Catching up here more to follow.
Through the last lock on the Richleau (St. Ours) early on Tuesday 9th. Out past this little guy coming up river against the flow, the river is still in flood and the outgoing current carries us along at about 10 knots (well above our normal cruising speed)
Continue reading “St. Antoine to Sorel to Contrecour – July 10-11”
Several days out of touch electronically, so this one is kind of dated, will try to catch up if communications allow.
Started at Lock 9 on the Chambly Canal (they are numbered from North to South) at 9:15 am. Saturday We had talked to the lockmaster and bought our passes the day before and he gave us the first opening, two trawlers 44 and 40 both 16 feet wide in a lock 85 by 20 feet, tight but workable. I chose the starboard wall (wind was blowing that way) leaving Archie in the other trawler the task of keeping to windward. He was single handed and was obliged to hire a line handler before they would clear him through to Chambly.
Here’s Archie following us in a wide bit between hazards.
Continue reading “St. Jean to Ile Jeanotte to St. Antoine July 7-9 2013”
(Been out of touch from all but smoke signals for the last two days, Just found a public wharf with a half decent cell phone signal, catching up from here)
Short trip today, stopped before Lock 9 to get locking pass and mooring pass for the Chambly, Ottawa and Rideau systems in preparation for continuation of our downward steps to the St. Lawrence and Montreal.
Docked on a free wall in St. Jean sur Richleau, very pleasant little town with a French flavor. Quite a few good restaurants (a review tomorrow perhaps).
A pleasant enough waterfront..
Left the nation on her birthday, not deliberate just worked out that way.
Decided we could not reduce our on board alcohol to the level required by law so had to jettison a gallon of Vodka, a pint of tequila…….
You could tell it was going to end in trouble. Let’s have a Mexican night, said one of the gang. So there we were- sombreros, ponchos and Zapata moustaches sitting in the back garden swigging tequila from the bottle waiting for the senoritas to bring us our grub. It was just as the jalapeno poppers stuffed with cheese and crab was placed on the table that this dangerous specimen crawled out of the woodwork.
Got back last night around five. About a five hundred mile drive each way, good country for the first half then into metro NYC and Philly. About eight hours driving each way. Rented a little Kia Forte from Enterprise, duly impressed, large trunk (boot) and good mileage, comfortable seats and plenty of pep for the hills. Seven days for $250.
Plan now is to take off tomorrow (July 4) and head for Rouses Point (Canadian Crossing) then into the Chambly Canal/Richleau River system. Next major destination, Montreal about five days by boat.
Still raining here on and off, and our first choice route (Erie Canal) has still not reopened. We are trusting it will by the time we arrive at the Western end (about August 10).
Cleaned ship all day today, mostly mold of various kinds due to all the damp.
Fueling and watering in the morning, next stop Canada.
It’s alright for you lot just ‘avin’ a larf!
But that’s me in the picture wot ‘Enri ‘as done.
And it’s my dream ‘e painted; you don’t know the ‘alf!
And my name is Angelica Cinnamon Bunn.
You’ll be askin’ me ‘ow all them animals came
To be sniffin’ around in my jungle that night.
Well I’d ‘ad quite a day, as you do in my game,
With a saunter round fur shops in town – my delight!
Then in the arcade stood old ‘Enri. ‘E’d stopped
To admire my sleek outlines, ‘e said with such charm.
When I told ‘im I’d show ‘im some more if ‘e dropped
A few quid in me purse, ‘e just gave me ‘is arm.
It takes a few hours to ‘do justice’, ‘e said,
While I lay in the buff and just studied ‘is cat;
It was stuffed and lay, looking surprised, on the bed –
But ‘e wouldn’t let on ‘ow it ended like that.
That evening ‘e took me to dinner, you see.
And ‘e asked me to sit again soon, s’il vous plait.
Then I told ‘im my dream while ‘e painted; the fee
For the nightmare was double ‘e’d paid for the day.
Well this is a tough one.
Some time ago I promised some of you a picture of myself, well here I am.
The occasion was my recent wedding, both I and my bride have been widowed, me for three years and Deb for more than ten (Steve died of pancreatic cancer at 40).
Partridge Harbor is a tight little hurricane hole of a size a little hard to judge but probably about one hundred and fifty feet across, almost circular with a fifty foot wide entrance, like a little meteor crater carved out of a cliff.
Google Earth might show it (it’s right about N 44.12.10 W 73.23.45 by my GPS, just to the NE of Hunter Bay.
Great little spot for one boat and one partridge brave enough to surf in with a following wind, I did beat the usual afternoon thunderstorm to anchor by about ten minutes. Settled down nicely now and the wind is forecast to drop overnight.
Made about fifty miles today, cleared lock 12 at 8:30 and with the following wind made good time up into Lake Champlain proper.
The approach to the lake is more and more like the lower Wye valley, cliffs and trees with a railroad running along the bank
Boadicea's Chariot 
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