Good-bye Montreal

June 23, 2002 - Good-bye Montreal

We knew that we had a lot to go through right away, so we had our bumpers out on both sides, so that we would be PREPARED for either one. We passed under the Pont Jacques -Carter Bridge and were back in heavy current so we could only go 6 knots. When we got to the St. Lambert Lock the only other boat wanting to lock through was the tour boat the Canadian Empress from Kingston. We locked through with them and then followed them to the St. Catherine Lock, 7.5 miles away. In these locks we used their lines, which made it pretty easy. When we arrived at the St. Catherine Lock we had to wait for a long time as a huge ship was in the lock, so we had a big breakfast while we waited. These locks on the St. Lawrence are 776feet long and 80 feet wide and 30 feet deep, and westward vessels are raised 247 feet between Montreal and Lake Ontario. Between Montreal and the Georgian Bay we have to raise 600 feet to be at the level of Lake Michigan. It will be a lot of work as there are many, many locks. Joanne and Bert are meeting us in Ottawa on Tuesday to do the Rideau Canal with us. That canal has 47 locks. Oh, Boy! We're looking forward to seeing them and it's nice of them to take time out of their busy summer to join us. It will be fun.

We passed through the St. Catherine Lock by 10:30 and it is now hazy and partly sunny and hot. After the cruise ship left us to continue on the St. Lawrence River, we had a little trouble locating the marks into the Ottawa River - it didn't seem very well marked. But we figured it our and were on our way. We got up to a narrow area between an island and the shore, which was well marked but had a terrific current. We started in that way and the buzzer went off and all of a sudden we were in VERY shallow water and we hit bottom. Bill put the boat in reverse right away and that with the current took us out of the shallow water. We turned around and luckily found a fisherman close by and ask him if there was another channel up the Ottawa River. He told us there was one on the OTHER side of the Island at Saint Annes. THEN, it dawned on us that that is where the next lock was. Oh, boy! So we turned around and checked the charts and sure enough there was another channel that we should have taken. We have a vibration now so we have had to cut our speed and we don't know as yet how bad the damage is to either the props and or shaft. Needless to say we are very shook up and disappointed. I guess we can all have a senior moment once in a while. However, Bill's pride is hurt pretty badly. I guess he just let up his guard and is pretty devastated. Hopefully when we get a diagnosis it won't be too bad.

After the St. Annes Lock it was rough water and we still had another hour and a half to the Clarion Lock and then a long way to Hawkberry where we were planning to stay the night. We were going along, but at a slower speed, when out of the blue a storm hit us. Luckily Bill had turned on the radar. This storm was wind and rain and was the worst storm we have ever been in. We were really scared and even put on our life jackets. Bill could see land nearby on the radar and struggled to keep the boat from hitting land. We were just before the Clarion Lock. It was getting dark and we were hoping to get through the lock so we could get to Hawksberry. The storm didn't last very long, but it sure had us a little undone. What else can happen to us in one day???? At 6:00 we arrived at the Clarion Lock and wanted to lock through. The lock didn't communicate with us and we waited for the green light to go on so that we could proceed into the lock. Well, we hung around in the river for an hour and a half while we continued to call the lock. No one responded.

Finally, I called the Hawksberry Marina to say that we wouldn't get there that night and they gave us the name of a marina closer to the lock - but still on the other side. Long story short, I guess the lock closed because of the storm and didn't have electricity. However, it would have been nice if someone had told us what to do. In the end there wasn't anything to do but dock right next to the lock and tie up for the night and WAIT, WAIT, AND WAIT SOME MORE. We were exhausted and had a bite to eat and a little wine and went to bed. I think this was the very worst day we have had on the whole trip.

Monday morning we got up early because we thought the locked opened at 8:30 am. Well, we WAITED AND WAITED SOME MORE. The lock didn't let us through until 10:00. We couldn't believe it, as we figured that we needed to go about 70 miles today to get to Ottawa and we were getting a VERY late start. I was ready to tear my hair out. We finally left the lock at about 10:30 and were on our way to Ottawa, but at a slower speed than we usually travel, so who knows when we'll get there. I called the Hull Marina and said we would get there sometime today, maybe late. It was a lovely day. It was warm and sunny, and we had an uneventful journey on the Ottawa River to Ottawa and we arrived around 7:00pm. Not too bad. I thought it would be much later. I called Joanne Vossler and said we'd be expecting them tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime Bill is going to try to figure out what the damage might be and what to do about it. He will dive down in the morning to see what it looks like and try to make a plan. We are going to bed tonight hoping that it isn't too bad.

Stay tuned.