Tide and time wait for no man

Trois Rivieres: We arrived here on June 18^th, after crossing Lac Saint-Jean and anchored out between their huge amphitheatre and the Trois Rivieres Marina. There were several other boats moored and anchored there. It was very hot, so we used the wash-down pump we have in our anchor locker and long hose to hose down and thoroughly clean the cockpit. A little overspray was welcome, but the water flowing out of the river is tea-coloured. We relaxed, and made plans to take care of the huge laundry pile accumulating in the v-berth, and pick up a few odds and ends at a grocery store.

In the morning, we dinghied over to a private marina, and got permission to tie up for a few hours while we went into town.  A Google search led us 1.5 km to “Le Bucafin Café & Buanderie”, a cool little café-restaurant with a laundromat in the back! On the way back, with our clean dry clothes packed away, we stopped at the Super C, and found a sale of Heineken 36-packs, 2 for $41!!!  I am really starting to like Quebec! We could not indulge, however, because it would be too heavy to carry back, so with laundry and groceries we hiked back to the dinghy in the humidex of 37ºc.
 

Le Bucafin Café & Buanderie

It was another hot day, so we took a little dinghy ride over to the nearby beach, then to the marina to ask about getting to Quebec City. They were extremely helpful, and had a chart showing how many hours you need at various boat speeds to arrive in Quebec at low tide. This is important, because from here on, the water levels and currents are subject to the influences of tides, and it is best, safest, and fastest, to make the journey when the tide is ebbing. At 5 to 6 knots, we would have to allow 8 hours. The next question, is when is low tide…. Lots of calculations later, and we decided to split the trip into two days.

On Tuesday June 20, 2017, we left Trois Rivieres for an anchorage near Donnaconna that we could reach before the tide turns.  The day began very dreary, so to play it safe we sailed down the edge of the shipping channel. We had intense downpours, and at one point the visibility was nearly zero, but when it improved we saw two ships approaching from the east, and one from the west, and a little fishing boat in front of us for good measure!!  But the highlight of the day was when out of the mist we saw a sailing ship appear out of the mist: before us was the tall ship “Amerigo Vespucci” on her way to Montreal.

Tall ship Amerigo Vespucci on her way to Montreal

This stretch of the river was very beautiful with village after village on either bank, each with glorious churches marked with one or more steeples! While the scenery around the anchorage was nice, is was very windy, and rolly, especially after a ship passed!

In the morning we caught the ebbing tide, and the river’s current, and sailed for Quebec! We marked this first day of summer, June 21, 2017, by reaching Quebec City! What a beautiful place, and to visit by water somehow seems very appropriate considering its history.  We stayed at Parc Nautique Levy, who when we made a reservation, recommended that we arrive at low tide so the current and ebb tide wouldn’t be too difficult.  Any one who knows us knows we arrived early, and the current was almost unmanageable, but we gunned the engine up-stream and finally safely entered the marina. On Thursday June 22, we cabbed over to the Levi-Quebec ferry terminal and caught the ferry to Quebec City. We had breakfast at a tiny creperie in old Quebec and had crepes and sipped on a cappuccino.

View from our restaurant at breakfast

Then we toured the downtown of Quebec on the double-decker hop-on hop-off bus.

Le Chateau Frontenac with the statue of Samuel de Champlain 

Old Quebec with the Chateau Frontenac above, the most photographed hotel in the world.

A very informative tour! The history here is deep and demonstrated the perseverance of the French explorers and settlers so long ago.

We had a late lunch in lower Quebec, then caught the ferry back to Levi. We were planning to move downriver tomorrow, and find anchorages, but everyone warned that the St. Lawrence is not just a river: many ship captains fear the tides and currents and it’s the law to hire pilots to bring their ships up stream. Later, at the Club Nautique Levy, we spoke with a number of sailors who knew the river well, and they too recommended to watch the timing closely so that you arrive at the right time – not always low tide, if you want to pass over sand bars….

So tomorrow is Saint-Jean-Baptiste day, the biggest national celebration for Quebecois, and the area will become very busy, so we’re going down-river, at high tide.

La Flueve!

It was sad leaving Brockville, thinking of when I would see my father again, but I was also eager to continue our voyage. We left Brockville and sailed downstream toward the two American Locks on this stretch of the St. Lawrence Seaway: the Eisenhower and Snell Locks.  They were far easier to transit because there was no line-handling involved – you just toss a loop from your mid-ship line around a bollard, cleat it off, and down you go! 

Floating bollards in the Eisenhower lock

That night we anchored east of Cornwall.  It is interesting anchoring in a current, because the wind direction doesn’t dictate your swing direction, instead the boat’s keel rides the current.

We got up early and headed toward Lac Saint-Francois, a significant widening of the St. Lawrence River. Wind was 15 knots on the nose, so we motored into 1.5 m waves.

Sailor's Church in Kahnanakwe upstream from the Beauharnois locks.

