|
Kanawake to Montreal Current Location: Montreal Yacht (motor boat) Club Mile: 174 Locate: 1) Ramble On, 2) Ramble On Locate: 1) Finnish Line 2.0, 2) Finnish Line 2.0 |
Kanawake Marina is located just a few hundred meters from the entrance on the South Canal (where we would be spending most of our day) so this made our morning departure simple. The evening was quiet and windless and the morning was calm and not at all cold.Finnish Line was joined for a time by a pro paddler who was keeping pace with our 6+ knots of speed.
The weather continued to be pleasant for the whole transit of the the canal and the two locks. We had anticipated cool weather for this time of year, but found ourselves very comfortable and at times trying to stay cool out of the sun.
 |
| finally green! |
 |
| The Gaia enter the lock |
The first bridges did not open upon our arrival (though not a single train passed over them). We tried all appropriate radio channels with no response. It was only after the Gaia Desganges (freighter) crept up behind us, while we circled at the bridge, did the bridge lights start flashing. When we got the green light, we scooted through before the freighter. Apparently we don't count and only ride the coat tails of the big boys.
 |
| A new crop of fenders freshly sprouted! |
When we got to the the St Catherine lock we ceded priority to the Gaia, which, according to the lock staff, could mean a 40 minute wait up to and hour and a half depending on the pilot and skill on board. Fortunately, the Gaia locked quickly, and behind us came a Coast Guard cutter (the same one we passed the previous day), and we were able to lead the cutter into the lock immediately after the Gaia was clear and they filled the lock again.
As with all the locks, the draining process was calm and barely needed any effort with our boat hooks. We simply payed out the supplied lines as the water level dropped.
 |
| The new bridge taking shape |
 |
| Temporary bridge supports |
We passed under both the old and new Champlain bridge. The new one is a striking piece of engineering. The scale of the bridge tower is hard to describe, and the engineering components built to hold things up during construction is a wonder in itself.
After our exit from the last lock, our plan was to head to the old Montreal Port, find a slip and have dinner on the town. While it all worked out in the end, we were a little unprepared for the amount of current involved in heading back up stream after we rounded St. Helen's Island. The high waters affecting the great lakes and also Montreal area resulted in a significantly elevated current. Instead of having to stem a 4.5 knot current, we were faced with 6.5 knots and a headwind too! If you can see my instruments, I'm doing 7 through the water and only 1.5 over ground. This was the best we got for most of this stretch. Much of the time we were making less that 0.5 knots of forward progress. At times we made no progress at all until we wandered sideways to the south side of the channel and picked up a quarter of a knot!This is a video from John showing at first a view forward where it appears we are making excellent progress until he pans to the shoreline that shows we are barely moving.
When we finally arrive at the harbour and checked into the marine office, the woman who we spoke to had quite a chuckle over the earlier radio conversation where I said we'd be there in 20 minutes!
 |
| Sailor's Church |
We did end up having a nice evening in the heart of the old city and a excellent dinner at a nearby restaurant. The light show around the downtown was first class. The bridge was alight with animated lights, the clock tower with a fascinating projected show dedicated to Leonard Cohen and much more.
Tomorrow, onward to Sorel!
No comments:
Post a Comment