What a difference a day makes…..

August 8, 2023

Lynn here today….

Yesterday we left Ottawa going through the staircase locks. We have enjoyed spectacular weather – sunny, cool, low humidity. Every time thunderstorms have been predicted, we’ve either missed them or they’ve happened during the night. Until yesterday!

The staircase locks are in the center of Ottawa – 8 locks that you go through without stopping. Which means, when it’s pouring rain, you move into a lock, tie up, hold onto the lines, and then move to the next lock, etc. The process takes about two hours. And it was cold. 

Side note here:  Lynn graded CFA exams for 23 years and never really understood why the graders from Canada wanted to sit outside in 98 degree weather in Charlottesville, VA grading. (The guys from the Middle East didn’t get it either!)  Now she knows what Canada can be like in  the summer. 

And here’s a photo after we left the locks to give a perspective of the distance we travelled – a drop of 80 feet total. 

Then we headed down the Ottawa River. Just one other issue. We needed a pump out. For you non-boaters, that means the boat was full of s#$t!  The first marina had a broken system, but thankfully, the second one could take us. Then we ran into some really rough weather (unpredicted.) It wasn’t as bad as the Delaware Bay when we started out, but it was close. The wind was right on our bow and it was rough. Luckily there was a marina about halfway to our planned destination so we pulled in there for the night ahad a nice warm bowl of soup for dinner along with some great bread we had purchased at the farmers market in Westport. 

Today was predicted to be rainy again, but surprise, the river was calm and the weather very pleasant. We got to the Carillon Lock before it opened at 10:00.  This is the largest lock in North America and was built by Hydro Quebec with the accompanying dam as a power plant. The drop is 65 feet! It is almost impossible to convey the scale of this lock.

Compare the height of the lock and the gate rising to the men on the left.

This dam is the power plant – its HUGE,

We have been traveling for exactly one month, and every day brings new experiences.

On to Sainte Anne de Bellevue where we tied up on the waterfront wall. This is a charming little suburb of Montreal with cute shops and restaurants along the water. We will stay here overnight and then head to the commercial locks in the morning. We’re not sure what to expect there since we could very well be in the lock with large commercial freighters – a very different experience from the pleasure craft boaters we’ve been enjoying to get to know in the last 89 locks!  Stay tuned!