We waited for a lift bridge to open and proceeded through the two Beauharnois Locks.  We were now at the junction of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. We anchored to the north to rest and prepare for the last two locks at Montreal which we would complete tomorrow. We were under the approach to Dorval’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport, and there was a constant flow of jets overhead.

As we neared the canal entrance, the city of Montreal grew on the horizon. However, during the transit through Cote Saint-Catherine and Saint Lambert Locks, the Montreal city-scape was obstructed the entire time by a treed break wall. When we entered Montreal harbour, though, what a sight! Ships, docks, cranes everywhere!

Montreal from below the last lock, Saint Lambert

Montreal harbour is the busiest we've seen yet

The AIS on the chart plotter lit up with targets. We had hoped to fill our tank with diesel around the corner at Longueil, but marinas here were suffering from high water levels just as in Lake Ontario, and many services were not available. As we proceeded downstream, we used the Nautiguide Quebec to find marinas with diesel. We anchored behind an island between Boucherville and Varennes, and emptied two Gerry cans of diesel that we had previously stored on deck.

Friday, June 16^th, we made our way to Contrecouer and sailed with the strong current, and a breeze from behind us, almost at a steady 7 knots, sitting completely flat – no heel! One of the most comfortable sails ever! At Contrecouer’s Port de Plaisance de Contrecouer marina, Stephan, the owner’s son drove us and our 4 empty diesel cans to a gas station at the edge of town and back, and would not take any compensation.  We spent the night at the marina.  We had showers, and walked to the IGA, a beautiful store, and loaded up on groceries, and carried them back. 

The Catholic church on Contrecouer

Afterwards, we went over to Pub Chez Phillipe for a beer and a small poutine – when in Quebec….! Oh yes, I nearly forgot: it is really, really, French around here. English is never heard, and many people don’t speak English to help. So out comes my high school French, and we are getting by just fine.

Off to another anchorage at the beginning of Lac Saint-Pierre, then on to Trois Rivieres where tidal effects begin.

The St. Lawrence river is central to Quebec history and culture, and here they refer to it simply as "la flueve".

High water at the top of Lac Saint-Pierre where we anchored.

Lake Ontario water is being dumped down the St. Lawrence increasing current and water levels.

The Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River

We left Kingston with a fresh pump-out and full of diesel (Portsmouth Olympic Park Marina is the only facility in the Kingston area providing these services due to high water levels). We sailed past Old Fort Henry, and so it was that after 188 nautical miles, we left Lake Ontario and began our downstream journey on the great St. Lawrence River.

Ferry with Old Fort Henry in the distance

Inflating the dinghy while underway to the Thousand Islands

Flying under the Thousand Island Bridge

It was a good sailing day with plenty of wind, and we entered the Thousand Islands and found shelter for the night behind Sugar Island. There was lots of boat traffic and Gananoque Tour boats following the nearby small craft route.

A traditional gaff-rigged cat boat from New York in the anchorage at Sugar Island

The next morning, we woke up to wind! At 9:00 we set sail for Brockville under a tiny piece of jib and we FLEW! We passed under the Thousand Island Bridge at 10:00, and finished by anchoring behind Smith Island west of Brockville at 1:00.

Everything you do on the boat is a little more difficult than on land, but it is a beautiful, simple living – from grocery shopping to doing laundry by hand. Today we were spoiled in Brockville! Tim’s Dad Jan drove from Ottawa with Liz Plath, a long-time family friend, and drove us to grocery stores, etc., and treated us to lunch! We said our farewells, and we’re off again.

Liz Plath and Jan Ruthenberg visit in Brockville and help us re-provision

Tim and Karen saying hello, and farewell

Downtown Brockville is full of historical buildings!

Tall Ships in Brockville Harbour

Leaving Lake Ontario, and entering the Thousand Islands!

June 6^th, we off we sailed to Cobourg. They have a nice protected harbour area with good depth for anchoring. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and was more easterly than north, and we dropped the sails and finished the trip to Cobourg under engine power. We topped up our diesel, and were given reciprocal privileges and allowed to spend a free night at the dock. The fuel dock was under water and none of the docks had electricity due to the extremely high water levels in Lake Ontario.

Flooded docks in Cobourg

Canadian warship visits Cobourg. She was taking part in catching drug smugglers down south.

The next morning we walked around and explored the downtown area and picked up a few groceries. A very pretty town!  Their town hall is a beautiful limestone building that is surprisingly large for a town this size; but we were informed that in the 1700’s Cobourg was actually being considered for Ontario’s capital city, and the town built this stately building to show their commitment to the bid.

Town Hall of Cobourg

High water is affecting many beaches this summer, and Cobourg will also see beach space at a premium

Thanks to John Fullerton for e-mailing pictures of us leaving Cobourg!

Winds were light the next day and we reached Presquile Point in Price Edward County.  There is a small craft route inland, part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, but we decided to continue around the outside where water is deeper, likely more wind, although there are fewer protected anchorages.

We followed the coast around Prince Edward County, which sticks out into eastern Lake Ontario, to the very end of Long Point, called Prince Edward Point. We received an e-mail from Brent Taylor who caught us sailing by on marinetraffic.com!

