and it took a little good luck to get tied up in one piece. We are now in the middle of a good thunderstorm and plan to stay in the boat until morning. As a precaution we doubled up most of our lines and the boat is lying tight against the dock.

Weather permitting we will head toward Montreal tomorrow. We have selected three different marinas which we will contact tomorrow then try to stay a few days to see the sights! There’s a outside chance we will get an opportunity to see Nicholas our Grandson that is somewhere in the Montreal area. At present we are waiting for a text message from Nicholas, as I am typing the blog.

After Montreal, the next river would be the Ottawa which would take us to Ottawa, Canada and the head waters of the Rideau Canal. The Rideau Canal and Trent Severn Canal are two canals I have always wanted to experience.

On left one of the bridges we passed under - below entering lock at Saint Ours

Day 31 – Fri. July 10, 2009

Today was a text book day! The weather was perfect and the cruise on the Chambly Canal was incredible. This 10 mile canal has nine locks (our first one is on the left) and 7 swing bridges. One of the swing bridges broke down as we approached it and we had an hour wait while they fixed it. Parks Canada kept coming on the radio to apologize for our inconvenience and I radioed back for them to take there time as we were enjoying the country side. The last three locks were step locks which means as you exit one you enter the next one! With the lock length less than 100 feet and 21 feet wide there isn’t much room for error. The lock doors are hand operated by cranking levers and hand operated sluice gates to fill the chambers. Nothing has changed since they were built in 1843.

The speed limit on the canal was 6.2 MPH which sounds slow but when you are in a channel where you take up more than half of the width and can see the rocks on both sides of the boat its fast enough! When we arrived at the last lock there was a Parks Canada dock where we tied up for the night. Barb and I purchased a season pass to use all of the locks and Park Canada docks for this trip. If any one ever considers taking a trip like this I would suggest a season pass. We entered the town of Chambly and found a great place to eat at a micro brewery that was recommended by the Lock then walked to Fort Chambly that was built by the French when they were fighting the Indians and English in 1665.

There was a free band concert tonight that we enjoyed listening to from the boat.

Tomorrow we will move closer to the Saint Lawrence River and Seaway. If we find an interesting place to stop before reaching the St. Lawrence we will do so……Montreal here we come!

Last 3 locks before the Chambly Basin

Day 29 – Wed. July 8, 2009

Happy Birthday Erika! Our oldest Granddaughter is 20 today and entering nursing school this week!

We started late this morning but decided to leave the confines of a marina and head for an anchorage. We checked our charts and selected a cove where the first American navy ships under the command of Benedict Arnold engaged the British fleet in September of 1776. It was considered a victory for the colonies even though all of our ships were lost to the English or destroyed by us in retreat! The end result was the English turned north and returned to Canada to make repairs to there damaged fleet. Winter set in and bought the Americans another year to build a navy and army to engage the English.

When leaving Malletts Bay we took the scenic route through a narrow cut, (on left) the only passage through a 7 mile reef like break wall which was once a railroad causeway. From there we passed through the Narrows and headed west to Valcour Island where we are now anchored in bluff point south. When we arrived in the bay we were number five to drop the hook. At present (5:30 pm) there are seventeen ─ mostly Canadian. Tomorrow we will enter Canada weather permitting.

Day 28 - Tues. July 7, 2009

Today turned out to be a good day to move north up Lake Champlain (on left). The weather wasn’t the greatest, light rain most of the day but……..we didn’t have wind and waves! After about 45 miles we heard a warning from the Coast Guard that a major thunder storm was moving our way and to seek cover. We no sooner tied up in Malletts Bay when the storm arrived. I reset the clock to 5 pm (happy hour) and we are enjoying the pounding rain.

Tonight we will break out a new set of charts as we will enter Canada in the next few days ─ weather permitting. Once in Canada on the Richelieu / Chambly Canal we will experience a little bit of French Canada. We have been told that the canals reflect the canals of France and that the villages are small and quaint with great restaurants. That’s a win win in my book!

Before storm in Malletts Bay

Day 27 - Mon. July 6, 2009

We didn’t locate a tank. The best we could do is two to three weeks after drawings were approved! There was no way that I could sit around here waiting for a tank to be custom built in California! I was able to get the tank removed without spilling a drop and salvaged the damaged tank. The repair went well, but a task I just want to forget!

Tomorrow we will start moving north. We need to refuel before leaving so should be underway no later than 10 am. Weather permitting we are anticipating an eight hour cruise. We will tie up at Malletts Bay Marina located in Malletts Bay. We will spend one night there - then move closer to the Canadian border about 40 miles north.

We have had a few inquiries on where we will be next so thought I would list the lakes, rivers and canals in the order that we will encounter them. Lake Champlain, Chambly Canal, Richelieu River, Saint-Ours Canal, St. Lawrence River, Ottawa River, Rideau Canal, Bay of Quinte, Trent-Severn Waterway, Lake Simcoe, Georgian Bay, North Channel, St. Mary’s River, Lake Superior, DeTour Passage, Straits of Mackinac and Lake Michigan.

