July 8 – July 14, 2011
Once we left Norway Island, we traveled down the St. Lawrence River toward Montreal. We discovered that we didn’t have the chip for our chart plotter for Canada. There was a big blank area on the chart plotter that only showed land and water – no depths, no channel markers, no bridges, no locks – nothing but land vs. water. Roger booted up his iPad and we used it for navigating to Crysler Park, Ontario. We actually had to plot the course by figuring out the compass headings on our own by using the paper charts; and the Navionics program on the iPad showed us exactly where we were. It’s funny to see how dependent we’ve become on the chart plotter and the technology. Needless to say, Roger went online and bought the Canada maps. We downloaded it at Crysler Park when we arrived. That was a relief – the other way is not difficult, just more work.
We met Danny & Susan and Ted & Nancy there and waited for Rae & Steve Mason to join us the next afternoon. We met Rae & Steve in Michigan City just as we started the Great Loop and traveled through the Carp Barrier and down the rivers and did the night crossing across the Gulf of Mexico. Their boat, Barefoot Shoes, is in Florida and we invited them to cruise with us for a few days. We had a welcome-back dinner on our boat the first night and woke up early the next morning for the long trip to Montreal.
It took us more than 10 hours to cruise down the St. Lawrence River to Port de Plaisance Lachine, a suburb of Montreal. Roger & I were so glad to have the extra help when we locked through 4 locks and went under 2 bridges that day. The marina at Lachine was very nice and we were glad to arrive in time for Happy Hour and hot dogs for dinner. The next morning, we set off in our dinghies with Rae & Steve, Danny & Susan and Ted & Nancy. We traveled 12.1 kilometers, about 7-1/2 miles, down the Lachine Channel to Montreal. We had to go through 4 locks and left our dinghies between Lock 2 and Lock 1 so that we could sightsee on foot.
The trip down the canal was interesting. We saw some industry, but many old factory buildings have been converted to condominiums. It was pretty hot and sunny on the way there, but we no sooner finished lunch in Old Montreal and it started to rain. We still went to Notre Dame Church and to the waterfront in Montreal. Roger and I love Montreal – it’s like a foreign country, with most people speaking French – Roger’s childhood French is coming back to him easily. Because the trip back was about 1-1/2 hours, it was a short day in Montreal. On the way back, we stopped at Atwater Market, which had unbelievable meats, cheeses, pastries, breads, wine, etc. We stocked up and dinghied back to our boats.
On Tuesday, we were sad to say good-by to Rae & Steve. They rented a car and went back to their home in Kincardine, Ontario (on Lake Huron). While they were with us, they carried on a practical joke that we have been passing back and forth since August 2009. Steve & Roger had found a heel gel sole on the dock in Dolton, Illinois soon after we first met each other. We have been secretly stashing this thing, which Steve named “The DBI” (Deflated Breast Implant), on each other’s boats and homes since then. We even have “Rules of Delivery” for the DBI – you cannot deliver it in a manner in which it has already been delivered. We have even written a “DBI Log” which has followed the route of the DBI since 2009. So, 2 years later, we are stretching our creativity. When we know we are going to see each other, we can hardly wait; however, we all live in fear of being the next recipient of the DBI. So when Rae & Steve were on our boat this week, they kept planting “DBI Decoys” – in our Crocs, boat shoes, under the loaf of bread, in the “thank you” card. Obviously, this furthers torments us since we know we are going to get it next. We know they left it behind, we just haven’t found it yet….
After Rae & Steve left, Roger’s cousins from Montreal and Quebec City came to see us – Ginette and her daughter Genevieve and Serge and his wife Marie. We had a wonderful visit with them and dinner onboard. Unfortunately, we were having such a good time that we forgot to take pictures! I know that I have mentioned this before, but it is very special when we can meet up with our family and friends who have heard about our life aboard our boat and we get to share it with them in person. Thanks, Serge, Marie, Ginette and Genevieve, for making the time to come and see us. A bientot!
On Wednesday, we had a short trip to another suburb of Montreal called St. Anne de Bellevue. We arrived in a driving rain and tied up on the lock wall. That night Roger & I walked to the town to have dinner. There was a free concert across the channel from us, a band that played mainly blues. They did quite a few songs in English, but we enjoyed it all, even in French.
Today is a quiet day. My main objective was to get caught up on my blog and also to get my hair cut. I’ve done both, so now I can relax a little. Tonight we are having lobster tails with Danny & Susan. It is just us 2 boats traveling together now and tomorrow we will move on toward the Ottawa River.
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