RICHELIEU RIVER

August 14, 2023

Leaving Montreal

We cut it a little close today…

We left Montreal with 70 gallons of fuel for A 40-mile trip.  I expected to arrive at our refueling stop with 30 gallons left (it’s a 200-gallon tank).  When we were within a few miles of the marina, I got a warning message that fuel was critically low, and the fuel gauge dropped precipitously from 30 gallons to 15 to ZERO.  YIKES!  

Lynn said, “Trust your judgement, not your gauge, and she was right.  We slowed down, and the gauge reverted to 30 gallons.  WHEW!  So, 170 gallons later ($800+) later, we turned south for the first time on the trip, entering the Richelieu River en route to the Chambly Canal and Lake Champlain.

We covered a lot of ground today – roughly 70 miles – plus one lock at St.-Ours. (Our 87th  lock of the trip with only 21 more to go!) Tonight, we are tied up at the Marina du Phrage in the charming town of Beloeil.  Here’s a shot of the spectacular mountain just across the river.  

It’s called Mt. Ste. Hillaire, although it should clearly be called Camelback Mountain.  We’re told that the mountain offers spectacular views of Montreal.  How is that possible?  It’s because when we left Montreal, we ran NE for 35 miles; once we turned into the Richelieu River, we ran SW for 35 miles, so at this point, we are just 12 miles from Montreal!

Every town we pass has a church near the river – all with incredibly beautiful spires – very French.

Do you remember the TV show called “Cash Cab”?  Unsuspecting people would enter a cab in NY and were given the opportunity to play trivia questions for cash…. Well, they are doing it at our marina, but on a pontoon boat!  We just keep running into the funniest happenings!

All set up with the sound guy getting ready to play trivia!

Does the tail in the lower left look familiar – he has to get in everything.

Aside from the fuel-induced heart attack, we had a very pleasant trip today.  Tomorrow, we tackle 9 locks in a 10-mile span.  Then call it a night.  We will clear US Customs and Integration  tomorrow night or Wednesday AM.  Back in the USSR!