Sunset at Champlain Bridge Marina

Day 26 - Sun. July 5, 2009

We surprised our Grandson Jeremy who hours earlier had returned from Australia where he studied for one semester. He will return to the University of Iowa this fall where we have two additional Grandchildren attending - Adam and Scott. There was a welcome home party for him that was great fun. It also gave me a chance to see Kirsten who just graduated from High School and will start her freshman year at Boston University late August. It was a short visit but worth the 4 hour drive each way.

Tomorrow we should locate a tank ---. It’s time to move on and enter Canada!

Day 25 - Sat. July 4, 2009

HAPPY 4th OF JULY TO ALL...........................

We have nothing to do here but wait for the Holiday to pass and continue our search for a tank on Monday! Its time for a road trip!! We are off to Dan and Jori’s home in Connecticut.

Day 24 - Fri. July 3, 2009

Last night wasn’t the best night of sleep on record! We hauled anchor early and headed south to Champlain Bridge Marina in hope they or someone could locate a holding tank – no such luck! With the holiday upon us there isn’t a chance of locating one before next week. The manufacturer of our boat is closed until July 13th for summer break so they can’t help. Right now we’re waiting to talk to the builder of the tank which will be Monday. At this point in time, our holding tank problem is beginning to sound like a week or more delay!

Now for some good news – The newly installed Wi-Fi at the marina is working. We will begin searching the web for a tank that someone just might have lying around in his or her basement. I know its wishful thinking - but worth a try.

We do have a car here and are thinking that we might leave the boat and take a quick trip somewhere! Stay tuned for tomorrows adventure.

Day 23 - Thurs. July 2, 2009

Barb and I completed a few last minute chores and fueled the boat. We also pumped out the holding tank and collapsed the tank in the process without our knowledge of doing it! When we arrived in Burlington, VT (on left) we picked a nice location in the harbor and dropped our anchor. We noticed an indicator light that was on that shouldn’t have been and started to check for problems. Well ----we have a collapsed holding tank and need to replace it ASAP before moving on! With the holiday coming we may get stuck here for a few days to a week while a tank is located and shipped in! Tomorrow we will turn around and return to the Champlain Bridge Marina and have them do the repair. In addition to their good work we have our car stored there and can get away if the repair takes longer than expected. Another good thing is they will have Wi-Fi by tomorrow. The installation of Wi-Fi was to be completed today!

Day 22 - Wed. July 1, 2009

Today was a day of preparation to moving the boat up Lake Champlain into Canada. The hose we had ordered was in and installed by the marina. A small strap to secure the shower door was replaced and the oil and filters were changed. Barb did laundry and when all that was done we drove 20 miles and had dinner at a very nice family type restaurant, then did a major grocery shopping. Once every thing was neatly stored on the boat we took the time to find an ice cream stand! Tomorrow we gas up and head north.

Day 21 - Tues. June 30, 2009

We arrived at the marina early afternoon under cloudy skies. We had an enjoyable cruise up the Champlain canal. While checking in at the marina we were told that a major storm was on the way. They weren’t kidding – all hell broke loose and the rest of the evening was lightening and thunder with over three inched of rain. The boat is tight and every thing stayed dry!

Day 20 - Mon. June 29, 2009

We got an early start and moved north through eight more locks to arrive in Whitehall, NY. We will pass through lock number 12 tomorrow morning first thing, as we’re tied to the wall, 100 yards from the lock doors. The weather today was on and off sunshine and rain.

Boat traffic is very light this season. And similar to last year there are very few boats on the water ways. It’s typical to cruise for hours with out seeing another boat so we were surprised when we were asked by the lock master to be aware of a flotilla of antique steam boats coming toward us some miles ahead. He requested that we cut our speed to idle when passing the small steam powered boats as they are built with little free board. What a show we got when we beeped our horn and waved. They all answered with their whistles blowing, steam bellowing and the smell of coal and wood burning it was truly an experience I won’t forget. I probably took close to thirty minutes of video with all of the boats in review for us! The whole flotilla assembled in Whitehall for a 4th of July event in Waterford and was on a two day cruise to get there.

Tomorrow we will move into Lake Champlain and head for the Champlain Bridge Marina and a little maintence.

Day 19 - Sun. June 28, 2009

We departed Kingston for Waterford with the tide against us. As we cruised up stream we had a mix of weather which is better than all rain! Actually 80 % of the day had some sun shine! When we got to Waterford most of the wall was full and the small section that was available didn’t have electricity or water. With that said we decided to move into the Champlain Canal to Mechanicville, an area we knew that had a place to tie up with all the hookups. It took us another hour and a couple of locks, but we had 15 spaces to ourselves and we were an hour closer to or destination at the Champlain Bridge Marina. The picture is of approaching the Federal Lock in Troy, NY. We’re scheduled to have an exhaust hose installed once we get there. Today was a very long day, eleven hours and its time for some sleep.