That evening the Coast Guard had a report of seeing a red smoke flare, near our location and a search ensued with boaters, airplanes and helicopters.

Fishing tug at Prince Edward Point

In the morning we sailed in to Collins Bay to visit Marine Outfitters to buy some needed things. The Town dock as underwater, and the breeze was picking up so it was tough to tie up at.  Maybe next time we’ll anchor out and dinghy in…. It is very warm here!  Anyway, Collins Bay is just around the corner from Kingston, and tomorrow we’ll be entering the Thousand Islands!

Bye bye Erie, Hello Welland Canal!

May 29, 2017: we left Rondeau Harbour and headed to Port Stanley. We called ahead to the “harbourmaster” to confirm we could safely anchor inside the breakwalls, and he turned out to be the lift bridge operator; but he confirmed it was calm inside and there were no other boats there.  When we arrived, we anchored in the area protected by breakwalls and dinghied in to town for groceries.  The lift bridge operator came out to greet us, and offered us a ride to the Foodland store, as he wasn’t sure if we would make it before closing if we walked. Vey nice!  We walked back along the river where many boats have private slips. There were also a large number of commercial fishing boats here. A very neat little town!

 

Waterfront at Port Stanley

Fishing Tugs in the Port Stanley Harbour

Port Stanley has a story about its name: It was named after the Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley, who’s son served as the Governor General of Canada and he donated one of the most sought after prizes in the world of sport – the Stanley Cup! (info credit to www.great-lakes-sailing.com)

A word about anchoring: you must learn how to do this well, and be sure to have better than the minimum required equipment. In Port Stanley, shortly after we returned with our groceries, a 30 knot wind came form a few storm cells moving through, but we held.

Weather is coming!

We left Port Stanley the next day for the southeast, with 15 knots of wind from the southwest – one of the best sails we’ve had yet! All day on a beam reach under full sail. We rounded Long Point and a sudden gale blew up, and it was a struggle to get the sails down! We anchored off a small island protected from the wind.

 

Long Point Lighthouse

In the morning we had our coffee and breakfast under sail and finished our journey across Lake Erie at Port Colborne.  We stopped at Sugarloaf Harbour Marina for diesel, then made our way to the free town docks at the top of the Welland Canal. I went to the booth to call in to Seaway Welland that we had arrived, and wished to transit the canal. They said it was busy, and maybe tomorrow… shipping has priority over pleasure craft.  We started to prepare Vata for the canal transit, with extra fenders and fender boards to protect the hull from the hard concrete walls of the canal.

 

Lying at Port Colborne as the Cargo ship Paul J. Martin enters the Welland Canal

The next morning I called in to Seaway Welland from the booth, and they were busy with shipping again, but advised they may squeak us in around 5 p.m. Another sailboat would be on its way, and we’ll be going through together. We went into town to provision, and everything there was very convenient. We returned into town a second time, and we got a phone call at 11:45 that we would be going under the lift bridge in 15 minutes when it opened. We ran back and got under way!  Part of the crew on the second boat, Erewhon from Michigan, were nowhere to be seen, but they suddenly showed up at the last second in a police cruiser which they flagged down because they had gone for a long walk! Both boats made it under the lift bridge and to lock 8. None of us had ever had locked through before so we were all very exited.

 

The Welland Seaway call-in booth in Port Colborne, beside the town docks

Before lock 8 we were greeted by a canal worker who with a long fish net passed us an information booklet and registration sheet inside a glove (so the wind wouldn’t blow it away). We returned the registration, and proceeded to lock through the canal.  8 locks a whole bunch of lift bridges, and the Hwy 427 fixed bridge, with incredibly large opposing traffic!

Ship "squeezing" through a lift bridge with us - there was actually lots of room!

The whole Welland Canal system was exiting, exhausting and when we passed lock number 1 at 7:37 p.m, we were grateful for the good time we made, but were exhausted. Erewhon planned to continue to Toronto, and we said our farewells. If we ever had to do this again, we would have a fender board for each side, so you don't have to switch sides. We anchored around the point in Lake Ontario’s Port Weller Harbour in 15 feet of water, had a celebration drink, and barbequed a pizza.

We took the next day, June 2, off, and stayed in Port Weller Harbour to remove our fenders, wash the boat, and relax.  It was a beautiful sunny day. We had visits from kayakers and boaters who stopped by to say hello.

On June 3, 2017, we headed north to Toronto, and watched the city’s skyline grow all day. At 3:30 p.m. We made it to Bluffer’s Park Marina where our daughter Jessie met us and slept over, and we had lots of fun.

The Toronto skyline getting closer....

June 4, 2017, we spent the morning walking around Bluffers Park and looking at the Scarborough Bluffs. (The pictures today are Jessie’s – Thank you).

Born in Toronto, this was my first time to the Scarborough Bluffs!

Karen’s brother Bob visited and we all had lunch together. Then we said our farewells. Tomorrow, the wind should subside and we plan to anchor outside the marina in a nearby cove before favourable winds develop to continue our voyage east.